The Spooky Truth of Pocket Pet Safety During Halloween
October is truly a magical month of the year. The air starts to get colder, the leaves start to change color, and people celebrate Halloween! Halloween throughout the years has always been a fun holiday for both children and adults. The candy, decorating, carving pumpkins, drinking pumpkin spice lattes, and wearing funny or scary costumes is all part of the fun. In recent years Halloween has started to be fun for not only humans but for their pets as well and even now your pocket pet! This can be a lot of fun but when it comes to your pet's safety during Halloween there are some important things to remember, especially when it comes to your pocket pet.
Candy and Wrappers
Halloween and candy go hand in hand. Everyone who celebrates Halloween usually treats themselves to at least a little piece. When you own a pocket pet however you do have to be careful when it comes to having candy around. You should never allow your pocket pet to ingest candy or the wrappers that are included. Candy can cause seizures and even death in your pocket pet. Wrappers, if ingested, can cause an impaction in your pet that could require surgery or if left untreated could cause death. This also goes for candy apple sticks and lollipop sticks. These can be a huge chocking hazard to pocket pets. Try to have the candy out of reach and not close to your pets enclosure. If your pet does have free roam around your house, make sure to keep the candy up high where your pet cannot reach them. Always make sure to educate your children on the importance of not feeding and keeping the candy a safe distance away from their pocket pet.
Decorations
If you celebrate Halloween, you probably love to decorate. The pumpkins, lights, banners, garland, and candles are all things people love to bring out during this festive holiday. While it's all cute and sometimes spooky you do have to be careful when you have a pocket pet and especially if you have a pet that can free roam around your house. One of the biggest risks is having candles in your pumpkins while having a pocket pet around. If your pet free roams at times they can sometimes be a little too curious and make their way to the pumpkin and want to investigate the candle. This can be very dangerous because your pet can get harmed from the flame and they can accidentally knock over the candle and cause a fire. A good way to avoid this is by either replacing candles with electric tea lights or making sure your pet has no access to the candle. When you have Halloween lights you have to be careful of the risk of them chewing on the electrical cord. A good way to avoid this is to try and cover up the wires or keep your pet away from them, especially if you are not able to monitor your pet around them. Having festive garland or artificial corn and berries around your house can also be a chocking and impaction hazard to your pet so having them a safe distance from your pet or having your pet very closely monitored when they are out of their enclosure is a must.
Costumes
Halloween is the number one holiday to dress in funny or scary costumes. Our pets are often included in this as well and pocket pets are starting to get in on the fun! When picking out a costume for your pocket pet it is always good to pick out a costume that your pet can be comfortable in. This includes them being able to breathe comfortably, moving around easily, and having no choking hazards. When putting the costume on your pocket pet never force them to wear their new costume. You never want to force your pocket pet to wear anything they don’t want to and cause them to hurt themselves. You also do not want to leave them alone with their costume on because they could try to take it off and cause themselves to choke.
Parties
Whether you are in your early 20s or in your senior years you might love a good Halloween party. Having your friends over, dressing up in silly costumes, eating good food, and having a drink or two are all part of the fun of Halloween. If you are hosting one of these parties and own a pocket pet your friends may be tempted to pass your pet around and show them off. While this may seem like a good idea it really is not. Some pocket pets, like chinchillas, do not always like to be handled for long periods of time or by multiple people. Most pocket pets also get very anxious when there are many people around and especially so many new people. Having them out when a party is going on can also be a good way for them to escape from people accidentally leaving doors open. The best way to keep your pocket pet safe and happy is to keep them in their enclosure and keep them in a room away from the party.
We always want to include our pets in as many things as we can for them to feel even more a part of the family than what they already are. As it can be a lot of fun for both your family and your pocket pet to participate in Halloween you should always take precautions so your pocket pet can stay safe. No one wants a scary emergency vet visit on the spookiest holiday!
