small-but-mighty

[small-but-mighty]

Tough Love

Growing up, our parents did things that made us upset. We couldn't eat the whole bag of candy that we got on halloween in one sitting, we had to come inside when it was getting late, we had to do our chores, etc. When you are the caregiver of an animal, sometimes you have to give them the same kind of tough love.

Different breeds have different specific needs. There are rabbits and guinea pigs with longer fur. These little smallies do require being brushed, and it's not something they are used to right away. It takes time to get an animal use to being brushed, and lots of positive reinforcement. But that doesn't mean it is something that should be avoided. The knotting and mats that result in not brushing are not just full of fur... These animals are low to the ground, the ground in which they use the restroom. The mats are full of feces, urine, dead fur, dead skin, and hay. It's not unheard of for there to be bugs either. Over time, these mats also become more compact, and become closer to the skin. This causes pulling and irritation on the already sensitive skin, and can result in open wounds and infections. I haven't even begun to speak about the digestive problems that can result from ingesting too much hair. So, if your smallie doesn't like being brushed, try offering them their favorite snack while you brush them. It might also be a good idea to do it over time in short intervals. No matter what, brushing isn't an option, it's a necessity for the health of the animal.

Getting nail trims is something that I don't think any animal enjoys. But the longer nails grow, the more likely they are to cause disaster. Animals with long nails are more likely to cut and scratch both themselves and others. That's the simplest problem. Longer nails are more likely to be broken, and split or broken nails that are not monitored or treated can result in infection. They can also be quite painful. I have also seen animal's nails grow in all different directions, which has resulted in the nail growing directly into the skin, causing infections and basically a continuous painful wound. Trimming nails is admittedly not an easy task, it's certainly a skill. If you are in need of help trimming your pet's nails, ask for help!

I understand not wanting to upset, anger, or injure the animals that we adore so deeply. But by avoiding necessary care, they're being neglected and further issues and or pain may even result. If you are in need of help brushing or clipping your animal's nails, veterinary hospitals are usually more than willing to help (of course they do usually charge). If you are in the Southern New England area, we offer small animal nail trims at the RISPCA for $15 per animal, and all the profits go towards the care of the shelter smallies. I am sure many other shelters or rescues across the country offer similar services as well. So, for the sake of our beloved pet's health, we are going to have to upset them sometimes, and provide them with some tough love.

All the photos I have used in this post, were from animals that were surrendered to the shelter just in the last 48hrs.

[small-but-mighty]

"They said it was a....."

A situation that seems to keep happening more and more. "I have a female (insert species here) and I got another one from (insert place here). They told me it was a female, but it's a male. Now I have more than I can handle!"

Something we always say at work: small animals are good at being prey animals. They reach sexual maturity at a young age, they get pregnant and give birth in a short span of time, they have large litters, and they can get pregnant again right after giving birth. All of this leads to an increasing numbers of small animals entering the shelters. Or worse, living in unsanitary conditions caused by the sheer number of animals being cared for by a limited number of individuals.

Who is to blame for this? It's not an easy question to answer. But I think it's again, something that society is to blame for.

Pet store employees (I can personally confirm this from experience) are not always taught how to correctly sex the animals in which they sell. While hamsters and rats are easier to tell, rabbits and guinea pigs are not. Some of the corporate pet stores have policies and regulations that definitely helps the problem. For example, PetSmart stores only sell one sex per store. So one store will only have males, and another store will only have females. Therefore, if people purchase more than of the same species, there won't be any surprises one morning. Even this practice may not always be perfect, and there are times when the opposite sex makes it into the stores. Most stores don't have a policy like this in place at all, so the chances of the same sexes ending up together are substantially higher. I have even heard of people purchasing a single female, and it giving birth in their home. My boyfriend tells me a story often, of how when he was growing up he had some gerbils that they bought, and they ended up being the opposite sexes, so they kept breeding. But his family would just sell them back to the store where they bought them from. So perhaps for some of these smaller businesses there could even be a slight benefit to selling the opposite sexes. They can cut out a middle man and breed the animals themselves or get them from unprofessionals for a lower cost.

Of course pet stores can't be the only thing to blame. I've spoken before on how individuals get an animal who they perceive as an easier or beginner pet in the stores. They often just purchase them on a whim with little to no education about them. (You can read further on this in the Smallies vs. Society post). So to some extent these individuals can be to blame as well. When welcoming any new animal into your home, I can not emphasize enough the importance of researching what you are taking on. At least that's the responsible thing to do. With research people could learn how to sex an animal themselves, and even learn the importance of spay and neutering.

