With every new animal, comes new questions on how to care for them. Below are the quick lists of things you'll need to get started with your new pet.
For ALL animals, you will need to clean out bottles, bowls, cages, carriers etc etc. The best way to do this is with BLEACH. 1 cap full into a gallon of water will sanitize your pets' environment and help keep them healthy. Just make sure the bleached items are properly rinsed and dried before your pet gets them back. This applies to store bought items as well!! Just because they're brand new doesn't mean they're clean!
Rabbits
You will need:
Cage appropriately sized for your bunny At least 3-4 times the size your bunny will grow to for a minimum
Extra cage For inside/carry/when you're cleaning main cage ect.
2 water bottles Bottles WILL malfunction at some point and it's easier to have one on hand, especially if they're being kept outside as bottles will freeze and break in the winter time
Food bowl I suggest a glass crock, though a hard rubber livestock bowl works well too with children.Rabbits WILL throw and dump their food bowls if they're light weight and they love to dig through J feeders to find the "yummies" in the bottom.
Shavings Or some type of bedding. Aspen shavings are better than pine and NEVER use cedar chips! Shredded newspaper can be fine for a day or 2 in a pinch, but white rabbits will start to turn black from the ink. Some people use old towels, but I'm leary of those due to rabbits LOVING to chew. There are tons of bedding options available at petstores, find one that's best suited for your needs.
Hay Make sure and get a good quality timothy/grass mix hay. Alfalfa can be too rich for rabbits, especially if they're getting alfalfa pellets too.
Good quality pellets DO NOT give your rabbits pellets with colored bits in them! Even the feeds with the little bits of fruits and veggies can be harmfull to your bunny as those are more "treats" than feed and sometimes the bunny will only want to eat those little bits! Try and feed them foods with the simplist labels, no sugars or "extras" added and if it doesn't look like it was naturally made (dyes obviously added) then it's probably not the right food for your bunny.
Brush Rabbits DO need groomed! Think of a rabbit like a cat, they can still get hairballs, though bunnies can't puke them up! Long haired rabbits will require a lot more grooming than a short haired rabbit would, so please keep that in mind while thinking of purchasing a rabbit.
Nail clippers About every 3-4 weeks rabbits will require a good nail clipping. Pick a pair you're comfortable using. Human nail clippers work too!
Things to chew If you don't give them something to chew, they'll find something!! Make sure it's not got a lot of dyes or things added to it. Toilet paper or paper towels rolls work wonders, as do old cardboard boxes to play with. Paper towels make a great rabbit nest, cat toys with jingle balls are a BLAST to play with and fresh cut, clean, apple/pear/peach tree branches are a favorite!
Things you will need to do with your bunny:
Clip nails every 3-6 weeks
Worm them
Brush them out if they have longer fur. Possibly clip poo from their fur
Feed (pellets AND hay)/water DAILY
Clean cage weekly/twice a week depending on cage and how filthy the bunny is!
Things you can feed your bunny
Cage appropriately sized for your bunny At least 3-4 times the size your bunny will grow to for a minimum
Extra cage For inside/carry/when you're cleaning main cage ect.
2 water bottles Bottles WILL malfunction at some point and it's easier to have one on hand, especially if they're being kept outside as bottles will freeze and break in the winter time
Food bowl I suggest a glass crock, though a hard rubber livestock bowl works well too with children.Rabbits WILL throw and dump their food bowls if they're light weight and they love to dig through J feeders to find the "yummies" in the bottom.
Shavings Or some type of bedding. Aspen shavings are better than pine and NEVER use cedar chips! Shredded newspaper can be fine for a day or 2 in a pinch, but white rabbits will start to turn black from the ink. Some people use old towels, but I'm leary of those due to rabbits LOVING to chew. There are tons of bedding options available at petstores, find one that's best suited for your needs.
Hay Make sure and get a good quality timothy/grass mix hay. Alfalfa can be too rich for rabbits, especially if they're getting alfalfa pellets too.
Good quality pellets DO NOT give your rabbits pellets with colored bits in them! Even the feeds with the little bits of fruits and veggies can be harmfull to your bunny as those are more "treats" than feed and sometimes the bunny will only want to eat those little bits! Try and feed them foods with the simplist labels, no sugars or "extras" added and if it doesn't look like it was naturally made (dyes obviously added) then it's probably not the right food for your bunny.
Brush Rabbits DO need groomed! Think of a rabbit like a cat, they can still get hairballs, though bunnies can't puke them up! Long haired rabbits will require a lot more grooming than a short haired rabbit would, so please keep that in mind while thinking of purchasing a rabbit.
Nail clippers About every 3-4 weeks rabbits will require a good nail clipping. Pick a pair you're comfortable using. Human nail clippers work too!
