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 laura220 |
Re: Keeping COOL (summer woes and cooling tips for cavies) | #61 | ||
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Posts: 13 04/09/05 08:23 AM |
Where I am in the summer it doesn't get really hot. Maybe up to 85 but that's it. So do I need to put in bottles or put a fan up by my future piggies?
Well I'm not sure about that temperature cause here we use celsius instead. But I'll check and try to post back. |
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laura220 |
Only 70! | #62 | ||
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Posts: 13 04/09/05 09:25 AM |
I got it! The hottest summmer day here only gets to about 70! So I guess i have nothing to worry about with overheated piggies.
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thecru98520 |
Re: keeping cool | #63 | ||
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Posts: 1 04/26/05 08:31 PM |
great ideas and ty
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snk4life |
keeping cool | #64 | ||
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Posts: 26 04/26/05 11:45 PM |
Hello I am new here but thought I'd give my two cents. Frozen bottles of water are great, we used to raise show rabbits and during the summer had to have a big chest freezer well-stocked in order to keep them cool, it works and they LOVED it.
Also terra cotta pots/bricks/pads etc are a great idea, they keep cool for wuite awhile, you can put them in the freezer, just make sure to get any ice that may have formed where they might lay off. Another idea is those bags of beans/wheat hulls/corn etc that you get as a hot/cold pack , you can find them at wal-mart or other stores, and I have seen them at fairs etc homemade, so I am sure you can make them yourself. The ones at wal-mart have covers so they can be removed and washed, perfect for a piggie! You just freeze them for a few hours and they are ready to go, can be reused indefinitely etc. Most bottles of Blue Ice and the like are made from pure water now, or harmless gels, but always read the packaging to be absolutely sure. Just a few tips for everyone, hope they come in handy if you need them! Katrina |
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Animalover654 |
Re: keeping cool | #65 | ||
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Posts: 431 06/26/05 06:22 AM |
i always keep my sweet gp in a airconditioned room! who do u think I am a bad owner?
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furie5416 |
Re: Pigloos | #66 | ||
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Posts: 1 06/26/05 10:16 PM |
Four days ago I lost my little guy from heatstroke. I am an Animal Health Tech so you would imagine that I would know better. I had never heard that cavys were suseptible to the heat. I put my pigs out for a little grass and freah air. It wasn't hot but it was sunny, although they did have shadey bits and I put out their "pigloo" for hiding. They ahve been going outside for all of their lives.
When I came out two hours later Lumos was unconscious. Pigwidgeon had managed to get out under the pen and hide in the bushes. When I discovered Lumos I was in shock. I tried to cool him down then drove him to my vet. Unfortunately he died. I am devestated although that does nothing to help him now. I still have trouble accepting that I killed him. Thanks for listening, this was the only board I could find who had info about heatstroke in cavys. Keep spreading the word about "pigloos"-my is in the garbage. |
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cavylover89 |
Re: Pigloos | #67 | ||
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Posts: 11 07/15/05 03:37 PM |
Sorry to hear about your lossed :(
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charliesmamma |
Re: keeping cool | #68 | ||
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Posts: 36 05/21/06 09:44 PM |
Sorry if this has been said before. Last year our ac wasn't working for awhile so I took sandwich size zip loc bags filled it with water and freezed it. Then I wrapped a wash cloth around it so they wouldn't get too cold. They all liked to lay near it
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sweetmisery2003 |
Re: keeping cool | #69 | ||
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Posts: 34 06/27/06 05:58 AM |
Hi,
We have our two piggies in the living room below a ceiling fan and close to our back door which is generally opened during the day. I've also been putting in a frozen bottle of water but they haven't really noticed it. They also have a ceramic tile. Our weather get's no hotter than 35 celsius/95 degrees. They spend a lot of the day in their log houses. Are those okay to have during the summer? Is a ceiling fan okay or should they have a regular fan too? Andrea |
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PooksiedAnimals |
Re: keeping cool | #70 | ||
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Posts: 4114 06/27/06 05:54 PM Moderator |
It seems that some pigs are smarter than others on how to beat the heat. I think my girls have figured out the tile, but not the frozen bottles, either.
I would probably removed the log houses on the hottest of days. I've heard of pigs overheating in pigloos, and although the log houses probably wouldn't get quite so hot, why take the chance. I've pulled my cozies out for the summer, after discovering two of them packed in one in 85-degree weather (silly pigs). Ceiling fan should be fine. You don't necessarily want a breeze focussed directly on them - but you do want to have general air movement. The ceiling fan should be ideal for that. |
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PacoMom |
Re: keeping cool | #71 | ||
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Posts: 8 01/14/07 10:33 AM |
On hot days, I would give Paco his bath in room temp. water and let him air-dry.
Also, I gave him frozen blueberries (1 or 2 at a time) as a treat, like ice cream. He liked that. |
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tanu singh |
#72 | |||
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Posts: 41 03/19/07 03:10 AM |
When does it get hot for them? I mean around what temperature range? the temperature here can go upto 40-45 C /104-113F. Right now it is around 90F. Should I
start putting on the fan and the frozen bottle for them?
