Pet Health Library

Guides to pet symptoms and conditions, cited to the veterinary literature — what's normal, what's not, and when to see a vet.

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Showing 313–336 of 1179 articles

🐀Rat HealthJul 21, 2026

🦷Dental

Rat Overgrown Teeth: Understanding Incisor Malocclusion

Overgrown teeth in pet rats are almost always a front-tooth (incisor) problem, not a molar problem. Here is what causes it, why chew toys will not fix it, and what treatment actually looks like.

🦔Hedgehog HealthJul 21, 2026

🌿Skin & Coat

Hedgehog Dry, Flaky Skin: Dandruff, Mites, or Normal Quilling?

Dry, flaky skin on an African pygmy hedgehog is easy to miss under the quills and easy to misread. If the flaking comes with quill loss, it is mites until a veterinarian's skin scrape says otherwise — not something an oatmeal bath will fix.

🐭Gerbil HealthJul 21, 2026

Gerbil Tail Slip: When the Skin Comes Off the Tail

Tail slip is when the skin sleeve of a gerbil's tail pulls off, leaving raw tissue or bare bone. Here is why it happens, what first aid to give, and why vets recommend early amputation instead of waiting for the tail to fall off.

🐭Chinchilla HealthJul 21, 2026

🤮Digestive

Chinchilla Constipation: Few, Tiny, or No Droppings

If your chinchilla's droppings have gone small, hard, sparse, or missing altogether, the problem is usually not simple constipation — it is a gut that has slowed down. Here is what normal chinchilla output looks like, why reduced pellets are time-critical, what causes it, what you can safely do at home while you get to a vet, what you must never give, and how a veterinarian tells gut slowdown apart from bloat and true obstruction.

🐟Fish HealthJul 21, 2026

Betta Swim Bladder Problems: Floating, Sinking, and Listing to One Side

Your betta is floating, sinking, or tipping sideways. "Swim bladder disease" is a sign, not a diagnosis — and bettas differ from goldfish in ways that change the fix. What to check first, what actually has veterinary backing, and when to call an aquatic vet.

🐿️Sugar Glider HealthJul 20, 2026

🤮Digestive

Sugar Glider Diarrhea: Causes, Home Care, and When It's an Emergency

Runny stool in a sugar glider usually comes down to diet or an intestinal infection, but dehydration is what makes it dangerous. Here's what causes it, what you can do at home, and the red flags that mean see an exotic vet now.

🐀Rat HealthJul 20, 2026

Rat Porphyrin (Red Tears): Is It Blood, Stress, or Illness?

The red-brown crust around your rat's eyes or nose is almost always porphyrin, not blood. Here's what red tears mean, how to tell them from real bleeding, and when they signal a problem.

🦔Hedgehog HealthJul 20, 2026

Hedgehog Hibernation Attempt: A Cold-Weather Emergency

When a pet hedgehog tries to hibernate, it is actually slipping into cold-induced torpor — a life-threatening emergency, not a natural rest. Here is how to recognize it, warm your hedgehog safely, and stop it from happening again.

🐭Chinchilla HealthJul 20, 2026

🐾Behavior & Training

Chinchilla Fur Chewing: Why It Happens and How to Help

Fur-chewing gives a chinchilla a short, patchy, moth-eaten coat because it chews its own fur. Learn the causes, how to tell it apart from ringworm and fur slip, the husbandry fixes that help, and when a vet visit matters.

🐸Amphibian HealthJul 20, 2026

Axolotl Gill Problems: Why Gills Shrink, Curl, or Pale

Shrinking, curling, or pale axolotl gills are almost always a water-quality or temperature warning. Here are the target parameters, the fungal differential, and how to help gills recover.

🐀Rat HealthJul 18, 2026

Rat Bumblefoot: Why Those Red Sores Appear on the Feet and What Actually Helps

Bumblefoot (ulcerative pododermatitis) is a pressure-driven foot infection in pet rats. Here's how it starts, how to fix the cage, what a vet can do, and what recovery realistically looks like.

🐟Fish HealthJul 18, 2026

Goldfish Dropsy: Why the "Pinecone" Look Is a Warning Sign, Not a Disease

Dropsy in goldfish isn't an illness you treat directly — it's fluid buildup that signals a serious internal problem. Here's how to recognize pineconing, tell it apart from bloating or a swim bladder issue, what to do first, and the honest prognosis.

