Small Animals

Our small pets

Our Pet Department staff are on hand at all times to give you honest, straightforward advice for caring for our amazing little hamsters, guinea pigs and rats. We use smaller scale breeders and do not support rodent mills, meaning we're always confident in our animals' health and do not contribute to the cruel conditions of these environments.

We currently offer...

Syrian Hamsters (Male & Female)

Guinea Pigs (Male & Female)

Fancy Rats & Dumbo Rats (Female)

OUR SMALL PETS ARE SOLD WITH A 7 DAY GUARANTEE

Our Guinea Pigs

We're proud to offer happy, healthy guinea pigs reared from a small-scale breeder on a working farm. We do not use rodent mills and will always prefer to have empty enclosures while we wait for healthy, happy animals from our preferred breeder.

We keep a maximum of eight males and eight females at any time, fewer if there are bigger chunkier piggies left over from a previous litter still with us to ensure everyone has enough room.

Our guinea pigs come in a huge variety of coat colours and types, including rosette, silkie, teddy and of course smooth.

Before coming to us to choose a guinea pig, there are some important things we’d like you to know:

We only sell our guinea pigs in pairs or small groups. If you are looking for a guinea pig to bond with a pig at home who has lost a partner we’re happy to sell you an individual, but we do require reasonable proof if requested including photos of your setup at our discretion. (Please note if you have lost half of a guinea pig duo from old age we always recommend buying a young pair to make up a three, as this avoids the cycle of bereavement)

The absolute minimum ethical standard we will allow for a pair of guinea pigs is 120x50cm as a secure messy base or night-time area only. 120cm cages must have doors open onto a secure playpen or pig-proofed room, and the only times your guinea pigs should be shut inside a 120cm cage is when unsupervised/at night-time. If your guinea pigs will be left alone for long periods while you work for example, choosing a larger base cage or custom C&C cage is essential.

We do not sell guinea pigs to live with rabbits or to live in hutches. Converted sheds are fine as long as they are properly heated/air conditioned and secure.

We provide base cage starter kits to be expanded with play pens or placed inside a pig-proofed room in-store in 120x50cm and 140x60cm sizes. Prices vary depending on which toys, hides and beds are included but range from £125-£140 for 120cm, and £150-£170 for 140cm. If you choose one of our base kits in-store we also offer 10 and 12% discounts on hay, treats, toys and other pigsentials bought at the same time!

We sell a range of traditional and modern guinea pig substrates and accessories, from hemp & aspen bedding to absorbent bath mats, cuddle caves and soft beds.

Our bath mats are a great eco-friendly, tidy, attractive and cosy alternative to loose substrates. Our mats are £7.49 each or 2 for £15 (45x75cm) and are available in several different colours. The best way to use bath mats is to place a non-pill polar fleece blanket or towel underneath as an extra absorbent layer.

Our hamsters

Our Syrian Hamsters make wonderful pets for both adults and children, but hamsters generally do have more complex care needs and associated costs than some may think! To avoid any disappointment or surprises we’ve put together some information and requirements on these charming little critters so you’re able to provide a five-star home.

Syrian Hamsters must live alone on reaching sexual maturity, or fatal fights will occur. Our babies arrive with us at 6-8 weeks old and get along just fine when they’re little, but even we start separating them as they grow if they’ve stayed with us longer than usual as they will begin to scrap.

The minimum recommended cage size for a Syrian hamster is 100cm, though bigger is better. For those who are able to let their hamster explore a secure playpen filled with different substrates, textures, foods to forage and constructive play-time for several hours in the evening, we do allow an 80cm enclosure. Please note that if choosing an 80cm enclosure it is even more paramount that your hamster be given lots of different textures, forage mixes, plant sprays and chews to keep them very busy.

Our 80cm barred enclosures are £49.99, 80cm glass terrarium £119.99, 100cm barred enclosure £79.99.

Hamsters have sensitive respiratory systems and wood shavings aren’t recommended. We sell many alternatives including hemp, aspen, soft eco shredded cardboard, Carefresh and other similar soft paper brands.

Adult hamsters should ideally use an exercise wheel with a 28cm diameter (these are often marketed towards rats). This is because smaller wheels cause an unnatural and uncomfortable bend in the spine when used.

We do not sell or recommend hamster balls or plastic tubes. These are poorly ventilated and constructed and can cause breathing problems or pose an escape risk. Brittle plastic is also very dangerous if it becomes cracked.

Our Fancy Rats

We’re over the moon to have started offering rats again in 2025. We currently offer standard fancy and Dumbo rats, females only. Rats are available in small numbers and we insist that they go together in pairs, trios or fours. We are happy to sell a single rat to join an existing group or bereaved rat by itself, and we may ask for photos of your setup at home to ensure single rats leaving us are going straight to join a friend. We offer a 10% discount on multiple rats bought.

We currently offer two rat cages in-store. A 1x0.54x1m narrow-bar multi storey cage good for baby rats who may be in danger of slipping through the bars of larger cages (£129.99), and a wider bar spacing 1.4m cage on wheels also at £129.99. Our 1x1m junior rat cage is recommended for rats 6 months or below, and we advise expanding or upgrading as they grow as much as possible as rats are incredibly active animals. Rats should ideally be given a safe room to play in under supervision with their cage left open for several hours every day. Rats are incredibly loving and affectionate and should also be handled as much as possible as they love the attention!

Rats require heaps of space, time and mental stimulation. We provide some great essentials in our small animal section just for rats, but be sure to check out our bird toys for tons more: so many rope, shredding and natural wood toys for birds are amazing fun for rats. Don’t forget that rats also love rope rings and rope perches!

As rats are omnivores we urge everyone to check out our natural dog treats and chews. Our rats go crazy for Zoe Licky Snack pouches made of pumpkin paste with chicken, turkey or other proteins, which you can find with our dog puzzles and lick mats. We sell lots of high protein fish and meat based kibble as well as dried mealworms and seed mixes that can be added to your rat’s pellet diet.