In an effort to keep this thread just about keeping pigs cool, I don't want to get too far off topic. I've responded to separation questions on took in a pregnant piggie.
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PooksiedAnimals |
#81 | |||
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That's great that they love the marble. That makes a difference. If it gets warm enough, they'll figure out what to do with the frozen water bottles.
In an effort to keep this thread just about keeping pigs cool, I don't want to get too far off topic. I've responded to separation questions on took in a pregnant piggie. |
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piggypumba |
#82 | |||
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I have central AC and it stays pretty cool, right around 70, all day (hubby works at night, sleeps during day, and fusses if he has to sleep in heat :) ). Is
that cool enought for guinea pigs, or should I be taking extra precautions to keep him cool?
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PooksiedAnimals |
#83 | |||
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70F is fine. Basically, you want to keep the temperature lower than 85F.
It somewhat depends on the pig. My current girls took an afternoon at 87 fairly well (were very blobby, but otherwise alright). They are normally active and even snuggle in temperatures up to 82F. On the other end of the spectrum, I had a heart pig that would start to drool and had trouble breathing anything over 74F. I had to use the AC in my bedroom a lot that summer - for her, the humidity was almost as dangerous as the temp. |
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MaineShutterbug |
cool snacks | #84 | ||
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I have two rooms: the small kitchen, and the open living room. The living room faces south and have plenty of windows. Translated: we roast in the summer.
The shades do reverse logic: closed in the day; open at night. I have an a/c unit now, though I do worry about the draft on the boys. My previous pigs Milo,
Paisley, and Taffy, loved ice bottles; we'll see how Monet & Bijou handle them. This is their first summer.
One trick I discovered for myself was frozen grapes. They are still quite edible when frozen but make a wonderful sweet and cool snack. I give a grape to each piggy for an afternoon snack (I work from home) and once they've sat/peed/kicked it around, they eat it. Or they just inhale it right then and there. I also volunteer with the small animals at the local shelter and those there during the summer months particularly love frozen treats in the afternoon. One question I do have: isn't having fans blowing on them dangerous for catching drafts or such? Milo died from being in a draft I didn't know I had, so I'm very worried - almost paranoid - about them now. |
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PooksiedAnimals |
#85 | |||
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Don't aim the fan directly at them. Ideally, aim the fan over the cage, so it circulates the air.
Drafts are mostly dangerous when they're cold, not so much when its hot. I figure they're better off with a draft, and the chance to cool off, than to overheat. You just want to make sure the fan is off if the temperature drops in your house (I have fans with thermostats, and have them set to turn off when it gets under 70F). |
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Terry31 |
#86 | |||
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I just found this great site and it has some wonderful pictures & ideas of how to keep your pigs cool so I thought I would share the link....
http://www.guineapigstuff.com/keepcool.htm#3 |
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Mama Lee |
TY! | #87 | ||
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*bump*
I've gotten some great ideas/tips for the coming Summer months. I am in Mass. and it can sometimes get up in the 90's but mostly in the mid to upper 80's is the norm...but humid as HECK!!! I am a new Cavy mommy with two 3 month old girls so this will be my first Summer with them. I do have an A/C in my room which I use ALL the time! I leave it on during the day when I'm at work and then after the sun goes down I can shut it off and sleep comfortably. I would have had no idea about the pigloo...I have two of them (one for each girl) and will be sure to take them out for the Summer months! I also have the crinkle tube in there...open at both ends and a top opening (which I have on it's side so it essentially has 3 openings), will this be ok to leave in their cage for the Summer?! I love the tile idea and the water bottle/ice pack ideas and will definitely test them out with Boo and Eve : ) Thank you for this thread and this message board! :-* |
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PooksiedAnimals |
#88 | |||
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The crinkle tube is probably okay, although I'd keep an eye on it. The "crinkle" must be some kind of plastic, which I would think would be
conducive to trapping heat.
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Mama Lee |
#89 | |||
It looks just like this : ) It's like a raincoat type material inside and out...machine washable... I will definitely keep an eye on it on the hot days though! TY!
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