Housing Your Small Pet for Less

Having had many pets and not much money all my life, I have come across a number of ways to deal with the expense of housing and feeding pets in an effective and cost efficient manner. Surprisingly, the housing needs of a number of small pets (rodents, box turtles, some lizards and snakes) can be quite similar. In this article, I will give general information on how to set up safe, sanitary, secure housing for a variety of small pets.

If you have ever wanted to house a guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, mouse, rat, snake, lizard, small tortoise, or box turtle, you know that the set-ups you can buy at the pet store are outrageously expensive. They are also often inadequate. I have always been a big fan of large, semi-transparent totes as housing for a wide range of small pets. A good, big tote is inexpensive, sturdy, easy to clean, and readily available. They usually have tightly fitting lids that can easily be adapted to include lighting and ventilation. For non-climbing critters, these lids are more than adequate to provide security. For animals like snakes, you will need to take extra measures to make your tote escape proof. More on that later.

For animals like guinea pigs, tortoises, and box turtles, you will not need a lid on your tote unless you just want one or need one for the safety of the pet. You can set your tote up in an area that gets indirect sun for light during the day and put a lamp beside it or use a clip-on shop light for lighting at night. This may also be true for hamsters, mice, gerbils, and rats if the sides of the tote are high enough that they can't jump out. But be careful. These guys are crafty and agile. They also need a bit more security due to being smaller and more tempting to other pets! Guinea pigs can also be pretty tempting to dogs and cats, so be sure to provide your caged pet the security it needs to be safe.

If you want to use a lid, you can customize it for light and ventilation using a power drill to make ventilation holes and metal snips to make an opening to fit a light. To do this, you would use an inexpensive clip-on shop light. These usually cost between $5 and $7. Remove the clip from the light (this is very easy). Center the light on the lid of the tote, and draw around it with a marker. Make a smaller circle inside the resulting circle. It should be about an inch smaller. A coffee can lid makes a good stencil for this.

Using a sharp knife or your drill, start a hole in the center of the smaller circle. Switch to your metal clips and cut out the outline of the smaller circle. Then make slits about 2" apart in the area between the outline of the smaller circle and the larger circle. These will act as tabs to hold the light in place. Once you have done this, you can maneuver the light into the hole so that alternating tabs are above and below the lip of the light shade. Alternate one tab on top and the next one underneath. When you are done, your light will be securely in place.

Remember never to use a bulb that is too strong. Use smaller bulbs for smaller totes, and never use a bulb over 40 watts. You don't want to overheat your critter. You will find that, with the light on, you can observe your pet easily through the sides of the semi-transparent tote.

For ventilation holes, you can use your metal snips or your power drill. This will depend on what kind of animal you are housing and how much ventilation it will need. Mammals will need more ventilation. You will want more holes made with a larger drill bit for mammals. For snakes and lizards you will want less ventilation and smaller holes. Just be sure you have enough ventilation for excess moisture to disperse. If you find that moisture is condensing in your enclosure, drill more holes in your lid.

For added security with small, climbing rodents, snakes and lizards, make a liner type lid of fine mesh hardware cloth. You would fit this over the tote securely, then set the tote lid, fitted with the light, on top of it for lighting if desired. Or you could just set the light on top of it. The advantage/disadvantage of using the lid is that it will hold heat in. If this is something you need, use the lid. If not, just use your wire mesh top.

You can buy hardware cloth by the foot at any good hardware store. Buy a piece that is big enough to fit over the top of your tote with about 2" to spare on all sides. Cut diagonally into the corners of the piece with your metal snips about 2". Fold the sides down all around and overlap the corners. You can secure them with wire, or you can just turn the loose ends under to secure them. You will need a pair of needle-nose pliers to do this.

Even with this added security lid, it is a good idea to put a heavy rock or brick on top of your enclosure if you are housing snakes, lizards, or gerbils (or anything else that is prone to escape). While you may think that all this is too much and it would be better just to buy a professional set-up, I can tell you that even the most expensive professional set-up you can find will probably need a rock or brick on top to keep a determined pet in! This is especially true of snakes.

