Before you buy
One checklist per species. Print it, take it with you, and work through it in front of the seller. Anyone doing this properly will be pleased you asked.
Puppy and dog checklistTake this with you. Everything here is checkable on the day, and a seller who bristles at any of…Kitten and cat checklistCats hide illness well and kittens are shaped almost entirely by their first eight weeks. Most o…Rabbit checklistRabbits are the most misunderstood pet in Britain. They are not a starter pet, they are not a hu…Rodent checklistSmall does not mean simple. Most rodent species are social, most sold cages are too small, and m…Bird checklistParrots in particular are a thirty to sixty year commitment, and most of the birds in rescue are…Poultry checklistKeeping a few hens is genuinely easy. The two things that catch people out are the registration …Reptile checklistAlmost every reptile welfare problem is an equipment problem. Get the setup right before the ani…Fish checklistThe tank comes first. A cycled, correctly sized, correctly filtered tank is the whole job; the f…Horse and pony checklistThe purchase price is the smallest number in horse ownership. Everything below assumes you have …Livestock checklistKeeping livestock, even two pet sheep, puts you inside the agricultural regulations. Get the reg…Invertebrate checklistCheap to keep and easy to get wrong. Almost every problem is humidity, ventilation or an unsuita…
The minimum age an animal may leave its mother
These are the ages we enforce when an advert is submitted. They follow the minimum standards published by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group, whose guidance we have adopted; we are not a member of it. Poultry, ducks, geese, quail and pheasants are exempt: the young feed independently from hatching.
| Dog | 8 weeks |
|---|---|
| Cat | 8 weeks |
| Rabbit | 8 weeks |
| Guinea pig | 8 weeks |
| Chinchilla | 12 weeks |
| Degu | 6 weeks |
| Pygmy hedgehog | 8 weeks |
| Sugar glider | 17 weeks |
| Hamster | 6 weeks |
| Gerbil | 5 weeks |
| Ferret | 8 weeks |
| Mouse | 6 weeks |
| Rat | 6 weeks |
| Budgie | 11 weeks |
| Cockatiel | 11 weeks |
| Finch, including canary | 8 weeks |
| Canary | 8 weeks |
| Medium parrot | 16 weeks |
| Large parrot | 20 weeks |
| Domestic pigeon | 6 weeks |
| Horse | 8 months |
| Donkey | 8 months |