Caring for Small Animals

Small animals are pretty popular pets for younger kids. Think about it small animals, or rather small mammal, pets include a wide variety of pets such as hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, degus, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, and more. Ther are so many different small animal pets, that it's a wonder that they're not the most popular pet amongst young childrens.

The only concern that I have is for hte parents that show up at the pet store and purchase whatever pet the pet store employee says would be good and with whatever accessories and housing they recommend.

Not all pet store employees know what they're talking about, so I can stress enough, do your research first!

But anyway, if you want more information, check out
Caring for Small Animals: Hamsters, Mice, Rats, & Chinchillas
Best Pets for Small Children

Mice/Rats Whats the Difference?

I have both rats and mice, well 3 rats and 1 mouse. I have had other mice in the past though. When I got my present mouse, I was under the impression that he would be similar to my rats... Wrong. Well, somewhat. He has similar diet and husbandry, just smaller scale. He has similar needs in general, but personality, it's just not the same. Read up before you make a decision between a mouse or a rat. To get you started, here's a brief article with a few this and that's.

Rats Vs. Mice as Pets

Rats, Rats, and More Rats!

Ok, so it's something my mom's not the proudest to admit... Her daughter has rats in her room... But, it's true. I do. I have three rats- a black hooded, black berkshire, and brown berkshire. And, no matter how much I swear they give kisses, no one believes me, and no one dares to try it. Ha. I love my rats greatly.

My rats experience tons of treats daily... Well, when I say tons I mean no more than 10% of their diet, but tons none-the-less. You always have to watch out what and how much you feed rats, as surprisingly enough they're not like the nasty New York sewer rats. The following article is a great listing of treats that your rat(s) CAN have.

Rat Munchies

Rats LOVE attention! To any rat lover, that's no surprise. Games and Toys for Your Pet Rats is a great show of fun that you can have with your pet rat.

I'm a constant worry-wort when it comes to my animals. Wondering if they're getting enough nutrition in their diet, attention, excercise. Like my chinchillas, my rats, too, hold a special place in my heart. I have compiled Signs of Illness In Your Rat in order to share a few symptoms that you can look for in order spot whether or not your rat is sickly or not.