All about small pets

12 per cent of those who filled in the Big Pet Census own a small pet. Except for hamsters, small pets like to live in pairs or groups, owners we surveyed had more than 34,000 individual pets in total.

Illustration of two brown and white guinea pigs

5 per cent of you own guinea pigs
5 per cent of you own hamsters
2 per cent of you own rats
1 per cent of you own gerbils
0.5 per cent of you own chinchillas
0.4 per cent of you own degus
0.4 per cent of you own mice

Most people we spoke to were not first-time small pet owners with more than 10 per cent saying that they’d owned a small pet species for the first time.

What our small pets mean to us

Despite being small in stature, this doesn’t lessen the impact that these pets have on our lives:

85 per cent said their small pet is part of the family
44 per cent said their small pet is a companion
31 per cent said their small pet is their best friend
12 per cent said their small pet is there for their children

And they love to show us what we mean to them too.

73 per cent said their small pet is excited to see them
59 per cent said their small pet comes to them for affection
40 per cent said their small pet ‘talks’ to them
36 per cent said their small pet gives them kisses
28 per cent said their small pet gives them cuddles
17 per cent said their small pet lies with them
13 per cent said their small pet follows them around

Getting a small pet

54 per cent of people we surveyed said their small pet was sold to them individually, with 42 per cent of people said they were sold as a pair or group, and 2 per cent weren’t sure.

Most species of small pet need a friend, so we know there's more work to do....

An illustration of a woman holding up a hamster in a carry case

Most of the owners we spoke to got their small pets at pet shops or UK-based charities like us. Small pets frequently enter our doors as they often need much more care than people think.

53 per cent got their small pet at a pet shop
22 per cent got their small pet from UK-based rescue charities
18 per cent got their small pet from a breeder
17 per cent got their small pet from online sites such as Pets4Homes or Gumtree
6 per cent got their rabbits from a friend of family member
3 per cent got their rabbits from a friend of a friend

If you’re looking for a small pet to adopt, we might be able to help.

Adopt a small pet

Small pet housing

We now know that small pets need much more space than previously thought to exhibit their natural behaviour and the optimum set up varies from species to species.

When we asked whether people bought new housing for their pet:

69 per cent purchased new housing
11 per cent say they bought second hand
8 per cent say their made or adapted housing, which can be a great option for pets like guinea pigs who need much more space than some traditional housing options offer