The Chinchilla, Beautiful grey rodents with silky soft fur. These timid creatures make good pets for older children and adults, but should be avoided for young children as they are very sensitive to rough handling. With lots of care and gentle handling they can become quite tame. Unlike some other rodents, buying a Chinchilla is a long-term commitment, as they can live up to 20 years. Although Chinchillas are very furry, they are resistant to fleas and don’t lose much dander, which makes them hypoallergenic.

Before getting a chinchilla remember the following,

Chinchillas can be expensive pets, so make sure you know how much you need to spend on cages, accessories, food and vet’s fees before committing to buy. Remember that you will be looking after a chinchilla for up to 20 years

Always adopt from a reputable breeder, who will have spent time handling and socialising young chinchillas from birth, or you can also check your local animal shelter

Chinchillas like company, so it’s best to buy them in single-sex pairs. They can get stressed if they are left alone, but may fight if kept in larger groups

Before buying your chinchillas, have the cage and equipment ready. Find a space for the cage in a quiet area of the house and make sure that it is away from radiators or draughts. Ensure that your enclosure includes a dust bath for your Chinchilla, as this is their way of keeping themselves clean.

Baby chinchillas are ready to leave mum at around 8-12 weeks of age. Be very careful if you suspect that the breeder or retailer you are buying from keeps the chinchillas in mixed-sex groups – you may be coming home with a pregnant female!

Arrange a time to look at the chinchillas first, and select your own from those available. Make sure you check the environment that the chinchillas are being kept in to ensure that none of them look ill (key signs are ruffled fur, runny eyes or nose, or a dirty bottom), and that they are in clean and hygienic conditions.

Watch how the chinchillas behave in the cage and in your hands – they should be calm and alert. Take a good look at to check that they are healthy before agreeing to buy: They should be neither fat nor skinny with no swellings. Eyes and nose should be clear with no discharge and they should be breathing easily. The rear end should be clean, as should their coat, which should also be shiny, with no bare patches. Teeth should be well-aligned.

All animals find moving house stressful and they will need time to adjust to their new surroundings. Chinchillas in particular are very sensitive to disruption and change. Put your chinchillas into the cage with all of the essentials like bedding, food and water, and allow them to settle in over a couple of days, undisturbed. Trying to pick them up too soon can result in urine spraying or spitting – their natural defence mechanisms!

Chinchillas respond well to routine, so try to feed them at the same time every day. Start quietly talking to them when you pass the cage, and putting your hand into the cage to feed them treats. Take this stage slowly, so that they learn that you are not a threat. Eventually they will come to your hand for treats, and then you can think about letting them out of their cage for exercise.

Remember that Chinchillas are not necessarily for cuddling. They may eventually start to climb over you and let themselves be stroked, but this takes time and careful handling.

Your chinchillas will need fresh food (about 20g), hay and water every day. Try to keep their diet plain and limit treats, as their digestion is very sensitive.

Chinchilla cages need to be kept as clean as possible. Clean the cage thoroughly every 2-3 days and replace soiled bedding every day.

I hope this information is useful to you, team Shanklinpets

 

 

Rats are highly intelligent animals that love to climb, play and explore. Contrary to popular belief, they are very clean animals and with the right care, they can make great pets, even for children. An adult should always take overall responsibility for making sure that the rats are cared for properly.

There are a few things to remember when you considering when getting rats

• Rats are social animals, so it’s best to buy them in single-sex pairs. They can get stressed if they are left alone, but may fight if kept in larger groups
• Before buying your rats, have the cage and equipment ready, Find a space for the cage in a quiet area of the house and make sure that it is away from radiators or draughts. Ensure that your enclosure includes a nest box for your rat.
• Baby rats are ready to leave mum at around 6 weeks of age. Be very careful if you suspect that the breeder or retailer you are buying from keeps the rats in mixed-sex groups – you may be coming home with a pregnant female! Best to look elsewhere.
• Arrange a time to look at the rats first, and select your own from those available. Make sure you check the environment that the rats are being kept in to ensure that it is clean, with enough food and water. None of the other rats should look ill (key signs are ruffled fur, runny eyes or nose, or a dirty bottom).
• Watch how the rats behave in the cage and in your hands – they should be calm and alert. Take a good look at to check that they are healthy before agreeing to buy: They should be neither fat nor skinny with no swellings. Eyes and nose should be clear with no discharge and they should be breathing easily. The rear end should be clean, as should their coat, which should also be shiny, with no bare patches. Teeth should be well-aligned.

