Top Bonfire Night Animal Care Tips

Bonfire night can be a really exciting time as we watch the night sky lit up with colours and sounds. But, what's great for us is not always good for our animal companions, and this time of year can be really stressful for them. So, we thought we'd put together some of our top Bonfire Night animal care tips for keeping our animals happy and safe.

Top Bonfire Night Animal Care Tips

Manage noise levels

One of the biggest triggers for animals during this season is the loud, unexpected noises that come with fireworks. There are a few ways that you can combat this to make things a bit calmer for your animals...

• Try silent fireworks. These have a slightly different formula which means that you get all the fun of the colours, with a much quieter, manageable sound.

• Play calming, classical music. These will mask the sounds and calm your animals. Classic FM usually plays a specific bonfire night playlist on the day.

• If your animals are in enclosures, consider using duvets, blankets, or old carpets to muffle the sound of the fireworks. Just make sure there is still good ventilation!

• Close doors, windows, and cat flaps to further muffle sounds.

Create a safe environment

Making sure your animals are happy doesn't stop at muffling the noise of the fireworks. A comfortable and safe animal is a happy one so ensuring they've got places to retreat to and enough mental stimulation is a great first step.

• Keep animals inside as much as possible. Even if that means moving outdoor animals temporarily inside. Do not leave dogs tied up outside.

• Create safe spaces like dens and hideouts where animals can retreat to. Fill these spaces with comfy pillows and blankets.

• Close curtains to avoid flashing colours and lights.

• If you have cats, consider using a pheromone spray/plug-in.

• Stick to your usual routines and behaviours. If animals can see you're acting differently, they are more likely to become stressed.

• Let your animals react naturally if they become distressed, including pacing, and avoid forms of negative reinforcement.

• Give small animals extra bedding to burrow if they feel scared.

• provide plenty of enrichment to distract them.

Out and about

It's not just our indoor pets that are affected by Guy Fawkes celebrations. Wild animals and outdoor pets are also worth thinking about.

• Check bonfires for animals like hedgehogs before lighting them.

• Take dogs on earlier walks to avoid being out while fireworks are going off, and don't take them to public fireworks events.

• Face animal enclosures away from fireworks displays

So there you go! Want to learn more about caring for wildlife? Check out our Caring for Living Things workshop!