Acclimating chins to a higher temperature

[Brittney]

I have two boys, and I keep them in my room which gets the brunt of the sun during the day. I live in Phoenix, so it gets HOT. We keep the house at 70 at night and in the mornings when it is cooler, and the boys do fine, but 65-68 during the hottest parts of the day, but it is killing our electric bill. How do I get my boys to tolerate 70 degree temps? Ande is fine with the warmer temperature, but once it gets 70 in my room during the day, Bryson's ears get blood red and warm, and he looks like he is miserable. Any tips would be wonderful! Thank you!

 

[AZChins]

Maybe just raise the temperature a degree or two at a time and have them get used to it. The humidity there is super low, so they would eventually do just fine at maybe 77 or 78 degrees. I would start by raising the temperature during the day when they are least active. Maybe raise the temperature just a degree every morning? They will get used to it slowly that way. I wouldn't just raise it to 75 all at once, just a little over time.

I don't know how you can keep your house that cold. I can't even imagine what the electric bill would end up being.

 

[saphire]

Really, I'm cold under 70 and I live in Quebec, Canada.
Seriously, it can get hot up here at times. Really hot for me is 80 but can go up to 95-100 a couple of days during summer.

As AZchins, says, take it slow and it should work well.

 

[Jenn]

My chin has tolerated unbelievable temps of 80 degrees. She was 3 when I got her and the lady lives in my area and didn't have an a/c. I only just got an a/c as the usually temperate weather got up in the 90's for a surprising scorcher. But it has been 80 degrees several times this summer and Tink did fine. I think this is because she has always lived in warmer conditions than most would prefer. I think what the others have said is a good idea. Slowly acclimate your chin to higher temps by slowly introducing warmer temps - a degree or two at a time. Just be sure to monitor constantly to make sure your chin is adjusting well.

 

[Claire D]

This discussion has been taking place on some of the UK forums this year, so much so that some have suggested publicly that air-con is not necessary and that chins can tolerate higher temperatures. I have already had reports of 10+ chinchillas dying needlessly over the last couple of months because people have opted to "acclimatise" their chins - one person even had an air-con unit in their garage but they read the "advice" on a forum, left the air-con off and killed 6 chinchillas. Another owner had 2 chinchillas die at a temperature of 22C (71.6F).
These deaths are needless and are tantamount to neglect and cruelty.

As in all things, people will opt to hear what they want regardless of the consequences - often because they do not do enough research before acting. Heat increases cause physiological effects on the body which can have long term effects - chinchillas cannot adequately thermoregulate (they cannot pant effectively, they cannot sweat etc) which is why it is up to us to keep the ambient temperatures down and this needs to be borne in mind when deciding that they can tolerate higher temperatures. By the time there are signs on the outside, the damage may already be occurring on the inside - as we have so often had to repeat with heat prostrated chins.

Those that are successful in controlling the ambient temperature here in the UK use air-con or have purpose built sheds/units with effective air flow, ventilation, insulation and cooling by natural methods (using shade, positioning of the shed/unit, green roof to dissipate heat, double roof to dissipate heat etc). Even they have back-up air-con units though.

My personal philosophy is: Just because they can tolerate higher temperatures does not mean they should.

 

[ticklechin]

Well said, those in hotter climates really need to understand that the chin can't change and should not change, they are not built for hot temps and should not be forced to be uncomfotable, especially since its no suprise if research is done that they are heat sensitive.

 

[NOLA Chins]

The UK Vet manual says 80 is fine. I took a chin out of a house 5 days after Katrina, he was fine.

If a chin is used to 60, 75 can be problematic. If a chin is used to 75-80, it may be another story.

We all have our horror stories, but obviously all chins are not equal. Subjecting a chin to temps it is not suited for is cruelty. Having a coddled chin who stresses at every little thing is not fair either.

 

[Claire D]

The UK Vet manual says 80 is fine.

If you are referring to the Merck Veterinary Manual then no that is not quite what it says. What is actually states is:

The housing environment should be dry, free of drafts, and moderately cool. Indoors, the chinchilla’s preferred temperature range is 50-60°F (10-16°C). While chinchillas can gradually adapt to outdoor temperatures <32°F, they are prone to heat stroke at temperatures >80°F.

That is not the same as saying "80 is fine".

In general terms there are a whole series of events which take place in the body during higher temperatures before heat stroke. Heat stroke is actually the end of a series of complex physiological processes which start at lower temperatures. Chinchillas die of heat stroke through extreme (sudden) temperature rises but at lower temperatures there are still physiological effects, some of which can be long lasting and detrimental to the animal.
Heat affects all systems of the body. It does not have to be 80 and above to kill a chinchilla and just because the animal does not die right away does not mean that long term exposure to heat has not caused damage. Just because it "looks fine" on the outside does not mean that there is nothing happening below the skin/fur. Someone with an underlying illness can "look fine" but inside the body it is a different story. Heat stroke and death are the end results of the body not being able to thermoregulate (control their body temperature) at higher temperatures.