Before getting any small pets, make sure to follow the following tips,

• All animals find moving house stressful and they will need time to adjust to their new surroundings. Put your rats into the cage with all of the essentials like bedding, food and water, and allow them to settle in over a couple of days, undisturbed.
• Start quietly talking to them when you pass the cage, and putting your hand into the cage to feed them treats. Take this stage slowly, so that they learn that you are not a threat. Eventually they will come to your hand for treats, and then you can think about picking them out of their cage for a stroke or cuddle.
• Always supervise children under 7 when they are playing with or holding a rat. Youg children can accidentally hurt small animals by holding them too tightly.

Make sure to clean your rats cage out, this is very important to their health, Clean your rat’s cage once per week, and replace soiled bedding every day. Maintaining good hygiene is really important if you want your rats to stay healthy and happy, and the right food is a must, Your rats will need a special rat food and fresh water every day. Follow the feeding guidelines on the pack and weigh the food carefully, as rats can easily become obese if overfed.

Team Shanklinpets

 

 

Unfortunately, many people don’t bother to find out about proper goldfish care, and think that goldfish can simply be kept in small, unfiltered bowls. It’s one of the biggest mistakes new goldfish keepers make.

The thing I often hear is that goldfish Only Grow to the Size of Their Enclosure. There is an element of truth to this, but it is not as innocent as it sounds and is related more to water quality than tank size. When properly cared for, goldfish will not stop growing. Most fishes are in fact what are known as indeterminate growers. This means that, unlike humans, they grow until they die. What really stunts a fish’s growth is poor water quality and improper care. In smaller aquariums or bowls, water quality is typically very poor. With little or no filtration and infrequent water changes, goldfish suffer. The stunting that results is not a good thing. Rather, it is a sign of ill health, and, frequently, stunted fish take on a deformed appearance and die at a young age

 

Goldfish need a big tank!

Why do goldfish need a big tank? It’s important to realize that the goldfish you buy in your local pet shop are very young and have not reached their full size. You might be surprised to know that common goldfish can reach up to 10″ and fancy goldfish can reach up to 8″, so you definitely need a big tank for them! one common goldfish needs a tank 4 feet long and a volume of at least 30 gallons. If you plan to keep more than one goldfish in your tank then add an extra 12 gallons for each additional fish.

It’s worth noting that common goldfish are often more suited to a pond once they grow larger in order to ensure that they have enough room to swim around. Very few people have an indoor aquarium large enough to properly keep a fully grown goldfish!

Finally, don’t forget that your goldfish tank needs a filter! Even a big tank will get polluted very quickly if it isn’t properly filteredor if you don’t do enough water changes . If possible, get an external filter, as they have a larger volume than internal filters, and sit outside your tank so that they don’t take up valuable space inside your aquarium.

Don’t let your fish suffer in a small tank, Team Shanklin pets

 

 

Yes! Home dental care is one of the best ways to help keep your dog’s teeth and gums healthy. Start as early as possible in your canine friend’s life so he or she will become accustomed to the brushing process.

What should I use to brush my dog’s teeth?

Use a moistened dog toothbrush with soft bristles. If you do not have a specially designed pet toothbrush, you can also use a child’s toothbrush, a finger toothbrush, gauze around a finger or a cotton swab.

Do I need to use a special toothpaste to brush my dog’s teeth?

Pet toothpaste, often flavored like poultry, malt and other dog-friendly varieties, is your best option. Never use human toothpaste, baking soda or salt. While safe for you, these cleaning agents can be harmful to your dog if swallowed.

At-home teeth cleaning tips

Keep the following tips in mind to make the process easier for you and more comfortable for your dog.

