29 Jul 2025
John Chitty BVetMed, CertZooMed, MRCVS outlines the various welfare considerations that vets should be encouraging potential exotic owners to evaluate before a purchase
John Chitty
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Image: anatoliycherkas / Adobe Stock
Whether by a client or, more usually, by someone at a party or in the pub, we may be asked what sort of small mammal pet they should get for themselves or their family.
Obviously, we will talk about which animals they like, about how they want to interact with the pet, and who will be spending the most time with it.
But how often do we take it a little further and look at the question from the pet’s point of view; that is, which pet is best based on which will have the best welfare in their care because of the resources they have?
To do this, we can use the five pet needs.
Behaviour can be summed up as “know the species”. What do they do?
Which takes us to the fundamental need for companionship.
Some small mammals are solitary: ferrets and Syrian hamsters, as examples. However, most are social and, therefore, need companionship.
While ideal group sizes may be quoted, this will impact on the husbandry that may be needed. Space, in particular, will impact on the number that may be kept. Does lack of space justify the formation of a smaller than ideal group? Or should this dictate the choice and size of species kept?
Husbandry lacks impact on disease prevalence, and problems in the environment are major causes of illness.
Minimum enclosure sizes are hard to determine. Some figures are quoted (such as in pet vending legislation), but it is always worth remembering these are very much minima and not intended for lifetime keeping.
When in doubt, give more space and remember: no such thing as maximum exists (and that the more animals and larger the species, the larger the required environment, as frequent fights and attempts to escape may well be clues that too little space and too much competition exists).
But, it must be born in mind as to what is usable space; for example, guinea pigs do not appreciate or use large open spaces much, as they would be too vulnerable to predation in the wild. So, a massive open enclosure would simply end up being largely unused, with animals sticking to safe areas; therefore, the actual used environment may be too small. Space, too, is not simply area; for climbing species, volume may be more important, with special attention paid to producing climbable structures, allowing full use of a space. Similarly, depth comes into play for burrowing species.
All will require bedding, and needs and mounts (and amount of changing) will vary according to species, usage and environmental effects (such as wetness).
These will usually be moved into sleeping chambers and these areas also need evaluation; many are poorly ventilated and become dusty or urine-melling, and so may be important factors in pneumonia development.
Temperature, humidity/rainfall, light levels and wind chill factors all should be considered.
Few small mammal species really tolerate extremes well – especially excess heat. A few may be triggered into aestivation or torpor if too cold. Knowledge of animal needs, along with localised weather conditions and prevailing winds, are vital – especially if building outside enclosures.
Assessment of risk from extreme conditions and what is needed to protect pets is essential. Indoor keeping provides more stable conditions, but in modern homes, this usually results in a warm, dry centrally heated atmosphere. Cooler better-ventilated rooms and even the use of humidifier units may provide better environments for many species. But all require further resources, time and expense in setting up and maintaining.
Space also affects the ability to exercise, and exercise lack is an important factor in development of obesity. However, a large barren environment is unlikely to stimulate much exercise behaviour.
Often, a smaller environment with an appropriate group size (with dynamic interactions, play, and so forth) and enrichment devices (even the classic hamster wheel) will be more effective in promoting activity.
The other component of obesity development (probably the most significant malnutrition seen in small mammals) is, of course, diet.
Appropriate diet in appropriate amounts is one of the best forms of preventive medicine. This will, as ever, vary with species, life stage need, environment (more calories if cold) and activity levels. How to assess under-feeding or over-feeding needs to be learned and be capable of being done; it is very hard to body condition score a guinea pig in an extensive outdoor enclosure unless some form of handling training has been done.
A limiting factor in keeping a species may also be the need for a specialised diet – especially if keeping an unusual species; if it is hard to get the food, then it may not be possible to substitute an easier to obtain foodstuff. Even easy to obtain feeds, such as hay, may not be as simple as many think – quality is vitally important and poor quality, dusty (even mouldy) hay is far too easy to get.
Similarly, no point exists in getting good food if it is then stored badly. Poor storage conditions result in food decomposition and some less stable elements will break down quickly, such as vitamin C. So, a stable, well-ventilated rodent-proof food store is important – especially if larger numbers of animals are kept.
That said, it is usually better to buy feeds in the minimum amounts that are practical; this will increase costs upfront, but may well result in fewer treatment bills due to nutritional lacks.
Always buy sealed branded bags, as seller-dispensed bags may have been stored for a while before re-bagging.
Food ethics may also be considered. It is not possible to make ferrets vegan, but some owners may recoil from feeding and – especially – handling meat-based feeds for them. Ferrets are the extreme example, but many smaller rodents need additional proteins and may even be insectivorous, which may mean sourcing, storing and handling invertebrates for feed.
Lastly, health. All of the previously mentioned factors impact on health, but what if the pet is ill? Can the owner find a veterinary surgeon knowledgeable, willing and with the necessary facilities for such species?
The more specialised the species, the more difficult this becomes, and the more imperative this is researched before need occurs. This may even impact on preventive care: where do you find a clinic experienced in sugar glider castration and how to do this while not destroying group dynamics, and while preventing postoperative self-traumatisation? Different pets, too, will have different, actual preventive medicine needs: vaccination needs in rabbits, but also neutering, parasite checks and treatments, and so forth, in many.
Similarly, how treatable are the pets? Prospective owners may need to know how to actually examine, check or even give medicines to their pet. Will they be comfortable doing this? This could be a factor in determining what sort of pet or management system they choose.
Fortunately, many species are trainable for medication or examination, and such training may provide the owner with a lot of satisfaction, providing a dynamic interaction with the pet that may actually reduce stress rather than increase it. This leads to one of the most fundamental questions in choosing a small mammal pet.
Sometimes, this seems a contradiction in keeping: many (perhaps most) owners – especially children – will want to interact physically with their pet, and this is an important part of their learning.
However, many pets may well prefer not to be handled so much and may struggle with this type of keeping. So, what particular aspects may mitigate possible stresses and help pets cope better with handling?
So, in summary, discussions prior to purchase give us the opportunity to not just find out what prospective owners want from their pet, but what they can give their pet.
This helps set their expectations and, most importantly, prevent a lot of the welfare issues (and disease) we see all too commonly in these species.
