Rabbits And Other Small Furries

One of the first considerations when thinking about a small mammal as a pet is how long a commitment you are happy to make. Rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets, on average, live for about 7 to 8 years, mice and hamsters for around 2 years, rats for around 3 years.

As a general rule with small furries, it is best to get them while they are young and handle them frequently to avoid them biting later on. If you do this, they are usually quite fun pets to have.

To find out more, please click on the headings below.

If you do not find all the information that you need, please click onto the Lifelearn link which will take you through to a 'pet information' site that we recommend.

Mice and rats

Mice and rats

Mice and rats are very similar in their needs. They need a special cage, which you would buy from the pet shop along with the pet. Like hamsters, they like a little house to hide in and things to do - running wheels and ladders.

Rats are very intelligent and like to run around in the house, but we advise that you only allow this under supervision.

Mice are too small to allow to roam - they are very likely to get lost.

Again, like hamsters they are quite cheap to keep. They eat rat/mouse mix from the pet shop and require 'small pet' bedding.