Autumn | Sandy's Haven

Hello Autumn!

“Never jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.”
-Linus Van Pelt

Fall is a magical time when the summer heat has finally abated,

the frantic nesting season has ended and the natural world takes a silent pause.

Autumn Safety Tips

As the weather turns crisp and the autumn leaves start to resemble brown sugar and cinnamon, there is always that readiness to escape from that hot summer weather. It is always good to remember that lurking dangers that await our four legged friends as the sun takes a step back in preparation for autumn to awaken.

Below are some safety tips to keep your pet save, happy and healthy as the fall crisp comes.

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Additional Items to be Warry Of:

Be Cautious of Rodenticides and Cold Weather Poisons
The use of rodenticides increase in the fall as rodents seek shelter from the cooler temperatures by attempting to move indoors. Rodenticides are highly toxic to pets and, if ingested, the results could be fatal. If you must use these products, please do so with extreme caution and put them in places inaccessible to your pets.

Many people choose fall as the time to change their car's engine coolant. Ethylene glycol-based coolants are highly toxic, so spills should be cleaned up immediately. Consider switching to propylene glycol-based coolants—though they aren't completely nontoxic, they are much less toxic than other engine coolants.

Keep School Supplies Out of Paws’ Reach
Fall is back-to-school time, and those with young children know that means stocking up on items like glue sticks, pencils and magic markers. Although these items are considered low toxicity to pets, gastrointestinal upset and blockages can occur if ingested. Be sure your children keep their school supplies and backpacks out of paw’s reach.

Steer Clear of Mushrooms
Fall is mushroom season and while 99% of mushrooms have little or no toxicity, the 1% that are highly toxic can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Since most toxic mushrooms are difficult to distinguish from nontoxic ones, the best way to prevent pets from ingesting these poisonous plants is to keep them away from areas where any mushrooms are growing. Please visit our poisonous plants page for more information.

If you suspect your pet may have ingested a toxic substance, please contact your veterinarian immediately.

Source: https://www.aspca.org

Wildlife in Autumn

Watch Out for Wildlife

As temperatures dip, snakes prepare for hibernation, increasing the possibility of bites to those unlucky pets who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pet parents should know what kinds of venomous snakes may be lurking in their environment—and where those snakes are most likely to be found—so pets can be kept out of those areas.

Put your pumpkins to good use

Feeding woodland wildlife with leftover Halloween pumpkins might seem helpful and eco-friendly, but it does more harm than good. Pumpkins take a long time to break down and as they rot, they damage delicate woodland ecosystems, attract pets and predators and can be fatal to various wildlife. Please don't leave pumpkins in our woods. Search online for other great ways to use them instead, from creative recipes to autumnal bird feeders and planters. Or just pop it on your compost heap.

Make a pumpkin bird feeder

Take the lid off your jack-o'-lantern, or if you have a fresh pumpkin, cut the top off and scoop out the insides.
Push strong sticks through so that they jut out to create perches for the birds.
Fill with bird seed and place on a bird table, or tie strings to the sticks and hang from a sturdy branch.
Keep it clean and add it to the compost heap when it starts to rot to avoid harming the birds.

Leave apples on the ground

While it may be tempting to harvest all of the apples from your tree as they come into season, leaving a few where they fall can be beneficial to insects and small animals, including butterflies, earwigs, birds, badgers and foxes, who will enjoy this nutritious, energy-giving treat.

Don’t feed birds with leftover cooking fat

Though it might seem like a good idea, and other websites may advise it, you shouldn’t actually use leftover fat for use in bird feeders. This is because the fat can actually smear onto birds’ feathers and cause problems with waterproofing and insulation.

Instead, pure fats like lard and beef suet can be used to make bird cakes, or high quality, shop-bought bird feeders can be hung in sheltered areas of the garden (away from cats!). Try these seed feeders from CJ Wildlife, or fat ball and suet feeders, which are great for winter birds.

Offer clean nest boxes for birds

Nesting season may be over but birds can benefit from nest boxes all year round. Autumn is the ideal time to put up a new one or clean out any you already have – chicks have safely fledged and boxes will instead offer valuable shelter for our feathered friends as temperatures drop. Birds will also be checking out potential breeding sites for next spring - if you're lucky, they might decide to adopt your box to rear their next brood.

Be selective with secateurs

Autumn gardening often involves cutting everything back and having a good tidy up as plants die back and lose their flowers and leaves. But a few seedheads, hollow stems and low-lying foliage can provide important habitat with extra food and shelter for lots of animals in autumn. It doesn’t have to be untidy or on a grand scale – you could cut back some species but not others, leave a small area untouched or put small bundles of natural materials at the back of borders or behind a shed. Keep an eye out in the coming months to see how many species are appreciating your efforts.

Keep bird baths and feeders topped up

As temperatures plummet, birds use a lot of energy to keep warm and food becomes difficult to find. Putting out nuts, seeds and other energy-rich food can be a welcome extra meal in leaner times. Bird baths can be a lifeline too when other water sources may have frozen over - help keep yours ice-free by floating a small ball on the surface to disturb the formation of ice sheets.

Install a bat box

Did you know you can put bat boxes up wherever you live? They’re great for any garden, balcony or roof. While most bats roost in caves and trees, a box could be a welcome hibernation spot - and autumn is when they’re scoping out a place to spend the winter. You can buy a box or build your own. Make sure it's dampproof, draughtproof and at least 14ft high in a sheltered spot that receives sun during the day. You could use several boxes facing different directions to provide a range of roosting options.