Ten small pet facts

• Guinea pigs originally came from South America.
• The front teeth (incisors) of rodents grow all the time and have to be worn down by chewing.
• Rabbits are not rodents. They belong to a group of mammals called Lagomorpha, as do hares.
• Chinchillas need a daily dust bath to keep their fur healthy.
• Rats and mice love to climb and it is good for them.
• Gerbils enjoy digging so give them an area to tunnel in their cage.
• Hamsters hoard food especially in their bedding.
• The fur of Angora rabbits is clipped off or plucked and then spun into yarn for knitting.
• It is not a good idea to keep a rabbit and a guinea pig together as they have different needs. The rabbit may also injure the guinea pig.
• Don’t grab gerbils by their tails as they can shed them. This helps them to escape predators in the wild.

To learn more about small animals, please visit , the national pet care information service.