African Pygmy Dormouse
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- A cold, torpid, unresponsive dormouse when it shouldn’t be — warm gently and get advice
- Not eating, weight loss or lethargy in a normally-busy animal
- Wounds from group aggression (often overcrowding or breeding season)
- Any breathing difficulty, or a visible skin/coat problem
🚫 And never…
- Never keep them in a flat, non-arboreal cage — they need height and climbing.
- Never keep one alone, and never overcrowd — both cause problems.
- Never let them get cold enough to trigger torpor.
- Never rely on a seed-only diet — they need insects/protein.
- Never assume the housing is sealed — check for any tiny gap.
Full african pygmy dormouse care guide, including what’s normal →
African Pygmy Mouse
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Any laboured, rapid or noisy breathing, or discharge from eyes/nose, respiratory illness in an animal this tiny escalates fast.
- A mouse sitting hunched, fluffed-up, lethargic, or refusing food or water.
- Visible weight loss, a bony or sunken look, or a swollen belly.
- Wounds, limping, or signs of fighting injuries (more common in male groups).
- Diarrhoea, a dirty or wet rear end, or straining.
- Any lump, growth, or eye that looks cloudy, bulging or injured.
- A pregnant or straining female in difficulty, or a mother that seems to be abandoning or eating pups. Because pygmy mice are so small, examination and treatment are hard, see an exotic vet early rather than waiting.
🚫 And never…
- Never keep one alone, isolation is a welfare problem for this social species.
- Never house them in a wire or barred cage, or any enclosure with mesh/gaps they can slip through or jump out of.
- Never house a mixed-sex group unless you intend continuous breeding, they reproduce extremely fast.
- Never handle them casually or grab a fast-moving mouse, their tiny bodies are easily injured internally.
- Never use cedar or pine shavings.
- Never let them get cold or sit in drafts, direct sun, or big temperature swings.
Full african pygmy mouse care guide, including what’s normal →
Campbell’s Hamster
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Excessive drinking or urinating, or unexplained weight change — possible diabetes; see an exotic vet
- A wet, soiled rear end with diarrhoea and low energy — “wet tail” is a fast, often fatal emergency
- Not eating, weight loss, or a hunched, low-energy hamster
- Any lump or swelling, or overgrown front teeth
- A hamster that is cold and stiff (torpor) — warm it gently and seek advice
🚫 And never…
- Never feed sugary fruit or treats — this is the most diabetes-prone pet hamster.
- Never assume a pair will work — keep a spare cage ready or house singly.
- Never use cotton-wool or fluffy strand bedding, or a wire-mesh floor.
- Never let it get cold enough to risk torpor, or leave it in direct heat.
Full campbell’s hamster care guide, including what’s normal →
Chinchilla
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- 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.
Full chinchilla care guide, including what’s normal →
Chinese Hamster
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- A wet, soiled rear end with diarrhoea and low energy — “wet tail” is a fast, often fatal emergency
- Not eating, weight loss, or a hunched, low-energy hamster
- Excessive drinking or urinating, or unexplained weight change (keep sugar low)
- Any lump or swelling, or overgrown front teeth
- A hamster that is cold and stiff (torpor) — warm it gently and seek advice
🚫 And never…
- Never keep two Chinese hamsters together, or mix species or sexes.
- Never keep one in California (or anywhere it’s restricted) without the required permit.
- Never use cotton-wool or fluffy strand bedding, or a wire-mesh floor.
- Never let it get cold enough to risk torpor, or leave it in direct heat.
Full chinese hamster care guide, including what’s normal →
Chipmunk
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Discharge around the nose, or difficulty breathing — possible respiratory infection
- Wetness around the mouth — possible overgrown teeth (only a vet should correct these)
- Reduced appetite, lethargy, a dull coat, or weight loss
- Sudden behaviour changes, or changes in droppings (fewer/smaller, or stopping)
- Signs of aspergillosis, ringworm or parasites
🚫 And never…
- Never buy, sell or breed a chipmunk in the EU/UK — it’s illegal (invasive-species listing).
- Never keep one on a wire floor (foot damage), or in an enclosure too small to climb and dig in.
- Never pick a chipmunk up by the tail or scruff.
- Never feed a seed-based rodent mix as the diet, or leave stones in peaches/plums.
- Never disturb a “hibernating” (torpid) chipmunk unless you suspect it’s ill.
