Small Mammal Care Log (Rabbit / Hamster / Guinea Pig)
A small mammal care log — animal + species, housing, diet (hay / pellet / fresh), water, weight, droppings, behavior + enrichment, weekly nail/coat check.
Live preview
SMALL MAMMAL CARE LOG Animal: Nibbles (Rabbit · Holland Lop · spayed female · 4 lb) Age: 3 years Housing: 4'×4' x-pen w/ access to free-roam living-room; cardboard hide; litter box w/ unscented paper pellet + hay; multiple chew sticks; tile flooring + rug for traction. DIET Unlimited 2nd-cut timothy hay (refilled 3x daily) 1/4 cup Oxbow Adult Rabbit pellets (AM, age-appropriate; reduced if weight gain) 1 cup fresh greens (romaine, parsley, cilantro, basil, dandelion) rotated daily Small fruit treat 2-3x/week (banana slice, blueberry) NO iceberg, NO seeds/nuts, NO yogurt drops, NO carrot daily (sugar) Fresh water in BOTH bowl and bottle — change AM LOG DATE: June 15, 2026 WEIGHT TODAY 1810 g (~4.0 lb) (track weekly — sudden drop or gain = vet question) EATING + DROPPINGS Strong hay consumption; ate AM pellets within 5 min; greens enjoyed; ~250 normal cecotropes consumed overnight (rare to see); ~200 fecal pellets — small, round, uniform color, no clumping. WATER OBSERVED Drank from bowl ~6x; bottle stuck dripping — fixed at AM clean. LITTER / CAGE CLEANING Litter box dumped + scrubbed; fresh paper pellet + hay; spot-cleaned x-pen; full deep clean Sundays. OUT-OF-PEN + ENRICHMENT 3 hours free-roam living room; tunnel + cardboard box chewing; foraging mat with greens; 15 min pet + body massage; ignored treat dispenser today. BEHAVIOR Active, bright; binkies + zoomies during free-roam; greeted family at door; ate hay normally; no tooth-grinding, no hunched posture, no head tilt, no nasal discharge. Posture symmetrical; eyes clear. COAT / NAILS / TEETH (weekly) Coat: soft, no mats. Nails: trimmed 2026-06-08 — slightly long, due 2026-06-22. Teeth: incisors aligned, no overgrowth (vet check confirmed 04/20). VET + MEDS Annual exam 2026-04-20 (exotic-vet Dr. Yu). Healthy; next annual 2027. No current meds. Spayed 2024. DAILY CHECKLIST [ ] Hay topped up (unlimited — rabbits + guinea pigs) [ ] Fresh water + dishes / bottles checked [ ] Greens / chop / pellets per species portion [ ] Litter box / cage spot-cleaned [ ] Out-of-cage time given (rabbits + ferrets especially) [ ] Weight logged (weekly minimum, daily for sick animals) [ ] Dropping character + count normal [ ] Body palpation: no lumps, hunched posture, head tilt, dental signs CALL EXOTICS VET IF • GI stasis signs: no eating, no droppings, hunched, tooth-grinding (rabbits — emergency within hours) • Wet bottom / poor body condition (guinea pigs — bladder stone, dental, parasite) • Wet tail (hamsters — proliferative ileitis, often fatal) • Head tilt, circling, eye nystagmus • Labored breathing, nasal/eye discharge, sneezing • Sudden weight loss >5-10% • Vitamin C deficiency signs in guinea pigs (rough coat, weakness)
About this template
**Small mammals are prey species, and they hide illness almost as effectively as birds**. By the time a rabbit "stops eating," it is often hours from GI stasis death; by the time a guinea pig "looks rough," scurvy or pneumonia is well advanced; by the time a hamster shows wet tail, the survival window is short. The log is the early-warning system — daily droppings, weekly weight, food and water intake — that catches the silent change. Species-specific rules dominate. **Rabbits** need unlimited **2nd-cut timothy hay** as ~80% of intake (gut motility + dental wear), measured pellet ration (1/4 cup per 5 lb adult), 1-2 cups fresh greens daily, and minimal sugary treats — and they are **obligate hindgut fermenters**, which means **gut stasis** is a life-threatening emergency, often triggered by stress, pain, dental issues, or diet error. **Guinea pigs** cannot synthesize **vitamin C** and need it supplemented (fresh red bell pepper daily, plus high-vit-C greens, plus optional chewable C — NOT in the water; degrades fast). **Hamsters** are nocturnal, solitary (Syrians MUST be solo; dwarfs sometimes pair-bonded), and prone to **wet tail** (proliferative ileitis) — a deadly diarrheal illness often fatal even with treatment, frequently linked to stress, abrupt food changes, and poor husbandry. **Rats** are highly social, intelligent, prone to **respiratory disease** (Mycoplasma) and **mammary tumors** in females — pair-housing is the rule. **Ferrets** are obligate carnivores, prone to **adrenal disease** and **insulinoma** in older animals, need 4+ hours of out-of-cage play daily. **Hedgehogs** need 75-85°F warm, daily mealworm-supplemented diet, and are prone to **WHS** (wobbly hedgehog syndrome) — exotic-vet only. **Diet errors** are the single largest source of small-mammal vet visits — seed-only mixes for rabbits (creates selective eating), insufficient hay for guinea pigs (dental + GI), sugary treats (obesity), avocado / chocolate / onion / garlic (toxic). **Housing**: rabbits need at minimum a 4'×4' pen (cages alone are inadequate); guinea pigs need 7+ sq ft for two; hamsters need a 600+ sq inch floor (most pet-store cages too small); rats need vertical space + cage mates; ferrets need a multi-level enclosure + daily play. **Vet**: small mammals are "exotics" in most US clinics — find an **exotics-experienced vet** before the emergency. **Save the log** — exotic vets ask for diet + weight + dropping history first.
When to use it
- Daily / weekly care log for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, mice, ferrets, hedgehogs.
- Vet-visit prep with diet + weight + dropping history.
- Pet-sitter handoff for vacation care.
- Post-illness recovery monitoring.
- Multi-animal collection per-animal tracking.
What to include
- Animal + species + breed + sex + age.
- Housing.
- Species-correct diet (hay / pellet / fresh / vit-C if guinea pig).
- Daily weight (or weekly minimum).
- Eating + droppings count + character.
- Water observed.
- Litter / cage cleaning.
- Out-of-cage / enrichment.
- Behavior + posture + body palpation findings.
- Coat + nails + teeth (weekly).