Tips For Exotic Pets

take good care of your exotic animals. Before buying or adopting an animal check if you have the money to make their lives their best!

[petwrestling101]

Just some friendly tips for future vet techs.....

1. Lunch will become a distant memory. 2. Your vet will throw you under the bus with clients…deal with it. 3. You will stab yourself with a needle. (Bonus points if it has lidocaine in it) 4. You will accidentally skin glue yourself to at least one animal. 5. Don’t lock your knees. 6. Keep your mouth closed when helping with an abscess. 7. Rubbing alcohol gets ink out of scrubs, hydrogen peroxide gets blood out. 8. Wear comfortable shoes. 9. Have a sense of humor…if you can’t laugh about it you will get an ulcer from it. 10. Clients are crazy…resist the urge to roll your eyes when taking history. 11. Your receptionists can make your day…or make your day hell. 12. Christmas is a magical time filled with sugary gifts from clients. 13. Those sugary gifts will disappear in ten seconds flat so get yours fast. 14. Never say the Q word (quiet) or slow. 15. Guard your pen like your life depends upon it. 16. People will ask for vet advice at the grocery store, the restaurant, Walmart…if you run into a client outside of work they will ask you vet advice. 17. Take responsibility for your mistakes. 18. There is the very real possibility your mistake will kill at least one animal during your career…learn from it and never do it again. 19. Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. 20. Become friends with the clinic cat. 21. You will have days when you can’t hit a vein, intibate a cat or place a catheter. We have all had those days. All of us. 22. Try to not cry during every euthanasia, it’s hard and sometimes certain ones hit us harder than others. But, your pain is not as acute as the owner. Sometimes they appreciate the tears…sometimes they don’t. 23. Have fun. Laugh. Tell dirty jokes (not around clients), get drunk (after work), vent, cry, and make memories.

[tips-for-exotic-animals]

The 22 is really important for me

[adviceforvegans]