Full chipmunk care guide, including what’s normal →
Degu
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Cloudy eyes (cataracts), excessive drinking or urinating, or unexplained weight gain — signs of diabetes; see a vet
- Drooling, a swollen face, discharge from one or both eyes, or a change in tooth colour — dental disease (healthy degu teeth are orange)
- Lying flat and still in warm conditions — possible overheating; treat as urgent
- Not eating or passing no droppings — a stalled gut is an emergency
- A dropped, degloved or injured tail — see a vet promptly, as it often needs treatment to prevent infection
- Diarrhoea or soft droppings
🚫 And never…
- Never feed a degu sugar — no fruit, no sugary treats, nothing containing molasses.
- Never let their room get warmer than about 20°C.
- Never keep a degu alone.
- Never house them in a plastic or wooden cage (they chew out), or one with wide bar gaps.
- Never pick up or restrain a degu by the tail.
- Never feed rabbit, hamster or gerbil food, or chinchilla mixes containing dried fruit.
Full degu care guide, including what’s normal →
Fat-Tailed Gerbil
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Not eating, or noticeably lethargic
- Wheezing, clicking or laboured breathing (often from damp/humid conditions)
- Sudden weight loss with a thin, shrunken tail
- Drooling or difficulty eating (possible overgrown teeth)
- Bald, sore or wet patches on the skin or tail
🚫 And never…
- Never feed a duprasi a plain seed diet with no insects/protein.
- Never keep it in damp or humid conditions — it causes respiratory illness.
- Never skip the sand bath (greasy coat and skin disease follow).
- Never grab it by the tail — support the body.
- Never assume it needs a companion — many do best alone.
Full fat-tailed gerbil care guide, including what’s normal →
Ferret
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- 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.
Full ferret care guide, including what’s normal →
Flying Squirrel
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Weakness, bendy limbs or fractures, tremors or seizures — metabolic bone disease is an emergency; see an exotic vet
- Not eating, weight loss or lethargy
- A cold, torpid animal when it shouldn’t be — warm gently and seek advice
- Signs of parasites (lice/fleas), or any wound
🚫 And never…
- Never keep a flying squirrel where it’s illegal, or without checking permit rules.
- Never feed a nut/seed/corn-heavy diet without calcium balance — it causes bone disease.
- Never keep one alone and ignored — they need company and interaction.
- Never buy a wild-caught animal (trafficking is a real problem) — source captive-bred.
- Never assume a standard wire wheel is safe for a gliding-membrane animal.
Full flying squirrel care guide, including what’s normal →
Gerbil
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- A seizure or a frozen, trance-like episode — gerbils are prone to epilepsy; usually brief, but tell your vet
- A red, crusty or sore nose or eyes (nasal dermatitis, often stress-related)
- Diarrhoea with a hunched posture, dull ruffled coat and low appetite — a sick gerbil needs a vet promptly
- Any lump, especially on the belly scent gland in an older gerbil
- Sudden fighting, wounds, or one gerbil driving another away (declanning)
- A degloved or injured tail after rough handling or a trapped limb
🚫 And never…
- Never keep a gerbil on its own.
- Never pick a gerbil up by the tail.
- Never use a bare barred cage or a wire-floor/open-wire wheel (bar-gnawing harms teeth; wire traps limbs).
- Never use shallow bedding — gerbils must be able to dig deep burrows.
- Never feed grapes or rhubarb, or too many fatty sunflower seeds.
- Never add an adult stranger to an established clan.
Full gerbil care guide, including what’s normal →
Guinea Pig
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- 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.
Full guinea pig care guide, including what’s normal →
Hamster
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- 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.
Full hamster care guide, including what’s normal →
Hedgehog
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Wobbliness, an unsteady or falling gait, or progressive weakness of the limbs — possible Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome; see an exotic vet
- A cold, curled, unresponsive hedgehog (torpor) — warm it gradually and get advice urgently
- Lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite or weight loss — vague but often the only early signs of serious illness in hedgehogs
- Laboured or open-mouthed breathing (possible heart disease or pneumonia)
- Not eating with collapse or vomiting — a gut blockage from swallowed carpet, fibres or rubber
- Excessive quill loss, crusting, or red, flaky skin (mites are very common)
- Yellow tinge to the skin/eyes or a swollen belly, especially in an overweight hedgehog (liver disease)
🚫 And never…
- Never let a hedgehog get too cold — or too hot — as both can trigger a dangerous torpor.
- Never house two hedgehogs together — they’re solitary.
- Never use a wire-floor cage or an open-rung wire wheel (legs get trapped), or a glass aquarium (poor ventilation).
- Never use loose string or fluffy cloth bedding.
- Never feed raw meat, raw egg, or milk.
- Never keep one without checking your local laws and permit rules first.
