Small Pets
Small Pets, Big Personalities
Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and birds are not low-maintenance starter pets — they are specialists. Here is what each one actually needs to thrive.
Rabbits
Rabbits are social, intelligent, and far more demanding than their reputation suggests. A single rabbit needs at least 12 square feet of enclosure plus several hours daily in a rabbit-proofed room; wire-bottom cages cause painful sore hocks and should never be used. Line the space with fleece or paper bedding, add a litter tray in the corner they choose, and give them a cardboard castle to chew and shred.
Diet is roughly 80 percent unlimited grass hay (timothy, orchard, or brome), a daily bundle of fresh leafy greens, and only a small measured portion of plain pellets. Alfalfa is for babies and nursing mothers only. Hay is not optional: it wears down continuously growing teeth and keeps the gut moving. A rabbit that stops eating or passing droppings for 12 hours is in GI stasis, which is a genuine emergency.
Brush weekly, daily during a moult, since rabbits cannot vomit swallowed fur. Never bathe a rabbit. Find a vet who treats exotics before you need one, spay or neuter to prevent uterine cancer and territorial behaviour, and expect a well-cared-for indoor rabbit to live 8 to 12 years.
Before you adopt
Small pets need exotic-savvy veterinary care, and not every clinic offers it. Search for a local exotics or avian vet first — in many North American cities there are only a handful, and knowing the nearest one saves critical time later.