That brings up my next point, is the cost and risk of spaying and neutering. Most small animals are considered exotics, therefore require care from an exotics trained veterinarian. That can be quite expensive even just for a wellness exam. I've heard of rabbit sterilization surgeries costing up to $500. I've also heard of veterinarians not performing the surgery at all after the animal is past a certain age. This is because of just how sensitive smallies are under anesthesia. The older they are, the higher the risk of complications or even not waking up. There are even some species where sterilization surgery isn't a common practice just because of how prone to complications they are. Guinea Pig are one of those species. While the surgeries can be performed, it's not commonly done, even for shelters. I speak from experience when I say it is not worth the risk infection. At least not when the animals are properly sexed and separated. Due to these barriers sterilization isn't always an option for everybody or every situation.

I want to make it known, that I don't feel that everybody in these accidental breeding situations are at fault. Especially when buying from a pet store, individuals have trust in who they believe to be professionals working there. That trust, is broken far too often. I will forever be an advocate for shelters. If you are interested in adding a new animal to your home, you'd be surprised how many shelters have smallies! You can find them on petfinder.com under the "other" tab. Reach out to shelters, rescues, and humane societies with any questions you may have. They are there to educate along with finding animals homes. I'm sure they'd be happy to give you information, and help you find the perfect addition to your family. Adopting not Shopping will always be a fantastic option!

Note: I wanted to let everyone know, that every animal whose photo I have used in this post, is from one of these exact situations I've spoken about in this post.

[small-but-mighty]

Meet Mable!

I’ve been putting off telling this story because I wanted to focus on the other stories that these animals have to share. Anyways, my sister finally told me it’s an important one to share. So, meet Mable!

Mable is actually my bunny. She is a wonderful beautiful lionhead with just the right amount of “bunitude”. However, she hasn’t always had her luxurious long mane.

One day, one of the animal cruelty officers from work (the RISPCA) got word of a rabbit in rough condition posted on Craigslist. So, she went and investigated and ended up bringing the rabbit to our clinic for veterinary care. The little rabbit was in ROUGH condition. All four limbs were covered in urine scolding, and there was not an ounce of fat on the body, you could feel the bones. Just incase somebody who isn’t bunny savy is reading this, rabbits must always have a source of hay, this enables them to have the fiber required to keep their insides moving, if their digestive system were to stop, it very quickly can kill the rabbit. The little bunny brought to clinic, was on the verge of this happening. The small animal manager texted our team and said that this little bunny was coming into the shelter and that our vet was not sure she was going to make the weekend. I asked if our vet wanted me to take her, to at least pass on a home with love. What I thought was going to be a weekend just to give a little bun a home to pass, turned into the start of a long journey.

She survived the first weekend, and by then… she stole my heart. This little baby was only about three months old, and she had a fighting spirit. She was a bit shy about me, but she knew I was helping her, taking her meds like a champ, and chowing down on all the hay I could offer. I knew I couldn’t let her go. That Tuesday (it was a long weekend!) I brought her back to the clinic, it was time to start the process of finding out just how truly bad her legs were. This meant she had to be put under anesthesia. While under anesthesia the veterinarian was able to perform x-rays on her legs, which showed that the urine scolding on her legs (this was caused by her living in her own filth) was so bad, the infection went down to one of the bones. Great. We made the weekend, we woke up from anesthesia, but now we have to pray we can treat this infection. Or else she would have to become a little tripod. Now becoming a tripod would not have been the end of Mable’s story, I remember doing research about tripod rabbits, just incase! However, nobody wants to ambulate a bunny’s leg…..

So after removing all the dead skin from all four limbs, I was able to be there when Mable woke up from her anesthesia. It was no longer a mission to just survive, we were gonna heal now. For months, Mable wore cast like bandages on her legs and got antibiotics twice a day. These had to be changed twice a week by a vet. We started out with all 4 in casts, then we went to just her back legs, until it was just her one really bad leg. FINALLY, all four legs were free! The first time I ever saw this bunny binky, I almost cried! She was able to do that, because of the time, patience, talent, and dedication our team had.

