Guide For Having Small Mammals As Pets!
Ideal Pet Choices
What You Be Reading In This Post
- Small Mammal Basics
- Research What Type Of Small Mammal You Want
- Determine Which Pet Will Best Fit With Your Family
- Consider Other Pets In The House
- Consider Your Budget And Resources
- The Dangers Of Choosing The Wrong Small Mammal
Foreword
As with all animals, the decision to keep one as a pet should only be done after due consideration is given to the thought process. Taking the time to gather a lot of knowledge on the subject and the availability of the supporting tools that would be needed for the comfort of the animal chosen should be the priority. Get all the info you need here.
Small Mammal Basics
Small mammals are highly dependent on the new owner to provide all the necessary assistance for their survival. However, there are some exceptions to the sure but overall these small mammals need care and attention and any neglect would eventually cause their demise.
The Basics
Some of these small mammals that would make ideal pet choices would include hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, rats, mice, rabbits, and chinchillas. Some of these animals have a comparatively short lifespan while others can live for longer periods, but all need the support, care, and attention of the owner in order to have a happy and healthy life.
Some of these small mammals are nocturnal creatures and this would be quite frustrating as a pet for children. This would be because these small mammals would spend most of the day sleeping while the child would only be interested in playing with it. This could lead to a very stressful situation for the pet and the owner.
Also, some of these pets are not really very active animals and even when awake they would rather just curl up comfortably beside the owner as opposed to running around and performing tricks. The owners who are more knowledgeable would probably understand the need for a quiet and cool location for the cage, thus they would make every effort to make sure this is done. Having other more active and boisterous pets around may not be the best thing for some of these rather sensitive mammals.
Research What Type Of Small Mammal You Want
When deciding on the particular type of small mammal to choose from as a pet, the potential owner would have to consider several different facts to ensure the right and the most suitable choice is being made. This choice would depend on a variety of factors that either directly connect to the choice or indirectly does.
What Type
Small mammal pets usually cover a wide range of choices, such as mice, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs. However even as small-sized as they are, most of these pets can be really active and playful and would require a lot of attention and care. Aside from their furry cuteness, these small mammals are rather interesting and entertaining to watch. Most pet owners of small mammals will attest to simply being content with observing their pets for hours due to their often entertaining nature.
If the quest to acquire such a pet is a priority for the owner, then taking the time and effort to be as informed as possible about the particular small mammal chosen would be very beneficial to both parties. Failing which, the new pet would most likely suffer the consequences of poor care and thus eventually expire.
Elements to consider when conducting research to find a suitable match as a pet would have to include matters such as the feasibility of acquiring the particular breed, the convenience of having it around permanently, the fit is makes into the current lifestyle of the individual, its food and housing needs, if the others pets will be able to adapt to the newcomer, if the new pet will be able to adapt to its new environments and a whole host of other considerations, that should be taken into account before the small mammal is actually purchased.
Determine Which Pet Will Best Fit With Your Family
Finding out a little about each small mammal beforehand will help the individual make a more informed choice as to the best pick for a pet, which will suit the family unit.
The following are some information on the different types of small mammals that would make ideal family pets:
What Will Fit
Hamsters – the small mammals don’t really have a long life span and usually live up to about 2 – 3 years only. An adult hamster would be about 6 inches in length and usually most comfortable as solitary items. Although they don’t really require large cages, because of their active nature a bigger cage would be better than a smaller one. Being sociable and having simple dietary requirements present this choice as a good one to pick.
Gerbils too have a short lifespan of about 2 – 3 years and are very sociable animals. This breed would be comfortable in pairs or even in small groups provided the living space provided is big enough to comfortably accommodate the number decided. However, it should be noted that if they are to co-exist as a group, getting them together from a young age would be better than introducing a fully grown one into an already existing group. Keeping only males or females would be a good idea if the pet owner does not want to be burdened with a population explosion as these creatures breeds really fast.
