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Hi everyone! I was just wondering if anyone had any new and innovative ways to keeps chinnies cool. My mom will only turn up the air conditioning so much and my chins always looks a little warm and bothered now that summer's hit. Any ideas would be appreciated. Also, does anyone know the perfect temperature for a chin? Thanks! Arlene
Hello Arlene 15c -20c is an idea temp for them. Of course never let it get below freezing point. They love the cold weather. So keep them as cold as possible. If your home gets up to 20c your chinnies will suffer with the heat that would be like you out in the garden sunbathing with lots of layers of wooly sweaters. You can keep them cooler by getting some of those terracotta garden pots, put them in freezer and then put in cage for them to lay in. As a quick remedy any newspapers, towels,etc may be stored in freezer for a quick cool down for them. A big glass jar (not plastic), filled with ice cubes is always a good idea. A wonderful cool spot for a chinnie is a block of marble which has been in the freezer it will stay cold for a while too. If at all worried about putting things in cage. Remember your science lessons as school. Heat rises cold air sinks. So anything cold put on top of the cage will be cooler for them. They also love to play with ice cubes. If room is very sunny? best keep blinds or curtains closed. I have air conditioning in both my sheds now. They also remove humid air. A fan is never really effective as it only blows warm air about, it does not really cool it much. I am in a bit of a rush right now. I may yet come back and add more. Members may also give you a few tips on what they do. Ideas are numerous I find. I am never surprised at how ingenious chinnie owners can be when it comes to the welfare of the pets.
So far I have put some lunchpack coolers in pillowcase so they can lay on them. I like the terra cotta pot idea.   I'm trying to figure out a way to put an additional air conditioner in my window.. it's not looking good.  lol Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming everyone. my chins appear to be feeling better already!
Oops!  I forgot to ask, I think that the ice cubes would be cute but isn't there a risk of the chinnies getting wet?? What if their skin sticks to the cube? ( This might sound a little dumb but it could happen!!) Arlene
Hello Arlene,When I purchased my Girls..sweets and Sassy, I was told that perfect temp for the chins were between 60 and 80 degrees.... My Girls love ice...so I put fresh ice in a tray and they nibble it, they really enjoy it, they then drink the water after the ice melts.My girls don't like or have any use for water bottles. I don't know why, but they like to chew holes in it, instead of using it drink from, I was also told, that if you put a ceramic tile down in the cage, it will stay cool and they will sleep on it.... but I have not tried it yet.I was also told that chins were supposed to like yogurt and this
keeps them cool..however, when I tried to give them some...I put some on
one's nose..and she went burserk trying to get it off.... needless to
say...yogurt's out. Sherri
Hi Arlene, As i said before the cooler the room is for the chins the better.Chins are a lot happier the cooler it is as they have thick coats on them.If the temperture goes abouve 70 degrees it will start to affect your chin and you can lose your chin.On hot days i start to worry if the temp for the chins goes to 65 as all the chins tend to do is lie about and they are not happy chins. In the hot weather it is best not to give your chins any sand baths or clean the chins out till later on in the day when it is cooler.With you being the age you are I took it for granted you would be using the celsius temp convertion. Will add degF here as regards my post giving degC 15c = 59f ..................20c = 68f over that I would be showing concern for my chinchillas as they are pretty active in daytime too and their temps can climb quickly if they are running around. I used to hate to see them lain out on their shelves obviously over heating and me running about with things like ice and so on to quickly cool them down. That's why I got ac for my sheds. Their health is paramount to me. I keep the thermostats set at a steady 15c for them whenever possible. At the opposite end of scale the only time I would worry about them being cold is if their water bottles froze (that tip came from a well know longtimer old breeder, it worked for him all those years) Of course for my females with kits or about to have kits I have heatpads under their cages. I would love a trip to the Andes to see for myself and feel for myself what the air it like there. I am not a heat person myself, I like it on the cool side too just like my chinnies lol Hope that rascal of yours is feeling better with no bad effects from the adventure exploration on the quick way down to the basement. By the way, talking basements. Thats where Sonya keeps Kirby and he had a marvelous summer I believe with no worries about over heating. he is one spoiled chinnie............. Did you see his pic and his playpen?
Thanks everyone for your advice!!! My chinnies are feeling much better (Pepper is making a miraculous recovery!) The ice packs in pillow cases have been working well and I have been using spare ceramic tiles, they are cooler than the room temperature. My chins also love the ice cube idea, I put a few in the bowl for them. When I move out I think I will make a special room for them!!! Thanks again!
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