• Usea specially designed dog toothbrush or a recommended alternative.
• Neveruse human toothpaste. Instead, use pet-safe toothpaste with a flavor favorable to your dog’s taste buds.
• Give your dog a small sample of the toothpaste to introduce the taste.
• Lift the lipto expose the outside surfaces of your dog’s gums and teeth.
• Brushwith gentle motions to clean the teeth and gums, as you would your own.
• Clean the outside (cheek-facing) surfaces, as most pets will not allow you to brush the inside surface of the teeth.
• Be sureto reach the back upper molars and canines, as these teeth tend to quickly build up tartar.
• Reward your dog with play, petting or a favorite activity to positively reinforce the brushing process.

How often should I brush my dog’s teeth at home?

Your dog’s teeth should be brushed as often as possible, ideally every day. There are numerous dental care products, pastes, solutions, brushes, chew toys and dental diets that help you provide your dog with the home dental care he deserves.

How often should I have my dog’s teeth professionally cleaned?

Even with a diligent at-home dental care routine, adult dogs should have their teeth professionally cleaned at least once per year.

We brush our own teeth and our children’s teeth, why not the dog?

Team shanklinpets

 

 

First, it’s important to determine if your cat is truly spraying, or whether he is urinating. With urine spraying, cats tend to stand upright and eliminate a small amount on vertical surfaces. Cats that are urinating usually squat and eliminate larger amounts on horizontal surfaces. If you’re not sure, it’s best to have your cat examined by a veterinarian to determine the cause of the problem before you try to treat it on your own.

There are a number of medical conditions that can cause cats to urinate outside their litter boxes, including kidney failure, urinary tract stones or crystals, diabetes and arthritis. Cats may also avoid the litter box because they have issues with the type of litter, as well as the cleanliness or placement of the litterbox.

If you are sure that your cat isn’t urinating but is in fact spraying, there are some things you can do to curb the behavior.

What Causes Spraying?

Cats spray, or urine mark, as a normal way to communicate with others. While most cats mark by releasing small amounts of urine on vertical surfaces, occasionally they may also spray on horizontal surfaces, or even defecate.The majority of cats that spray are males that have not been neutered; hormones can play a significant role in urine marking.

Cats may spray for territorial reasons or when they feel anxious or threatened. The presence of stray cats in your yard may cause your cat to mark near windows and doors as a way to identify that this is his territory. New pets in the household, or a conflict between existing pets in the same household, may also make pets feel a need to mark their territories. Changes in your cat’s environment, such as rearranging his living space or moving to a new home, can add stress and induce marking. Occasionally, the spraying cat may target the clothing or bedding of a person or visitor in the house.

There are several ways to change the marking behavior, but it is important to remember that punishment should be avoided; it will only add to your cat’s stress and increase the spraying.

• Spay or neuter.The first step to eliminating spraying is to neuter or spay your cat. When sex hormones are decreased, the amount of spraying will most likely decrease as well.
• Determine the conflict.Next, assess if a conflict with other cats is causing your cat’s stress. If your cat is being chased, bullied or otherwise tormented by a cat or dog in your home, this issue should be addressed with a qualified professional who may recommend techniques like temporary separation, desensitization, counter-conditioning and training to improve the relationship between your pets. If stray cats in your yard are causing your feline stress, limiting his outside view by installing temporary window blockers on the lower half of windows or by pulling down the blinds can help your cat relax. If your cat is allowed both indoors and outdoors, limit him to indoors only, which eliminates whatever stress your pet may be encountering outside.
• Clean and soothe.Enzymatic cleaners should be used to eliminate any odors on the bedding and floor that can prompt a cat to respray an area where he had previously sprayed. Once all odors have been eliminated, spray this area with a feline pheromone spray, such as Feliway; this helps your cat feel more secure in the area and may encourage marking with his cheeks rather than urine marking.
• Increase the number of litterboxes.Place multiple litterboxes in several locations around your home, so that your cat can have free access to a box without being interrupted by other cats. This can cut down on his stress, especially in a multiple-pet home.
• Encourage productivity.Give your cat productive toys to focus on during the day, such as cat food puzzles or interactive toys he can manage even in your absence. This will keep him busy and give him less time to be stressed-out — or to spray in your house.
• Provide stability and structure.Schedule a couple of play sessions or trick training sessions with your cat every day to give him structure in his day and stability in his interactions with the humans of the household.
• Use positive reinforcement.You can also change your cat’s association with his favorite marking area by doing other activities that your cat finds enjoyable in this space, such as petting and cuddling, to cut down on his stress. Or try feeding him in the location where he has previously sprayed.

