CAM - small mammals

• Importance of correct animal handling

  • Avoid injury to animal
  • Reduce stress to animal
  • Avoid injury to handler
• Before handling animals


  1. Wash hands

  2. Make sure room is secure

  3. Have equipment needed

  4. Ensure small animals are handled at ground level or over a surface
• Guinea pigs


  • Nervous and highly strung
  • Very noisy - squealing, whistling, grunting
  • Rarely bite
  • Unable to climb or jump
  • They will run away
• Handling guinea pigs


  1. Place hand over shoulders

  2. Move hand under chest, use other hand to lift and support the hind quarters

  3. Hold guinea pig to your body for security
• Rabbits


  • Can be difficult
  • They may be fearful
  • May wriggle, bite or kick
• Handling rabbits


  1. Use both hands, one to support the chest and one supporting rump

  2. Hold rabbit with head slightly higher than rump

  3. Bring body close to your body for a firm hold and place head into crook of your arm
• Rats


  • Generally quite social
  • Like being handled
• Handling rats


  Support back and rump
• Handling mice


  Can use equipment to catch them and restraint them by cupping, with tail in between fingers for extra restraint
• Gerbils


  • Have to be careful of degloving - do not restrain by tail
  • Can be handled either by cupping or claw method
• Handling chinchillas


  Hold animal by thorax and hold against body, support hind quarters
• Handling ferrets


  Similar to rat restraint, support forelegs and hindquarters
• Snakes


  • Very flexible and mobile
• Handling snakes


  1. Aim to hold at 1/3rd and 2/3rd of body

  2. Or can use snake hook

  3. For restraint you keep hold of head
• Handling small lizards


  Curl fingers around body and use thumb to support head
• Handling terrestrial lizards


  Support with hand and thumb over back
• Handling medium lizards


  Support using palm of hand and support back with other
• Handling large lizards


  Use both hands to support either end of body
• Be careful of tail drop due to stress in lizards
• Handling amphibians


  Have to use a damp powdered glove as they are very sensitive
• Know rabbits and guinea pigs for exam and one other animals thoroughly
• Small mammal housing requirements

  • Based on species - natural habitat, natural behaviour repertoire, natural activity level and pattern
  • Whilst also balancing the need for hygiene, access and security
• Crepuscular


  Most active early in the morning and evening (dusk and dawn hours)
• Rabbits


  • Life span of 5-12 years, sub-species of wild european rabbit, crepuscular herbivores that spend significant time foraging (want for chewing), live in complex burrow systems in large social groups (needs companionship), at high risk of predation (easily scared, spend time hiding)
• Rabbit environments


  • Preferred temp 13-20 degrees, humidity 55-65%, rabbits can thrive both indoors and outdoors, must be protected from extremes of weather (not adapted to sustain high temps or cold temps)
• Rabbit space requirements


  Recommended space - 3m*2m, rabbits must be able to stretch fully, stand upright, and perform at least three hops from one end to the other (RSPCA). Increased space encourages activity and reduces abnormal behaviour (no legal minimum space from government)
• Rabbit enclosure features


  • Multiple raised platforms for resting and hiding
  • More than one shelter/bolt hole that fits all occupants (social species)
  • Items to gnaw (branches and wood)
  • Areas to dig
  • Smooth flooring (not wire) to prevent pododermatitis (bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction to birds and mammals feed)
• Rabbit hutches and cages

  "a hutch or cage is not enough" - RWAF, simple hutches/ cages should be used with an exercise pen for at least 3 hours per day outside of the hutch coinciding with natural activity levels
• Alternatives to rabbit hutches

  • Sheds
  • Wendy houses
  • Spacious indoor area and attached to outdoor run
  • Free roaming indoors - often with areas penned to confine the space they can use
• Outdoor rabbit enclosures


  • Avoid placing in direct sunlight (heat stress can occur above 28 degrees), enclosures should be raised off the ground to prevent damp, a waterproof roof and a slatted panel to cover the mesh fronted area in bad weather
• Outdoor rabbit health considerations

  • Flea and mosquito control should be considered in the summer months (myxomatosis)
  • Contact with wild rabbits directly or through urine and faeces (double fencing can be used to prevent) (VHD - viral haemorrhagic disease - internal bleeding and instant death)
• Outdoor rabbit security


  • Ensure runs have lids, prevent predation - use welded mesh with a maximum gauge of 16 and ideal gap of 13mm, prevent digging out or in, fit a wire mesh run
• Indoor rabbit hazards


  • Electrical cables (chew proof)
  • Poisonous house plants
  • Suitable chewable toys (cardboard, branches, toys)
  • Other pets
• Rabbit substrates


  • Soft straw
  • Wood shavings
  • Pulp bedding
  • Shredded paper
• Rabbit litter training


  Rabbits can easily be litter trained, wood or paper based litter should be used (chewing hay stimulates faecal production) place hay above litter tray to teach how to use litter tray, avoid clumping/clay based products which can be harmful if ingested
• Rabbit cleaning


  Full clean with at least once a week using animal safe disinfectant, depending number of rabbits changes how frequently this needs to happen
• Rabbit social groupings


  • Rabbits should ideally be kept in bonded pairs, allows for expression of positive social behaviours that also benefit health, bonding should be carefully planned and supervised, mixed sex pairs are most compatible, have to do this slowly by putting them in pens next to each other and slowly supervising and introducing each other - signs they are bonding include grooming and laying together. They can be likely to fight and inflict injury if they don't bond or don't get introduced slowly, Same-sex pairs sometimes work as well, neutering minimises risk of conflict. Intact bucks tend to fight if they get placed together. Rabbits should not be housed with guinea pigs - they have their own dietary requirements, bullying can occur, rabbits harbour Bordetella bronchiseptica which is pathogenic to guinea pigs causing respiratory issues
• Guinea pigs


  • 5-6 years, originate from south american andes, diurnal or crepuscular spend a lot of time foraging, use rock crevices and burrows of other animals to rest and hide, live in social groups of around 5-10
• Guinea pig environments


  • Preferred temp of 16-24 degrees, humidity of 30-70%, temps above 27 degrees can cause heat stroke, lower temps can be survived, can be housed indoors and outdoors but depends on weather
• Guinea pig space requirements


  Minimum 0.9m^2 per adult guinea pig, as much space as possible is desirable, increased size = increased positive behaviour - popcorning