If a chin is used to 60, 75 can be problematic. If a chin is used to 75-80, it may be another story.

We all have our horror stories, but obviously all chins are not equal. Subjecting a chin to temps it is not suited for is cruelty. Having a coddled chin who stresses at every little thing is not fair either.

Subjecting an animal which has the most dense fur of all mammals to temperatures which make humans sweat and dogs/cats pant is unacceptable IMO - in fact it defies logic and in some instances beggars belief.
At 72-75 most people are beginning to feel warm/sweat which we know chinchillas cannot do so it is encumbent upon us to keep the ambient temperatures low enough to do no harm. One needless death due to high temperatures is one too many and it if can be avoided then it should be.

If people are willing to take risks with their chinchillas then so be it - but they are foolhardy to believe that the risks are not real.
It is the same story with raisins - the physiological effects have not been proven in chinchillas yet but most people do not feed them. Some people continue to feed them despite the fact that they have been proven toxic to other small animals - just not chinchillas. High sugar content can be detrimental to gut bacteria levels and also produce tooth decay - but they still feed raisins despite this.
Some do: some don't - it goes back to my previous point in the other post - Just because they can tolerate higher temperatures does not mean they should.

 

[Stackie]

Just because they can tolerate higher temperatures does not mean they should.

I agree 100%. And just because they can tolerate higher temperatures, doesn't mean they are comfortable...they are doing just that: tolerating.

 

[Brittney]

Look, I'm not saying I'm going to put my chins through ****, and it's not like I'm throwing them outside. It's 65 in my house, all the time, I want to raise it 5 degrees so my A/C unit clicks on and off like it should to keep a temperature constant. My bill was HUGE this month. Right now it runs non-stop, and probably gets colder than 65 that way. AZChins has been to my house, it's an icebox. My house, like most houses here, is all tile, 70 is still pretty cold in a house here in AZ. There is absolutely NO humidity here, so 70 is probably equivalent to 65-68 degrees. All I did was ask a question, and I got it answered. I don't need to be harassed about how what I'm doing to my "kids" will kill them. If anything happens, I WORK at a vet, I could get them in right away. One is used to 70 degrees, the other isn't. I can work around that, but please don't say stuff like "You're going to kill them" or "70 degrees can be lethal" I'm living with my parents until school starts back up, then I'm back in my own place next month, and I can keep it as cold as I want, but right now I have to work around a couple of speed bumps.

 

[saphire]

Really, I'm cold under 70 and I live in Quebec, Canada.
Seriously, it can get hot up here at times. Really hot for me is 80 but can go up to 95-100 a couple of days during summer.

As AZchins, says, take it slow and it should work well.

Since this post can be misunderstood, I just wanted to clairify that I do not keep my chins a in a 80-90 deg. room. But it has gone up to 80 in the past.

 

[Claire D]

Look, I'm not saying I'm going to put my chins through ****, and it's not like I'm throwing them outside. It's 65 in my house, all the time, I want to raise it 5 degrees so my A/C unit clicks on and off like it should to keep a temperature constant. My bill was HUGE this month. Right now it runs non-stop, and probably gets colder than 65 that way. AZChins has been to my house, it's an icebox. My house, like most houses here, is all tile, 70 is still pretty cold in a house here in AZ. There is absolutely NO humidity here, so 70 is probably equivalent to 65-68 degrees. All I did was ask a question, and I got it answered. I don't need to be harassed about how what I'm doing to my "kids" will kill them. If anything happens, I WORK at a vet, I could get them in right away. One is used to 70 degrees, the other isn't. I can work around that, but please don't say stuff like "You're going to kill them" or "70 degrees can be lethal" I'm living with my parents until school starts back up, then I'm back in my own place next month, and I can keep it as cold as I want, but right now I have to work around a couple of speed bumps.

I think perhaps you need to read the posts again. Nobody has said you are doing anything wrong and no-one is "harassing" you - you asked questions which got answered and I threw in a couple of general comments about heat - the discussion is general (which is what this forums is about; educating and sharing information/opinions/beliefs) and not aimed at you specifically. :hmm:

 

[Jenn]

I'd have to say the same for my chin. She has been subjected to 80 degree temps, but I was really worried about her well-being. I now have an a/c so I feel Tink is more comfortable and safer now. But I think to have a chin get acclimated from 65-70 is perfectly acceptable, as 70 really isn't too warm for a chin to handle. 70 degrees would be a normal temp in my home, but then again, it really does seem to come down to each individual chin and what they are used to and comfortable with. Understanding the latter part is hard, though. But watching for signs of stress as you slowly acclimate your chin to a slightly higher temp should tell you if you are successful, and to deal with higher energy bills if your chin doesn't deal well with the increased temp.