If your cat continues to mark, contact your veterinarian; she can employ both medical and behavioral training to help, or she can refer you to a qualified professional to further aid in your training.

Team Shanklinpets

 

A common thing that ive seen is people asking for a rabbit and guinea pig food mix, unfortunately where rabbits and guinea pigs are so different in their dietary needed, no one food can cater for both, feeding the wrong food to either can cause big problems.

Guinea pigs, also known as cavies, are common pets due to their gentle nature and sweet dispositions. Long ago, keeping guinea pigs and rabbits together was common, but the vast differences in these species have made the practice all but obsolete. Among other things, guinea pigs have special dietary needs, different from those of rabbits.

Unlike most animals, but just like humans, guinea pigs can’t synthesize vitamin C so it must be added to their diets. Guinea pig pellets on the market most often contain vitamin C for these cuddly, tailless rodents. Rabbit pellets don’t contain vitamin C, and a vitamin C deficiency could cause serious problems for your cavy. Vitamin C is the No. 1 reason feeding your cavy rabbit pellets is dangerous. Lack of vitamin C can cause scurvy. Symptoms include loss of appetite, stiff joints, bleeding gums and nasal discharge. Scurvy can be fatal in your pig.

Although the basic nutritional needs of regular guinea pigs — those not breeding or used in labs — have not been studied as much as the needs of other small mammals, in general a guinea pig pellet should contain a crude fiber content of about 10 to 16 percent and a crude protein of 18 to 20 percent. Unlimited amounts of grass or hay such as timothy hay should be available at all times, along with an assortment of certain veggies

Like cavies, rabbits need an unlimited supply of fresh timothy — or other — hay. The hay provides roughage among other nutritional benefits. Unlike cavies, though, the nutritional requirements of rabbits are a bit different, as are their pellet formulas. Adult rabbits need a pellet with high crude fiber and a crude protein of less than 10 percent, much different than the pellets fed to guinea pigs. Because the protein in rabbit pellets is so much less, your guinea pig could succumb to malnutrition and a severe lack of energy from protein deficiency.

Because pellets make up a decent portion of the guinea pig’s diet, exchanging rabbit pellets for them isn’t healthy and could potentially cause your cavy harm. Guinea pig pellets are available almost everywhere rabbit pellets are.

Thanks for reading team shanklin pets

 

Handling hamsters is one of the joys of having hamsters, but until you have had success at taming your hamster, you will not have much luck holding your hamster. Hamster do sometimes bite, but it is very important to remember that if your hamster bites, it means that your hamster is frightened and is defending itself the best way it knows how. If you are consistently calm and gentle about handling your hamster, and employ a little bribery by offering them their favorite treats from your hand, it will lead to success in taming your hamster.

• To make handling and taming easier, there are a few simple rules to follow to make sure your hamster is not stressed before you start handling your hamster:
• when you bring home a new hamster, give it a week or so to just get used to its new home and surroundings before you try to do much handling
• make sure your hamster has a nice, good-sized cage and the other necessities for stress-free housing.
• place you hamster’s cage in a location where your hamster will be around people, but not disturbed by excess noise, harassment from other pets, or other distractions (especially during the day when hamsters are mostly sleeping).
• don’t disturb or try to handle your hamster during the day when it is sleeping, especially at the beginning. Work on taming and handling only after the hamster has emerged from his or her nest on his own — waking up a hamster is a fairly sure way to make him or her defensive and grumpy

