Typical Behaviour that may Surprise you

You should find that any one of these animals will make a charming and rewarding pet, and will give you hours of fun. However, some of their habits may surprise you, so it is best to be warned so that you don’t rush off to your vet unnecessarily.

Gerbils have periods of intense activity followed by periods of sleep – and sometimes your gerbil may actually drop off to sleep while you are playing with him. This is quite normal and you should put him back in his cage for a rest. Also, some gerbils may appear to have a kind of ‘fit’ if they get over excited. In this case, put him back in his home and let him come round gradually.

Hamsters may fall into a deep sleep a bit like hibernation if they get too cold. If this happens, gradually warm your pet up in your hands until he becomes active. And make sure the animal doesn’t get too cold again.

Hamsters and gerbils have scent glands on their body, although they don’t normally make much smell. They will often spend a lot of time preening (that means cleaning) the gland and this is quite normal.

Rabbits have two different kinds of dropping and you may find your rabbit eating the soft kind during the night. Surprising though it may seem to us, this is quite normal; the rabbit has a different system to ours and is re-processing certain foods to get more nutrients from them.