Large dogs
Golden Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd, etc.
Preventing gastric torsion (bloat) and joint disease is life-saving
Pet Health, Safety, Care &
Emergency First Aid Manual
128 animals, from dogs and cats to small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects. Common illnesses and their warning signs, injury prevention and first aid, zoonoses, husbandry and housing, accident prevention, how to release a bite, and emergency-care procedures, written so owners can act immediately. Train your judgment with 6400 case-method questions. Free for everyone.
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Dogs & cats7 animals
Small mammals29 animals
Exotic & rare pets6 animals
Primates6 animals
Rare small animals & birds5 animals
Birds27 animals
Reptiles & amphibians19 animals
Fish & aquatic animals21 animals
Insects & others2 animals
Livestock & large mammals6 animalsBrowse by animal
Medium dogs
Small dogs
Toy Poodle, Chihuahua, Dachshund, etc.
Fractures from falls, luxating patella and periodontal disease are the three big problems
Brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs
French Bulldog, Pug, Boston Terrier, etc.
Above 25°C is the heatstroke zone. Check snoring and breathing sounds every day
Cat (purebred)
Scottish Fold, Maine Coon, Persian, Ragdoll, etc.
Know your breed's hereditary diseases and get a checkup at least once a year
Cat (mixed breed)
Japanese domestic cat / mixed breed
Indoor-only living and spay/neuter greatly extend lifespan
Cat (rescue cat)
Former stray / cat adopted from a rescue organization
Within the first week: testing, deworming, and strict separation from resident cats
Hamster
Rabbit
Guinea pig
English, Abyssinian, Skinny, etc.
Cannot make vitamin C in the body. Daily supplementation is essential
Chinchilla
Standard gray, white, etc.
Heatstroke above 25°C. Round-the-clock air conditioning is non-negotiable
Degu
Ferret
Sugar glider
Hedgehog
Squirrels
Mouse & Rat
Fancy mouse / fancy rat
Tumors and respiratory disease are very common. Palpate the body once a week
Micro pig
Capybara
Prairie dog
Black-tailed prairie dog (import banned; domestically bred animals only)
Prevent obesity and odontoma. Be ready for the breeding-season personality change
Gerbil
Panda mouse
Small black-and-white patterned mouse
Never let the temperature drop below 20°C in winter. Palpate the body once a week
Steppe lemming
Small grassland rodent
Fruit and sugar are strictly forbidden. Hay is the staple; 25°C or above is dangerous
African pygmy mouse
One of the world's smallest mice
Handling is off-limits as a rule. Keep for viewing in a gap-free cage
Giant rabbits
Flemish Giant, French Lop, etc.
Lift only while sitting on the floor, with both arms. Spinal fracture is the number one accident
Mini Rex
Armadillo
Skunk
Masked palm civet
Rescue of injured/sick animals and permitted keeping (Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Act)
You cannot keep one you find; contact the prefectural government first
Flying squirrel
Southern flying squirrel / Siberian flying squirrel
A rodent, not a sugar glider. Diet and bone health are key
Japanese giant flying squirrel
Rescue of injured/sick individuals and permitted care (Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Act)
If you find one, contact the prefectural wildlife office first
Fruit bat
Mara
Insectivores (other)
Musk shrews and other shrews
Never let food run out. A few hours of hunger can be fatal
Binturong
Sloth
Tamandua
Meerkat
Fennec fox
Desert fox, timid, nocturnal, very loud calls
A quiet environment with no sudden scares and a nighttime exercise space are essential
Asian small-clawed otter
Listed in CITES Appendix I in 2019. New commercial trade is prohibited as a rule
New acquisition is essentially impossible. Keeping one requires registration of the existing animal and maintaining a water area
Loris
Senegal bushbaby (lesser galago)
Bushbaby (nocturnal, with astonishing jumping power)
Jumps over 2 m. Needs a tall cage that is safe all the way to the ceiling
Common Marmoset
Tiny monkey, hates being alone, feeds on gum (tree sap)
Never keep a single animal. Keep a pair or more, with gum as the staple food
Squirrel monkey
Highly active, highly intelligent, cannot be litter-trained, needs lots of exercise
Cannot be toilet-trained. Needs several hours of exercise every day
Lemurs
Other monkeys
Crab-eating macaques, capuchins, etc. (import banned; facility-kept)
Bites can transmit lethal B virus. Wash immediately and seek medical care
Common wombat
Private ownership is virtually impossible due to Australian export restrictions. Assumes zoo-level husbandry
Diggable earth and a cool burrow are its lifeline
Opossum
Cairo spiny mouse
Stiff spine-like hairs on the back; tail sheds easily; skin tears easily
Never grab the tail. Skin tears easily; handle with care
Shoebill
Small parakeets
Budgerigar, Pacific parrotlet, lineolated parakeet, etc.
