Prepare now to make this ‘fireworks season’ a happier time for your small furry pets
October 14, 2021
Fireworks are not really a seasonal ‘treat’ any more as they are now on sale all year round. This is not great news for naturally nervous animals, such as a rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs. The majority of small furry pets are naturally afraid of loud noises. To help owners, our head vet Jürgen, is highlighting four simple ways to manage your pet’s environment to best deal with scary sounds.
If the advice below doesn’t work for your pet, you should contact us and we can advise on alternative ways to keep your pet calm, such as the use of pheromone diffusers and sprays.
Ask us about calming products for rabbits
Many small furry pets spend a lot of their life in outdoor hutches, which means fireworks can be extremely frightening for them. To keep rabbits, guinea pigs (or any other small furry pet) happy and healthy when there are fireworks in the air, you should consider the following.
- Recognise the signs of stress. A change in eating habits, intense grooming, or scratching that causes fur to fall out, are common signs of a stressed pet. If your pet is stressed by noise, you should recognise the changes and take action.
- Give effective refuge. As you can’t necessarily predict when there will be noise. Always make sure your small furry pet has a safe space that’s naturally and effectively insulated from noise. Lots of fresh, clean bedding in a solid structure like a box is best.
- Bring them inside. At times of the year when you know the noise level will rise, (such as the period around bonfire night and New Year) bring pets inside to a quieter place.
- Mask the noise. If you have a house pet or you’ve brought your pet inside during a particularly noisy period, you should shut windows, draw curtains, and drop blinds to keep the noise and light show outside. Also, consider turning up the TV or radio to mask the worst of the outside noise.
What to do if these four actions fail
If your pet guinea pig, rabbit, rat or other rodent stops eating or shows other signs of extreme stress, they need to see a Vet as a matter of urgency. Alternatively, if you’ve been here before, followed the advice above and think you need more help, give us a call. Jürgen and the rest of our Chelmsford Road team have lots of pet specific advice and can recommend the most appropriate pheromone spray or diffuser to help calm your pet.
