Almost every small-mammal welfare problem comes down to one of three things: kept alone when the species needs company, fed the wrong species' food, or housed in a cage sized for a shop shelf rather than an animal. Start here, then talk to an exotics vet — a standard cat-and-dog practice often cannot help.
Ferret
- Company
- Pairs or groups — they play hard and sleep in a pile.
- Diet
- Obligate carnivore. High-meat-protein kibble or raw; never rabbit or rodent food.
- Watch for
- Adrenal disease and insulinoma are common past three years — weight loss, hair loss, hind-leg weakness.
Rabbit
- Company
- Always in bonded pairs. A lone rabbit is a depressed rabbit.
- Diet
- Unlimited grass hay, a handful of greens, a small measured pellet portion.
- Watch for
- Not eating or not passing droppings for 12 hours is an emergency — gut stasis kills fast.
Guinea pig
- Company
- Never alone. Two minimum, in a large floor pen rather than a pet-shop cage.
- Diet
- Unlimited hay plus a daily source of vitamin C — they cannot make their own.
- Watch for
- Scurvy, bladder stones, and overgrown molars causing drooling.
Chinchilla
- Company
- Pairs or same-sex groups. Cool rooms only — above about 77°F risks heatstroke.
- Diet
- Hay-based, very low sugar. No fruit, no nuts, no raisins as daily treats.
- Watch for
- Fur slip, dental spurs, and matted fur from missing dust baths.
Fancy rat
- Company
- Always in pairs or groups — rats are intensely social.
- Diet
- A lab-block base with fresh vegetables; avoid high-fat seed mixes.
- Watch for
- Respiratory disease (sniffling, clicking) and mammary tumours.
Hamster
- Company
- Syrians strictly alone. Dwarfs sometimes tolerate company, often not.
- Diet
- A varied seed and grain mix scattered to forage, plus a little protein.
- Watch for
- Wet tail, and bar-chewing that signals a cage far too small — aim for deep bedding and a big footprint.
Degu
- Company
- Groups. Highly social and very vocal.
- Diet
- Strictly sugar-free — degus are diabetes-prone. Hay and degu pellets only.
- Watch for
- Orange teeth are healthy; white teeth mean a dietary problem. Cataracts suggest diabetes.
Gerbil
- Company
- Same-sex pairs, introduced young via a split cage.
- Diet
- Seed and grain mix with a little fresh vegetable; they drink very little.
- Watch for
- Tail slip from being picked up by the tail, and scent-gland tumours.
Weigh them weekly
Small mammals hide illness until they cannot. A weekly weight on a kitchen scale catches trouble long before anything looks wrong — a drop of more than 10% between weigh-ins is a vet conversation, not a wait-and-see.
Track it in the Ark
Add each animal, log weights and feeding, and keep a health and vet history you can hand to a vet.
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