View additional guidance on what to do if:

• Your pet escapes
• You see an escaped or released pet in the wild 
• You find a ‘hitchhiker’ with your new pet or materials you buy for them
• You keep birds 
• You keep cold water fish or aquatic invertebrates
• You keep temperate (lives in mild temperatures) reptiles or amphibians
• You keep mammals in an outdoor enclosure

What to do if your pet escapes

If your pet escapes, here are some things that you can do to try to find them again:

• Thoroughly check your home, garden, and outbuildings, particularly places your pet could be hidden away, and ask your neighbours to look out for them too.
• Encourage them to return, for example by putting out food, bedding, or a favourite toy. 
• Contact your pet's microchip database and report them missing.
• Check the local area - contact local vet surgeries, nearby animal hospitals, and rehoming centres.
• Report your pet on a missing pet website such as Animal Search UK, National Pet Register, or Pets Reunited.
• Check social media for reports of locally found pets and post the details of your animal on local social media groups – but be aware of scams.
• Contact the Police if you think your pet has been stolen.
• If your pet is a species of special concern you should report the loss to the Non-native Species Inspectorate.

What to do if you see an escaped or released pet in the wild

It’s important to report sightings of non-native animals (other than cats or dogs) in the wild, alive or dead, as they may have escaped from captivity or have been abandoned.

There are two main ways to report a sighting:

• Most non-native species can be reported online through iRecord: Report a sighting | iRecord.
• If you can’t find the species you want to report on iRecord, you can report a sighting by email.

Please include a photograph of your sighting if you have one, to help with identification. There are also recording schemes to encourage reporting of certain species, view a list of smartphone apps and websites for recording.

Your sighting will help in understanding where these animals are and their impact. The report will be considered by an appropriate agency and, depending on the species, action may follow.

Be aware that some species can be venomous or aggressive and take care not to be stung or bitten. If there is a potential danger to the public, you should telephone 101 to report this to the police non-emergency service. 

What to do if you find a ‘hitchhiker’ (something that shouldn’t be there)

New pets and the materials you buy for them could be carrying other species as ‘hitchhikers’, for example, plants you add to your aquarium or terrarium could carry tiny plant fragments, eggs, molluscs or other invertebrates. These could become invasive non-native species and may cause you problems.

If you find a ‘hitchhiker’:

• Contain it so that it cannot escape into the wild - be aware that some species can be venomous or aggressive and take care not to be stung or bitten. 
• Contact an appropriate rescue organisation or hobby group to try and find someone who can collect it and care for it appropriately (see ‘what to do with a pet you can no longer look after’ for organisations that may be able to help).
• If you have found an insect hitchhiker and have not been able to find an organisation to collect it, place it in a sealed container and freeze this for 48 hours before disposing of it in a bin. 
• If you have found a plant hitchhiker, dispose of it responsibly, for example by adding it to your garden compost or using it as mulch (away from waterbodies or drains) - do not wash it down drains or place it in rivers or other waterbodies as it could become invasive. Check out the Be Plant Wise campaign for more information.