FAQ: Food for small pets

No, fasting is dangerous for herbivorous small pets and rabbits, because their digestion must work constantly. To reduce weight, change what is in the diet rather than cutting the amount to nothing.

Use several bowls or racks in different parts of the cage and watch that a dominant animal does not push the others away. Hang hay in several places.

Scattered food encourages natural foraging and reduces boredom, while a bowl makes it easier to track how much has been eaten. You can combine them: give part in a bowl and hide the rest.

Close the pack tightly or pour the food into an airtight container and keep it in a dry, cool and dark place. Keep the label with the best-before date.

Opened food is best used within 4–6 weeks, as the fats in seeds start to go rancid and vitamins break down. This matters especially for guinea pig pellets with vitamin C.

Spoiled food may smell rancid or mouldy and have spots, clumps, webbing or tiny beetles. Throw such food away and wash the container.

Throw away the infested food, wash and dry the container thoroughly, and check your other food supplies. Keep new food in airtight containers and do not buy more than you use.

Usually there is no need – a dry, cool place is enough. In the cold, and when taken out of the fridge, moisture condenses on the food, which can lead to mould.

A large pack is often cheaper per kilogram, but one small pet does not eat much. It is only worth it if you will use it up within a few weeks of opening, before the food loses quality.

Divide the pack weight in grams by the daily portion in grams to get the number of days. This makes it easier to choose the right pack size and reorder in time.

Large hay bales are often cheaper per kilogram, but you need a dry, ventilated place to store them. Check the quality before buying, and while storing check regularly that the hay is not starting to go mouldy.

Until that date the manufacturer guarantees the food's quality, provided the pack is stored properly. After that, vitamins decline, especially vitamin C, so choose the freshest food you can for guinea pigs.

Yes, and it is even convenient, as long as the container is airtight, clean and dry. Keep the label or note the best-before date, and do not pour new food on top of old leftovers.

The product page on zoogidas.lt shows the price history, so you can see whether the current price is lower or higher than before.

Prices are collected about daily, and each product shows when its price was last checked. You will always see the final price on the shop's website.

Pay attention to the first ingredients, the fibre, protein and fat content and any added sugar. For herbivores, grass or hay should come first, and colourings and sweeteners are best avoided.

Crude fibre shows the amount of indigestible plant fibre in the food. For herbivores such as rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas this figure should be high, as fibre keeps digestion working.

About 12–16% protein is usually enough for adult rabbits and guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and mice need slightly more, and growing youngsters need more than adults. You will find the exact figures on the pack.

Molasses and honey are added for taste and to bind pieces together, but small pets do not need them. Avoid them especially for degus, chinchillas and dwarf hamsters.

For omnivorous small pets such as rats and hamsters, grains are a normal part of the diet. Herbivores do not suit a high starch content, so their food should contain little or no grain.