A fancy bed from Kmart won't fix high cortisol. Your home is a sensory minefield to a new rescue.
To a new pet, your living room is a sensory storm. High cortisol levels lead to 'whale eye' and pacing before they even unpack their bags.
The afternoon postie and the neighbour’s mower are terrifying. Hard tiles and floorboards amplify every scary thud for a sensitive animal.
Forget expensive foam. Use heavy-duty moving blankets or rubber mats to dampen the echo. You’re building a 'sound cocoon' to mask the street chaos.
Swooping magpies and passing cars keep them on high alert. Use Kmart blockout curtains to lower the 'visual horizon' so they can finally nap.
Bright overhead LEDs mess with their sleep cycles. Swap to a warm 2700K lamp. It signals to their brain that the day is finally over.
Our favourite cleaning scents are an olfactory assault. A dog's nose is 100k times more sensitive. Go unscented to let them reset.
Place your worn t-shirt in their zone. This 'scent bridge' lets them bond with you at their own pace without you hovering over them.
Avoid the hallway. Pick a corner where they aren't forced to interact just to get a drink. Two solid walls mean less for them to monitor.
Sit in the same room but read a book. Ignore them. This teaches your new mate that your presence doesn't always demand high energy.
If they’re still panting or showing the whites of their eyes after 48 hours, the stimulus is still too high. Dial it back further.
Decompression isn't isolation. It's environmental engineering that turns a terrified rescue into a relaxed family member.
Get the full 3-3-3 rule breakdown and the exact shopping list for a low-stim Aussie home.