Useful Links For Companion Animals Masterpost

Axolotl Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity Care Sheet Care Sheet 2 How to Care for an Axolotl Keeping an axolotl as a pet All About Axolotls Care For An Axolotl How to care for Axolotls Care Sheet For Beginners Complete Axolotl Caresheet Betta Fish How to Take Care of a Betta Fish How to Properly Care for a Betta basic betta care 101 Betta Species Profile Betta Fish Care Betta Care Sheet Taking care of your own Betta fish Betta Fish Care in 10 Steps Betta Care Basics How to Care For Your Betta Fish Budgies How to Take Care of a Budgie Budgie Care 101 Budgie buying and care for beginners Budgerigars: Health, Diet, Videos & More Budgie Place Keeping Budgies As Pets How to Care for Your New Budgie Tips for Caring for Your First Pet Budgie How to look after budgies Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care Canaries Care Basic Canary Care Canaries Canary Care - Animal World Introduction and Care of Canaries Bird Care Guide-canary canary care Caring for your pet canary How to Care for Your Canary How To Care For Canary Birds Cats Cat care international cat care advice | international cat care Cat welfare - Tips, advice, health Looking after your cat Cat Care How to Care for Your Cat: 8 Steps Cat Care Essentials Cat Care Articles Articles, Tips and Information for Cats Chinchillas Chinchilla welfare - Tips, advice, health Chinchilla Care & Health Advice Caring for your chinchilla How to Care for Chinchillas General Care of Chinchillas All You Need to Know About Caring for Chinchillas Do Chinchillas Make Good Pets? Chinchilla Care, Information, Facts & Pictures Chinchilla Care A Beginners Guide to Chinchilla Care Dogs Dog welfare - Tips, advice, health Looking after your dog Dog Care and Health Advice Tips & Advice For Dog Lovers Caring for your Dog Dog Health Care Dog Care Dog Care 2 How to Take Care of a Dog Dog Care Advice Ferrets A Guide for Beginners Ferrets Ferret Care and Behavior Tips Pet Ferret Care, Information, Facts & Pictures Ferret Care and Facts Guide for Petkeeping How to Care for a Ferret Ferret Care Ferret care 2 How To Take Care Of Ferrets Feeding and Caring for Your Pet Ferret Geckos Health Advice Gecko Care How to Care for a Leopard Gecko Leopard Gecko Care Sheet Leopard gecko care sheet 2 Leopard Gecko Care Sheet 3 Leopard Gecko Care Gecko Care Sheet Gecko Lizard Care & Nutrition Leopard Gecko Care Video Gerbils Gerbil welfare - Tips, advice, health Caring for your gerbil Gerbils Care & Health Advice How to Care for Gerbils Gerbil Care Gerbil Care Handbook Pet Gerbil Care, Information, Facts & Pictures Guide To Gerbils As Pets Gerbils: Health, Diet, Videos & More How to Care For a Pet Gerbil Giant African Land Snails Giant African Land Snail caresheet How to Care for Giant African Land Snails Giant African Land Snails Giant African land snails 2 Pet Snails The giant African land snail Giant African Land Snails, Care Giant African Land Snail Care Video How To Care For Giant African Land Snails All You Need to Know About GALS Goldfish How to take care of goldfish How to Take Care of Goldfish 2 How to Take Care of Goldfish 3 Essential Goldfish Care Guidelines Proper Goldfish Care Your First Goldfish Goldfish Care Caring for Pet Goldfish Goldfish Care Basics Goldfish: A Guide for Proper Care and Living Environment Guinea Pigs Guinea Pigs welfare - Tips, advice, health Guinea Pig Care & Health Advice Caring for your guinea pig Guinea Pigs: Health, Diet, Videos & More How to Care for Guinea Pigs Guinea Pig Care and Health Information Welcome to Online Guinea Pig Care Guinea Pig Care Guide For Beginners Guinea Pig Care Guinea Pig Care Guide Hamsters Hamsters Hamster Care & Health Advice How to Care for a Hamster Hamster Care Caring for your hamster Hamster Education Center Hamster Care and advice tips Pet Hamster Care, Information, Facts & Pictures Hamster Care - Choosing and Handling Pet Hamsters Hamster Information, Hamster Care and Hamster Health Horses Horse & Pony care & welfare -Tips Basic Horse Care Information and Guidelines Horse care Horse Care 2 Horse care tips Looking after your horse Horse Care 101 How to Take Care of a Horse or Pony Tips for How To Take Care of a Horse Mice Caring for Pet Mice Mice How to Take Care of Mice Mouse Care Looking after your mouse Everything you need to know How to Care for a Pet Mouse Introduction and Choosing a Pet Mouse Pet Mice: Health, Diet, Videos & More Mouse Care and Behavior Tips Parrots Parrotcare Parrot Care Sheet Information How to Care for a Parrot parrot care | behaviour Basic Bird Care Guide for Parrots How to Care for an African Grey Parrot How to Care for a Pet Parrot Training, Temperament & Care of Pet Parrots 50 Things a Companion Parrot Owner Should Know Care and Training Rabbits Rabbit welfare - Tips, advice, health Caring for your rabbit Rabbit Care | Rabbit Diet | Indoor Housing | Bunny Proofing Rabbit Advice Care & Health Advice How to Care for a Rabbit General Rabbit Care How to Care for Domestic Rabbits Rabbit and Bunny Care: how to feed and look after rabbits Rabbits | The Animal Welfare Foundation Rabbit Care Considerations Rats Advice about Pet Rat Care for Beginners Rats - pet rodents Caring for your rat everything you need to know Rat Care | ASPCA How to Care for a Pet Rat Caring for Pet Rats Rat Care & Health Advice Keeping Pet Rats: A Short Guide All Rat Care and Behavior Tips Snakes Corn Snake Care and Health Advice Caring for Pet Snakes A Guide to the Care and Feeding of Pet Snakes How to Care for Snakes Corn Snake Care Sheet Corn Snake Care Sheet 2 Corn Snake Care Preparing for Your First Pet Snake Caring for Corn Snakes How to Take Care of a Corn Snake Tarantulas Tarantula Husbandry Beginner’s Guide to Tarantula Care How to Care for a Tarantula Pet Tarantulas Information Facts Tarantula caresheet Tarantulas as Pets Rose Hair Tarantula Care How To Take Care Of Tarantulas Keeping tarantulas Basic Tarantula Care Sheet Tortoises Taking care of pet tortoises How to care for your tortoises How to Care for a Tortoise How to Care for a Tortoise 2 Tortoise Care Sheet Buying & setting up for a baby tortoise Mediterranean Tortoises Hermanns Tortoise Care Sheet Tortoise Diet Tortoises - Pets World If there are any other companions you’d like me to add, please let me know and I’ll update this post! :)