Small birds hide illness. Fluffed up and not moving: warm it immediately and see a vet
Medium & large parrots
Cockatiel, lovebird, African grey, macaw, etc.
A lifelong commitment and an environment that never lets them get bored are essential
Java Sparrow, Canary & Society Finch
Finches
Tiny body; half a day without food can be fatal. Keep warm and see a vet immediately
Raptors (birds of prey)
Owls, eagle-owls, Harris's hawks, etc.
Feed fully thawed frozen mice and chicks. Check pellets (castings) every day
Ducks & Call Ducks
Call ducks and domestic ducks (water access, leg problems, excessive egg laying)
A fresh bathing pool every day and a non-slip floor are essential
Chicken
Pigeon
Crow
Quail
Goose
Turkey
Pheasants & Peafowl
Indian peafowl, golden pheasant, etc.
A soft-net ceiling and an aviary that keeps wild birds out are lifelines
Ornamental chickens
Japanese bantam (Chabo), Onagadori, Polish, etc.
Breed traits such as crests, feathered legs and tail feathers are the gateway to disease
Finches (other)
Zebra finch, Gouldian finch, European goldfinch, etc.
A 10-gram body can crash within hours. Never let the temperature drop below 20°C
Toucan
Hornbill
Lorikeet
Emu
Ostrich
Hawks & falcons
Harris's hawk, northern goshawk, peregrine falcon (falconry / captive raptors)
Weigh the bird every morning without fail. Both starvation and obesity can be fatal
Small doves
Ringneck dove, diamond dove
A startle-free environment and egg-laying control are the keys to health
Ducks
Sun Conure
Conures
The noise is a serious problem in apartments. Check the volume before you bring one home
Quaker Parrot
Green-cheeked conure
Green-cheeked parakeet (Pyrrhura molinae)
Sleeping on its back is normal. Never take your eyes off it during out-of-cage time
Amazon parrot
Yellow-crowned Amazon and others (CITES)
Prevent obesity and hormonal behavior, and decide who will care for the bird 50 years from now
Cockatoo
Lizards
Crocodilians
Caimans and all crocodilian species (Specified Animals)
New keeping is not allowed except for facilities and exhibition purposes
Monitor lizards
Savannah monitor, Nile monitor, tree monitors, etc.
Plan for the adult size, claws and bite force before you take one on
Snakes
Turtles & tortoises
Tortoises (Hermann's etc.) and aquatic turtles (Reeves' turtle, red-eared slider etc.)
Skipping UVB lighting or heating leads directly to shell problems and metabolic bone disease
Frogs
Newts & axolotls
Japanese fire-bellied newt, Mexican salamander (axolotl)
Water above 25°C and poor water quality are the leading causes of death; cooling in summer is essential
Iguana
Chameleon
Blue-tongued skink
Eastern blue-tongue, Northern blue-tongue
Omnivorous but prone to obesity. Feed 2–3 times a week
Tegu
Pythons & boas
Large species other than the ball python (some are Specified Animals)
Always handle snakes over 2 m with two or more people; never let one wrap around your neck when alone
Native Japanese snakes
Japanese rat snake, Japanese striped snake, Japanese forest rat snake
Choose captive-bred over wild-caught. Beware of confusion with venomous snakes
Softshell turtle
Chinese (Japanese) softshell turtle and other softshell species
Soft shell is prone to skin disease; clean water is life
Poison dart frog
Blue (cobalt), dyeing, bumblebee (yellow-banded) dart frogs, etc.