Full hedgehog care guide, including what’s normal →
Mouse
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- 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.
- Never feed grapes, raisins, rhubarb, or lettuce.
Full mouse care guide, including what’s normal →
Prairie Dog
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Facial or jaw swelling, or difficulty eating — often dental disease (incisor pseudo-odontoma is common); see an exotic vet
- Discharge from the eyes or nose, or laboured breathing — possible respiratory infection
- Diarrhoea, or wetness around the bottom
- Weight loss and emaciation — or the opposite, obesity (which predisposes to fatty liver disease)
- Any new lump, or signs of external/internal parasites
🚫 And never…
- Never keep a prairie dog in a wooden or flimsy cage — they chew out and escape.
- Never house a single one without providing very large amounts of daily interaction.
- Never let it get too hot (heatstroke) or cold enough to enter “pseudo-hibernation”.
- Never feed iceberg lettuce, dog/cat food, nuts, raisins, animal protein or table scraps.
- Never use cedar bedding, or sand/mud, as substrate.
- Never give a prairie dog free run of the house — they’re fast and easily injured.
Full prairie dog care guide, including what’s normal →
Rabbit
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- 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.
- Never declaw a rabbit.
Full rabbit care guide, including what’s normal →
Rat
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Raspy, clicking or laboured breathing, sneezing or sniffling — respiratory infection is common and serious in rats; see a vet promptly
- Any new lump or bump anywhere on the body (mammary tumours are the most common tumour in rats)
- Reddish-brown staining (“red tears”) around the eyes or nose, especially a lot of it — a sign of stress or illness, not blood
- Loss of appetite or weight, a hunched posture, or a dull, puffy or fluffed-up coat
- Head tilt or circling (often an ear or respiratory infection, or a pituitary tumour)
- Discharge from the eyes or nose, hair loss, scabs, or persistent itching
- Weakness or dragging of the hind legs, especially in an older rat
🚫 And never…
- Never keep a rat on its own — it needs the company of other rats.
- Never pick a rat up by its tail or scruff, or hold it up at a height it could fall from.
- Never house rats on wire-mesh floors — they cause painful foot problems.
- Never use cotton-wool or fluffy strand bedding, dusty sawdust, aspen, or cedar shavings.
- Never feed onion, citrus, walnuts, rhubarb, grapes, raisins or chocolate.
- Never ignore laboured breathing or a new lump — with no vaccines available, early vet care is the only defence.
Full rat care guide, including what’s normal →
Richardson's Ground Squirrel
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Failure to fatten in late summer, or unexplained weight loss, before the hibernation season.
- Not entering hibernation when expected, or a hibernation pattern that looks wrong, get vet guidance rather than guessing.
- Trouble arousing normally, prolonged lethargy, or weakness outside the normal dormant period.
- Overgrown or misaligned incisors, drooling, or difficulty eating (dental disease).
- Obesity or a sudden change in appetite or thirst.
- Diarrhoea, blood in stool or urine, or signs of dehydration.
- Wounds, abscesses, or signs of respiratory illness (laboured breathing, discharge), especially in newly acquired or wild-caught animals.
🚫 And never…
- Never buy or keep one where it's illegal, or knowingly take a wild-caught animal, check the law and demand captive-bred provenance.
- Never force an obligate hibernator to stay warm and awake all winter to suit yourself, work with its seasonal cycle and a vet.
- Never house it in a small, shallow, or chewable cage, it will escape, get injured, or be unable to perform essential digging.
- Never free-feed rich seeds or nuts without portion control, obesity is a genuine and common health problem.
- Never grab, corner, or roughly handle a frightened squirrel, they can and will bite; build trust patiently instead.
- Never assume a normal, healthy winter dormancy is a medical emergency, or that a genuinely abnormal one is 'just hibernation', know the difference and involve a vet.
Full richardson's ground squirrel care guide, including what’s normal →
Roborovski Hamster
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- A wet, soiled rear end with diarrhoea and low energy — “wet tail” is a fast, often fatal emergency
- Not eating, weight loss, or a hunched, low-energy hamster
- Laboured breathing, any lump, or overgrown front teeth
- A hamster that is cold and stiff (torpor) — warm it gently and seek advice
- Diarrhoea after any medication — some antibiotics are fatal to hamsters
🚫 And never…
- Never house a Robo in a wide-barred cage it can escape, or on a wire-mesh floor.
- Never use cotton-wool or fluffy strand bedding.
- Never force handling on such a fast, flighty animal — you’ll cause stress and falls.