She still wasn’t done yet though! There was still one more big procedure she had to make it through. Her spay! I will always advocate for spaying and neutering your bunny, but my goodness was I nervous! The little fighter has already gone through so much and she had to go through a surgery now! Of course she came through like it was nothing though.

I took Mable home on January 20th, 2023, and her official adoption day of when she was medically cleared was May 23,2023. So it was a very lengthy process of healing, my entire last semester of college actually.

Today, Mable is the most spoiled bunny! She has her own bed, so many toys and treats (including those that come in her monthly subscription box), and so many people that love her! She recently had her first yearly check up where she got a clean bill of health!

You can sometimes find Mable with me at the RISPCA, where we have told our story to kids at our humane education camp, and even to potential adopters or those who are trying to learn more about rabbits when they attend our bunny related events!

Mable is a huge part of my life and even though she is a tiny little gal, she really has shown both me and the world just how mighty she is. Next time you visit the RISPCA, look around the adoption areas and the smallie room, you may just find her picture around!

[small-but-mighty]

Getting Dumped

Domestic small animals will NOT survive in the wild. The outdoors is no place for animals that get stressed when their hay is the wrong texture. Unfortunately, when shelters are full, people are overwhelmed, and feel there is no other way out, they take to abandoning their animals outdoors. The worst part about these situations is it's very rarely just one. I have countless stories of this happening, so I'll try to limit it, but I want to share the struggles these animals have gone through because of the actions of people.

In July 2023, numerous rescues found themselves at a rest stop on the side of a highway trapping domestic rabbits. There was probably dozens of them. The RISPCA took in 11 of them. I spent an entire weekend pulling ticks off young rabbits, never mind the fleas I found. The smell of these animals feces was horrible, their stomach flora was all kinds of messed up. That was the healthiest of the bunch. One of the rabbits, had a horrific head tilt, it could not walk straight or even stand up straight. Our vet suspected e. cuniculi. If you are unfamiliar with e. cuniculi, count yourself lucky. It's a parasite, which can affect a rabbit's nervous and renal (kidneys) systems, and if not treated soon enough, the damage it causes can be permanent. The parasite is also contagious to other rabbits through urine, which means that if all these animals were possibly housed together in the past, they all had a chance of contracting the parasite. Unfortunately, the treatment for the rabbit with a head tilt did not work, it was too late, and he passed away. All the other rabbits in our custody had to be treated however, and luckily nobody else began showing symptoms. Now it is unknown if the rabbit had e. cuniculi before being released, but there still is always the possibility that the rabbit contracted the parasite from the wild rabbits that it may have interactions with outside. I would also like to mention that the rabbits were not spayed or neutered, nor were they only a single gender. This means that there may have been even more domestic rabbits that may have been introduced into the elements had rescues not intervened. Following their medical treatments and spay/neuters, all 10 of the rabbits that survived were adopted.

Around the same time that the rabbits were found at the rest stop, someone walked into the shelter with a rabbit in a box. She said the rabbit appeared on her back porch. The rabbit's hind leg was mangled, basically facing the opposite direction of what it should of been... Now we have no way of knowing how or why his leg was that way, but truthfully it doesn't really matter. Our veterinarian opted that it would be best to amputate the leg. Today, the little guy (who we affectionately named Tiny Tim) is healthy, happy, and in his fur-ever home as a happy little tripod!

Both these events were in a span of a weekend. It's a reoccuring event though. To briefly just name a few more:

June 2023, nine female guinea pigs dumped at the end of our shelter driveway after hours

July 2023, forty-two Guinea Pigs dumped in the woods of Exeter

February 2024, seven rabbits dumped at the park in Warwick

This post mostly just address the events of large number dumpings, but even the occurrence of single domestic rabbits being found dumped and being picked up as strays but animals controls are continuing to grow in numbers too. So, please, if you are in a situation where you are not able to care for the animal you own any longer, contact a local shelter as soon as you know you are in that situation. The sooner we know you need help, the sooner we can ensure you get help. And don't just limit your ask for help to one shelter. We are all in this together, ask a few for help, one may be able to help sooner than others. Even if you are in a situation with large numbers, we are not here to punish, we are here to help.

