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Small Pet Holiday Care

December 15, 2018
Happy Holidays! Do you have a smaller pet, exotic, or reptile? There’s no reason you can’t include your animal pal in your celebrations! A local Pickerington, OH vet discusses spending the holidays with pocket pets in this article.

Gifts

Chew toys are great options for rabbits, Guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, and gerbils. You can make some cute ones out of plain paper, cardboard, or even wood. Just avoid small or sharp items, and anything coated in varnish, glitter, or dye. Mazes and exercise wheels are also good gifts. Ferrets and hedgehogs may prefer balls, or small fabric stuffed animals. Climbing branches, hidey-holes, and hammocks are good options for chinchillas, ferrets, and other small pets. Of course, if you want to go all-out, get your pet a bigger, better habitat!

Decorating

Why not decorate your pet’s home for the holidays? Cut plain paper into snowflakes, or make holiday-themed shapes out of it. You can hang lights or tinsel along the outside of your pet’s habitat. Just make sure they can’t reach it. Another option is to look for a cute seasonal hidey-hole, like an igloo.

Treats

Smaller pets all have their own specific nutritional needs, so you’ll want to get recommendations on from your vet on what is and isn’t safe for them. Rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, and Guinea pigs can have small amounts of certain fruits. Hamsters may enjoy cooked turkey or egg, dog biscuits, and cheese. Mealworms and applesauce are great treats for sugar gliders.

Photos

Little pets take adorable photos! Snap a picture of your hamster in a tiny Santa hat, or put pet ‘antlers’ on your rabbit. Check to see if your phone or camera has a macro setting. This often works better than the zoom. If you are taking pictures of your pet in a glass or plastic tank, angle the camera down to reduce glare. Last but not least, if you are using props, don’t leave your tiny buddy unsupervised with them.

Hazards

Smaller animals typically need some free time out of their cages daily. Unfortunately, many seasonal decorations are not safe for these little guys. Tinsel, ribbon, ornament hooks, light strands, and ornaments are all hazardous to pets. Seasonal plants are another issue, as many of them are toxic. Ask your vet for more information. Have a wonderful holiday season! Please contact us, your Pickerington, OH vet clinic, anytime.