Give a little, get a lot: Enrichment for your pets during the busy season

With the year-end approaching, it’s easy for your pet’s needs to take a back seat. Use these suggestions to build a handy bank of foraging activities to keep their minds and bodies busy.

While ultimately a fun time of year, this celebratory season can bring a fair few stresses to pets as well as their humans. From the unsettling nature of routine changes and visitors in the home, to the sudden shock of fireworks, higher than usual anxiety levels can cause a raft of unwanted behaviours.

Then, as the spring and summer calendar starts to bulge with social events and weekend travel, the opportunity cost can also be time spent at home with your pets, causing further stress and upset.

You might see barbecues and picnics as excellent opportunities to mix and mingle with your pup in tow, but a drooling doggo isn’t always welcome. And as every dog owner knows, when you’re out and about, they are likely to be doing little more than snoozing, or waiting for your shadow to grace the doorstep.

And for those with pets of the smaller variety – rabbits, guinea pigs, aviary birds or chinchillas – well, they’re usually much happier at home.

So how to keep them entertained while we’re gone, and generally settled throughout? 

With dogs, find ways to slow down the slobber

Dogs are active, social and intelligent animals. They love enrichment activities that allow them to explore and use their natural instincts. For this reason, food and scent-based enrichment activities such as treat puzzles are a good way to keep dogs busy while you’re out.

• Lickimats or similar rubber products can stretch out snack time while you’re away. These have little crevices and cracks where food gets stuck, causing your pet to slow down and expend energy getting the goods. Crumble some freeze-dried meat over it for a healthy and protein-packed treat.
• Pet stores also sell balls and toys, like the best-selling Kong range, that can be stuffed with your dog’s favourites. There are even some versions that dispense treats as the toy is moved around the house.
• Wrap some treats in several layers of paper or pop them inside an egg carton and let them rip. The more layers, the longer it should take them to get down to the treat inside. Fair warning – you may come home to a bit of a mess!
• The quintessential bone, antler or pig’s ear creates a tasty and time-consuming activity and also helps with dental health. A frozen bone on a hot day is a treat they can take their time over.
• A peanut butter-smeared pine cone can make for a lip-smacking enrichment activity, as can a simple munchable carrot for the vege-inclined pooch.

For chickens, the fun is in the forage

Deep in the DNA of chooks runs a desire to forage. Although their bellies might be happy with food from a feeder, their minds prefer to discover it – backyard chickens spend about half their waking hours smelling, scratching and pecking (hence the popularity of our Scratch & Lay feed!)

Here are some other ideas to keep them entertained:

• Chickens love a mini see-saw or swing for movement and variety. To encourage them to use this equipment, scatter some mealworms on the bars and seats.
• For a treat and challenge in one, hide some Poultry Peckers around their run. These are full of grains, vegetables, chia, garlic, herbs, and grit, bound up in a highly peck-able package.
  Suspend high-value greens above your chicken’s head using a clothesline and pegs. They will need to jump and flap to reach them, making for a fun game.

Aviary birds

Aviary birds are also social creatures, who love to get busy and chatty. When you’re out, leave them with something they can pick apart and eat, such as a millet spray or a seed bell. With two varieties that combine fruit, vegetables, seeds and grains, Parrot Picks are a great choice for this.

Guinea pigs and rabbits: Hide and squeak

Like many pets, rabbits are food driven so tasty morsels tend to make high interest activities. Guinea pigs, on the other hand, just love searching out new spots to hide.

• Change up the layout and features in their home often. Add tunnels, fluffy blankets and hidey spots to create a sense of novelty.
• Much like dogs, rabbits will love a treat capsule with a piece of high value food, such as apple slices or a Bonanza Bar, inside. You could fold up the ends of a toilet roll or just wrap it in layers of paper that need to be sniffed and nuzzled out of the way.
• Treats such as Nibble Sticks or fresh spinach leaves can be suspended from a high wire in your pet’s enclosure to encourage them to stand up on their hind legs and retrieve them.
• Cardboard boxes are your friend for small pets. Chop holes and get creative with tape to create tunnels, doors and connections. Our Timothy Hay boxes make a great starting point.

Tail twitchers for cats

Most cats don’t give too meows where you are, so long as they are fed, although most would prefer you were around when they’re looking for a warm lap. Younger cats may appreciate some amusement though – here are a couple of pointers.

• Cut holes in a cardboard box or a plastic bottle, put some snacks inside and let them roll it and move it around until the treats fall out.
• Place platforms and cat trees near a window so they can see the view. Cats love an elevated spot to snooze.
• Scratching posts will definitely get used by indoor cats. You can make your own with some rope coiled around a log or post and secured down with cat-safe glue.

Reminders for pet safety

With the heat of summer and the chaos of Christmas approaching, here are a few tips for getting through this time without any emergency trips to the vet.

• Don’t forget about ventilation and water for keeping your pets cool on very hot days.
• Christmas decorations can be tempting as toys but they are not made for chewing - keep them high and safe.
• Watch out for chocolate!

With their basic needs met and a few fun, novel activities to break up the long days, chances are your pet might just survive the so-called silly season in a better state than you!