04/08/2024
Small Animal Care During Eclipse
Unusual Reactions: During a solar eclipse, pets may display unusual behaviors because, like humans, they are accustomed to being active during daylight hours and resting at night. The darkness caused by an eclipse can disrupt their internal clocks, leading to confusion and anxiety. The sudden increase in darkness during what should be the middle of the day is puzzling and disorienting for pets. Often, when darkness quickly increases during what should be daylight, storms follow. As a result, there may be a conditioned response in some animals to be expecting storms when the day suddenly darkens. This can be especially true in animals with storm anxiety. Those with a history of anxiety or storm anxiety may exhibit additional behaviors such as whining, pacing, panting or hiding. Because pets are creatures of habit, they rely on consistent routines related to feeding, playing and resting. When the sudden darkness of a solar eclipse mimics nighttime, pets also may interpret this change as a signal to start their evening routines, such as seeking out food early or looking for a place to sleep. Some animals rely even more heavily on light cues; birds are one example. If a pet bird is out of its cage, it may go back in and find its perch as if it is nighttime. Pet birds in the path of totality will likely be more vocal in periods prior to and after the eclipse, but silent during the peak eclipse. It is highly encouraged to maintain your pet’s daily routine or interactions so that they can feel a sense of normalcy and comfort during the eclipse, reducing the likelihood of stress or anxiety-related behaviors.However, if pets are exhibiting unusual behaviors, owners can provide them with additional comfort and reassurance. If pets are hiding, they may be too scared to interact, and forcing interaction may make them more nervous. For pets who are food-motivated, you can always gently talk to them, pet them, and give them their favorite snack as a distraction. Those who are too stressed to eat may crave physical touch, so you can calmly sit with, talk to, and pet them.
Safety Tips: Although humans are advised to wear special viewing glasses to protect their eyes during the eclipse, there is not much research to support information on pet eye safety during an eclipse. Lucky for us, they usually will not stare up into the sky simply out of curiosity, they may see us looking into the sky and follow our gaze to see what we are looking at, so if you have a pet with you, try not to look too long. Major cities in the path of totality are expecting large numbers of people, which can lead to increased noise, crowds and unfamiliar activity. These changes in the environment can be particularly unsettling for pets. I would not recommend taking pets to any eclipse viewing events, these will be very crowded and may increase anxiety even further. This is especially true if your pet is not used to large events, other pets or people.