Over 30°C and dryness are fatal; captive-bred frogs are non-toxic
Native Japanese frogs
Japanese tree frog, Japanese pond frog (black-spotted pond frog), Japanese wrinkled frog
The skin is the respiratory organ. Dryness and dirty water are fatal
Salamander
Small species such as the Japanese clouded salamander and black salamander
Weakens above 23°C; summer cooling and high humidity are its lifeline
Geckos
Skinks
Ornamental fish (freshwater)
Goldfish, medaka (Japanese rice fish), tropical fish, bettas, guppies, etc.
90% of disease is poor water quality. Stick to a 1/3 water change once a week
Marine fish
Clownfish, damselfish, tangs, anthias, etc.
Check specific gravity (around 1.023) and water temperature daily; never change them suddenly
Shrimp & crabs
Cherry shrimp, Amano shrimp, land hermit crabs, Japanese freshwater crabs, etc.
Fish medications, copper and pesticides are lethal even in trace amounts. Never put them in the tank
Koi / Nishikigoi
Kohaku, Taisho Sanke, Showa Sanshoku, Asagi, German (Doitsu) koi, etc.
Water quality, oxygen and temperature control are everything. Never release KHV-affected fish
Japanese freshwater fish
Bitterlings, crucian carp, pale chub, freshwater gobies (Rhinogobius), dark chub, etc.
Never return a caught fish to the river. Be prepared to keep it for life
Arowana & Gar
Silver arowana, Asian arowana, gar (garpike)
Weighted lid, power-outage plan, and daily checks of eyes and gills are the lifeline
Catfish & plecos
Corydoras, plecos, redtail catfish, Japanese (Amur) catfish
Check the maximum size before buying and set up a tank you can keep for life
Discus
Cichlids
Ancient fish
Polypterus (bichir), lungfish (Protopterus), datnoid (tigerfish)
Air-breathing fish will always jump. A heavy lid and sealed gaps are their lifeline
Pufferfish (ornamental)
Green spotted puffer, dwarf (pea) puffer, figure-eight puffer, South American freshwater puffer
Wear the teeth down with shell-on food and keep at the salinity suited to the species
Sturgeon
Seahorse
Jellyfish
Corals & Sea Anemones
Soft corals, SPS, LPS and sea anemones
They hate change. Keeping water quality and temperature constant is the best lifesaver
Nudibranch (sea slug)
Hypselodoris festiva, aeolid nudibranchs, etc. (keeping not recommended)
If you cannot secure its food (sponges, etc.), do not collect it; return it
Crayfish
Horseshoe crab
Japanese horseshoe crab (endangered; for aquariums and conservation groups)
For a stranded animal, never hold the tail spine; support the shell with both hands and return it to the sea
Octopus & Squid
Common octopus, bobtail squid (blue-ringed octopus is deadly venomous and must not be kept)
Extremely sensitive to ammonia. Seal the lid to prevent escape
Rhinoceros & stag beetles
Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Japanese giant stag beetle, Hercules beetle, etc.
Never release foreign or non-local individuals into the wild
Exotic invertebrates & others
Tarantulas, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, etc.
For venomous species, check import restrictions and danger level. Never handle bare-handed; manage with tongs
Miniature goats & sheep
Pygmy goat, Shiba goat, miniature sheep
Keep two or more; watch for bloat and toxic plants
Miniature Horse & Pony
Miniature horse, Shetland pony
Cannot vomit; colic and laminitis are life-threatening
Donkey
Alpaca
Miniature cattle
Dexter, Miniature Zebu, etc.
If rumination stops, it is an emergency. Check belly distension daily
Mouse deer (chevrotain)
Javan mouse deer, lesser mouse deer, etc.
Never startle it. Always provide hiding places and warm, humid conditions
How to use
- Open your animal's page and use the warning-sign checklist for daily observation
- If something is wrong, use the emergency-care manual to judge urgency and call an animal hospital
- In calm times, work through the case method to sharpen your judgment
- For hands-on skills, join one of the first-aid courses below