Bonfire Night Safety
Bonfire night is an enjoyable time for humans, everyone loves going to see the fireworks and eating toffee apples…but our little piggy friends aren’t so keen! They can get very scared of the loud noises and the flashes of light. Guinea pigs don’t have very good senses so when something as loud and as sudden as a firework goes off it can be quite a shock!
We’ve come up with a little handy guide to help you keep your piggies safe this bonfire night, but it applies to all animals too!
1) Fill the bedding area with lots and lots of hay!
We fill them up so much that we have trouble seeing the piggies, but it means that they have plenty of hay to muffle any loud bangs.
2) Add extra houses!
We put a few more houses into the cages and drape blankets over the top so that they feel safe.
3) Shut and cover any windows!
We always make sure to shut the windows and cover them up, you can use blackout curtains or just a heavy blanket to block out the flashes of light.
4) Background noise!
We make sure the radio is pretty loud on bonfire night, this covers the sudden noises but also gives them a sense of familiarity because the radio is always on in the piggy house! You could also leave your TV turned on if that’s a noise they’re used to 🙂
5) Keep them warm!
Piggies are very susceptible to cold temperatures, so make sure they stay warm. You can use a Snuggle Safe heat pad or even a half full hot water bottle – just make sure you wrap it up tightly in a blanket or towel so they don’t burn themselves!
6) Bring them indoors!
If your piggies live outside then please do consider bringing them inside, the weather is so cold in November that they find it difficult to cope outside. A garage or a shed is better than outside if you can’t bring them into your home!
If you must leave them outside then consider the points above but also turn their cage to face a wall (leave a slight gap for air flow!) or cover the cage in tarpaulin or a rain cover.
Hope this is helpful. If you have any other tips, please let us know 🙂