Things to chew If you don't give them something to chew, they'll find something!! Make sure it's not got a lot of dyes or things added to it. Toilet paper or paper towels rolls work wonders, as do old cardboard boxes to play with. Paper towels make a great rabbit nest, cat toys with jingle balls are a BLAST to play with and fresh cut, clean, apple/pear/peach tree branches are a favorite!
Things you will need to do with your bunny:
Clip nails every 3-6 weeks
Worm them
Brush them out if they have longer fur. Possibly clip poo from their fur
Feed (pellets AND hay)/water DAILY
Clean cage weekly/twice a week depending on cage and how filthy the bunny is!
Things you can feed your bunny
Rats
You will need:
Appropriately sized cage for the number of rats you have.
Seperate sick/carry/cleaning cage
2 or more water bottles
Food dish for each cage
Bedding
Quality food
A good timothy or grass hay (rats love to burrow and nest!)
Things to chew to keep the teeth worn down
Hide-away or some other type of "house" for the rat to hide in
Things you will need to do with your rats:
Feed/water DAILY
Clean cage once or twice a week
Handle daily
Appropriately sized cage for the number of rats you have.
Seperate sick/carry/cleaning cage
2 or more water bottles
Food dish for each cage
Bedding
Quality food
A good timothy or grass hay (rats love to burrow and nest!)
Things to chew to keep the teeth worn down
Hide-away or some other type of "house" for the rat to hide in
Things you will need to do with your rats:
Feed/water DAILY
Clean cage once or twice a week
Handle daily
Guinea Pigs
You will need:
Appropriately sized cage (NOT WIRE BOTTOMED!!)
Extra carry/cleaning cage
Bottle for each cage
Bowl for each cage
Hide away or home for the pig to hide in
Good quality feed
Quality Timothy or grass hay
Chew stick to keep teeth down
Fence or pen for play time out of the cage or outside
Brush to brush them out, especially the longer haired varieties
Nail clippers
Things you will need to do:
Feed/water DAILY
Brush your piggy
Clip nails
Clean cage 1-2 times a week
Noises Guinea Pigs make http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigsounds.html
Appropriately sized cage (NOT WIRE BOTTOMED!!)
Extra carry/cleaning cage
Bottle for each cage
Bowl for each cage
Hide away or home for the pig to hide in
Good quality feed
Quality Timothy or grass hay
Chew stick to keep teeth down
Fence or pen for play time out of the cage or outside
Brush to brush them out, especially the longer haired varieties
Nail clippers
Things you will need to do:
Feed/water DAILY
Brush your piggy
Clip nails
Clean cage 1-2 times a week
Noises Guinea Pigs make http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigsounds.html
Chickens
For chicks:
You will need:
Brooder box to raise chicks inside the house or other draft-free area.
Heat lamp
2 feeders
2 waterers
Shavings or other bedding
Chick starter, chick grower, chick finisher feeds
Duramyacin antibiotics to start chicks on, especially if they came from a store or through the mail from a hatchery
Things you will need to do:
Feed/water twice a day
Handle your chicks daily (to ensure friendlyness)
Change bedding 3 times a week
For adult chickens:
You will need:
Nest boxes so they can lay eggs
Waterer
Fenced in area to keep them safe from predators
Bedding
Layer feed. oyster shells and cracked corn (optional)
Things you will need to do:
Worm your birds every 6-8 weeks
Treat for parasites such as mites if you suspect they're ill
Clip wings to keep them from flying away or nesting where eggs can't be reached
Feed/water daily
Change bedding 1-2 times a week during warm months, once a month in winter time
You will need:
Brooder box to raise chicks inside the house or other draft-free area.
Heat lamp
2 feeders
2 waterers
Shavings or other bedding
Chick starter, chick grower, chick finisher feeds
Duramyacin antibiotics to start chicks on, especially if they came from a store or through the mail from a hatchery
Things you will need to do:
Feed/water twice a day
Handle your chicks daily (to ensure friendlyness)
Change bedding 3 times a week
For adult chickens:
You will need:
Nest boxes so they can lay eggs
Waterer
Fenced in area to keep them safe from predators
Bedding
Layer feed. oyster shells and cracked corn (optional)
Things you will need to do:
Worm your birds every 6-8 weeks
Treat for parasites such as mites if you suspect they're ill
Clip wings to keep them from flying away or nesting where eggs can't be reached
Feed/water daily
Change bedding 1-2 times a week during warm months, once a month in winter time
Ducks
Same as chickens except for:
Adult ducks need a pond or source of water to swim in
Ducklings cannot have starter feed.
Adult ducks need a pond or source of water to swim in
Ducklings cannot have starter feed.