Pet Emergency Preparedness: Go-Kits, Power Cuts and Evacuation Plans

This page is for keepers planning ahead for a flood, storm, fire or long power cut. It covers what goes in each animal’s go-kit, how to keep tanks and heat lamps going without mains power, and the paperwork that gets a lost pet back to you. For injuries and sudden illness, use small pet first aid instead.

Go-kit by species

Sources disagree on how much food and water to pack. Ready.gov says “several days”, Mississippi State Extension says a minimum of 3 days, and the CDC checklist says a 2-week supply for each animal. The table follows the CDC figure because evacuations can last longer than planned. Ready.gov also suggests two kits: a large one for sheltering at home and a light one to grab when you leave.

Animal	Carrier	Heat or cooling	Water	Food (2 weeks, CDC)
Rabbits, guinea pigs	Sturdy carrier, ideally one per pet (Ready.gov); bonded pairs can share	Shade and airflow in summer: guinea pigs risk heatstroke above about 85°F (29°C) (Merck)	Bottle plus a non-spill bowl (CDC)	Hay, pellets; guinea pigs also need a daily vitamin C source (Merck)
Hamsters, gerbils, rats	Small, ventilated, chew-proof carrier; one per Syrian hamster (RSPCA)	Nesting material for warmth	Bottle	Usual mix plus nesting material
Chinchilla	Hard plastic, chew-proof, well-ventilated (Merck)	Keep out of the sun and keep the car cool (Merck)	Bottle	Pellets, plenty of hay, dust for bathing
Birds	Secure carrier covered on at least three sides (Merck)	Cold: heating pad or warm water bottle beside the carrier (Merck). Hot: out of direct sun, gentle cool misting for parrots (RSPCA)	Non-spill dish (CDC)	Usual seed or pellets
Reptiles	Secure, ventilated transport box (RSPCA)	Cold: hot-water bottle or microwavable heat pad wrapped in a towel, outside one end of the box, never inside (RSPCA)	Shallow dish	Usual food
Fish	Heavy-duty bags, one-third water to two-thirds air; sparsely packed fish survive at least 36 hours (NC State)	Insulate bags or tank	Dechlorinated water	Don’t feed during the move (NC State)

Add copies of vet records, feeding and medication instructions for each animal, a 2-week supply of medicines, recent photos, and microchip details (CDC). For heat and cold limits by species, see summer and winter care.

Power cuts: tanks, heaters and lamps

The winter care guide has the cold-weather outage steps for vivaria and tanks: blankets, a wrapped heat source outside the enclosure, and when to warm a tropical tank. The points below cover what that guide doesn’t: summer outages, moving fish, and backup power.

Fish (NC State College of Veterinary Medicine):

1. Stop feeding. Digestion uses oxygen, and most fish survive days or even weeks without food.
2. In summer, clear the water surface to improve gas exchange, keep the tank out of direct sun, and whisk the surface to add oxygen. Most species cope with the high 80s or low 90s°F (about 31–33°C) for a day or more.
3. When you add water to correct the temperature, a 10% change every hour or two shouldn’t endanger fish.
4. Test ammonia. Above 1 ppm, change 10–30% of the water.

A generator, or an extension cable from a powered building, can run the heater and filter (NC State). Warm water holds less oxygen (NC State), so in summer a battery air pump is more useful than a heater. See aquarium setup for normal targets.

Birds and reptiles: for warming a weak or chilled bird, follow the heating-pad method in small pet first aid. In hot weather, a bird that pants or spreads its wings is probably too hot (Merck): move it out of direct sun and mist it gently with cool water (RSPCA). For reptiles, wrap the vivarium and put a towel-wrapped heat source outside one end, never inside, because reptiles may not move away from a source that gets too hot (RSPCA). The reptile lighting guide lists normal basking temperatures, so the sitter knows the range to restore.

Pet-sitter and buddy sheet

Ready.gov recommends a “buddy system”: a neighbour, friend or relative who can feed or evacuate your animals if you can’t get home. Leave them a one-page sheet in the kit:

Field	Why
Each animal’s name, species, sex, description and photo	Identification (CDC)
Feeding amounts and times	CDC lists feeding instructions for each animal
Medicines, doses and instructions	2-week supply in the kit (CDC)
Heat and light settings, safe temperature range	Lets the sitter spot a failed heater or lamp
Who can’t share a carrier	Syrian hamsters always live alone (RSPCA); unbonded rabbits fight
Your vet, an out-of-hours exotics clinic, your mobile, an out-of-area contact	Ready.gov advises an emergency contact outside your area
Where each pet hides	Ready.gov suggests noting hiding spots so pets can be found fast
Evacuation destination	Many shelters and hotels refuse pets (Ready.gov)

Microchips and records

Ready.gov advises microchipping and keeping the registered address and phone number current, including an emergency contact outside your area. The CDC checklist adds the microchip number and the chip company’s name and number. Before a flood, the RSPCA suggests sealing microchip numbers, vet details and vaccination records in a watertight bag with a photo of your pet. Ready.gov suggests a photo of you with the pet to prove ownership. Keep copies online as well (Ready.gov).

Planning mistakes

• Assuming a shelter will take your pets. Many public shelters and hotels don’t (Ready.gov). Without a pre-arranged destination you may have to leave animals behind, and Ready.gov warns they “may end up lost, injured or worse”.
• Waiting for the water to rise. The RSPCA’s flood advice is to act on the warning: bring small animals indoors, move them upstairs, and move food, bedding and water somewhere dry.
• Relying on one carrier for a household of animals. Ready.gov recommends a carrier for each pet. Mixing unfamiliar animals in a carrier risks fights.
• Pooling fish from two tanks to share one heater. NC State treats this as a last resort because of disease spread.
• Letting the kit go stale. Review it regularly so food and medicines are in date (Ready.gov).