Guinea pigs and fireworks

Help your pet to cope with fireworks from Bonfire Night all the way through to New Year’s Eve with these handy tips.

1. Give your guinea pig lots of extra bedding so they can burrow down in it and get cosy. You could put a cardboard box full of hay in their hutch to give them an extra place to shelter in safety. Remember to cut holes in boxes for easy access and exit.
2. Bring your guinea pigs’ hutch or cage indoors. A quiet room is best, but an unused garage or shed is a good alternative if you can’t bring them into your house.
3. If you can’t bring your pets inside, turn their enclosure around so it faces a wall or fence instead of the open garden. This will help to stifle the sound and prevent them from seeing the flashes of light. Cover their hutch with thick blankets or a duvet to block out the sound of the bangs and the sight of the fireworks, but make sure your pet still has enough ventilation.
4. If your guinea pigs usually live in your home or you are able to bring your pet inside for fireworks season, draw the curtains or black out the windows to block out the flashes of light in the night sky.
5. Close the windows to muffle the sound from outside. Switching the TV or radio on might help too, but make sure it’s not too loud – especially if your guinea pig isn’t used to noises from the television.
6. Guinea pigs are social animals who love company. Keeping them with the companion they’re used to will limit the stress of firework phobia and help them cope through Guy Fawkes Night and beyond.