[axolotlapothecary]

Axolotls are first on the “companion” list.

My lifestyle is justified

[how-to-care-for-hamsters]

Only use water bowls if you don't have anything else. The hamster could pee in it and make the water dirty! A water bottle is best- specifically a glass one.

Hey, I think if you keep an eye on the bowl it isn’t a problem not to use a bottle. All water should be controlled daily anyway! Bottles also have some drawbacks:

- They are harder to clean, that’s why it’s easier for bacteria to reproduce in them.

- The ones with balls sometimes are very tricky. For a little hamster tongue sometimes it’s a challenge to push or even move them. And some time ago user scalestails made a post about a ball that got stuck, not allowing her mouse to drink and being in serious danger because of that. 

- While drinking from the bottle, the hamster has to go into a very unnatural and poor posture. They’re not used to tossing their head like that, leading to problems if they want to drink for a longer time. If you have a bottle, maybe hang it a little higher, so the hamster has to get on it’s hind legs, which is a more comfortable and natural pose.

If your cage is big enough, it’s no bad idea to give a bottle and a bowl. So you can be sure your hammi gets water even if the ball in the bottle gets stuck, and maybe it even prefers drinking from the bowl!

- r

[tips-for-exotic-animals]

With a bowl they will pour the water anywhere and getting the bedding wet, and even they wet. which is not good for your hamster

[how-to-care-for-hamsters]

I think that really depends on the individual :)

My hamster has a bowl with a high edge and she has never poured anything out and she wasn’t my first one who drank from a bowl. If you offer your hamster a bowl you should keep an eye on it, like on any other new addition. But if someone doesn’t notice any wetness around the bowl it’s perfectly fine!

- r

[limerenceofawolf]

Not the same, but i often give my rats water bowls as well as their bottles and they have never spilled water as well i use the ceramic dishes sold in pet shops and they are too heavy to tip easily!

[how-to-care-for-hamsters]

Yep, I have a ceramic one, too :) And I don’t fill it entirely, so even if she decided to climb in she wouldn’t get much more than wet feeties.

I know there are pets who love to mess around with water but since not all are like that, rather the exception (And hamsters are no fans of water normally) I wouldn’t generally dissuade from bowls.

[tips-for-exotic-animals]

I understand that, but is your case. There is a lot of people who have hamsters and they pour their bowls Better be safe :D Bottles are cleaner cause the hamster can't pee or poo in it or put bedding. And you need a rlly heavy bowl so it won't pour the water and you still don't know if it will pee or anything in it

[how-to-care-for-hamsters]

A guide on paperballs

Hey everyone! There are many ways to supplement a hamster’s cage with self-made stuff. This is a little tutorial on one of my favourites: Paperballs!

This is what you’ll need:

- A ballon (make sure it’s childproof and not covered in powder or any other possibly toxic matter. I used a water ballon!)

- Toilet or kitchen paper (one that is not printed, also chlorine-free bleached if bleached at all, water soluble and neutral in odor.)

- A basin or soup plate

- Water

1. Inflate the ballon until it’s roughly the size you want the ball to be.

2. Cover the ballon in some layers of paper.

3. Wet the paper by dipping the ballon into the water.

4. Then squeeze it until no more water drops out! The less water it contains, the harder the ball will get when it’s dry. In the picture I already did and put on some more layers, because I needed some time to find the self-timer on the camera :D Don’t worry if the paper tears, you’ll have to cut it open anyway when it’s done.

