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RABBIT CARE
Rabbits should be kept in cages, but in order to protect them from the elements, keep them indoors where you can control the temperature and the amount of light. Your rabbit's cage should be big enough for him to move around freely in -- at least 5 times as large as your rabbit. The cage should have a solid floor (not one with wire mesh floors), because rabbits' feet are not padded, and stepping on wire or having to step between holes is painful. If you must keep your rabbit outdoors because you or someone in your household is allergic to rabbits, make sure that his hutch is very spacious and has a separate "room" or enclosure that he can retreat to so he will be protected from the elements. Also, provide an exercise run in the yard and let him move around in that every day.
You may be surprised to learn that rabbits can be easily trained to use a litter box. Place one in the cage to encourage the behavior, but make sure you don't use wood shavings (especially cedar shavings) to line the box. Those may cause your rabbit to develop respiratory problems. And remember to change the litter regularly, especially if you use hay to line the litter box.
Rabbits love hay – both lying in a bed of it and chewing on and eating it. Rabbits need lots of fiber. Pellets you buy at the pet store provide the daily nutrition required by rabbits, but pellets alone are boring and will only keep your rabbit marginally healthy. Therefore, supplement those pellets with hay and vegetables. The roughage and fiber will prevent your rabbit from developing intestinal problems and will prevent hairball-related complications. Carrots, broccoli, parsley, and dandelion leaves are excellent foods to give your rabbit. Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally worthless to a rabbit and too much of it tends to cause diarrhea.
GUINEA PIG CARE
Guinea pigs are low-maintenance pets, but there are certain things you need to know about keeping their environment comfortable and their diet healthy. Guinea pigs can't tolerate extreme cold, extreme heat, or drastic changes in temperature, so keep the room temperature fairly constant.
Place their cage away from radiators and hot pipes, and don't expose them to drafts. Drafts can cause chills, which can weaken their immune system and make them susceptible to viral or bacterial infections. If you're going to keep your guinea pig housed outdoors, fill the hutch with ample hay for insulation. A guinea pig should have a minimum of 2 square feet in its cage to move around in. Cedar shavings should be avoided – they can cause serious respiratory problems.
Remove soiled litter from the cage and replace it with fresh litter at least once a day. If you are using hay for bedding, you will need to change the hay almost every day, since it mildews quickly after getting wet. About once a week, clean the entire cage and change the bedding.
Regularly trim your guinea pig's nails to prevent them from growing and curving too far inward, which can lead to painful breaks. Excessively long teeth will need to be trimmed by your veterinarian.
Hay, pellets (only use pellets designed specifically for guinea pigs – not rabbit or other pellets), fruits, and vegetables are the staples of a guinea pig's diet. Although guinea pig pellets are an adequate source of nutrients, your guinea pig must have a fresh supply of hay every day to keep the digestive system regular. Try to feed at the same times every day, and do not change the diet suddenly. Guinea pigs like and need a predictable routine.
Since they are strict vegetarians, supplement your guinea pig's diet of pellets and hay with fruits, vegetables, and fresh greens. Do not feed your guinea pig long stalks of celery (they are difficult to digest), iceberg lettuce (no nutritional value; high in nitrates), shelled nuts or seeds (choking is a risk), or raw beans or rhubarb – which are poisonous.
FERRET CARE
Keeping ferrets as household pets is a fairly new concept. Although a domesticated ferret would no longer be able to fend for itself in the wild, the have maintained their aggressive predatory characteristics (because of hormones). So, get your ferret fixed when it's young, before any bad habits have had time to form.
Did you know that ferrets are relatives of the skunk? That's right, and they have the scent glands to show for it. Therefore, ferrets' scent glands that should be removed.
Ferrets are much more susceptible to distemper than are dogs and cats, and it is this condition that almost always leads to their premature death. They need vaccinations early in life, at about 3 weeks of age.
Always keep your ferret's cage clean and dry, as foot rot, a nasty fungal infection, is a common condition among ferrets. And always keep your ferrets inside their cage. They are mischievous and unruly, and they can cause a lot of damage to your house in a short amount of time.
Dry food should be made available to them at all times. Too much canned food rots their teeth. Avoid giving a ferret cereal or grain in any form; they can't digest it and intestinal blockages are the leading cause of death in young ferrets. A number of different dry foods are formulated specifically for the ferrets' dietary and digestive needs. Consult your veterinarian as to the best food to feed your ferret.
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