- Never let it get cold enough to risk torpor, or leave it in direct heat.
Full roborovski hamster care guide, including what’s normal →
Short-Tailed Opossum
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Weakness, tremors, bendy limbs or fractures — possible metabolic bone disease from an unbalanced diet; see an exotic vet
- Not eating, weight loss or lethargy
- Any skin lesion or growth (they’re prone to UV-related skin tumours) — avoid strong UV and get changes checked
- Wounds (usually from wrongly housing two together)
- Diarrhoea or signs of parasites
🚫 And never…
- Never house two short-tailed opossums together (except deliberate, supervised breeding) — they fight and wound.
- Never feed a fruit-heavy or calcium-poor diet — it causes metabolic bone disease.
- Never let it get cold — they’re warmth-dependent.
- Never expect a daytime, handleable pet — they’re solitary and nocturnal.
- Never skip an exotic vet — care must be built on marsupial-specific advice.
Full short-tailed opossum care guide, including what’s normal →
Skunk
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Weakness, limping, reluctance to move, bowed limbs or bone pain, which can signal metabolic bone disease from calcium/vitamin D imbalance, see an exotic vet.
- Rapid or steady weight gain and obesity, a leading cause of illness and early death in pet skunks, warrants a vet-guided diet review.
- Not eating, vomiting, diarrhoea, or a bloated or painful belly, get seen promptly.
- Seizures, tremors, disorientation or sudden behaviour changes, treat as urgent.
- Any bite that breaks a person's skin, contact your vet and public health immediately, because of rabies rules there is no vaccine to fall back on.
- Difficulty breathing, discharge from eyes or nose, or persistent coughing, have it checked.
- Dental problems, drooling, or trouble chewing, which are common and need veterinary attention.
🚫 And never…
- Never release a pet skunk into the wild; a descented, captive-bred skunk cannot survive.
- Never feed cat food as a staple or free-feed; it causes obesity and calcium-deficient bone disease.
- Never have a skunk declawed; the claws are essential and declawing is a harmful amputation.
- Never keep or descent a skunk where it is illegal, including descenting anywhere in the UK or EU.
- Never skip lining up an exotic vet and understanding the rabies-bite consequences before you commit.
- Never assume a bite will be treated leniently; there is no approved rabies vaccine, so quarantine or euthanasia is a real risk.
Full skunk care guide, including what’s normal →
Spiny Mouse
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Sneezing, eye discharge, or skin lesions
- Signs of obesity or diabetes (excess weight, excessive drinking/urinating)
- Large or deep bite wounds from fighting — may need vet care and separation
- Any weight loss, lethargy, or a normally-active animal gone quiet
🚫 And never…
- Never pick a spiny mouse up by the tail — it degloves.
- Never keep one alone — they must live in a group.
- Never house mixed sexes unless you intend constant breeding.
- Never feed a high-fat or high-sugar diet (obesity and diabetes).
- Never use an open-topped cage — they jump out.
Full spiny mouse care guide, including what’s normal →
Sugar Glider
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- 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.
Full sugar glider care guide, including what’s normal →
Syrian Hamster
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- A wet, soiled or matted rear end with diarrhoea, low energy and loss of appetite — “wet tail” progresses fast and is often 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)
- Any lump or swelling, or overgrown front teeth
- A hamster that is cold and stiff (torpor) — warm it gently and seek advice
- Diarrhoea after any medication — some antibiotics are fatal to hamsters
🚫 And never…
- Never keep two Syrian hamsters together — ever.
- 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 antibiotics without an exotic vet — several (e.g. penicillins, lincomycin, clindamycin) can be fatal to hamsters.
Full syrian hamster care guide, including what’s normal →
Winter White Hamster
🩺 See a vet if you notice…
- Excessive drinking or urinating, or unexplained weight change — possible diabetes; see an exotic vet
- A wet, soiled rear end with diarrhoea and low energy — “wet tail” is a fast, often fatal emergency
- Not eating, weight loss, or a hunched, low-energy hamster
- Any lump or swelling (Djungarian dwarves are notably tumour-prone), or overgrown front teeth
- A hamster that is cold and stiff (torpor) — warm it gently and seek advice
🚫 And never…
- Never feed sugary fruit or treats — this is a diabetes-prone dwarf.
- Never assume a pair will work — many fall out; keep a spare cage ready or house singly.
- Never use cotton-wool or fluffy strand bedding, or a wire-mesh floor.
- Never let it get cold enough to risk torpor, or leave it in direct heat.
Full winter white hamster care guide, including what’s normal →
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.
Free tool · triage, not a diagnosis
