Rodents

Diet

Rodents swear by grass and hay. Given the high amount of fibre these contain, they keep the digestive system of your rabbit, hamster or guinea pig in good shape. It’s best to place their hay in a slightly elevated position, so that no urine or droppings end up in there. You should also make sure water is always available in their cage.

Your rodent will also love leafy vegetables like cabbage, parsley, celery, carrot leaves and so on. They also like dandelions. Fruit is allowed, but not too often. Given the high sugar content in fruit, it’s more like a sweet treat for rodents. Guinea pigs need a lot of vitamin C, and dry foods specially developed for guinea pigs cater for this. Regardless, they often need a top up, which you can give them in their drinking water.

Last but not least, you should also offer extra variety in their diet through dry food such as high-fibre pellets. It’s best to view this as a supplement to hay, so make sure you don’t give them too much.

Housing

Rodents can be kept indoors or outdoors. Bear in mind that rabbits, guinea pigs or hamsters move around a lot, so they need plenty of space.

If you have a rodent roaming freely indoors, make sure they cannot chew any cables. It’s also a good idea to provide a sandbox so they can do some digging — it’s part of their natural behaviour, after all. You can toilet train a rabbit and teach it to only do its business in a litter tray.

If you’re building a hutch for your rodent outside, make sure to position it out of the wind and out of the rain. And above all, make sure that it’s out of the reach of birds of prey or other animals.

Vaccinations

Our vets will vaccinate your rodent against myxomatosis and RHD (rabbit haemorrhagic disease, which causes severe diarrhoea) from the age of five weeks. This is essential, as both conditions are fatal and can sometimes even be transmitted by humans, toys or other sick animals. Our vets will repeat these vaccinations during your pet’s annual check-up.

Breeding

Rabbits are sexually mature after just under four months of age, and guinea pigs after about two months. Hamsters may breed even faster: they are fertile after just four weeks. If your pets do breed, leave the young alone at birth. You should not transfer your scent to the young; otherwise, the mother will repel them.

Spaying and castration

If you don’t plan to breed your rodent, ask our vets to neuter them. Doing so prevents uterine cancer in females and behavioural problems in males. The main thing to keep an eye on after the procedure is your rodent’s weight. As they’ll be using a lot less energy, they’re likely to put on weight more quickly.