 

[Brittney]

I think perhaps you need to read the posts again. Nobody has said you are doing anything wrong and no-one is "harassing" you - you asked questions which got answered and I threw in a couple of general comments about heat - the discussion is general (which is what this forums is about; educating and sharing information/opinions/beliefs) and not aimed at you specifically. :hmm:

Still, when you say things like 70 killed multiple people's chins, what does that say to me? "Oh, I should live with my $200 electric bill every month." No, I don't have that kind of money to blow every month to keep my AC going non-stop. And I'm not turning it off, I'm just setting it to a temperature where it will click on and off to stay constant. I get paid $1,500 a month, and my last few paychecks went to saving another chin's life. I'm pretty much broke this month. When I get into my own place, yeah, I can pay for it, but right now, I'm not the one paying the bills, so I really have no say. And 70 degrees is not lethal in most cases, as you said, the people turned OFF their AC, and THAT'S why it was lethal. It's 73 in the vets office I work at, and we have many chins come in and stay the night or even board there, and none have any problems and act completely normal. It does depend on the individual chinchilla, yes, but also where you are located. While 70 may see very warm inside to people who live where it is very humid (believe me, I'm from the East), 70 here where there is no humidity is actually very cold inside, but still tolerable.

 

[Bethany]

70 is fine ecspecially with low humidity, no one said it wasn't. I agree just raise it a degree a day.

Mine stay at 68, I came home yesterday to a room that was 80+. The a/c is digital and the power kicked off and the a/c didn"t come back on. Everyone was okay and to my surprise no one was too hot. However, I'm going today to buy a dial one, there is no way I would leave them in a room that hot.

 

[Claire D]

Still, when you say things like 70 killed multiple people's chins, what does that say to me?

It says that you did not read my post properly and you should maybe not be quite so quick to jump to the conclusion that everything is aimed at you.

2 chinchillas died at a recorded temperature of 22C in the UK - I posted that in order to illustrate the fact that relatively low heat can and does kill chinchillas - some people in the UK at present have been discussing acclimatising chinchillas to higher temps than that. It was written in the context of current discussions in the UK (which I made very clear in my first post) around acclimatising chinchillas to heat. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[AndreaMD02]

Claire D is right about the physiological effects of heat. however, i think that 70 should be just fine. you say ur house is made outta tile? rip out a piece and put it in the cage! ^.^ there now you have a nice cool spot for ur chin to perch on.

hope everything works out okay. =)

 

[tarheelgal]

Hey I do live in the east and I hear ya that to keep their room at say 65 to 70 the thing never cuts off thus we put a window unit in their room so their room can stay in 60s while the rest of the house stays about 75 and the central air doesn't have to run non stop. I have also found that on 100 degree days before got window unit I have seen it get up to 80 a couple of times in their room they were starting to get a little uncomfy. at 70 to 75 they seem ok as in doesn't seem to bother them. You have to stop and remember even at 70 or a little higher they are sleeping and not running around so it is not that bad yes if you are up running around like at night it could get warm but they are not. So I don't think 70 with no humidity would be a problem. Oh I do have ceramic or porcelen depends on which cage you want to look at in all of them and they barely every lay on them but its there if they want to. But the window unit helps alot on saving on energy bill.

 

[Brittney]

Hey I do live in the east and I hear ya that to keep their room at say 65 to 70 the thing never cuts off thus we put a window unit in their room so their room can stay in 60s while the rest of the house stays about 75 and the central air doesn't have to run non stop. I have also found that on 100 degree days before got window unit I have seen it get up to 80 a couple of times in their room they were starting to get a little uncomfy. at 70 to 75 they seem ok as in doesn't seem to bother them. You have to stop and remember even at 70 or a little higher they are sleeping and not running around so it is not that bad yes if you are up running around like at night it could get warm but they are not. So I don't think 70 with no humidity would be a problem. Oh I do have ceramic or porcelen depends on which cage you want to look at in all of them and they barely every lay on them but its there if they want to. But the window unit helps alot on saving on energy bill.

I'm guessing you are from NC from your name..... Tarheels... pfft, I'm a State fan myself ... Anywho, yeah, I just moved to AZ from NC, and it is very different. Anything 70 and above in the house in NC I was miserable, now here, I'm wearing jackets inside when it is 70. It's so different without humidity and no carpet.

 

[HaleyGoBoom]

My boys' room stays at 65-70* no problem, I don't think you'll have much to worry about at 70* I just wouldn't let it get over 75*