Small Pets
Syrian Hamsters
As with any pet, keeping a hamster requires a commitment to care for it during its life which could be 2-3 years or longer. The commitment required includes not only routine feeding, care and time spent with the hamster but also the provision of veterinary treatment if the hamster becomes ill which can be costly. Although proper care will go a long way to ensuring that any hamster remains happy and healthy. Below is a list of breeds we stock.
Syrian Hamsters become very tame if you look after them and give them lots of attention. They may be small, but they’re lots of fun! In our store you can find toys to gnaw, nuggets and muesli, plus all our hamster cages come with exercise wheels to keep them fit
Dwarf Hamsters (Roboroski, Russain and Chinese)
As with any pet, keeping a hamster requires a commitment to care for it during its life which could be 2-3 years or longer. The commitment required includes not only routine feeding, care and time spent with the hamster but also the provision of veterinary treatment if the hamster becomes ill which can be costly. Although proper care will go a long way to ensuring that any hamster remains happy and healthy. Below is a list of breeds we stock.
With these swarf hamsters you need to love them and look after them and they’ll make great pets and become very tame. Their teeth never stop growing so give them lots of toys to gnaw and of course our hamster cages come with exercise wheels to help keep them fit.
Rats
Rats make very good family pets. They’re generally clean and highly intelligent. They are perfect for older children. Whilst rats are inexpensive to keep, you should buy the largest cage possible for a healthier life. Rats often sleep during the day but are not fully nocturnal like hamsters. They’ll enjoy spending time with you during the day or evening. On average, rats live between 2 and 2 1⁄2 years. Dumbo rats are a special variety of the normal fancy rat and have larger, differently positioned ears. Fancy rats are available in a variety of colours.
We strongly recommend that rats are kept in same sex pairs or groups as they’re very sociable and human contact alone is not enough. You should buy your rats at the same time as they’ll already be friends, although new rats can sometimes be introduced later.
Gerbils
Gerbils, or the Mongolian Gerbil, were first discovered in 1866 by a French biologist. Since then, gerbils were introduced into the UK as laboratory animals.
There are over a dozen different species of gerbil all residing within a subgroup of the rodent family. The inquisitive nature of the gerbil makes it a popular pet. These desert animals are natural burrowers and are happiest tunnelling underground.
Gerbils will nibble constantly on all kinds of surfaces, and will shred items to make nesting material. These are daytime animals who enjoy human companionship and in return will provide hours of entertainment and enjoyment. They are ideal for older children. Gerbils tend to live between 2 and 4 years and with lots of attention gerbils can become very tame.
As they come from the desert they produce little waste, as they naturally conserve as much water and nutrition as possible.
Chipmunks
Chipmunks are highly active animals that need spacious and stimulating housing. Despite being naturally ground-dwelling, they are excellent climbers and in the wild spend vast amounts of time foraging in small trees and shrubs. Chipmunks can become hand tame, although this takes great patience, but can resent handling. They are social animals and enjoy each others company, however males will usually fight. An average lifespan for males is between 2 and 5 years and 6 years plus for females.
A healthy chipmunk should be:
- Bright and alert.
- No signs of discharge at the ears, mouth or nose.
- A clean anal area.
- A glossy coat with no sores on the skin and no bald patches.
- Able to move around the cage easily.