And basically that’s how it’s made! Put on layers, dip it in water and squeeze it out. Repeat as often as you want, the more paper, the thicker is the ball in the end. Don’t make too many layers at once, then they’re more likely to tear apart.

5. Let it dry! (How long that takes depends on the thickness of layers and temperature around, just test after a few days if the surface is hard and dry.)

6. When it is completely dry, cut the ball open! This is a bigger ball I did some days ago.

7. Pop the ballon and pull it out, make the hole for your hamster as big as you want. Done! 

This is done in less than 10 minutes, it’s an easy way to give your hamster a place to sleep in, store food or search for it, if you fill the ball with some shreddered paper and dry food. 

These balls get softer after some months, but it’s enough to replace them when they’re falling apart, since they’re not dangerous and can’t trap your hamster. They’re too soft for your hammi to get stuck!

You can cut as many holes as you want.

You could also connect several paperballs with rolls of kitchen or toilet paper, as many as you want! But make sure there are a few entrances so your hammi doesn’t feel trapped.

Different ballons make different paper balls!

You don’t even have to cut a hole, as long as the entrance is big enough they like to crawl in one of these, too.

To make sure that it doesn’t roll around on plane surfaces, you can carefully squeeze the dry ball till it’s flat on one side.

If you’re dextrous, you can glue two ballons together and create a multiple paper ball!

Have fun with your new fitment!

- r

[how-to-care-for-hamsters]

Only use water bowls if you don't have anything else. The hamster could pee in it and make the water dirty! A water bottle is best- specifically a glass one.

Hey, I think if you keep an eye on the bowl it isn’t a problem not to use a bottle. All water should be controlled daily anyway! Bottles also have some drawbacks:

- They are harder to clean, that’s why it’s easier for bacteria to reproduce in them.

- The ones with balls sometimes are very tricky. For a little hamster tongue sometimes it’s a challenge to push or even move them. And some time ago user scalestails made a post about a ball that got stuck, not allowing her mouse to drink and being in serious danger because of that. 

- While drinking from the bottle, the hamster has to go into a very unnatural and poor posture. They’re not used to tossing their head like that, leading to problems if they want to drink for a longer time. If you have a bottle, maybe hang it a little higher, so the hamster has to get on it’s hind legs, which is a more comfortable and natural pose.

If your cage is big enough, it’s no bad idea to give a bottle and a bowl. So you can be sure your hammi gets water even if the ball in the bottle gets stuck, and maybe it even prefers drinking from the bowl!

- r

[tips-for-exotic-animals]

With a bowl they will pour the water anywhere and getting the bedding wet, and even they wet. which is not good for your hamster

[iluvhamsters]

PSA for hamster caregivers: DON’T buy nesting material or bedding like the ones above! Fluffy, cotton-like material is NOT SAFE for hamsters and is not recommended for use in your hamster’s cage.

The fibers in cottony bedding can wrap around delicate hamster limbs and cause injuries, especially in the case of young or elderly hamsters.

Furthermore, cottony material does not dissolve. This means that, if ingested by your hamster, the material would not be digested and it would cause impaction (which is often fatal if not caught early). Also, if stored in your hamster’s cheek pouches for long periods, the material could cause infection or irritation.

I keep seeing pictures of adorable hamsters resting in this fluffy bedding and it makes me sad and very nervous. Keep your babies safe!

[tips-for-exotic-animals]

how-to-care-for-hamsters

Hello! I wanted to ask, I use corn cob for bedding since is the only good one that I can use. One looks like sand but more thicker, and the other one looks like wood

Is any difference if I use the first corncob o the second one? Which one is the best?

[great-kingdom-animalia]

Searching for animal blogs!

Please reblog if you post ANYTHING about animals (prehistoric and current), from pictures, science, medicine or even just stories! Even you only post about one animal, especially equestrian or veterinary blogs please reblog this so I and maybe others can find more people to follow :)

[vetmedirl]

Veterinary blog… large animal

[the-vet-life]

Veterinary blog - small animal =]

[petshrink]

Vet student

[iheartvmt]

Vet tech blog - mixed animal

[tips-for-exotic-animals]

Tips for exotic animals!!

