Big Tips for Little Pets

Small pets are a whole lot easier to look after and care for than their big counterparts, but even mini ones bring their fair share of questions - how often should you pet them? How much water do they need? How often should I clean their homes out?

Here, we look at a few tips that can make caring for your little pets hassle-free

Goldfish

One of the most popular small creatures to have at home, solely down to being extremely low maintenance, goldfish make a great first pet.

• Make sure you use a good filter for your fish tank, but even when this in operation, you will still need to change your water. We advise you change a third of the water of your tank every three weeks, so your fish gets a good clean supply regularly. 
• Encourage the use of live plants in your tank as this keeps the water oxygenated, which is good for the fish.
• Fish love hunting for food on the floor of the tank, so make sure you get some good gravel which is small enough for the fish to move around but big enough that the fish cannot swallow it.

Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are gentle loving creatures that are great for over-fives to hold and pet. They are best kept indoors, but love a run around in the summer. 

• If you’re bringing your guinea pigs outside make sure they are carried out by a grown up one at a time, and they are placed in a safe enclosure. Guinea pigs are quite frisky and can make a run for it! When brought outside, monitor their time in the sun. Guinea pigs can easily overheat, which can be fatal.
• Clear out the hutch every five or so days if you have one guinea pig, but if you have more, increase the frequency of the cleans. Guinea pigs love a new batch of fresh hay and keep their drinks bottle topped up at all times.
• Guinea pigs love raw veg, so left over broccoli stalks and carrot ends will be gobbled up in no time. Keep guinea pigs diets strictly plant-based. Boost their vitamins with this herbal salad and fibre with this rabbit muesli.

Rabbits

Rabbits are sociable animals, and make lovely pets for growing children. There’s a huge range of breeds to choose from – but if you have kids, we recommend short haired rabbits, as they require less grooming.

• Keep an eye on your rabbit, and make sure you give them time and attention at least once, if not twice a day. Encourage your children to pop in on them before school starts and when they come home in the afternoon. Make them responsible for topping their bowls with rabbit muesli and keeping the water bottle topped up too.
• Because of their sociability, rabbits prefer to be in groups. So for your rabbit’s happiness, make sure you buy in twos. Rabbits kept on their own suffer health problems stemming from their loneliness. They love to share food like these fruity nuggets with other rabbit pals.
• It is recommended that you take your rabbits to be neutered as soon as possible. Neutering increases the rabbit’s overall health and happiness.

Do you have any other tricks and tips for looking after little pets? Share them with the B&M community on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.