I need all your expertise

[michele]

For one of my class projects we have to have a booth at the schools petstravaganza. Our booth is focusing on small animals and reptiles. I had to put the information sheet together on small mammals so if you guys wouldn't mind taking a look and telling me what you think. It is very general information and can only be one page (the entire packet will include more info on birds, reptiles, dogs and cats).

Guinea Pigs
è Average life span is 4-8 years
è Guinea Pigs are social animals and need daily interaction
è Guinea Pigs have open rooted teeth which means that they continuously grow so they need to be provided with plenty of chew toys to prevent problems
è A balance diet of a quality timothy based pellets, fresh fruits and veggies, timothy hay (available at all times), fresh water should be provided daily
è Guinea Pigs have a vitamin C deficiency. They need to have veggies rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C water drops should not be used they make the water taste bad
è Guinea Pigs need daily exercise but should never be put in an exercise ball
è Cages should be at least 7.5 square feet per pig but the bigger the better http://www.guineapigcages.com/
è Pine and Cedar beddings should never be used they can cause major health problems

Rabbits
è Average life span is ???????
è Rabbits are social animals and need daily interaction
è They need out of cage exercise daily
è Rabbits have open rooted teeth and need to be provided with lots of chew toys to prevent problems. Hard Baby toys make excellent toys
è A balanced diet of timothy based pellets, fresh fruits and veggies, timothy hay (all times), fresh water should be provided daily
è Cages should be at the minimum 30” by 30” but the bigger the better and no wire bottoms
è Pine and Cedar bedding should not be used these can cause major health problems
è Rabbits can be litter box trained
è Rabbits are safer in the house
è Rabbits in general do not like to be picked up
è Rabbits can live longer and have less health problems if they are spayed or neutered

Rats, Mice, Gerbils, and hamsters
è Gerbils, rats, and mice are social and if introduced properly can be housed with the same species, hamsters should in general be housed separately
è Pellets are the best type of food to get a balanced diet, fruits and veggies, and water should also be provided daily
è All of these small animals are good escape artist and should have secure cages
è These animals also need exercise. Exercise balls work great for them.
è Pine and Cedar beddings should never be used as they can cause health problems
è Their teeth are open rooted teeth so they should be provided with ample chew toys

Thank you all very much!

 

[aurora369]

Average life span of a spay/neutered house rabbit is 8-10 years although it is not uncommon to see some rabbits living well into the teen years.

Hay is also important to keeping a rabbit's teeth the correct length.

An interesting point that may be good for you information sheet is that rabbits are not rodents, they are lagomorphs. They have an extra set of incisors called peg teeth that help grind down the teeth and keep them at the appropriate length. If the teeth are properly aligned and a rabbit has lots of hay to chew on, their teeth will maintain the proper length with out chew toys.

Good luck!

--Dawn

 

[kirst3buns]

I see you have a guinea pig website reference. If you want a good general one for house rabbits, The House Rabbit Society has one at http://www.rabbit.org/

 

[michele]

Thanks guys both things have been added. I new when I was writing it that I would forget to add stuff or add to much. Keep the advise coming.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

michele wrote:

Rats, Mice, Gerbils, and hamsters
è Gerbils, rats, and mice are social and if introduced properly can be housed with the same species, hamsters should in general be housed separately
è Pellets are the best type of food to get a balanced diet, fruits and veggies, and water should also be provided daily
è All of these small animals are good escape artist and should have secure cages
è These animals also need exercise. Exercise balls work great for them.
è Pine and Cedar beddings should never be used as they can cause health problems
è Their teeth are open rooted teeth so they should be provided with ample chew toys

They should be housed in same sex pairs, idealy from the same litter.

A seed mix or rodent blocks are better than pellets. Seed mixes provie varity that pellets and blocks don't. But you can add extra stuff to a mix to make it more suitable. Too much corn or sunflower/pupmkin seeds can be harmful as the animal will eat them first. Fruits and veggies are not needed every day. Introduce slowly and in small amounts so they don't spoil. Water should be in a bottle.

