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Small animals |
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rabbits -
guinea pigs -
rats and mice |
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rabbits
Small rabbits are easier to pick up than large rabbits and that is
why they make good pets for children. Letting the rabbit sniff your
hand with familiar scents on it is an excellent way of calming him.
It is a good idea to let a rabbit listen to your voice for a short
time before picking him up. Talking to the rabbit helps him to
recognise you in future.
To pick up a small rabbit, place one hand over his shoulders and the
other under his bottom
Then scoop him up. Because rabbits wriggle and can jump down from
considerable heights, it is best to sit on the floor when first
picking up a strange rabbit. Give the rabbit time to settle, resting
him on your chest. Stroke the rabbit’s fur
down his back towards the tail. This helps to calm him. Avoid
pulling his ears and digging your fingers in.
To let the rabbit go after saying hello, crouch
down and place him on the ground.
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Never pick a rabbit up by its ears. Years ago
magicians used to do this when they produced a rabbit out of a
hat. This was stupid and cruel. Rabbits have sensitive ears that
are not designed to carry their own weight. Rabbits do not
generally like magicians. |
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Guinea Pigs
Guinea pigs
will always try to hide from people,
so
when you want to pick up a guinea pig, move her into the corner of
her pen. Otherwise she will keep racing around the cage and you will
both just get tired. If you pick her up too quickly before she feels
confident and calm, she may bite!
When the guinea pig
is relaxed, hold one hand under her chest and one slightly lower,
under her bottom. If her front legs are higher than her hind
legs she will feel very safe, as if she is climbing some steps.
Holding her the other way round—with her hind legs higher than her
front legs—would make her worry about being dropped.
Remember to crouch down to place the
guinea pig carefully on the ground when you’ve finished your cuddle.
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Rats and Mice
When catching and handling a pet rat, use the same methods as with a
guinea pig. If your hands are big enough and the rat is friendly,
you may be able to hold him with one hand around his chest. Be sure
to avoid squeezing him too hard
A
mouse can be caught by the part of the tail that is closest to the
body. This is called the tail head and is a safe part of the
mouse’s body to hold. Holding the tail head between your thumb and
finger, gently lift the mouse’s bottom up so that his hind legs are
no longer touching the ground. To lift the mouse from the cage, slip
your other hand under him and pull the little fellow onto it.
Keeping hold of his tail-head you can
place him on your arm so that he can have fun sniffing along it.
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All this information and
much, much more about your favourite pet
can be found in :
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Handle with
care
making
friends with animals
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back to Kids' Stuff |
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Always remember
that:
pets don't really like
to be patted so stroke them instead,
even a friendly pet gets
scared if we take it by surprise,
when a pet is scared or annoyed it may react and bite you,
never pull a pet's
tail or ears,
it is safer for small
pets to be held when you are sitting on the ground.
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