🐭Gerbil HealthJul 18, 2026

🚨Emergency

Gerbil Seizures: Why They Happen, What to Do, and When to Worry

Gerbils have an inherited tendency toward brief, startle-triggered seizures. Here's what an episode looks like, what to do in the moment, and the signs that mean something else is going on.

🐭Chinchilla HealthJul 18, 2026

🚨Emergency

Chinchilla Heat Stroke: Warning Signs, Emergency First Aid, and the Temperatures That Are Actually Safe

Chinchillas evolved for cold Andean nights and cannot sweat, so heat stroke can kill them within hours. Here are the safe temperature and humidity ranges, the early signs owners miss, and the gradual-cooling first aid to start while you call a vet.

🐸Amphibian HealthJul 18, 2026

Axolotl Fungus: What the White Fuzz Means and How to Fix It

White or grey cottony fuzz on an axolotl is usually an opportunistic water mold — a sign something in the tank is wrong. Here's how to tell it apart from normal gills, what to correct first, and when to call an exotics vet.

🐿️Sugar Glider HealthJul 17, 2026

Sugar Glider Self-Mutilation: Why It Happens and How to Help

Self-mutilation in sugar gliders — over-grooming, hair loss, and biting at the tail, limbs, or genitals — is a serious welfare and medical sign, not a quirk. Here's what drives it and how to respond.

🐀Rat HealthJul 17, 2026

🩺Chronic & Systemic

Rat Mammary Tumors: The Lump Many Owners Find, and What to Do About It

The lump many rat owners find is often a mammary tumor: very common, usually a benign fibroadenoma, and found anywhere from chin to tail in both females and males. Here's why benign doesn't mean wait, how surgery and spaying help, and when to see an exotics vet.

🦔Hedgehog HealthJul 17, 2026

🤮Digestive

Hedgehog Diarrhea: Causes of Green or Loose Stool and How to Help

A calm, practical guide to diarrhea and green stool in African pygmy hedgehogs: how to tell stress-related green droppings from true diarrhea, the common causes, and the home care and warning signs that mean it's time to call your vet.

🐭Chinchilla HealthJul 17, 2026

🤮Digestive

Chinchilla Bloat: How to Spot This Emergency Early and What to Do

Chinchilla bloat is a sudden, dangerous build-up of gas that can turn fatal within hours. Here's how to recognize it early, what to do while you reach a vet, and how to prevent it.

🐟Fish HealthJul 17, 2026

🍽️Eating & Drinking

Betta Fish Not Eating? Causes and What to Do

A betta that skips meals is usually reacting to its water, not its food. Here are the most common reasons bettas stop eating — cold water, ammonia, overfeeding, stress, and illness — plus simple steps to get your fish eating again.

🦔Hedgehog HealthJul 16, 2026

🍽️Eating & Drinking

Hedgehog Not Eating? Causes, Home Care, and When It's an Emergency

Is your hedgehog not eating? The most common cause is a too-cold enclosure that triggers a dangerous hibernation attempt, but dental disease, illness, and cancer also suppress appetite. Here's how to find the cause, help at home, and know when it's an emergency.

🐟Fish HealthJul 16, 2026

🐛Parasites

Goldfish Ich (White Spot Disease): How to Spot It and Treat It Safely

Ich, or white spot disease, is a common goldfish parasite that looks like grains of salt. Here's how to recognize it, why the life cycle dictates treatment, how to clear the whole tank, and when gill involvement becomes an emergency.

🐭Gerbil HealthJul 16, 2026

🌿Skin & Coat

Gerbil Scent Gland Tumor: Spotting a Belly-Gland Lump and What to Do

Gerbils have a normal oval scent gland on the belly, but it's also their most common tumor site, especially in older males. Here's how to tell a tumor from a healthy gland or infection, and why an early vet visit and surgery give the best outcome.

🐭Chinchilla HealthJul 16, 2026

🦷Dental

Chinchilla Overgrown Teeth: Signs, Causes, and What Vets Do

Chinchillas' teeth grow for life and rely on hay to wear down. Learn why they overgrow, the hidden signs, and why prompt vet care matters.