Grooming

Grooming your small pet can mean anything from brushing its fur, to giving it a bath.

Brushing your small animal will give your pet a shiny healthy coat. And while a shiny coat looks good, it also has health benefits. Regular brushing can reduce shedding and prevent hairballs. The interaction of brushing your pet helps build the bond between you and your pet and helps make your pet more comfortable when being held.

Trimming nails is also important in small animals, as it is in all pets. Trimming your pets nails regularly can prevent nails from snagging and helps to reduce painful scratches. Nail Trimming adds to the overall health of your pet as well. Be sure not to cut the nail too short or bleeding and pain in your animal will occur.

We recommend that you visit your local Veterinarian for your first nail clipping! Your Veterinarian can demonstrate the proper techniques and provide you with everything you need to safely perform this routine maintenance on your own.

Bathing keeps your animal healthy and clean. Please note that not all small animals require traditional water baths. In fact, most rodents and small animals do not require routine baths. Hamsters, mice, gerbils, and rats can clean themselves and simply need to be cleaned with a towel or wipe. Often time wipes or sprays are used to clean animals and reduce odor. Water can be used for spot cleaning and instances where the animal cannot clean itself.

Chinchillas on the other hand never receive water baths. In fact their fur should never get wet. Chinchillas instead take dust baths which keep their coats smooth and clean. Kaytee offers a Chinchilla Dust Bath, which represents how they would keep themselves clean in the wild.

It is also important to keep your pet’s home or cage as clean as possible. A clean home means a clean pet. A clean pet means a happy pet, and a happy owner!