Small pets are prey animals — they hide illness until it’s advanced, so knowing the red flags matters. Pick your species for the signs that mean “see an exotic vet,” straight from our fact-checked care guides. This never diagnoses; when a sign needs a vet, it says so.
⚠️ Read first. This is honest triage, not a diagnosis. Small pets can go downhill fast and several common medicines are dangerous to them, so never medicate yourself — the safe move is always to see an exotic/small-animal vet. Your best early-warning system is a daily check of appetite, droppings, breathing and behaviour.
Not eating, or no droppings — a chinchilla with a stalled gut is an emergency; see a vet the same day
Panting, lying stretched out, hot or red ears, or dullness in warm weather — heatstroke, which is a life-threatening emergency; cool them and get to a vet
Drooling or difficulty eating, or weight loss (often dental disease)
Soft droppings, diarrhoea or a bloated belly
Fur loss or fur-chewing, or bald, flaky or sore skin
Discharge from the eyes or nose, or laboured breathing
🚫 And never…
Never give a chinchilla a water bath — they bathe in dust only.
Never let a chinchilla overheat; hot, humid or stuffy rooms can be fatal.
Never house them permanently on bare wire without solid resting areas.
Never use cotton-wool or fluffy strand bedding.
Never feed sugary or fruity treats in any real quantity — their gut can’t handle it.
Never ignore a chinchilla that has stopped eating or passing droppings.
Weakness, a glazed “staring” episode, drooling, pawing at the mouth, collapse or seizures — signs of low blood sugar from insulinoma; see a vet urgently
Symmetrical hair loss (often starting at the tail), a swollen vulva in a spayed female, or increased itching — signs of adrenal gland disease
Not eating, vomiting, or sudden collapse — a ferret that swallows rubber or foam can get a life-threatening gut blockage
Laboured breathing, coughing or lethargy (possible heart disease)
Any prolonged heat in an unspayed female — an emergency (risk of fatal anaemia)
Black, tarry stools, or sudden weight loss
🚫 And never…
Never keep a ferret without first checking it’s legal where you live.
Never feed dog food, sugary foods, fruit, dairy or carbohydrate treats — feed a meat-based ferret diet.
Never house them on bare wire floors, or use cedar/pine shavings or newspaper as bedding.
Never let a ferret roam a space that isn’t thoroughly ferret-proofed — they swallow foam/rubber and squeeze into appliances.
Never skip rabies and distemper vaccinations, or leave a female unspayed and in prolonged heat.
Never bathe a ferret constantly to fight odour — it backfires.
Not eating, drooling (“slobbers”), or dropping weight — often dental disease, and a guinea pig that stops eating needs a vet quickly
Any difficulty breathing, sneezing, or nasal/eye discharge — respiratory infection and pneumonia are a leading cause of death and can progress fast; see a vet immediately
Diarrhoea, small or no droppings, bloating, a hunched posture, rough fur or staining around the rear — gut upset, which can decline rapidly
Watering, crusting or redness of the eyes (conjunctivitis)
Head tilt, circling, loss of balance or ear discharge (ear infection)
Hair loss with low appetite and energy in a female over one year (possible ovarian cysts)
Any new lump, especially in a guinea pig over 5 years old
🚫 And never…
Never keep a guinea pig on its own — it needs the company of other guinea pigs.
Never house them on a grid or wire floor — it causes painful foot injuries.
Never let them get above 26°C or below 15°C.
Never feed rabbit, hamster or other rodent food instead of guinea-pig food — it lacks the vitamin C they need.
Never give a diet without a fresh daily source of vitamin C.
Never give any medication without a guinea-pig-savvy vet — many common antibiotics can be fatal to them.
A wet, soiled or matted rear end with diarrhoea, low energy and loss of appetite — “wet tail” (often proliferative ileitis) progresses fast and is frequently fatal; see a vet urgently
Not eating, weight loss, or a hunched, low-energy hamster
Rapid or laboured breathing, or a bluish tint to skin or gums (possible heart failure in Syrians)
Any lump or swelling, or overgrown front teeth
A hamster that is cold and stiff (torpor) — warm it gently and seek advice
Sudden diet-related diarrhoea, or diarrhoea after any medication (some antibiotics are fatal to hamsters)
🚫 And never…
Never keep Syrian or Chinese hamsters together, or mix species or sexes.
Never house a hamster on a wire-mesh floor, or in a wooden cage.
Never use cotton-wool or fluffy strand bedding.
Never let a hamster get cold enough to risk torpor, or leave it in direct heat.
Never give a small, fast, or unsupervised-height handling session that risks a fall.
Never give antibiotics or other medication without an exotic vet — lincomycin, clindamycin, ampicillin, penicillin, erythromycin, vancomycin and cephalosporins can be fatal to hamsters.
