At the beginning of September, our teams attended a training session on Nacs with specialist veterinarian Nathalie Lemmens.

New pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, octodons, mice and rats are often forgotten when it comes to animal welfare.

Yet they have specific needs in terms of care and well-being.

This kind of training, combining theory and practice, provides a better understanding of their body language, natural behaviors and psychological needs. This helps to improve their quality of life at the shelter by providing them with an environment adapted to their needs.

A better understanding of these animals’ behavior enables us to provide more informed advice to future adopters. Our teams have the keys to explaining to adopters the particularities of the animal, best care practices, and how to avoid common mistakes that could result in a return to the shelter.

What’s more, well-socialized, happy animals are more likely to be adopted, as our main aim is to find them all new homes.

This additional knowledge also enables us to better understand the enrichment needs of rabbits and rodents, such as digging, gnawing and hiding, which are essential to their mental health.

The Veeweyde team