The festive season can be a time when we want to spoil our pets and why not? They give such a lot to us. But sometimes, Christmas can be a vulnerable time for small animals. Their normal regime gets interrupted by all the fun and frolics of the festivities. Their families may even go away so they get left with pet sitters! So here are some ideas to keep your small pets safe and happy at Christmas.

Charity starts at Christmas

Plenty of pets don’t always have the happiest of times at Christmas. These are the ones that end up in rescue centres, or are simply forgotten, left in their cage, a present brought on pester power that children soon outgrow. So this Christmas, why not consider a donation to the charities that work so hard to try and support animal welfare. If you’d like to specifically focus on smaller animals, consider the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk), who do so much to raise awareness of how to properly look after this popular pet.

Setting up pets sitters for a happy break

If you’re going away, you’ll want to make pet sitting as easy as possible for your friends or family. One concern for pet sitters is getting the food right. Make this easier for them by dividing your normal food into daily servings and storing it in sandwich bags. For rabbits, this is also a good opportunity to check that you are actually feeding the right amount of food each day! The RDA panel on the packaging will give you a guideline for the quantity of food to be served daily. It will also tell you how much of each type of food group is in each portion. Fibre is a very important part of a rabbit’s diet, so always check how much fibre the food contains. Experts recommend that a pre-packed diet should have at least 14% crude fibre, whilst the average is around 16%. Supreme’s Science Selective Rabbit now offers 23% fibre, making it the highest fibre rabbit diet you can buy from the pet shop.

Then all you need to do is to remind your pet sitter to be generous with daily helpings of hay and lots of fresh water, and your pet (and everyone else concerned) should enjoy its holiday as much as you do.”

Treats as rewards in training

It’s nice to give your rabbit a treat but it is something that is best done as part of a balanced overall diet. If you want to offer treats, it’s is a good idea to build them into a training regime. Rabbits will respond to rewards, given consistently when they repeat good behaviour. Coming to hand, or when they are relaxed about being quietly and supportively lifted out of their hutch or cage, for instance. The main point is to check the treat is nutritionally healthy. So while treats are great for Christmas, remember that rewards are good for life!

Cuddles for Christmas

If your pet could speak, all it would probably request for Christmas is lots of gentle attention from you. Many owners complain that their pets scurry and scratch or even bite when they’re picked up. To avoid this, you need to gently and patiently get your pet into the regular habit of being handled. Experts recommend that you crouch down to the pet’s level. Small pets still have their basic prey instincts and get scared by anything swooping down from above. Hold out your hand and ideally let the pet come to you. When you hold them, always support the front and back of the animal. Remember the smaller the pet, the more they will be attracted to darker nooks and crannies, under arms and up sleeves. Don’t panic - as they become more experienced at being handled they won’t want to go and hide so much.

The more time you spend with your pets the more he will relax and enjoy your company. What could be a better present this Christmas?

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