Enjoying the spooky season? Halloween is fun for people, but it can be potentially hazardous for our pets and native wildlife.
Let's make sure our celebrations don't harm the animals that share our homes, backyards, parks, and bushland!
Tips to keep your pets safe on Halloween
We thought we'd address some of the most common hazards that pets encounter at Halloween and some simple ways to avoid them.
First and foremost, make sure you keep chocolate and lollies locked away and out of paw's reach.
Halloween sweets can be potentially deadly when consumed by pets, especially in large quantities.
Unwrapped sweets are also a choking risk, so store your Halloween goodies in sealed containers and well out of reach from our furry friends.
Front door mayhem can be another big fright for pets.
Trick-or-treat traffic, flashing lights, costumes, and sudden noises can be very scary for our furry family members - not to mention the sound of repeated door knocking or a doorbell, which can be potentially distressing for pets.
Also, put yourself in their shoes – they have no idea why you're running around dressed like a blood-thirsty zombie!
To keep your pet comfortable and stress free, you could keep them in a quiet, secure room with their bed, toys and a blanket or manage their access to the front door using tools like baby gates or puppy pens.
Consider providing calming enrichment activities such as lickimats, snufflemats or other food puzzles.
As RSPCA SA's Behaviour Team Supervisor Isabella Dew explains, "it's important your pets are kept safe and secure on Halloween, as they may be more likely to escape if they are feeling stressed.
"Not only that, but on Halloween, we are also opening the door more frequently to greet Trick or Treaters, so there is more opportunity to escape".
Decorations that seem harmless to us can be potentially fatal to pets.
Thin plastic, stringy cobwebs, glow sticks and small decorative pieces are tempting to chew and can cause dangerous blockages if swallowed. Choose large, sturdy decorations and place anything small or fragile well out of reach.
"Animals use their mouth for explorative behaviour, and chewing is a natural behaviour for them to engage in. They can chew for other reasons as well, such as self-soothing," says Isabella.
"If items are small enough, they can be accidentally swallowed, and some animals do intentionally ingest foreign items," says Isabella.
Please ditch the pet costumes.
They may look cute in photos, but they can restrict movement, hearing, and breathing – therefore creating unnecessary stress for animals.
Here's a quick checklist to keep your pets safe and content this Halloween:
- Lock away chocolate and sweets in sealed containers.
- Keep pets in a secure, quiet room during peak trick-or-treat hours.
- Use pet-safe decorations and remove small items from floors and low tables.
- Ditch the elaborate pet costumes (work on your own instead!)
"Some planning before Halloween means that Halloween can be safe and enjoyable for everyone involved, including our pets," says Isabella.
Tips to keep native wildlife safe on Halloween
Halloween can leave more than cobwebs behind, it can cause real harm for native wildlife.
Fake spider webs, plastic wrappers, balloons and ribbons may look nesting material to birds, bats and possums but can quickly become deadly traps.
"The impact of Halloween on wildlife cannot be underestimated. Particularly with the spider web decorations, which to a bird can look like perfect nesting material," says RSPCA SA Wildlife Expert Di Hakof.
"I once found a nest of fledglings trapped in this artificial webbing, and they were all deceased because they couldn't get free. That image still haunts me to this day. Just because you don't always see the impact doesn't mean it isn't happening."
"If you find an animal in trouble, do not try to untangle it or aid it yourself. Instead, call a local wildlife rescue group or RSPCA SA immediately. Only trained professionals should handle these animals to avoid causing further harm to the animal, or risk of rabies," says Di.
Be mindful of your outdoor space.
Leftover pumpkins, chocolate, lollies and litter are like a buffet for the wrong guests. Pumpkins attract rodents, and sweet wrappers or glow-stick fluids can poison animals that investigate a little too closely.
Use LED candles instead of open flames and compost pumpkins responsibly to avoid inviting pests and upsetting natural diets.
Keep the spooky celebrations indoors or away from wildlife.
Noise and light pollution on Halloween night can also spook nocturnal creatures into dangerous situations. Keep celebrations contained to urban areas or indoors away from bushland, limit fireworks and flashing lights, and tidy up after your party.
Quick cleanup, wildlife-friendly decorations and mindful placement of displays will help ensure your Halloween is spooky for the right reasons: fun for people, safe for pets and harmless to the wildlife that share our neighbourhoods.
