A small furry Christmas

Dec 05 2022, 15:30

Alun Edwards, our head vet, has been thinking about hamsters, gerbils and other small mammals and how they might be impacted by Christmas in busy houses.

As with many of the holiday periods, houses can change, and routines can be disrupted. However, with a little forethought, you can ensure that your small furry friends have as good a time as the rest of the family.

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Other pets

It’s a common time of year to get visitors. Whilst this year that’s less likely, if you do have visitors and they bring a dog, or if you get a new dog for Christmas, think about how you’ll keep your small mammal out of their way.

Stress & Small Furries

Leading on from that… stress caused by increased levels of noise, activity and the general hubbub of the festivities, can get cause small mammals great stress. Move your little friend’s cage to a quiet room for the holidays so they can remain calm.

Christmas Decorations

When you let them out of their cage for a run it’s best not to leave your small mammal unattended. Decorations, the wires of Christmas lights and piles of presents are just a few of the festive hazards we’re keen for them to avoid.

Food

Small mammals don’t do so well with food based treats so our advice is; if in doubt, leave it out! However most will appreciate a bit of apple or banana, or, rummage in your fridge and see if you have any peas, carrots or broccoli.

Buying them a friend for Christmas

You might be tempted to buy your pet a friend for Christmas. Nice idea (in fact essential) if they are a Gerbil or a Degu, but not such a great idea if they are a Syrian Hamster (who are solitary animals, who will fight if kept as a pair). Err of the safe side and give us a call before you buddy anyone up and we’ll tell you what’s good.

What you should do

If you have any problems over the holidays, then please do contact us and we’ll help you out. In the meantime, have a think about what we’ve said above and perhaps download our Small Furry Christmas Care To-Do List.

Get our small mammal to-do list