[small-but-mighty]

Smallies Vs Society

Now most of the big cooperate pet stores no longer sell dogs or cats. But they still do sell smallies. Guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, hamsters, ferrets, and rabbits just to name a few. When an individual goes and buys an animal from these stores, there are no requirements besides being at least 18. Individuals selling these animals may not be entirely trained on the care requirements each of the animals require themselves and therefore are not able to educate those who are purchasing these animals. Now thankfully, I'd like to note, this is not always the case. Coming from a personal background of working at a pet store, I have met and learned a lot from individuals working there, and I respect and appreciate all that they do to try their best educating the public while still being required to allow sales. But it's not always the case. A lot of these purchases are on the spot. So with little to no knowledge, individuals are relying on marketing and advertising which is directly available in front of them to get supplies for the animal. This immediately is a problem.

Although it has improved a bit over the years, a lot of the habitats sold in stores, are not size appropriate for the creatures that they are being advertised for. I myself have even fallen for this, when I first purchased my guinea pig (I worked at the pet store at the time and I was unaware of how many were in the shelter. Please adopt, don't shop.) I purchased a starter kid advertised for being for guinea pigs. The cage was so small, that by less than six months of age, I could tell it was way too small! He did not have enough room to run around. Today, my guinea pig lives in a cage that was advertised as being for a rabbit. Now I am also the owner of a lionhead rabbit, and that cage, would be nowhere near big enough for her to live in. Truthfully, the cage is not even big enough for two guinea pigs to live in and probably is the smallest size a single guinea pig can live comfortably in.

Bedding, is a huge problem. The paper based bedding like carefresh is expensive. The wood shavings that are available in stores, advertised for smallies, are more bedding for a smaller price tag. To people who don't know any better, it's a no brainer. But the wood shavings create a toxin when they are urinated on and harm the lungs of the creatures living in it. And remember, they're living in a confined space with this toxin so it can cause a significant amount of damage. In order for wood to be safe for use as litter, it must be kiln dried. The horse pellets that are sold at farm stores are often a good affordable option. As for the cage bedding, for animals that don't burrow, using fleece is the most affordable option and creates less waste. Animals that do burrow, although the paper bedding is more expensive, it's the safest option. Even the paper bedding has things to look out for though. Some of the bedding is colored with dyes and or scented with fragrances. Some smallies have more sensitive skin than others and the dyes can cause skin irritations, I have also seen the dye bleed onto the fur of the animals living on it (after all, the paper is ultimately going to get wet). The fragrances can be toxic as well, the sensitive little respiratory systems are not designed to live in lavender fields. Smell is also a way of communication and way of marking territory, so by messing with the smell of your pet's home, it makes it more difficult for them to feel safe.

Food is overwhelming. There are so many different varieties, colors, and prices. The food available for pets on the market varying in quality is not a problem exclusive to small animals, but this is a small animal blog, so we are going to stick to them. The healthiest foods are usually the ones with no seeds in them. But of course, the ones with the seeds in them are the ones that are the most affordable, and they are also more readily available. You can go to Walmart and get a bag of cheap guinea pig food, that contains seeds and high amounts of fat and sugars, but there isn't any high quality food or brands. This causes not only a high amount of animals becoming obese, but they're also developing medical issues that can be contributed to the poor diet. This includes bladder stones, GI stasis, and diarrhea. People are often unaware that for rabbits and guinea pigs, hay needs to be the main part of their diet and they require an unlimited amount, without the hay, these species teeth may develop issues which can lead to more serious problems and can even result in death. Even hay has varsities individuals need to be educated about. Timothy hay is the healthiest everyday hay variety for most species. Using different hays such as oat hay and orchard hay are a great way to add different textures for enrichment and as treats, but they don't have the correct nutritional needs. Alfalfa hay has a high concentration of calcium, it again can be used for enrichment or as a treat, but it really should only be readily given to very young guinea pigs and nursing/ pregnant mothers who need higher levels of calcium for development. Using Alfalfa as the everyday hay can cause further issues with bladder stones from too high of a calcium intake.

Now this is a lot of information. Most of which I have acquired from working with the smallies for years. So what is causing people to buy these animals without any of this information? I'd like to think that it's the societal need for instant gratification. Especially during the pandemic, people had more time, there was some extra funds coming from government assistance, and there was not a whole lot to do. Pets stores were still open, and there were possible companions there that were able to come home instantly. There are no requirements, all you have to do is sign a quick form. Then everything (in theory) you need for them is right there in the store. People also are not educated on the lifespans of these animals. Many people don't realize that some of these species are not just a 1 or 2 year commitment. While some are, some species such as rabbits, can be as much as a 12 year commitment. The oldest I've heard for guinea pigs is 9 years. Today, at the shelter, we have seen in increase in the surrender of animals that were purchased during the pandemic. People are back to work, there are more housing issues, and inflation makes keeping them difficult, people may not have realized just how long they would have these animals. There is also a few reasons for surrender that are far too common, and unfair to the animals themselves, that are just evidence of the irresponsible purchasing, such as they poop too much, or the kids lost interest.

