Understanding what your pet needs to be properly nourished is important to make sure your small animal is happy & healthy!
Hamsters and Gerbils
are omnivores in nature, meaning they graze on grasses and grains and eat insects! However, as pets, we recommend they consume mainly seeds and grains. Products such as Forti-Diet Natures Harvest Hamster/Gerbil and Gourmet Recipe Hamster/Gerbil are great nutritionally fortified blends of fruits, nuts and grains! While vegetables and fresh fruits make great snacks, it should only comprise 20% of their daily food to prevent overconsumption and obesity. Please make sure to rid all fruits and veggies of traces of chemicals and pesticides by washing them before feeding them to your hamsters and gerbils!
Mice and Rats
have diets similar to their rodent friends, Hamsters & Gerbils! Pet mice and rats' food should consist of primarily dry pellets, seeds and grains. Fresh vegetables are a great treat to keep things interesting too! Forti-Diet Mouse/Rat food offers a wholesome blend of vital nutrients your mouse and rat will enjoy.
Fun fact:
Mice don't actually like cheese! It's too strong in flavor and smell for their tiny palate.
Rabbits
unlike the previous small animals, are herbivores in the wild! They love to munch on hay, other grass materials and vegetables. A quality diet of any Forti-Diet food specially crafted for rabbits, hay, fresh fruits and vegetables is recommended. Forti-Diet offers a variety of hay products from Timothy to Alfalfa, such as Timothy Ultra with Sweet Potatoes! Alfalfa hay is ideal for breeding and young rabbits while Timothy hay is preferred for adult rabbits. Always remember fruits and vegetables should only comprise about 20% of your pet's overall diet.
Chinchillas
are just as unique as their special diet. You will quickly find that your chinchilla loves Hay products, so try offering them Forti-Diet Timothy Hay to please their picky taste buds! Because of their very sensitive digestive tract, premium blends of pelleted foods are suggested for chinchillas. It is important to note that they cannot efficiently process fatty foods, so please try to avoid foods high in fat content. Fresh veggies and foods with a high water content should also be avoided. In their natural habitats chinchillas do not consumer a lot which makes them prone to overconsumption, causing obesity and other side effects. There, please try to stick to the recommended portion size which can be easily located on the back of our Forti-Diet products packaging.
Guinea Pigs
are also a small animal with specific nutritional needs. Just like humans, they cannot synthesize vitamin C so it is crucial to incorporate it into their daily diet. We recommend offering fresh fruits, such as Oranges, and fortified blends such any Forti-Diet Guinea Pig foods which already contain the vitamin C needed for nutrition.
Ferrets
are carnivores and therefore cannot properly digest grain based proteins.
Because they survive
primarily on meat-based diets, offering palatable pellets like Forti-Diet
Ferret will help your
furry ferret thrive! Make sure to check that the main 3-5 ingredients of
their food are meat
based.
To feed your small animal, the best practice is to place their food
directly in an
appropriately-sized dish inside their home. Your animal's food dish can come
in various shapes,
colors and sizes so it's important to make sure the size correlates to the
animal's recommended
serving size. Although plastic works for most, many small animals like
chinchillas and rabbits
will actually chew through plastic. Ceramic dishes provide a durable
substitute which will last
for many uses!
Water is also essential to your small animal's health and nutrition. Always make sure your pet has plenty of fresh room temperature or cool water! It is often best practice to check your animal's water supply regularly and refill whenever need be.
All well-behaved pets deserve a treat every now and then! Many small animals enjoy a variety in their treats, from fresh fruits and vegetables to yogurt and peanut butter. Forti-Diets' Treat Sticks and Timothy Bits Blueberry-Strawberry will be sure to please any small animal! But be sure to remember that treats are just that, treats, and should not be overfed to your pet. Treats often times have a high fat or sugar content, and if highly consumed, can be unhealthy and lead to obesity in small animals.
* Forti-Diet and Nature's Harvest are registered trademarks of Kaytee Products, Inc.