Don’t rush through the steps, and take time to get to know your hamster and respond to its cues. The key here is to earn your hamsters trust so your hamster can be sure that he or she has no reason to be afraid of you. Remember if you push your hamster too far, too fast, your hamster will be stressed, and it will actually be harder to earn your hamsters trust. Be sure your hamster is not stressed by any of these steps before moving on to the next one

 

1. Allow your hamster time to become comfortable in his or her new environment. Signs include your hamster eating, drinking, and playing when you are present.
2. Spending more time around your hamster’s cage and quietly talk to the hamster to get it used to your voice. Don’t know what to say? Try reading a book out loud or singing softly to your hamster!
3. Offer some favorite treats (try sunflower seeds, or bits of raisin or other dried fruits) by hand. Start by offering treats through the bars of the cage (if you have a wire cage, otherwise just offer them right at the edge of the cage door), and once your hamster scurries over for treats, try putting your hand just inside the cage. Don’t try to touch your hamster — let your hamster come over to explore your hand.
4. Place the treat on your open hand inside the cage, so that your hamster has to reach onto your hand, and perhaps place a paw or two onto your hand to get the treat. Again, don’t force the issue — let your hamster come to you.
5. Place the treat so that your hamster has to climb on your hand to get the treat. Once your hamster is bravely doing this (and only then) try to gently scoop up your hamster and lift him or her up. The first few times your hamster will likely jump right off, but just be gentle and persistent, and eventually your hamster will realize your hands are safe

Thanks for reading, team shanklinpets

 

Taking your furry friend out for a leisurely stroll can turn into a tug-of-war if your companion has no leash manners.

Naturally your dog wants to forge ahead and go where he pleases, so unless you want to race from lamp post to tree sniffing everything, it is time you took back control of the lead.

We’ve all seen those wonderful well-behaved dogs that walk next to their owners. However, behind that comfortable, care free walk is an owner who has put in some time into training them properly. All it takes is some short training sessions and consistency. With the following guide and 5-10 minutes of training each day, you will soon be enjoying a more relaxing and pleasant walk with your canine companion.

Pulling on the lead is not only uncomfortable for you, but also for your dog. While your arm is getting pulled from its socket, your dog’s neck is suffering. And while harnesses are slightly better, they do allow your dog to pull with their entire body weight. In the absence of a sled to ride on, harnesses do not help you get back in control of your destination.

Choke Chains are bad! Choke chains are very traumatic to the neck, so avoid them. If you do want a ‘cheat’, invest in a halter-style lead such as the Gentle Leader or Halti, that fits around the muzzle and back of the head. As the lead is attached underneath the chin, your dog will soon work out that he needs to walk next to you in order to walk in a straight line.

Try to combine leash-walking with some off-leash time so your dog has some time to enjoy sniffing and going at his own pace. He then knows that when he is on the lead it is time to behave. If your dog doesn’t reliably come on command, find some off-leash dog parks in your area to enjoy.

BEFORE YOU START

• Ensure you have somewhere to train where your dog is not distracted, you can even start in the house or backyard.
• Keep training sessions short, so that neither of you get frustrated. Training for 5-10 minutes a day is perfect.
• Find some treats your dog really likes that you can easily carry with you. Train him when he is a little hungry.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

1. Ask your dog to sit next to your left leg, with his shoulder in line with you.
2. Hold a treat in your hand to get your dogs attention.
3. Step off with your left leg, while saying ‘heel’.
4. As soon as he takes off ahead turn around and start walking in the opposite direction.
5. As soon as your dog catches up and reaches the correct position next to your left leg say ‘heel’ and get his attention with a treat.
6. Repeat the turn-around each time your dog surges ahead and correct him by saying ‘heel’.
7. Initially reward him each time he is in the heel position and walking by your side, it also teaches him to look to you for direction. As he progresses, get him to walk for a longer period beside you before he gets the treat.
8. Enjoy your walk and continue intermittently rewarding your dog for paying attention and walking with you. Once the behaviour is established rewards can be in the form of treats, play or just simply a ‘good boy’ when he is doing the right thing.

Check out youtube and watch some videos for more tips

Team ShanklinPets