Thread: How do I keep my chinchilla cool in this heat?

Ok so summer is here and I can't have air conditioners in my house. So it is very hot. I have noticed that my chinchilla is not handling it well. He just lays around the cage.

What can I do to keep my chinchilla cool??
I dont have air in my house. The windows are crank outs so we can't have AC's and we dont have central air.

I just put a fan next to his cage.

Put a fan in front of his cage and turn on air in your house.

If he's in a cage trying puting him in a small room with a big fan to keep him "cool" If you don't have a fan go get one

Chinchillas temperatures in the room should be 60-70. any more then that and it can seriously harm if not kill a chinchilla. if you notice panting or laying on their sides be prpared to take imediate action cause it could just save there lives.

Chinchillas have the denses fur in the world, where we humans have one hair per follical they have 50-100 per folical. which means they will over heat dehydrate and could die very very fast so keep an eye on them. Chins also have no sweat glands so fans will not work A cause thers so much fur the wind wont even reach the skin and b if it did it wont cool them down. Do not get them wet they could get fungus. I will post what to do in an emergency and then just general how to keep them cool.

in a emergency, cool them down quickly and call the vet Immediately, one girl i know in a forum placed her chin on a plate and put her in the fridge while she called the vet. it literally saved the chins life. putting her in the fridge bought her the time to get her chin to help

in general, 1) Airconditioners are good but since you dont have one check this link it has great information on how to keep a chin cool with out an air conditioner.

http://www.kessler-chins.com/docs/5.html

I hope this reaches you before things get to hot. GL and have a good safe summer

You need a window air conditioner in the summer if you do not have central air. They also have stones that you can buy that you put in the freezer for them to lay on.

High temperatures and high humidity are not tolerated well by chinchillas. Heat stroke generally occurs when cages are placed in direct sunlight and are poorly ventilated. Affected animals will lay on their sides, pant and feel hot to the touch. Animals in high humidity will also exhibit unkempt, damp fur. Treatment involves misting or bathing them in cool water or applying rubbing alcohol only to their foot pads. Veterinary assistance should be sought immediately.