With Halloween festivities quickly approaching everything can start to get a bit hectic! I LOVE decorating for the holidays, whether it's Halloween, Easter or Christmas.
Have you got enough sweets for those trick or treaters? Did you miss anything for your party decorations? Is everything sorted for you costume? Where oh where did the pumpkin carving tools get to?! As fun as Halloween is for most people, this isn't always the case for your furbabies. These tips apply to ALL of your indoor, free-roaming pets!
Don’t add to the stress of the night by worrying about your rabbit! If you prepare, you won’t get a scare… (ha ha)
Keep your rabbit away from the front door
Ding Dong! It's another stranger at the door wearing a scary costume! Perhaps not the most relaxing situation for any pet. Having such a disrupted evening with the door opening and closing constantly may cause stress for your furry friend. This can lead your pet to become unusually aggressive (out of fear!) or even, and most likely, try to make a run for it.
If your rabbit is free-roam, you should already have an extra barrier between the hallway and your front door. But it's better to be safe than sorry and give them a safe space for the evening - no one wants to be looking for their lost loved one on any night, especially one that's supposed to be fun!
Keep Sweets out of reach!
Sweets and chocolate are for people, not rabbits or other animals. All forms of chocolate (particularly dark and baking chocolate) are poisonous and even potentially lethal for most pets, not just cats and dogs.
Should any be ingested by your rabbit, especially if they show signs of poisoning, you should immediately seek veterinary advice! Artificial sweetener Xylitol can be found in a number of sugar free sweets and is also toxic to most pets. It can cause a drop in blood sugar and even liver failure in dogs. So leave your bowl of sweets up and out of the way (even from counter surfers!)
Don’t put lit pumpkins within reach!
This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't think about this. Despite being within the "protective" shell of a pumpkin, the little candles inside can still cause a lot of damage to both your pet and even your property. A little curious nose could easily lead to burnt whiskers!
Make a safe space
Apparently, fireworks aren't just for the 5th of November (remember?) and they can cause a lot of stress for your furry friends. If your rabbit is particularly frightened by them, make sure you have a cosy space set up for them where they can feel safe, hidden, and secure. Try putting more blankets down to help soften some of the sound.
If your rabbit lives outdoors, bring them inside for the night!
The same goes for having a house party - it's extremely unlikely that your rabbit is totally fine with being around crowds of people and loud music. Even if they seem fine with it, it's not fair to force them into this situation! Instead, keep the music low and put them in another room where they will feel safe and be undisturbed. This way they'll feel a lot better about the scary noises and you'll feel a lot better knowing your pet feels safe and is okay!
Pet costumes
Unless you know for sure that your pet is comfortable with their costume and isn't trying to take it off every five seconds because they're unhappy, don't dress up your rabbit! If you do decide to dress up your pet make sure it doesn't restrict their movement, their ability to see or hear, and make sure they're able to use the bathroom.
Whenever your pet is in costume, they should always be accompanied and supervised in case anything goes wrong. catching a neck-piece on furniture could lead to a worst-case scenario. If you must, it's best to only have your rabbit in an outfit for short photo opportunities.
Decorations
Decorations can be just as dangerous to your pet as leaving sweets around. A chewed wire from lights could cause electrocution or burns. Ingested plastic pumpkins could cause gastrointestinal blockages. Glass decorations could get knocked over and smashed, cutting your rabbit. Keep decorations out of reach, and use wire covers just to be safe!
Don’t take them trick or treating
I'm not sure why you would ever do this in the first place, but it's advised that you don't take your rabbit trick or treating with you. Rabbits are super cute and look adorable in their spooky little outfits. If you want to show them off on Halloween, just take a photo and post it to your Facebook or Instagram page.
It's highly likely that your rabbit will escape their harness or buggy and you might never see them again!
Treat (don’t trick)!
Most importantly you should treat your rabbit! Let them love Halloween just as much as you and buy (or make) them some pet friendly, Halloweeny treats!
Have a spooky and safe Halloween 🎃