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1. With a pair of electric clippers (people clippers or animal clippers with #10 blade or finer), carefully clip your piggy under his front arms, and if you're not showing, along his sides too. If he has a lot of long hair, consider clipping it back a little for his summer hairdo.

2. In the event of overheating, put cool water on your piggy for a minute and then thoroughly drench him with cold water (except his head, of course). Research from the Olympics held that summer in Spain when so many horses died due to heat stroke indicated that generously applying cold water is safe and effective. We have had to do this more than once with miniature goat bucks in full show coats that were on the verge of overheating.

3. On hot days, give your piggie a nice cold swim in the sink and only towel dry him. The moisture evaporating from his coat will help to keep him cool.

4. Keep your piggie out of the kitchen. In summer, your fridge will generate a lot of heat.

5. If you have any big plants, like fig trees or palm trees, put a few by the cage and mist the plants. Then turn on a fan. This will help cool your piggie, like taking a stroll through the woods on a hot day.

6. The ice in a bag is a great idea. If you use a large ziplock bag, a baby pillowcase should fit around it nicely. An even easier way to chill your piggie is to get some camper's gel packs. Sometimes, you get these for free when you order meds from a vaccine company. Your vet might have some he/she will give to you. Just freeze the pack and put in a cloth to keep your piggie from nibbling the plastic on the gel pack. The nice thing about the larger square packs is that your piggie can lay on it when he's really feeling hot. You also don't have to worry about the cage getting wet because the gel doesn't turn into water like ice when it melts.

7. Put a little bowl of water with some ice in it. Your piggie might take a few sips, lay next to it, or even decide he likes dunking his paws in the cold water. Of course, then you get the weirdo who decides splashing it all over his cage is fun, but that's better than a hot piggie, right?

8. Keep two water bottles in the fridge and rotate them several times a day. Cold water for your piggie will help him from overheating instead of drinking the water at room temperature.

9. Feed more juicy fresh fruit that has been chilled in the fridge. This will help keep him stay hydrated and cool because the vitamins and fructose will help him keep his electrolytes in balance.

10. Speaking of which, does anyone know of any electrolyte formulas safe for piggies? If you do, could you please let me know?

Ok, those are my ideas. Whoever suggested the floor tile is right on. I'm going to get a couple this week so everything is ready when summer comes.

Thanks for a cool thread.