Mice are also suitable creatures to pick as pets as they are quite small and easy to maintain. Their cage size requirements are comparatively smaller than other small mammals and they interact well as a group. Being very playful and interactive, they also make excellent pets. However, due to their really small size, human interaction may prove to be a challenge and they are more entertaining to watch rather than handled
Consider Other Pets In The House
When there is an interest in getting a small mammal as a pet to be introduced into the current family unit, a lot of insinuating circumstances should be first considered carefully before a final decision is made. Introducing a new pet into an already existing environment where there are other pets, could prove to be a challenge especially if the existing pets perceive the newcomer as a threat to them.
Other Pets
Therefore choosing a small mammal as an addition to the family unit should be done only after a lot of serious consideration. It would be normal for the family members to now focus all their attention on the newcomer, thus neglecting the existing pets. This would cause psychological damage to the other pets and this would either result in deteriorating health of the pet or aggression towards the new pet. Some pet doesn’t take too kindly to a newcomer and there are often episodes of incidences which jeopardize the survival of the new pet.
Besides this, the new small mammal pet will be put under unnecessary stress from the intrusion and presence of the existing pet. As pets are equally sensitive creatures, any changes in the environment would be traumatic enough and adding to this any outside disturbances will be more than it can take and this may result in some really negative outcomes.
Matters can be complicated further if the new pet is looked upon as a food source for the existing pets. There would be a constant attempt by one party to try and eat the other and this, of course, will not be an ideal situation, to say the least. Therefore careful consideration needs to be given to ensure all parties are comfortable and accepting of the situation.
Consider Your Budget And Resources
Getting a pet especially a small mammal pet is not as easy as it may first appear to be. This is mainly due to the fact at the beginning the small mammal may seem like an ideal pet but over the course of time, the pet may suffer the consequences of the owner not really being well equipped to handle it or the owner abandoning the pet altogether.
Resources
Therefore the in the quest to acquire a small mammal pet, the positional owner should consider a few key points that would be pivotal in the whole process and this would include elements such as the budget available and the resources available for this new addition. Budgeting can often be a rather tricky thing to handle as a lot of the time, there are hidden costs that the new owner may not be aware of thus throwing the situation in a turmoil when funds are limited and yet the needs are very real.
One way of assessing a reasonably complete budget would be to do a lot of research on the desired small mammal pet in mind. This will help the owner make an informed decision based on sound knowledge acquired. Another way would be to actually consult others who own such pets.
These owners would be able to give the potential pet owner a clear picture of what it entails in caring for the particular small mammal chosen. Information on tools needed to make the animal comfortable and its living condition requirements would all be able to be forthcoming through information given by seasoned pet owners. This source of information is very beneficial as sometimes these seasoned owners are able to improvise to save on the pet budget thus giving the potential pet owner ideas on how to do the same.
The Dangers Of Choosing The Wrong Small Mammal
If the owner and other family members are not really well prepared for the pet mentally and physically, with the specific knowledge needed to create the ideal relationship, a lot of things can and usually do go terribly wrong. This, of course, would eventually lead to the pets deteriorating state or the owner making the decision to either give away the pet or abandoning it altogether. Neither of these scenarios is a good one to unfold, thus the need to be fully prepared for the new small mammal pet.
Great Info
Hamsters are a popular choice but it should be noted that while they are really cute animals they don’t really do much during the day except sleep. This is because they are predominantly nocturnal animals and thus most of their activities are at night when everyone else is trying to sleep.
The disturbances from this activity and the nocturnal sound they make can be very annoying and unsettling. Hamsters are also able to squirm out of a person’s grasp quite easily and are also known for the rather painful bites.
Mice are another cute and thus a popular choice. However, mice are not really fond of human contact or handling and they would try to escape every chance they get. Another off-putting fact about mice is the pungent smell of their urine and no amount of cleaning will completely rid the cage of this smell. Also because of their small size, it would be very difficult to catch one should it slip out of the grasp of the owner.
Wrapping Up
Predominantly most small mammals seem to make ideal first choice pets, and most of the time this is very true, especially if the owner is knowledgeable about all the various aspects of the particular pet.
