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Diet & Nutrition

  • Chinchillas should be offered good quality grass hay ad-libitum (available 24 hours a day). Pellets or concentrate foods should be given as a small quantity in addition to the hay.

  • In the wild rabbits spend many hours chewing grass. This is a tough fibrous material that also contains abrasive silicates.

  • Pet rodents can be fed a good, high quality rodent chow (pelleted food) available at pet stores.

  • Unlike most pets, snakes eat whole prey items including mice, rats and hamsters. Larger snakes will also eat whole rabbits.

  • Raising an orphaned kitten can be a rewarding experience. However, kittens are very fragile, and raising them can be difficult, time consuming, and not always successful. Included are basic considerations and frequently asked questions in regards to hand rearing kittens.

  • Hand-rearing baby birds is often performed to produce a cuddly tame young bird. Unfortunately commonly used rearing techniques and the isolation experienced by single birds, may account for the many psychological problems that occur in these birds.

  • Heart disease can be divided into two groups, congenital and adult onset forms. In congenital disease the defect is present at birth. The cause of most types of adult onset heart disease is unknown. Heart disease is relatively common in cats, and treatments will depend on the cause of the problem.

  • The first inclination of some people when feeding a home-prepared diet to their pet is to simply feed the animal leftovers of what they are eating. However, the nutritional needs of dogs, cats and humans differ.

  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic disease of the intestinal tract. Occasionally, the stomach may be involved.

  • The liver is a vital, complex organ which performs a number of crucial functions, principally involved with metabolism and is sometimes termed the "factory of the body" which controls many of the chemical processes necessary for normal bodily function.