Situation guide
Tiny bodies crash fast — same-day action for appetite loss.
Some ordinary antibiotics kill hamsters by wiping out the Gram-positive bacteria their caecum depends on. This guide names the dangerous drug groups, explains the mechanism, and sets out how to weigh, dose, deliver and monitor medication at home, including the cheek-pouch problem and the changes that mean stop and call
Bloat is gas trapped in a gut that has stopped moving, and in a species that cannot vomit or belch it kills within hours. This guide separates bloat from gut stasis, explains why a hollow-sounding abdomen is an immediate emergency, lists the triggers from brassicas to dental pain to dangerous antibiotics, and names the
Weight loss in a ferret is usually a symptom of illness, not underfeeding, so a diagnosis comes first. Learn to tell normal seasonal slimming from concerning loss, how to feed for recovery with high-calorie meat-based food, and when a non-eating ferret is an emergency.
Weight loss in a hedgehog is a symptom, not a portion-size problem. This guide covers how to read body condition by shape rather than the scale, the three mechanisms behind weight loss and the diseases behind each, why temperature must be corrected first, and how to rebuild condition without causing a hunger strike or
An empty bowl is not proof a hedgehog ate, and a full one is not proof it did not. How to weigh food in and out, weigh the animal, use the wheel and droppings as independent evidence, and what a genuine drop in intake means at each age.
Food allergy is not a recognised condition in guinea pigs, there is no validated elimination diet for the species, and running one risks gut stasis and scurvy. This guide sets out what itching, hair loss, soft stool and sneezing usually mean instead, from mange mites and ovarian cysts to dental roots pressing on the te
A chinchilla losing weight is almost never fussy. Continuously growing teeth, a fibre-dependent gut, pain and heat account for most cases, and adding rich food makes several of them worse. This guide covers weighing and body condition in a heavily furred species, the age-by-age causes, the dental signs owners miss, and
A chinchilla that drops hay but still eats pellets is not fussy. Hay demands a wide grinding stroke that a sharp cheek tooth point makes painful, so hay goes first. This guide separates dental disease from heat, pain, poor hay and gut stasis, stages the problem early to late, and lists what the vet will need.
A wild insectivore takes most of its water from prey, so a hedgehog on dry kibble depends entirely on the bowl. This guide covers why bowls beat bottles and how bottles fail silently, the indirect monitoring that works in a nocturnal animal, how cold and dehydration reinforce each other, the causes of reduced and of in
A hedgehog that stops eating can develop fatty liver disease within days, so assist feeding buys time while the vet finds the cause. This guide covers warming before feeding, why the defensive roll cannot be forced, what to feed and what never to give, the side-of-mouth syringe technique that avoids aspiration, and how
Fur hides body shape, hoarding hides intake, and a prey species hides illness, which leaves weekly weight as the only honest home measure of a hamster's health. This guide covers how to weigh a hamster so the number means something, how to score condition by feel over the spine and hips, the causes by age from wet tail
Weight loss in a guinea pig is a sign, not a diagnosis, and adding food without finding the cause usually makes things worse. Dental disease is the leading cause at every age, and it makes hay painful, which is why hay refusal comes before the weight falls. This guide covers body condition assessment under fur, the cau
The calories in guinea pig treats are the least of the problem. Treats displace hay, many marketed as healthy are high in calcium and contribute to bladder stones, and the most popular vitamin C product, drops in the water bottle, does not work. This guide covers what is safe, what the calcium trap looks like, and how
Pneumonia is a leading killer of pet guinea pigs and it rarely produces a cough. This guide explains why home temperature taking is misleading in a species that runs cold when critical, gives weight and resting breathing rate as the measurements that work, covers the ammonia and vitamin C mechanisms behind most cases,
A guinea pig that stops eating is in a race against gut stasis, measured in hours not days. Its hindgut needs constant fibre to keep moving, and it cannot vomit. Learn the early warning in the droppings, how to syringe-feed a fibre recovery formula while you reach a vet, and the signs that mean go now.
Guinea pig heart disease is common in older animals and is routinely treated as pneumonia, because both fill or compress the lungs and guinea pigs do not cough. This guide covers how left-sided and right-sided failure each produce breathlessness, the features that separate cardiac disease from infection (clear nostrils
Guinea pigs are strict herbivores, so the safety question is never raw versus cooked but which plant, how much and picked from where. This guide covers why lawn mower clippings cause fatal bloat, how to introduce spring grass over weeks, the forage plants that are genuinely safe and the ones that are seriously toxic in
A chinchilla's caecum ferments coarse dry fibre and nothing else well. Sugar and starch ferment fast, produce gas and shift the microbial population, which is how a handful of raisins becomes bloat or stasis. Covers the mechanism, the dental cost of soft treats, what is genuinely safe, and the emergency signs.
A chinchilla that stops eating is an urgent case, because its gut must keep moving or it can stall into life-threatening gut stasis or bloat. This first-aid guide explains why not eating cannot be waited out, how to read droppings, the common causes including dental pain, what to safely do while reaching a vet, and why
A chinchilla runs on caecal fermentation that is tuned to one diet, so an abrupt food change causes dysbiosis, gas and stasis. This guide covers why speed hurts, how to read droppings as the daily readout, the two-bowl method that beats mixing, the hay and alfalfa transitions owners overlook, and when to stop and call
Dental disease is one of the most common problems in pet hedgehogs and is easy to miss. This guide covers the weekly breath and gum check, the eating changes that signal pain, and the signs that need a same-day appointment.