An aquarium with a screen lid is best for gerbils as they like to dig and burrow. 10 gallons for a pair minimum, more is better. Also provide a house. Wood is prefered, avoid plastic.

A solid or mesh wheel is best. Bars can cause problems with tails and feet. Excercise balls should not be used for more that 1/2 hour at a time, and only when supervised.

Aspen shavings are best. I add hay for my gerbils too.

Use only wood toys. Hay can help too.

 

[MsBinky]

I would definitely mention spaying and neutering for the buns. Maybe you can mention in when you mention life span? Sounds like a fun project though!

 

[michele]

Thanks everyone great info keep it coming the better the info the better educated people can be. Here is the updated copy!

[size=Guinea Pigs][/size]
è [size=Average life span is 4-8 years][/size]
è [size=Guinea Pigs are social animals and need daily interaction][/size]
è [size=Guinea Pigs have open rooted teeth which means that they continuously grow so they need to be provided with plenty of chew toys to prevent problems][/size]
è [size=A balance diet of a quality timothy based pellets, fresh fruits and veggies, timothy hay (available at all times), fresh water should be provided daily][/size]
è [size=Guinea Pigs have a vitamin C deficiency. They need to have veggies rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C water drops should not be used they make the water taste bad][/size]
è [size=Guinea Pigs need daily exercise but should never be put in an exercise ball][/size]
è [size=Cages should be at least 7.5 square feet per pig but the bigger the better ][/size]http://www.guineapigcages.com/
è [size=Pine and Cedar beddings should never be used they can cause major health problems][/size]
[size=][/size]
[size=Rabbits][/size]
è [size=Average life span is 8-10 years][/size]
è [size=Rabbits are social animals and need daily interaction][/size]
è [size=They need out of cage exercise daily][/size]
è [size=Rabbits have open rooted teeth and need to be provided with lots of chew toys to prevent problems. Hard Baby toys make excellent toys][/size]
è [size=Rabbits are not rodents they are lagomorphs which means they have peg teeth that help keep their other teeth ground down][/size]
è [size=Rabbits are not rodents they are lagomorphs which means they have peg teeth that help keep their oth][/size][size=er teeth ground down][/size]
è [size=A balanced diet of timothy based pellets, fresh fruits and veggies, timothy hay (all times), fresh water should be provided daily][/size]
è [size=Cages should be at the minimum 30” by 30” but the bigger the better and no wire bottoms][/size]
è [size=Pine and Cedar bedding should not be used these can cause major health problems][/size]
è [size=Rabbits can be litter box trained][/size]
è [size=Rabbits are safer in the house][/size]
è [size=Rabbits in general do not like to be picked up][/size]
è [size=Rabbits can live longer and have less health problems if they are spayed or neutered ][/size]
è [size=[url=http://www.rabbit.org/]http://www.rabbit.org/[/url]][/size]
[size=][/size]
[size=Rats, Mice, Gerbils, and hamsters][/size]
è [size=Gerbils, rats, and mice are social and if introduced properly can be housed with the same species in same sex pair ideally from the same litter, hamsters should in general be housed separately][/size]
è [size=Seed mix are the best type of food to get a balanced diet, fruits and veggies can be used as treats in small amounts, and water in a water bottle should also be provided daily][/size]
è [size=All of these small animals are good escape artist and should have secure cages. Aquariums with a lid work great for mice, gerbils, and hamsters 10 gallons minimum per animal][/size]
è [size=These animals also need exercise. Exercise balls work great for them in 30 minute time frames. Solid or mesh exercise wheels should be provided in the cages. ][/size]Wooden toys and a hide a great to add to their cages
è [size=Pine and Cedar beddings should never be used as they can cause health problems][/size]
è [size=Their teeth are open rooted teeth so they should be provided with ample chew toys][/size]