Way too hot

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HappyBuds

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 2:33 pm


I live on the 11th floor in a downtown apt. building. It's been very warm here the past few days 80-85+. I cannot control the temp in the apt. I have "central air" which basically means that I have a tiny vent in my living room celing the size of a dinner plate... and that is supposed to cool off the whole place. Well, needless to say it's not doing a whole lot - it's still about 84 in here. I have the fans running to circulate some air and I put little baggies of ice wrapped in a sock in the pig/rat cages so they can lay next to them and cool off. I filled the water bottles too with cool water. All the poor babies are still pretty miserable, I can tell. Does anyone have other suggestions to try and keep these guys comfortable? I'm kind of worried about them.

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fourpigs

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 2:46 pm


What about a brick patio? They can cool off there.

Ange1icflowers

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 3:05 pm


Frozen Green peppers work nicely for my piggies when it gets hot.

Julian
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 3:07 pm


Freeze water bottles for them to lay on. Frozen watermelon is a good hot season treat. Hang extra water bottles.


I've seen soft plastic blankets of "Blue Ice" product that look interesting. They would have to be covered so that whatever chemical is inside would not get chewed out. There are other types of Blue Ice that have a hard plastic casings that might work.

rpaws

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 3:41 pm


Some tips I read for keeping guinea pigs cool are:
--fans
I think I read someone else about wetting down a towel, draping it over the cage and having the fan blow on it to cool the guinea pigs. A fan will also circulate what little cold air there is from your air conditioner.

--freezing bottles of water or ice packs.
These can be placed on a shelf so the guinea pig can lie underneath the frozen item and have the cool air fall on them.

--tiles or bricks
Place tiles or bricks in the cage so the piggie can lie on them. They are good for dispersing heat.

-feed food high in water
My guinea pigs seem to especially like watermelon and cantaloupe when it gets hot. They always like cucumber, also high in water.

--Make sure there are extra water bottles.
I read somewhere about someone freezing or refrigerating the water bottle before hanging for guinea pig use.

--place guinea pig in the coolest room/space in the apartment. For some, that may be the porcelain bathroom tub.

Does anybody know if a dehumidifier helps?

I am also looking into removable window film that reportedly reduces the heat. The stuff sells at home improvement stores. Has anybody had any experience whether this works or not? I can specify some websites on this.

Note: In the morning/afternoon keep all windows closed and the drapes pulled. It’s a false illusion that opening a window during the day will make the inside cooler. When evening comes, then the drapes and windows can be open for fresh air and to catch any evening breeze.

If the apartment layout/lease/your budget lends to it, think about purchasing an air conditioner window unit to aid in keeping the place cool. Here they start around $80.

Maybe investing in a portable air conditioner is a practical solution. What’s nice about them is they don’t have to be placed in a window. They have wheels for easy mobility. The local discount store has one on sale for $398. A few years ago, they were over $1,000. The portable ones here have to be vented, usually through a window. However, they can also be vented into a closet or into a wall.

It’s been hot here also. Luckily, as I am an air conditioning junkie, I two window units, one in the living room and one in the bedroom.

My resident guinea pigs are in the living room where the programmable one is. I have it click on at noon and run at 68%. I keep a fan running always to help circulate the cold air.

My foster guinea pigs are in the bedroom. I keep a fan running there too. Since their cage is under/by the (non-programmable) air conditioner, I have draped the back of the cage with a blanket so no air will blow directly on them. In the morning before leaving, I set the air conditioning on ‘Low Cool’ for them.

Even though I won’t be too happy (insert scream) when the electric bill arrives, it’s worth it for the guinea pigs’ health.

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snowflakey
E's Moriarity

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 4:49 pm


Yes, it's been pretty hot and humid (read: August weather) in Milwaukee this week. Yuk! All the frozen-bottle and brick/tile suggestions are good ones. Dehumidifiers would dry out the air, which makes it a bit cooler-feeling.

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Perpetual Pig Slave

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 4:54 pm


It sounds as if its not central air that is the problem..but where they keep the thermostat. I bet it is not on the 11th floor.

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SusieQ
Scrapbook Addict

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 5:00 pm


We're already over 30 degrees in my apartment. The betta loves it but it's miserable for us mammals.

We give the pigs frozen water bottles and lots of wet veggies. They don't really use tiles. We also have a large floor fan that we angle away from the cage but it cools off the room.

It doesn't help that all our electronic equipment is in here so this room is normally 5 degrees hotter than the rest of the house, and 10 degrees hotter than outside.

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HappyBuds

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 5:28 pm


Thank you for all the suggestions. I forgot I still had a piece of cuke in the fridge so I cut that up and they enjoyed that. It's cooled off a bit in here now. I opened one of the south facing windows thinking the breeze off the lake might help. It dropped about 5 degrees! I like the dehumidifier idea - I can't stand humidity at all and I think it makes the heat 10x as bad as it really is.

I'm not even sure if the air is working at all. Each individual apartment has their own thermostat which is kind of nice. However, I put my hand near the vents and nothing was coming out! This building just opened last October, so the air has never been turned on. I wonder if something didn't break etc. now that all 100 or so units turned on their air, all at once!

Piggies seem to be doing better, but I think I will go to the store tonight and get some more cucumber and watermelon for them. I love pink piggie chins! Probably should make some more ice too.

Thanks again for the advice.

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JHand
For the love of pigs!

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 6:25 pm


I thought maybe a dehumidifier would help keep my kid's room cooler, but the thing puts off heat. I don't know if was just my model, or if it indicitive a dehumidifers in general.

Poor Baby Cuzko
My piggy made me give!

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 6:50 pm


It's been over 90 degrees here just about all week. It's the first time since 2002 that we've have 4 days in a row over 90 degrees. We have an air conditioner, but we don't use it very often. When I'm home, my windows are open and it creates a cross breeze. We'll put a big fan in a window in our living room that also moves the air, so it actually stays aroun 85. My family loves warm weather. The key is this week, the humidity hasn't been outrageous. If it was, the a/c would have been on because of the dog.

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lisam

Post   » Thu Jun 09, 2005 6:59 pm


I don't know if was just my model, or if it indicitive a dehumidifers in general.

I don't know either, but my mom's kitchen flooded, and the insurance company had all these dehumidifiers set up, and her house got so hot you couldn't stand to be there.

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