Beaphar

coat

Rabbit care
Regularly check your rabbit’s coat for parasites, wounds and bald spots. While you are doing this, check your rabbit’s ears for crusts. Make sure your rabbit’s claws do not grow too long. You can trim your rabbit’s claws yourself or you can ask your veterinarian to do this. Your rabbit’s teeth must not grow too long, either. Regularly check its incisors, as these teeth grow continuously and they could grow too long. If this happens, your veterinarian may have to cut or grind them. It you feed you rabbit well, for example on Xtra Vital, or Care+, the teeth will be naturally worn down during eating, and this will not be necessary. If your rabbit seems to be moulting, brush it on a daily basis with a soft brush. Check its faecal matter for signs of diarrhoea.
Picking up a rabbit can best be done with one hand either on the scruff of its neck, or under its chest, and the other under its bottom for support. Never pick up a rabbit by its ears or by the skin on its back! These spots are sensitive and therefore very painful to the rabbit.

Hamster care
Long-haired hamsters need to be brushed regularly. You can do this with a soft toothbrush that has been moistened with warm water. You should remove your hamster’s urine residue every day. Most hamsters have a special corner for urinating. You must clean the rest of your hamster’s cage once a week. Usually, your hamster’s claws will wear down naturally and will not have to be trimmed. If a hamster does have long claws, you must have them trimmed. Long claws indicate insufficient access to gnawing, climbing and digging. Buy appropriate materials for your hamster and enable it to do these things. A hamster must be able to gnaw because its teeth grow constantly during its entire life. We advise you to buy a gnawing stone. If the teeth grow too long, your hamster will not be able to eat anymore and eventually it will die. If your hamster’s teeth are too long, a veterinarian can cut or grind them, but this can be avoided by correct feeding and access to suitable gnawing materials.

Gerbil care
Gerbils are keen gnawers and love to play with simple objects, like an empty toilet paper roll. You can give your gerbil clean, unprinted white paper as bedding for its cage. It is best if you do not give it newspapers because the ink might be ingested. The gerbil will drag the paper underground and rip it into little pieces. A gerbil likes to have a daily sand bath at its disposal. XtraVital Gerbil Bath sand makes sure your gerbil’s coat stays in excellent shape. It absorbs excess fats and moisture. One way to pick up a gerbil is by the springing point of the tail and by supporting the gerbil with your other hand. Never pick a gerbil up at the end or in the middle of its tail. Neither pick up the gerbil by the springing of its tail without supporting the animal, for its tail drops off very easily. Another way is to take hold of it by the scruff of the neck with one hand, supporting the body with the other.

Guinea pig care
Guinea pigs love to have a lot of space, so they should have access to a large run or be able to walk around the room regularly. If you put a rug in a sheltered spot, your guinea pig is likely to go there a lot to empty its bowels. Guinea pigs love eating paper and plants; they also like to gnaw cables. Make sure your guinea pig can not reach any of these. Guinea pig’s claws need to be trimmed regularly because they do not wear off sufficiently when kept on grass, in hutches or indoors. A guinea pig must be able to gnaw because its teeth grow constantly during its entire life. You could buy a mineral stone to fulfil your guinea pig’s gnawing needs. If your guinea pig’s teeth grow too long it will not be able to eat anymore and eventually it will die. A veterinarian can clip or grind your guinea pig’s teeth, but it is better to avoid this situation by proper feeding, and providing your guinea pig with appropriate materials to gnaw.

Chinchilla care
Chinchillas are very hygenic animals that take great care of their own coats. To do so, they need a daily bath with special sand. You can buy XtraVital Chinchilla Bathing Sand to help your chinchilla fulfil its bathing needs. A chinchilla’s teeth grow continuously during its entire life. To keep them at the right length and shape, they must be able to wear off their teeth constantly by gnawing. Always make sure your chinchilla has suitable branches (fruit trees are ideal) at its disposal so it can gnaw as much as it wants to. Because of its dense coat, it is hard to see whether a chinchilla is skinny or fat. Therefore, you must regularly feel your chinchilla with your fingers, so you will notice if it is losing weight. A healthy chinchilla feels slim and has an apparent coating of flesh over its spine and ribs.

Rat care
Rats are intelligent animals and can become very attached to you. They are very nosy and will love leaving their cage to explore the environment. Be careful with pet birds, because, in the wild, a rat will try to catch a bird. Rats love eating paper and plants; they also like to gnaw cables. Make sure your rat can not reach either of these. A rat’s claws need to be trimmed regularly, because they do not wear down sufficiently indoors. A rat has to be able to gnaw, because its teeth grow continuously during its entire life. Make sure your rat can gnaw on something inside its cage, so its teeth will stay at the correct length. Should your rat’s teeth grow too long, it will not be able to eat anymore and eventually it will die. A veterinarian can clip or grind your rat’s teeth, but it is better to avoid this situation by proper feeding, and providing your rat with appropriate materials to gnaw.

Ferret care
It is important that your ferret’s claws do not grow too long, otherwise they could get stuck in things and your ferret could suffer injuries, such as torn claws or even fractures. Do not trim the claws too short, because this will be very painful to the ferret. It is very important that the ferret is calm so you can see how far you can safely cut its claws. Use small nail scissors or clippers. You do not need to wash your ferret very often. When a ferret is dirty, perhaps due to wandering through the mud, you can give it a wash. However, do not wash your ferret too often, because this will stimulate its coat to produce extra oils and this will make your ferret smell stronger, faster. Use a specially formulated shampoo, such as Beaphar Squeeky Clean. A lot of ferrets suffer from dirty ears and ear mites, so you must keep your ferret’s ears clean with an appropriate ear cleaning product for ferrets. Contact a veterinarian if the ear is very dirty inside to prevent middle ear infections and possible deafness.