Reduced eating in an older pet hedgehog is a symptom, not ageing. Ranks the causes starting with dental disease and oral squamous cell carcinoma, separates wanting to eat from being able to, covers attempted hibernation as an emergency look-alike, and sets out how to measure intake, weight and droppings at home so the
A hamster stuffing its pouches and building a food store is hoarding, not eating, so an empty bowl proves nothing. The reliable signs that food is truly going in are plenty of normal droppings and a steady weekly weight. Learn to tell hoarding from real intake, when a swollen pouch means impaction, and why hoarding its
Weight is the most sensitive measurement you can take from a guinea pig and the one taken least often. How to weigh and score condition by hand, why coat and gut fill hide loss, the causes ranked with the sign that separates each, and why adding pellets makes it worse.
Guinea pig teeth grow for life and are never brushed. Unlimited long-stem hay provides the grinding wear that keeps them level, and weekly weighing catches molar problems before they become emergencies.
A chinchilla's teeth grow for life and are kept short only by grinding tough grass hay. This guide explains why unlimited good hay prevents the overgrowth and spurs of dental disease, how to judge hay quality, the outward signs of dental trouble, and why normal chinchilla incisors are yellow-orange rather than white.
A rabbit that stops eating is an emergency until proven otherwise. Act the same day; do not wait for tomorrow.
You cannot measure a hamster's temperature at home, and warm ears do not mean fever. Illness shows in behaviour: a hunched, fluffed, flat hamster that stops eating and foraging. Learn what healthy versus sick looks like, why not-eating and wet tail are emergencies, and how to recognise cold-induced torpor, where a livi
A mixed ration is never eaten evenly, so the analysis on the bag describes the bag rather than the animal. This guide explains how selective feeding starves a guinea pig of long fibre, why that becomes a dental problem before it becomes a gut problem, how to read a label and match it to life stage, and how to switch fo
Ferrets are obligate carnivores that need high animal protein and fat and very little carbohydrate. Learn how to read a food label, what to keep out of the bowl, how to switch foods without a strike, and why a ferret that stops eating is urgent.
A chinchilla gut has to keep moving or it fails. Fewer, smaller or drier droppings is the earliest sign of gut stasis, and a tight swollen belly means bloat. Learn what normal looks like, what counts as an emergency, and the daily habits that catch it in hours rather than days.
Hedgehogs commonly develop tartar, gum infection and painful mouth disease that make them stop eating. This guide covers the warning signs, why a hedgehog that will not eat is an emergency, what a vet dental involves, and how diet and check-ups protect your pet's mouth.
A hamster's front teeth never stop growing, so anything that stops normal wear lets them overgrow within weeks. Learn to spot the early signs, why it happens, how a vet trims safely, and the daily chewing habits that keep incisors at a healthy length.
A hamster's cheek pouch can become stuck full when sticky food, bedding or an injury blocks it. This guide helps you tell normal pouching from an impaction, lists the warning signs, and explains why this is a vet job rather than something to fix at home.
Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so a poor diet quickly leads to scurvy. Learn the early signs, why it happens, how to supplement safely, and when a deficiency becomes a medical emergency that needs a vet who treats small exotic pets.
Guinea pig teeth grow continuously, and when the back molars wear unevenly they can trap the tongue and stop your pet eating. This is a serious, painful and easily missed problem. Learn the warning signs, why it happens, and why hay is the best prevention.
Ferrets love to chew and swallow soft rubber and foam, and a lodged object can block the gut within hours. This guide explains the warning signs, why it is an emergency, what the vet will do, and how to ferret-proof your home to prevent it.
Epizootic catarrhal enteritis, nicknamed green slime disease, is a contagious viral gut illness of ferrets. This article explains the classic bright-green mucousy diarrhoea, why it spreads so fast between ferrets, the warning signs, how vets support recovery, and the hygiene steps that protect your other pets.
Bloat is a life-threatening emergency where gas builds up in a chinchilla's gut, often alongside gut stasis. Signs include a swollen tense belly, hunching, not eating and no droppings. This guide helps you spot it fast and act, because hours matter. When in doubt, go to a vet.
Rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and degus have teeth that never stop growing, so dental disease is one of the most common threats to their health. This guide explains the anatomy, the warning signs, the hay-first diet that prevents most problems, and when only a vet can help.
Chinchilla teeth grow continuously and are worn down by chewing hay, not by brushing. This guide covers why malocclusion happens, the early signs owners miss, what a healthy mouth and weight trend look like, and when a chinchilla needs a vet the same day.
For rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas, the gut is the most fragile and most vital system they have. This guide explains hindgut fermentation, the fiber-first diet that keeps it moving, how to read droppings, and why a pet that stops eating is a genuine same-day emergency.
Ferrets have a short gut, no reserve and a blood sugar that depends on eating often, so a ferret that stops eating deteriorates within hours. This guide ranks the causes that owners miss, insulinoma, swallowed rubber and foam, hairballs, gastric ulceration and dental pain, explains why pawing at the mouth means nausea
