Get Ready to Bring Your New Pet Home with This Essential Guide.

 

Getting a new pet is a big deal. Though some people take it lightly, you should prepare thoroughly before you bring your new friend into your home. There’s lots to do to make sure that your house is suitable and that you have everything you need to care for them. Whether you’re adopting a rescue cat, bringing home a new puppy or getting a guinea pig, you need to create the right environment for them and start preparing their new home. It will be a bit of a shock for them when they arrive, as well as for the rest of your household, so it’s essential to try and make everyone as happy as possible. Before you bring home your new best friend, don’t forget to do these vital things to get everything ready.

Pet-proof the House

Just like when you bring a small child into the house, it’s important to ensure that your home is safe for your new pet. Animals can’t assess dangers for themselves, so you need to do it for them and remove any hazards. Puppies and kittens especially, as well as other baby animals, like to explore things with their mouths, so you need to be careful about what they could get hold of. There are lots of things you might need to do, and thinking about how you might make the area safe for a baby could be a good start.

Some tasks you can complete include tidying electrical wires and securing or removing anything that could be knocked or pulled from a high surface. You should also store chemicals in safe places. Think about your animal and its habits, as well as how they will experience your home. A small animal like a hamster or rat could get into small holes, a rabbit might chew everything in sight, and a puppy will need to get outside quickly while its toilet training.

Mike Mozart

Buy the Essentials

There are lots of things you’ll need to buy to get your home ready for your new pet. Each animal has different requirements, but primarily you need to think about their food and water, health, hygiene, exercise, and habitat. Make a list of everything you need to buy so you can get it all in one go. For example, a cat will need food and bowls, a litter tray, a brush, bedding, a collar and tag, and possibly worming and flea treatments. A rabbit needs a hutch, bedding, food, and water, perhaps a pen to run around in, etc. Make sure you read up on what your animal needs so you know its requirements.

Create a List of Resources

When you have gathered everything you need for your starter pack, you can keep a list of resources and contacts. These are places and people you can use for regular supplies, health concerns, and advice. For example, you might include the nearest stores for pet supplies. You can note down a website like www.petfleas.co.uk for essential medical supplies, and the phone number of your vet. These will come in handy whenever you need anything. It’s a good idea to include an emergency out-of-hours number for when you can’t contact your vet.

Register with a Veterinary Surgery

Before you get your pet home, find a veterinary surgery with which to register your pet. If they haven’t already had vaccinations and other necessary treatment, that will be one of the first things you need to do when you bring them home. Take your time looking for a vet that you like, and don’t just choose the one that has the best introductory offer. They might be cheap to begin with, but could later prove to be expensive or have poor service. You can ask people for recommendations and read reviews to find the best place for you. You might also look for somewhere that specializes in certain animals, especially you have an exotic or rare pet.

Paul L Dineen

Get Pet Insurance

While you’re looking at vets, you can also start to think about pet insurance for your new friend. Vet bills can be difficult to pay for on your own, especially if your pet is diagnosed with a chronic condition, so pet insurance is a good idea. Some veterinary surgeries will offer a few weeks insurance with certain package deals, such as kitten or puppy packages. But don’t feel that you have to stick with whatever insurance they provide. You can use comparison websites to find the best policy for you and make sure that you are covered in all the right circumstances. You can find policies that will help you when your pet suffers an accident or illness.

Make Sure the Whole Family is Prepared

Everyone in the family needs to be ready for when your pet comes home, including any pets that you already own. If you have animals already, you should introduce them slowly if you’re going to do so at all (for example, you might not let your chickens meet the new puppy). Everyone in the family should know whose responsibility it is to do each task for your pet. For example, who will take charge of toilet training for your new puppy? Whose job will it be to feed the cat in the morning or clean out the gerbil?

Bringing Them Home

When you finally bring your pet home, it’s important not to overwhelm them. Whether it’s a hamster or a kitten, be careful not to have everyone crowding them at once. Try to keep the environment calm and quiet so they have time to get used to their new surroundings. When you pick them up, ask about their routine and the food they have been eating. Keeping them on the same schedule for a little while can help them with the transition. They’ll soon settle in and start ruling the house like they’ve lived there all along.

Introducing a new pet to your household can be a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the end. Your new pet will become a part of your family, and they’ll always have a place in your heart.