[how-to-care-for-hamsters]

I agree - things definitely are overpriced where they can be! A homemade one is a good idea but it seems a bit intimidating so that would be great if you made a tutorial) I hadn't even thought abut collapsed tunnels! I'll have to try that :) and oh yeah, I'd definitely try to add natural stuff lol but one thing I've seen though is people have a little wood bridge or something to hold back bedding and have an area with sand or something? is that optional or like instead of a container for it?

Hello :) 

Sorry, I need to clarify - do you talk about a homemade chamberhouse or a homemade cage because I never made the second one on my own, I would need to ask a friend for a tutorial then or make/find one. :) 

Yes, you can put a wood bridge or something similar in the cage and make different areas of bedding like this: 

but you don’t need to do it, normal bedding is just fine and you could also use a big bowl as sand bath. So yes it’s optional as long as your hamster has a sand bath somewhere in the cage! :) 

But of course it looks very cool and your hamster surely will find it more interesting but I think it’s also more expensive as you need more sand and different kinds of suitable bedding and so on! :) 

Normal bedding is just fine as long as it’s at least 10+ inches. :)

I hope you have a nice day!

[the-pack-rat]

PACK RAT STARTER KIT

THE PACK RAT OFFICIAL RATTY TESTED AND RATTY APPROVED STARTER KIT!

I made an amazon list of stuff to get a new rat owner started - but don’t forget to get some hammocks & liners too!!! lol

[the-pack-rat]

I added a few new items to the list!

[zeldacw-love]

^ Important Bunny Care info to consider before getting a pet bunny.

Also… -Bunnies are VERY fragile and are not ideal pets for little kids. Adults must provide supervision and proper guidance so kids learn how to handle them gently. 

-Don’t be scared off by the part about kicking/scratching/nibbling, some bunnies are still very easy-going, mellow, or huggable, it was only to clarify: “Don’t expect all bunnies to like hugs.”  XD

and remember… ADOPT. DON’T SHOP.

[zorobunny]

JUST lovely.

[robotsandfrippary]

angry bunnies can and WILL bite children’s finger tips off. Ask my niece.

[abookishword]

As Easter comes up I want to share this. And baby chicks. They are not babies forever, and adopting an animal until it’s no longer cute to you is cruel to them.

[the-pack-rat]

not rats, but important! 

[fucknofnaffandom-deactivated201]

what would be better, a gerbils or a hamster OC?

Gerbil!

[tips-for-exotic-animals]

Thanks!

[the-raw-ferret-deactivated20231]

I see a lot of misinformation about this. Ferrets don’t need a cage floor covered in bedding, like rodents do. They are generally tidy animals that will use a particular corner as a toilet.

Wood shavings or wood chips should not be used. They can be bad for a ferrets respiratory system and tbh...

[thelittlesanimals-deactivated20]

how-to-care-for-hamsters

Hey! hello, I love your blog, is really helpful and I have an ask. I buy a (horrible small) cage for my gerbils which I fix after the second week I had them. And I wanted to know if this cage would work for a hamster or another small animal

[how-to-care-for-hamsters]

Thanks for the info! I was just wondering because I know you said they need a lot of bedding and I wasn't sure it would fit but then I saw a video where they had a ton and yeah :) those lids are a good idea :) I'm thinking of getting the Detolf or getting the Kallax and making something but ya

Wow, that sounds awesome! Please take a picture when you are done and tag me, I would love to see the result! :)

Some pictures of Detolf and Kallax cages I found on Google to inspire you: 

All the best to you :)

[helpfulhintsforrvns]

[bunniesarethebest]

Hey guys, 

I think this photo is so important. So many people think rabbits are just a fluffy animal for them to carry around like a teddy, and think they’re really cheap and easy to look after. Definitely some very important facts that everyone should know.

-batb

[bunnies-and-sunshine]

Please reblog this to help get the word out well in advance of Easter that bunnies are a commitment just like a dog or cat.  Bunnies are not disposable pets!

[nothingbuttbunnies]

This is very important to remember with Easter approaching, please consider rabbit adoption as something serious! They are not seasonal pets who can be disposed of after the holiday!