Chins and Fans...

[Filia]

As summertime approaches, I've been trying all I can to keep my chinchi's cool...The temperature in my/their room has been around 65-75F these past few days. I turned the ceiling fan on a few days ago, which seemed to help keep things regulated....but it feels really warm and humid in my room tonight, so I put an extra electric fan on to help circulate cool air; is this okay?

I've read from several sources that the fan shouldn't be directly blowing on a chin, so I set it on rotate and turned it away from them...they still get a small breeze though.

Also, kind of a stupid question; I got two Chin-Chillers today...The lable says to refrigerate them, but I've heard of people who freeze them instead...Would freezing it make it too cold for the chin's feet or anything?

 

[Cuddlebug]

While fans help to keep the temperature evenly distributed throughout the room, they do not cool chinchillas. Chinchillas do not sweat, so there is nothing to evaporate off of the skin to cool them down. You need to have air conditioning to keep them cool in the warmer months. Chin chillers can be frozen or refrigerated, but they are only a temporary measure. They do not stay cool all day.

 

[Filia]

I'm not trying to use fans to cool down the chinchilla itself, I'm merely trying to keep the room temperature at living conditions...but I'm curious about any possible side-effects, since so many people say not to have a fan blowing directly on a chinchilla.

 

[Cuddlebug]

As long as the fans are not blowing air directly on them, they should be ok. If they are blowing on they chins they can cause a URI from the draft that they produce.

 

[MyzarandGemma]

You can freeze the chinchillers, make sure you don't get them wet ahead of time though... imagine a tongue on a frozen pole being ripped off... that's sort of what'll happen to your chinnie. I have never done it, but I read about it on here... no good!

Also, as Cuddlebug said, if you are already having troubles with temperature then you are going to need an AC. They sell portable ones pretty much everywhere.

 

[becky12883]

I made a fleece sleeve for my chinchiller because I think it gets too cold for feetsies when it comes out of the freezer. It stays cool for a very long time after being frozen though. Like Cuddlebug said though, chinchillers and fans are not an acceptable replacement for air conditioning. Air conditioners keep the air cool and help to dehumidify. We don't have central air so our spoiled boys get the only window unit we have. It's usually cranked all summer long. I'm starting to think that this year the plastic will never come off the windows though, we got about 3 inches of snow this morning and are looking at 6-10inches for tomorrow. Someone should tell Mother Nature that it is technically spring!

 

[Zoaea]

Ya the fans wont do squat unless you have AC in the adjoining room and are using the fan to pull the cold air into their room...

What temps does it hit there in summer?

 

[Dragonflye]

Yes, as stated above, AC is essential. I start mine when the room temp hits 72. AC will help with the humidity as well as heat. High humidity is not good for chins.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

It is really useful to have a thermometer in the room. A fan might make it seem to you like the room has cooled down, but that's because as a human you sweat and your body is cooled when the moving air comes into contact with the tiny droplets on your skin. The temp and humidity may not be changing at all, even if it feels like it to you. Your chin, on the other hand, is not able to cool itself like a human can, so AC is the only safe way to go.