Selective small animal food

Selective is built around species-specific complete foods rather than a single one-size-fits-all mix — separate recipes for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, chinchillas and ferrets, each formulated around what that animal actually needs rather than a generic small-pet blend. Alongside the complete foods sits a hay range, including Timothy hay, and a line of natural treats such as forage sticks and fibre loops.

Our shelves carry a mix of these: complete foods including Science Selective Rabbit, Guinea Pig Junior, Rat & Mouse Food and Chinchilla Food, hays such as Selective Timothy Hay, and treats and forage items like the Selective Naturals Harvest Loops and Forest Sticks, plus a bathing sand for small pets that need one. There is also a small supplements line within the range, covering things like digestive support and vitamin C for species that need it in their diet.

This is a good starting point for an owner who wants a properly species-matched complete food rather than a mixed seed bowl, which most small animal vets and welfare charities steer owners away from because animals pick out the tasty bits and leave the rest, ending up with an unbalanced diet. A pelleted complete food removes that selective-feeding problem entirely, since every mouthful carries the same balanced nutrition rather than leaving it down to which bits your pet happens to prefer.

The natural treats and forage items in the range, such as the loops and sticks made from hay and vegetable fibre, are a reasonable way to add enrichment on top of a complete diet, since foraging and chewing are natural behaviours most small pets benefit from having an outlet for rather than a bowl of food alone.

We stock a selection from the wider Selective range rather than every product the brand makes, so what is available to order can change. As with any small pet, what suits yours depends on their species, age and any health needs your vet has flagged, rather than the brand alone.