Small Animal Checklist

Gather the tools needed for creating a clean, safe and stimulating habitat for your pet.

Your small animal has some unique care requirements. Their instinctive behaviors and peculiar anatomies call for some things you may never have considered.

Sleeping Chamber: If your pet is a burrowing animal, and this would include most small rodents, then be aware that he needs a segregated area for sleeping or a sleeping chamber — such as a tube, nest area, or box with a small entrance. Small animals need a place "out of view" where they can feel safe while sleeping.

Water Bottle: A bottle is generally recommended over a bowl for several reasons. The first has to do with hygiene — water bowls can get dirty pretty quickly with all of the cage activity.  A bowl can also tip over, leaving your pet completely without water.  And if working correctly, a bottle allows you to monitor how much your pet is drinking. Because many small animals come from dry and arid places, they do not usually drink a lot of water. Water bottles need to be the correct size for your animal.They must also be cleaned and filled with fresh water daily.

Chew Toys:The teeth of most small animals will continue to grow throughout their lifetime — even so far that they endanger the animal's health. To keep teeth down to size, small animals will instinctively nibble, gnaw and chew on just about anything. This gnawing and chewing activity grinds down their teeth and keeps the constant growth under control.

Must-Have Items

  • High quality and species-specific food
  • Food bowl
  • Water bottle
  • Bedding
  • Cage with sleeping chamber
  • Toys
  • Chewing treats or toys
  • Vitamins
  • Treats to eat