Your New Pet's First Week: A Practical Plan

Quick answer

Get everything set up before your pet arrives, keep the first day quiet, stick to the food and routine it already knows, and book a vet check within the first week. Watch closely that your new pet is eating, drinking and toileting normally. Hold off on visitors, big outings and introductions to other pets until it has had a few days to settle.

Before your pet comes home

The first week is far easier when the home is ready before the animal is. A few days ahead:

• Set up its space. A bed, crate or enclosure in a quiet corner, away from the busiest part of the house. For caged pets, the full setup should be in place and checked. An aquarium needs to be fully cycled before fish go in, which takes weeks, so read the aquarium nitrogen cycle guide first.
• Ask what it eats. Buy the same food the seller, breeder or shelter has been using, and enough of it for a couple of weeks.
• Get the basics. Bowls, bedding, a carrier, litter tray or substrate, toys or chews, a lead and collar with an ID tag for dogs.
• Pet-proof. Tuck away cables, cleaning products, medicines, toxic houseplants and small objects. Check balconies, windows, fences and gaps behind appliances.
• Find a vet. Choose one who treats your species (exotic pets often need a specialist vet) and book an appointment for the first week.
• Agree the house rules. Decide who feeds, walks and cleans, where the pet is allowed and what words you'll use for commands, so everyone is consistent.

Pick-up day

Bring a secure carrier for anything smaller than a large dog. Ask the seller for:

• vaccination, deworming and any medical records;
• microchip details, if chipped, so you can transfer them to your name;
• the feeding routine and amounts;
• any quirks, fears or health history.

Travel straight home, keep the car comfortable and never leave the animal in a parked car. Check the animal over before you leave: bright eyes, clean nose, clean rear end, alert behaviour. If something looks wrong, it is easier to raise it now than later.

Day one: keep it calm

Take your pet straight to its prepared space and let it explore at its own pace. Resist the urge to invite friends round or pass the animal from person to person. A new home is full of strange smells and sounds, and most animals cope best with a small, quiet area at first.

Dogs and puppies: take them to their toilet spot as soon as you arrive, and frequently after that. Show them where water and their bed are, then let them rest.

Cats and kittens: start in one room with litter, food, water, a bed and somewhere to hide. Let them come out when ready. Open up more of the home over the next days.

Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and other small pets: put them in their enclosure with hay, food, water and hides, and mostly leave them alone. Handling can wait a few days.

Birds: place the cage against a wall in a quiet room, partly covered if the bird seems nervous. Talk softly, but don't try to handle it yet.

Fish: follow the seller's advice on floating the bag and acclimatising, keep the lights low for the rest of the day and feed lightly, if at all.

Days two to four: build a routine

Animals settle faster when they can predict what happens next. Feed at the same times each day, keep toilet breaks or litter cleaning regular and set a fixed bedtime. Spend short, calm periods with your pet several times a day, letting it approach you.

This is also when to start the habits you want to keep. For puppies, that means house training, short handling sessions and gentle introductions to new sounds. For kittens, it means litter habits and play with wand toys rather than hands. For small pets, it means sitting by the enclosure and offering food from your hand.

If you have children, set the rules early: gentle hands, no picking up without an adult, and leave the pet alone when it is eating or sleeping. Pets and Children: Keeping Both Safe has more on this.

Days five to seven: the vet visit and next steps

The first vet check confirms your pet is healthy and gets preventive care on track. Bring all the paperwork. The vet will typically:

• give a full physical examination and weigh your pet;
• review vaccinations and plan the next ones;
• discuss worming, flea and other parasite control;
• check or register a microchip;
• talk about diet, neutering and any breed or species-specific issues.

Write down questions beforehand. Puppies and kittens should not mix with unknown animals or walk in public places until the vet says their vaccinations allow it.

By the end of the week, if your pet is settled, you can start introducing it to other pets in the household. Go slowly: scent first, then seeing each other through a barrier, then short supervised meetings. Never leave them unsupervised together until you're confident.

Warning signs in the first week

Moving is stressful, and stress can bring out hidden illness. Contact a vet if your new pet:

• stops eating, or eats much less than expected (for rabbits, guinea pigs and other small herbivores, several hours without eating is already urgent);
• has diarrhoea, especially with blood, or vomits more than once;
• produces few or no droppings or urine;
• is lethargic, weak or hiding constantly beyond the first day or two;
• has discharge from the eyes or nose, coughing or sneezing;
• has a wet, dirty rear end (urgent in young hamsters);
• has difficulty breathing.

If there is a problem, tell the seller too. Responsible sellers want to know, and some offer a health guarantee for a set period.

A simple first-week checklist

• Space set up and pet-proofed before arrival
• Same food as before, enough for two weeks
• Records, microchip details and feeding notes collected
• Quiet first day, no visitors
• Feeding and toilet routine started
• Vet check booked within the week
• Children briefed on the house rules
• Introductions to other pets planned, not rushed

Still choosing? Look for sellers who answer questions openly and share health records; you can compare verified listings on Paalo.