Now this post has not even begun to address that smallies are also very neglected when it comes to medical needs/ care. But I wanted to try and paint a picture of just why so many small animals end up in the shelters, and how society has contributed to this. I also wanted to try and address why so many of these animals are not getting their basics needs met. It is not a simple problem to be solved, and proper education is one of biggest needs in helping to solve the problem. Supply and demand with proper education will force stores to (again in theory) have proper resources and supplies that pet owners need, they will have to change their marketing to meet the needs of responsible owners. There's still many issues in the animal welfare world that pet stores contribute to, but that was not the purpose of this post. I wanted to show just how the societal need for instant gratification is affecting the lives of smallies. An animal is not a toy and is not an easy investment, they are not gifts, they are a responsibility. They each have their own needs, personality, emotions, and they all are full of love. We just need to be responsible in this society to recognize that.

[small-but-mighty]

Meet Beans!

Beans is a guinea pig. He eats hay, makes the happiest of noises, and loves attention. Beans has gone through something that we are seeing an increasing amount. Abandonment. You see, whomever Beans' family was in the past, moved out of their apartment and left him behind, only to be found by the people hired to clean the apartment.

Right from the start, Beans was a special guy, he just had so much personality and was always in a super happy mood. We were in love at the shelter. After a vet check however, we learned of an infection in his... well... area that makes him a "him". So a quick clean up, and a 10 day round of antibiotics, and we got that cleared away. But our vet decided to best prevent this from happening again, we should neuter him. More on that later.

Anyways, in that 10 days that Beans was on medical hold for his infection, we realized just how much we loved him! Our Humane Education Department also fell in love with him! We knew we couldn't let him go. Beans became our first Guinea Pig Animal Ambassador at the RISPCA. This means, he travels with our educators to all different places, schools, nursing homes, libraries, etc. teaching people of all ages about animal care and animal empathy. He's been such a big hit at the nursing homes especially, he's even made them cry before, they were so happy to meet him!

Beans' story still doesn't end there, remember how I said our vet wanted to neuter him, well, they did. The surgery was a success despite being a delicate one and Beans healed up nicely and we were able to introduce him to someone. Another little guinea pig made her way into our hearts and we knew Beans would love her too. We introduced him to his now "wife" Beatrice! They now live together full time and each go out teaching to the world.

Bean's went from a single little guinea pig abandoned and left to die in an apartment all alone, to being one of the most incredibly loved little animals in the world. He now has the large family of the entire RISPCA staff, and a huge fan base of all the individuals whose lives he has touched. He will never again have to go a day with no one to share his happy sounds with. Instead, he'll continue to use his voice to tell the world how loved he is and how important it is to be heard, no matter how small you are. So if you ever visit the RISPCA, ask if Beans is around, I'm sure he'd love to meet you!

[small-but-mighty]

Welcome to The Place Where the Little Ones Shine!

I’ve always had a soft spot for what’s referred to as “pocket pets”, you know the ones, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, etc. What I didn’t know is just how much they would influence my life.

My name is Liz, and I’m a staff member at the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA). I work a lot in the area of the shelter known as the Small Animals, or the smallies as we like to call it. And let me just say, these little animals are full of so many surprises, with lots of personality, joy, and spunk, each is unique in their own way. That simple fact, is something that is overlooked by perhaps almost the entire world, or at least what it seems like.

In my line of work, I spend each and everyday educating and advocating for the proper care and treatment of these animals. Each day may also bring along the animals which have not received such required care and treatment… and the fact that some of these animals even survive, amazes not only me, but our veterinary staff as well. From a rabbit revived from the brink of death, a guinea pig with bladder stones, an under socialized rabbit with attitude (there actually might be a lot of those), and hamsters with bulging eyes, there’s never a dull moment.

I invite you to join me as I tell my story, as I share what care these animals really need. And how each and everyday, they prove me to that they’re Small but Mighty!