[Sponsored post] Small pets like hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs may take up less space in your home, but they need just as much care and commitment as larger pets like dogs and cats. Pet birds like parrots, cockatiels and budgies not only need care and commitment, but they are supremely intelligent and need plenty of physical and mental stimulation for them to live their best lives in captivity. The foundation of a long and healthy life is, of course, nutrition. And when it comes to both small pets and pet birds, variety is the key to a healthy and happy pet.
Optimal rabbit nutrition
In human terms, ‘rabbit food’ refers to salad, but in reality, rabbit food includes a wide variety of nutritional sources. Fresh hay makes up the majority of a pet rabbit’s diet because they need the fibre to keep them at a healthy weight and to manage their dental health. Rabbits also need a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, with dark green vegetables being ‘top of the hops’ for your rabbit friend. Every couple of days, feed your rabbit green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli, as well as grated carrot and beetroot. Fruits like banana, pawpaw or melon should only make up around 5% of your rabbit’s diet. Remove any fruits and veggies that haven’t been eaten after an hour or so.
Commercial pet foods like AnimalZone’s Rabbit Food help to balance out your pet rabbit’s diet because it contains a great mixture of roasted and dried fruits and vegetables, fortified with vitamins, minerals and amino acids. This rabbit food completes your rabbit’s nutritional needs along with hay and fresh food. Remember to always have clean, fresh water available to keep your rabbit hydrated and to support his digestive health.
Optimal hamster nutrition
Hamsters are super popular as first-time pets for children, but they are still little animals whose health must be prioritised. Hamsters thrive on a good diet of high quality pet food like AnimalZone’s Hamster Food, which should be fed in small quantities, twice a day. Hamsters typically enjoy nuts and seeds, but these are high in fat and could turn your favourite hammy into a tubby munchkin, so only treat your hamster on special occasions and in small quantities. The same goes for fruit and veggie treats, as your hamster has a sensitive tummy. AnimalZone’s Hamster Food is a great example of a nutritionally balanced commercial hamster food, which contains pellets as well as a variety of roasted and rolled grains. This means your favourite furry friend gets to enjoy plenty of good quality food to support his health and make him a fun companion to play with.
Remember to keep his water container topped up with clean, fresh water that’s always available.
Optimal pet bird nutrition
Parrots are very popular as pet birds, but they require specialised and lifelong care. In the wild, their diet consists of fruits, nuts, flowers and even corn if they have access to it. Seeds alone will not keep your parrot very healthy, not even a seed mix – consider seeds to be the ‘French fries’ of the parrot world. This is why parrots need a balanced diet containing fruit and vegetables, cereals, and added vitamins and minerals. Fortunately AnimalZone has a variety of parrot food options to cover the wide variety of your parrot’s needs.
AnimalZone Parrot Fruit Chunks comprises a balanced and complete source of nutrition for your parrot, but works best as a source of food if combined with fresh fruit, vegetables and other parrot food options like AnimalZone’s Muesli. The muesli also contains parrot favourites like rolled grains, peanuts, dried fruit and vegetables, seeds and maize. Just by looking at the ingredients list on the bag, you can see that variety is the spice in your beautiful bird’s health.
AnimalZone’s Cereal offers a balanced diet for all parrot species as well as parakeets, lovebirds, ring-necks and cockatiels. It’s ideal as a transitional food for young birds who are being weaned off their ‘porridge’ or for older birds to still get their nutritional needs met with less effort. AnimalZone’s Plumage Enhancer is a wonderful addition to your parrot’s diet as it contains vitamin E and carotene to strengthen and stimulate your bird’s plumage growth.
Who’s a pretty boy, then?
