It is a very critical part of adopting a new pet is to have a plan where to quarantine them once arriving home to you. This is MOST important when you have existing pets in your home, however is also beneficial even if this is your first pet, because a properly thought out quarantine area will help to keep your new pet calm, and safe and have a place to slowly adjust to their new environment.
A quarantine period should last a minimum of 7-10 days, but can and should go longer if the new pet or existing pets are having any difficulties with adjusting.
Things to put into the quarantine area:
Pet bed
Blankets
Toys
Food & Water
Scratchers + Litter pan for cats
Pee pads / potty grass for dogs
Blankets or Clothing with scents of other pets and family members for the new pet to get used to.
Consider a calming pheromone plug-in as well
Good areas in your home to use for quarantine include:
Guest bathroom or master bath
Spare bedroom or your bedroom (not best if your existing pets sleep in the bedroom with you because you want their routines to stay as similar as possible)
Laundry room
Even a large closet would work for small pets
It might seem hard to bring your new pet home and wait this period for them to come out and meet the rest of the family but it is well worth the patience to keep everyone safe and help ensure that they have a smooth transition with everyone in your home for great lasting bonds!
