Valley Veterinary Group

A healthy diet is a balanced diet containing all the nutrients your pet requires. Not all small pets requirements are the same. For example, mice, gerbils, hamsters and rats are omnivores, which means that, like us, they naturally eat mainly vegetable matter, but to keep in good health require some food of animal origin as well, eg cheese, insects, meat, egg, etc. Guinea pigs, rabbits and chinchillas, however, are herbivores, which means they only eat vegetable matter, eg grass, hay, fresh fruit and vegetables.

There are a number of measures that can help prevent your pet developing diseases.

Neutering 

It is a sad truth that the number of pets born every year is far greater than the number of good homes that can be found for them. As a result, thousands of healthy animals are destroyed and many unwanted animals are abandoned and left to fend for themselves. Having your rabbit neutered will help to reduce the number of unwanted rabbits and can also help to safeguard their health and welfare. Neutering  is a common procedure in rabbits; guinea pigs and chinchillas can also be neutered. It is less common to have other small pets like rats and mice neutered and most people tend to keep them in groups where all animals are the same sex.

Dental 

All rodents and rabbits have front teeth that grow continuously, so a high fibre diet is essential to allow the teeth to wear down naturally. Fresh grass or hay is a good source of fibre and should form the majority of the rabbit's diet. You could also provide something for your pet to gnaw on, for example a wood or hide chew toy. This will help to keep your pet's teeth in good condition and prevent dental problems. If you notice that your pet's teeth are growing too long, we will be able to trim or file them down with a dental drill. If your rabbit is losing weight and not eating as much as usual then it is advisable to get their teeth checked. This is because just like their front teeth, the back molars constantly grow and if they do not wear down properly can cause great pain and discomfort due to sharp pointy edges digging into their gums. This can be corrected with dental surgery under an anesthetic.

Health

If your pet has poor coat condition, dull eyes, dirty ears, eyes or nose it may indicate that they are unwell. Changes in behaviour such as a normally happy and affectionate rabbit becoming grumpy and avoiding human contact; or altered appetite/water consumption should also alert you to the possibility that they may be unwell. If your pet does not seem to be improving within 24 hours or is getting worse then you should make an appointment for a check up.