Another security issue you will want to bear in mind is the fact that gnawing pets may very well gnaw their way out of a plastic tote! This is only true if there is a rough spot or loose tab of plastic or some other projection for them to get started on. So before you purchase your plastic tote, run your hands all along the inside of it to be sure there are no little imperfections that would give a gnawing pet a way to start an escape route!

Once you have your housing securely established, you will want to add the things your pet will need to be happy and cozy inside. You will need substrate, food and water dishes, and a hiding place. Plus, reptiles like to have a place to bask (lie in the sun).

Food and water dishes are outrageously overpriced at pet stores. I use a variety of shallow ceramic or glass dishes. Glass or ceramic pie pans and casserole dishes make good food and water dishes for most pets. You can pick these up inexpensively at dollar stores, thrift stores, and yard sales. Rodents may appreciate a water bottle. Bear in mind, however, that a water bottle hanging inside an enclosure can provide a means of easy escape.

I usually use dishes rather than bottles for all kinds of animals. Just make sure the dish is heavy and shallow with a completely flat bottom and sides that go straight up and down (no angle) so that it won't be easy to tip over. If there is any risk your pet might fall in the dish and drown, be sure to put rock in the dish so the your pet can climb out. Generally speaking, for reptiles you want a dish that is big enough for the animal to get in and soak, and for mammals, you don't! Be sure to change the water at least once a day so it will always be fresh.

Of course, with snakes you probably won't need to worry about food dishes much since they can just chase their food around the enclosure. Lizards, box turtles and tortoises do well with a very shallow dish that they can get in and eat without tipping it over. A flat, rough ceramic tile is good for this. This is especially true for turtles and tortoises because scraping against the tile as they eat prevents overgrowth of their beak. The beak is the front part of the turtle's mouth. It can grow long and interfere with eating properly if it is not sharpened regularly. For a reptile, a big, flat, tile or rock also makes a good place to bask. You can purchase a terra cotta tile for a few cents at a home supply store, and of course, you may be lucky enough to find a good rock!

Substrate is the substance you put in the bottom of the enclosure to provide padding and to soak up moisture. I have found that for all animals, the best substrate is plain rabbit feed. It is basically nothing more than compressed alfalfa. It is very absorbent, full of chlorophyll to fight odors, and completely safe and non-toxic. It is also much less expensive than any commercial bedding you could buy. It is superior to wood chips in that it does not emit fumes that can be damaging to small animals' lungs. It is superior to products like Bed-A-Beast because it is edible and will not cause bowel impaction if ingested. Pour an inch or two of rabbit feed over the entire surface of the floor of the enclosure. This will give your pet a soft surface for resting and burrowing. You will want to change the substrate about once a week. In between, you can clean damp and soiled spots with a kitty litter scoop. Then just stir up the substrate to refresh it.

As for hiding places, a ceramic flower pot of the right size makes a great hiding place for any kind of pet. Just bury the bottom part in the substrate to hold it in place and make the floor of it comfortable. Your pet will enjoy the sensation of hiding, but you will still be able to see him! When you change the substrate of the enclosure weekly, be sure to wash out the hiding place and let it dry thoroughly.

One big advantage of using less expensive materials for housing is that you can afford to have two of everything. I find this very handy at cleaning time. If you have a duplicate set-up for your pet, you can just transfer it from one set-up to the other at cleaning time. This is much easier than having to figure out how to secure your pet while you clean. Additionally, you will not have to rush to dry things that have just been washed. Air drying between cleanings will also help keep your pet equipment sanitary.

These are methods I have used for decades to keep small pets. My pets are notoriously healthy, happy, and long-lived. I hope this information is helpful to you!

For more about pet care, you may enjoy:

Box Turtle Care: Proper Housing and Care of Pet Box Turtles
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/938979/box_turtle_care_proper_housing_and.html?cat=53

Setting Up A New Aquarium
http://hubpages.com/hub/Setting-Up-A-New-Aquarium

Advice On Introducing New Fish To Your Tank
http://advice.com/article/2009/06/06/Advice+on+Introducing+New+Fish+to+Your+Tank