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PooksiedAnimals |
#73 | |||
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Posts: 4114 03/19/07 09:28 AM Moderator |
I start giving them stuff to cool down with as soon as it gets around 80F. The only time I've seen my pair make use of them was when one time it got up to
87F in the house. Actually - I have a picture of it - Willow laying halfway on the tile and Pippin snuggled up with the frozen water bottle (I made the cloth
cover for it, to help keep it clean - I was getting hay in my freezer every time I re-froze the bottle, otherwise):
You know its past-time to get them to cool down when they do what I call "oozing" around the cage. You get pig-puddles when they're hot, and they try to spread themselves out as much as possible, and move as little as possible. I've noticed my short-haired pigs handle the heat better than my abys. But it really depends on the pig to what temperature they start to feel it. Certainly by 90F, they'd be happy for any form of cooling you could offer! |
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crazypiggie247 |
#74 | |||
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Posts: 79 03/19/07 12:35 PM |
I love the tile idea Pooksied! Your piggies are totally cute. I love it when they lay down and mush their little cheeks up. lol. anyways, I decided to fashion some cool tent shelters instead of doing the pigloo thing. eventually mom was flipping the pigloo so much that she kept throwing it upside down and it would land on top of baby Izzy. So... I took the pigloos and made them some cool tents that hang down from the sides and ceiling. It is low enough in the front to get in and out of and partially covered on the back and sides so they can still look out of the grids and see what's going on. I found that it has made them much more sociable and they aren't afraid when we walk by the house b/c they can see us instead of being totally secluded in the pigloo. I have given them some cool tunnels and tubes and they are having a blast moving and playing with those. I feel better knowing if a cardboard tube lands on Izzy it's not going to hurt her as much as a giant plastic pigloo! I also love your hammock. Is that one designed for a ferret or did you make it yourself? |
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tanu singh |
#75 | |||
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Posts: 41 03/19/07 12:47 PM |
oh my god sally!! they are more than adorable. I have kept the bottles in the freezer. temperatures dipped a little since it rained today. But I guess if it
gets too sunny tomorrow I'd put the bottles in. Another thing, marble slab would be as a tile right? I have a spare slab so am asking.
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PooksiedAnimals |
#76 | |||
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Posts: 4114 03/19/07 01:02 PM Moderator |
Marble would be wonderful. The luxury! Basically, any non-porous surface that feels cool to the touch is what you want - something that will help wick the heat
away. I've had pigs smart enough that as they warm up the surface they're on, they'll scootch over a bit to the next cooler portion, let the
section they were on cool down, as they transfer their heat. I've had some pigs that were terrified of the tile. I think that's why Willow is only half
on it. Their feet can slide on it, so they're not entirely trusting of it. But when it gets hot enough, anything goes!
Crazypiggy - a friend of mine that pigsat my pigs gave that to me. She loaned it to them when they were over at her house, and she said they loved it so much, she sent it home with them. I suspect it is a ferret hammock. I've seen ones similar to it, but never one quite the same! It took them a while to adjust to it, but Willow loves it, and spends most of the spring and summer hanging out in it (I take it down in the winter and give them a cozy cup instead - they didn't seem to use it as much once the house cooled down). I just noticed - the other thing I am using in that picture is over Pippin, on top of the cage. I had one of those big ice packs (I got a few in some mailed packages that required to stay cold). I don't like to put it in the cage, because if they chew on it, I don't want them eating the freezer stuff (I don't know if its toxic, but why take the chance). But its laying on a towel. The cold sinks down off of it. Its not really effective, but I figure it would help. I do know that a damp towel over the cage can help make the air feel a little cooler. |
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tanu singh |
#77 | |||
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Posts: 41 03/23/07 03:04 AM |
Just an idea- how about terracotta pigloo? The unpainted variety? I was thinking of taking a big pot and turn it upside down with loads of holes/windows for
ventilation?
Coz my piggies have been burrowing under the hay to hide! |
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PooksiedAnimals |
#78 | |||
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Posts: 4114 03/23/07 07:50 AM Moderator |
Yes. That sounds very good, too. You want to make sure its not in the sun - the terracotta would certainly warm up. But I know they make toad homes here with
that basic idea, to keep them cool. I'd think it would work with pigs, too!
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Rosalee |
#79 | |||
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Posts: 234 03/23/07 09:00 PM Moderator |
Hi Tanu,
Congratulations on your two new arrivals and a safe delivery for your sow! I wanted to mention that I have more than a few concerns about the terra-cotta "pigloo" in view of the very extreme temperatures that your area experiences. As much as possible. you would want a VERY open-concept shelter (perhaps a roof-top only) with temperatures which have the potential of 40-45C degrees...heavens, I cannot imagine. If you would Tanu, please tell us about your sweeties living quarters; what they are housed on (is it hay or bedding) and what type of set-up they have. Your explanation will certainly better help us to guide you. Somewhere within your posts you had inquired about the use of a fan. The answer to that is YES...Yes...yes!!! If your fan moves (oscillating variety) that is a bonus! Please let us know about that as well. Kind Regards, Rosalee |
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tanu singh |
#80 | |||
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Posts: 41 03/30/07 04:38 AM |
hi! sorry for the delay. have been sort of busy what with egg laying budgies and two young guinea pigs in addition to the elder ones! The cage is a C&C
vareity (local adaptation- i had to get the grill made to order). Size specs are taken as per the cavycages site.
we dont get any bedding here so what another owner here told me (he has them for last 6 years) was to use cleaned and chopped packing hay . I dont what the fruit sellers there use for cushioning the fruits in the cartons there but here hay is used. and this is what i use as a bedding. they have a wooden hidey house for the winters with a slide to get them to the first floor of the hidey houses where i usually keep the food. this postion i clean every other day coz is the messiest. Now that summers are here, i have removed the wooden double storey thing and am going to replace them with the terracotta thing. I'll post pics here before i put them in the cage so that i can get your inputs. the cage is inside so there is no direct sunlight. i have a ceiling fan...have put two small slabs of marble which they love!! and have also started putting a frozen water bottle covered in cloth which they keep inspecting during the day. also i dont shake off the extra water from the greens. ( i found the carrot tops finally :) and they love it!) marglow is in a similar enclosure away from the boys with her babies. seperation happens around 18th when the babies are a month old, right? |
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