Training small mammals

If you have a small animal around the house that is exhibiting some unwanted behaviors it is time that you train your small mammal. Different behaviors from different animals will require different methods of redirection. It is important to keep in mind that training a small mammal is a lot different than training something bigger such as a dog or a cat. It requires special attention and a lot of time. The whole process can be made simpler however if you know the basics on training and have a general idea of where to start.
It can be very confusing when you look up information on training animals, especially small mammals, on the internet. There are so many different sources who offer so many different types of training methods and each one claims to be the fix all method. Most of the time these methods do not work. It is important that you take it back to the basics and a more traditional form of training. After all, why try to change training methods that have worked for decades?

The Basics

There are several different issues to deal with when it comes to basic training for small mammals. These issues are important as it almost always has a direct impact on the small mammal. Sometimes when not handled well the impact can be so severe that the pet’s very life is put in jeopardy.
Being small in nature is already a minus point when it comes to training the animal. Therefore, any methods chosen would have to be done with the size of the animal being taken into consideration and this does cause complications as most training methods are designed for larger animals. However, on the positive side, these creatures are very intelligent and are capable of catching on very fast and adapt very well.
In order to train a particular small mammal to adapt to conditions provided, the pet owner must first take the time and effort to study the basic requirements of the breed in question and then closely emulate any of the necessary aspects that would be required for completing the comfort and safety of the animal through the training period. The handling of the animal during the training sessions is very important as most of these animals would not respond well initially to any human contact and may even perceive such advances as a threat.
However if the pet owner manages to train the small mammal in areas such as feeding times, toilet training and behavioral displays to the desired levels required, then the quest would have been considered successful by any standards. Often it takes a lot of patience and time coupled with the appropriate techniques and equipment to make this happen. Any disregard of well-meaning advice and proven methods of training will usually result in detrimental effects for both the small mammal pet and the owner.
There are some basic things that you are going to want to train your small mammal. One of these is going to of course be letting you handle the mammal. This will come easy, but it will require time and effort. Basically, you will have to spend time every day handling the small mammal for short periods of time until the mammal becomes comfortable with you handling it. Once the small mammal is comfortable with you handling it you must continue to handle the mammal daily or else all of that work would have been for nothing.
Another basic thing you are going to want to train your pet to do is to be potty trained. This is especially true when it comes to rabbits that re allowed to roam freely around the home. This may seem quite difficult to you but it really is not. Rabbits naturally like to go to the bathroom in one place. All you really need to do is keep them locked in an area until they use a litter box. The rabbit will continue to use the litter box after that, even if you let them roam the house.

A lot of training a small mammal comes down to patience and time. You can basically train your small mammals to do anything you want. You just have to commit the time and effort that it takes. Trust me though, all of that effort and time will pay off when your small mammal is very well behaved and trained.
The sad truth is that many people often end up neglecting or getting rid of small mammals. The reason for this is the fact that they were not able to train them or did not want to put forth the effort it takes to train them. Do not be one of these people! You must always remember that you made a commitment to that small mammal when you brought them into your family. It is now your responsibility to train the animal. Keep in mind, you chose the small mammal for a pet, it did not choose you!
In future posts will go into further detail about training small mammals. We will go over different types of small mammals and will discuss the different training methods that can be used on different small mammals. We will also go over things to be cautious of while training as well as things to look out for during the whole process.
Pay close attention provided because it will surely be of great help when it comes to training your small mammal to break its bad habits.