🧴Care & grooming for the Fancy rat
Fancy rat : A very clean animal that grooms itself and can learn to use a litter tray. Watch its breathing: rats are prone to respiratory disease, and any wheezing warrants an exotics vet.
Brushes, hygiene products, parasite control, habitat upkeep: your rodent’s routine care happens at home, with the right equipment. Our guides separate the essential from the gimmick — and say when the vet, not the shop aisle, should have the answer.
Dust-extracted bedding free of essential oils (never cedar shavings) protects against respiratory disease, the top reason for exotic-vet visits.
The guides that apply to you
- Hemp or corn cob bedding: which should you choose for your rodent?
Hemp or corn cob bedding? Absorbency, dust, price per litre and suitability by species: our comparison to help you choose the right plant-based bedding.
- Which bath sand to buy for a chinchilla, gerbil or hamster?
Which bath sand should you buy? Sepiolite, quartz sand or bathing dust: the right products, the ones to avoid and prices per kilo for healthy fur.
- Hay or pellets as base bedding: the real answer
Can hay or wood pellets serve as base bedding for a rodent? Absorption, dust, comfort and cost: our clear-cut comparison.
- Wire flooring underfoot: the mistake that causes bumblefoot
Mesh cage floors, wire shelves, slatted wheels: why wire under the feet causes bumblefoot in rodents, and how to prevent it.
- Rodent bedding: the true monthly cost, calculated
Hemp, flax, paper, washable textiles: the real monthly cost of bedding by species, with the price-per-litre maths and the tricks that halve the bill.
- The ageing guinea pig: adapting habitat and care
Your guinea pig is getting old: arthritis, teeth, weight. How to adapt the enclosure, bedding, diet and vet care after age 4, with the budget to plan.