www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 35 Small Animal Food Focus Supreme Original small animal food This range provides a nutritionally complete and balanced diet for a specifi c species and includes a Recommended Daily Allowance panel on the front of each bag. All the Original recipes aim to get the right balance of ingredients to suit each pet. In each case, ingredients are matched to the pet's needs for protein ( for growth), carbohydrates ( for energy), fi bre ( for digestion and to keep teeth healthy), oils ( for healthy skins and glossy coats) or vitamins and minerals ( for bones, teeth and skin). The full ranges includes - . Russel Rabbit Original . Russel Rabbit Original with Carrot & Leek . Russel Junior Original . Gerty Guinea Pig Original . Harry Hamster Original . Gerri Gerbil Original . Reggie Rat Original . Charlie Chinchilla Original Supreme Science Selective food for small animals The Science Selective range is designed to prevent ' selective feeding'. It blends together all the best nutritional ingredients into tasty biscuits containing 100% of the animal's nutritional requirements ( referred to as " monocomponent feeds"), specifi cally designed for each particular pet species nutritional needs. No waste - every penny is spent on nutritional goodness. The full range includes - . Science Selective Rabbit . Science Selective Junior Rabbit . Science Selective Mature Rabbit . Science Selective Guinea Pig . Science Selective Chinchilla . Science Selective Degu . Science Selective Hamster . Science Selective Mouse . Science Selective Rat . Science Selective Ferret Wagg Complete Rabbit Food and Guinea Pig Food Wagg produce two single high fi bre extruded diets - Optimum Rabbit and Optimum Guinea Pig. These have been formulated to help overcome the problem of selective feeding and the Optimum ' all in one' pellet ensures the pet receives all the nutrients they need in one tasty mouthful, which means improved digestion and a healthy immune system. . A single all- in- one nugget, containing a wide variety of the highest quality ingredients . Balanced nutrition to avoid selective feeding . Fortifi ed with natural antioxidants and vitamins to help support a guinea pig or rabbit's immune system . Added fi bre and yeasts help improve digestion . The Guinea Pig Food also contains added Vitamin C which is essential for a healthy guinea pig's diet.

3 6 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Small Animal Food Focus Mr Johnsons Everyday Advance Rabbit and Guinea Pig Everyday Advance is a new food from Mr. Johnson's that is specifi cally designed for the needs of rabbits and guinea pigs. . It eliminates the opportunity for selective feeding and is fortifi ed with essential vitamins and minerals. . Both rabbit and guinea pig foods contain a pre- biotic to aid digestion as well as a special kind of fi bre specially formulated for a small animal's digestive system. . A unique feature of the rabbit food is a built in deodoriser that noticeably reduces litter and hutch odours which will be especially suitable for house rabbits. Available from leading wholesalers nationwide. Natures Feast Small Animal Range - Cranswick Pet Products Nature's Feast Premium Rabbit, Guinea Pig and Hamster, Mouse and Gerbil Food launched in February 2009. The Premium Rabbit Food has been produced using only the very best quality ingredients and gives off a delicious, fruity aroma. The Premium Guinea Pig range has added Vitamin C for optimum health. The Premium Hamster, Mouse and Gerbil Food offers a complete nutritional diet for rats and other sociable rodents. The collection is available in convenient pre- pack sizes; Premium Rabbit Food 1.75kg, Guinea Pig Food 1.75kg and Hamster, Gerbil and Mouse Food 850g, plus the Premium Rabbit Food bulk bag 12.75kg. Matt Brash, Consultant Vet to Burgess Pet Care, feeding advice tips for small animals . Rabbits and guinea pigs should never be kept together in store or encouraged to be kept together out of store. They have different dietary requirements ( guineas need food high in Vitamin C), communicate in different ways which can stress each other out ( rabbits thump, guinea pigs squeak) and rabbits can bully guinea pigs. . Pets in store should be fed quality food. It is a good idea to try and mimic their natural diet as much as is practical, which will help maintain good health throughout life. The muesli based diets are not a good idea for rabbits as they selectively eat the low fi bre high carbohydrate parts of the food, leading eventually to gut and dental disease. Rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas need massive amounts of digestible and indigestible fi bre in their diet for digestive, dental and emotional health, which no one food source can deliver. A fi ve step feeding plan like The Excel Feeding Plan which includes high quality grass and hay, extruded nuggets and healthy snacks, will ensure that these pets get everything they need for the best start in life. . Staff should be trained on what illnesses and diseases to look for in small animals in store - for example common ones to look out for are mites in rabbits or wet tail in hamsters. Many of these conditions are brought on by stress, so probiotics added to their food when they fi rst arrive may help to diminish problems. . Hay is food and not bedding for rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas. Customers need to be clear that once soiled these pets won't eat the hay which is why it should be provided in hay racks or willow balls ( this also makes the pet work harder to get at it encouraging the foraging behaviour). The best way to get this message across is to put hay in the food section of your small pet category area, and keep other forms of bedding clearly separated. . Make sure the water bottle you sell is appropriate to the small pet. For example rabbits need very large water bottles as they consume a lot of water every day. Chinchillas can chew through just about everything so they need special reinforced bottle ends to drink from and the body of the bottles need to be supported with a wire rack at an angle away from the cage so they can't chew through the body of the bottle either. Make sure customers understand that they should fi ll up water bottles with fresh water every day. It may sound obvious but make sure customers understand that the only thing they should put in a water bottle is water! Additional vitamin and mineral supplements are not necessary as they can change the taste of the water ( and put the pet off drinking it) and cause bacteria to grow in the water bottle. ¦