Sniffling, sneezing, a chattering noise, nasal discharge or laboured breathing — respiratory infection is common in mice (often Mycoplasma, which has no cure); see a vet
Diarrhoea, loss of appetite or weight, a hunched posture, or rough, ruffled fur
Any lump or swelling (mammary tumours are common in mice)
Scratching, hair loss, scabs or flaky skin (possible mites or skin disease)
Overgrown front teeth, or difficulty eating
🚫 And never…
Never house unfamiliar or adult male mice together — serious fighting is likely.
Never keep a mouse completely alone unless a vet advises it for an aggressive individual.
Never use a tiny cage or shallow bedding — mice need space and depth to dig.
Never use fine sawdust, aspen, cedar or fragrant/dyed bedding.
Not eating, OR no droppings, for more than about 12 hours — this is gut stasis, a genuine emergency; see a vet the same day
Sitting hunched, grinding teeth, or a sudden loss of energy — signs of pain rabbits try to hide
Drooling, or difficulty eating (often dental disease)
Runny nose or eyes, or trouble breathing
Diarrhoea, or soft sticky droppings around the bottom (flystrike risk in warm weather)
Dark red urine, fur loss, or red, swollen skin
Not hopping or moving normally
Body temperature below 38°C (100.4°F) or above 40.6°C (105°F)
🚫 And never…
Never keep a rabbit on a wire floor — it injures their feet.
Never feed muesli-style mixes or lawnmower clippings, and never change the diet suddenly.
Never give a rabbit certain oral antibiotics — clindamycin, lincomycin, erythromycin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, or cephalosporins by mouth can be fatal; only a rabbit-savvy vet should prescribe medication.
Never use fipronil-based flea products (e.g. some spot-ons) — they can cause fatal nervous-system reactions in rabbits.
Never ignore a rabbit that has stopped eating or pooping — treat it as an emergency, not a wait-and-see.
Weak, dragging or paralysed hind legs, muscle tremors, unexplained fractures, or seizures — signs of metabolic bone disease from a calcium-deficient diet; see a glider vet
Not eating, weight loss or lethargy
Self-barbering, over-grooming or self-inflicted wounds — often stress, especially in a lone glider
Drooling or difficulty eating (dental disease, usually from a too-sugary diet)
A cold, torpid, unresponsive glider — warm gradually and seek advice
Diarrhoea or persistently soft droppings
🚫 And never…
Never keep a single sugar glider — they need colony company.
Never feed a fruit- or sugar-heavy diet, or skip calcium and vitamin D3 — it causes fatal bone disease.
Never use toxic branch woods (almond, apricot, black walnut, cherry, peach).
Never use an open-rung wheel that can trap toes.
Never let a glider roam unsupervised outside its cage.
Never buy one without checking local legality and finding a glider-experienced vet first.
Red-flag signs are taken directly from Hayfold’s fact-checked care guides (sourced from RSPCA, PDSA and the Merck Veterinary Manual). They tell you when to act — a vet is the one who can diagnose and treat.
Common questions
How do I know if my small pet is sick?
Small pets are prey animals, so they hide illness until it’s advanced — which is why a daily check is your best early-warning system. Watch appetite, droppings, breathing and behaviour: signs that warrant a vet include not eating, changes in droppings, laboured or noisy breathing, a hunched posture, a dull or fluffed-up coat, and any sudden change in normal behaviour. This is triage, not a diagnosis — when a sign appears, the safe move is to see an exotic or small-animal vet, because a vet is the one who can diagnose and treat.
When is a rabbit not eating an emergency?
If a rabbit stops eating, or produces no droppings, for more than about 12 hours, treat it as a genuine emergency — this can be gut stasis — and see a vet the same day. Other rabbit red flags include sitting hunched, grinding teeth, a sudden loss of energy, drooling or difficulty eating, and runny nose or eyes. This is triage, not a diagnosis: never wait and see, and let the vet decide on treatment.
What are the warning signs a pet rat needs a vet?
For rats, see a vet promptly for raspy, clicking or laboured breathing, sneezing or sniffling (respiratory infection is common and serious in rats), any new lump or bump (mammary tumours are the most common tumour in rats), a lot of reddish-brown “red tears” staining around the eyes or nose, loss of appetite or weight, a hunched posture, or a head tilt. With no vaccines available, early vet care is the only defence — this is triage, not a diagnosis, so never medicate yourself.
Why shouldn’t I medicate my small pet myself?
Because several common medicines are dangerous to small pets, and they can go downhill fast, self-medicating is risky — the safe move is always to see an exotic/small-animal vet who can diagnose and prescribe safely. For example, certain oral antibiotics (such as clindamycin, lincomycin, erythromycin, ampicillin, amoxicillin or cephalosporins by mouth) can be fatal to rabbits. Hayfold gives you the red flags that tell you when to act; the vet does the diagnosis and treatment.
