Treats For Small Pets: A Buyers Guide

Small pet treats can prove invaluable as training motivators or as rewards to positively reinforce good behaviour. They are also a fun, inexpensive way to show your rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, rat, mouse, chinchilla, or sugar glider that you love him. The trick, however, is to choose treats that do not adversely affect your small animal pet's diet or overall health. In fact, similar to toys and exercise accessories, the treats you offer your pocket pet should be varied and multi-functional. The best treats are a tasty reward that either promotes pet health, aids in hygiene, or encourages activity during consumption.

Healthy Treats for Healthy Small Pets
Wholesome treats for your small animal pet can be hard to find. Many treats are packed with extra fat and sugars for taste appeal. These types of treats are usually high in calories. If your small pet is allowed to overindulge, he could quickly gain unnecessary weight and be subjected to a wide range of health problems including arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease. Therefore, you need to carefully choose which treats you offer your pocket pet and monitor how often they are given.

Healthy treats that boost both your pet's overall and dental health are available. Many treats are made from natural food sources and enriched with both vitamins and minerals. When used as recommended and offered in moderation, these treats aid your pet's dietary needs. In addition, natural treats, such as Timothy hay, actually help to wear down and clean your pet's teeth. Appropriate vegetables can also make excellent treats, since the coarse vegetable matter or tough fibrous roughage needs to be repeatedly chewed to be broken down. This repetitive chewing action helps wear down continually growing incisors and cheek teeth of many small pets, including rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs, rats, and mice.

Treats Can Help Keep Your Small Pet Clean
Some treats can also help boost your small pet's cleanliness. If your small pet has frequent diarrhoea, bad gas, bad breath, or other digestive problems, treats with digestive conditioners, such as Acidophilus could help and condition his digestive tract. Other treats contain essential fatty acids to help keep your small pet's coat healthy and shiny. As well as keeping your pet looking his best, a healthy coat also helps limit aggravating skin conditions, such as itching. If your pet continues to have diarrhoea or skin problems, he should be examined by a veterinarian.

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Small Pet Treats Can Encourage Instinctive Activity
Certain treats can encourage your small pet to be active and help to satisfy his instinctive needs. Treats that require your pet to forage or gnaw, for example, are better for your pet's overall health than treats that are simply dropped into a dish in the corner of the cage. Timothy hay, offered in a suspended hay manger, such as our Rollin' the Hay, boosts your pet's overall and dental health and also encourages him to move about his cage. Very hard texture of Arbutus wood is ideal for gnawing pets to help prevent overgrown teeth.

By carefully choosing the treats you offer your small pet and by limiting how often treats are offered, you can confidently reward him for the pleasure and joy he brings to your life. Furthermore, by choosing treats that are both tasty and beneficial to your pet's health, hygiene, and activity levels, you can keep him on the road to good health. Whether used to boost nutrition, aid in dental health, or help him chew away boredom, multifunctional treats are a tasty reward that benefit more than your pet's taste buds.

About the Author:

Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff

http://www.drsfostersmith.com

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