Chins Don't Adore The Cold

[Zahrii]

I know, the title may seem weird. For context, I've heard that chins love when the temps are below 60 degrees F. 50-55? They love it! So active and everything. But my two aren't like that at all. When the room temp is below 60, they actually aren't very active at all. They aren't lethargic or reclusive, they just aren't as hyper as they could be. Even at their active hours, dawn and dusk. They don't love it, they don't hate it. They seem.. meh. But in temps 64-66? Oh, that's their prime temps. The hyper one wall jumps, gets into mischief, shows all of his hyper-ness potential. The other even releases his energy levels and runs around.

Does anyone know why? Why do my chins seem to prefer neutral temps (64-66) over colder (50-55)? If this helps at all, for a backstory summary, they came from a foster that kept them in an area with no temp management, and I have no idea who they were bred by. If they came from a pet store or a responsible breeder, who knows. The foster got them from a friend who worked at a vet clinic and couldn't take care of them anymore, that's all I know.

 

[Amethyst]

My guess is chins are like humans, most people will agree that around 70 F is a comfortable room temp. However some do like it a bit warmer and some do like it a bit colder, even people in the same house. Also like humans they adapt at least somewhat to whatever temp they are in, so if they have always been kept in warmer temps then they are use to that. For example I've heard people claim that chins over in China seem to be ok up to about 80F. I have no actual proof of that, and remain a bit skeptical, but it does make sense if they were breed from the chins that survived the warmer temps, that they have adapted to be more heat tolerant over the generations.

I generally keep the room my chins are in at around 68 F year round and they are fine. It does dip down at night in the winter sometimes, no heater in this room unless I bring a space heater in. They are ok until about 50 F when it gets colder they do seem less active, it's dropped down to around 40 F during a winter power outage before. Also when it's below 60 I do see them using their fleece hammock more.

 

[Zahrii]

Oh, that makes sense!

 

[LillyChu]

I have the same thing with mine and even sometimes when the heater is on, he still likes to climb into my hoodie and sleep on my tummy for a very long time and doesn't like it at all when he needs to go back in his cage.. His ears are just a normal peachy colour the whole time. He also always sleeps inside of his fleece cubes or hammocks.

 

[Alexandra Rowe]

I have the same thing with mine and even sometimes when the heater is on, he still likes to climb into my hoodie, backwoods shirt and sleep on my tummy for a very long time and doesn't like it at all when he needs to go back in his cage.. His ears are just a normal peachy colour the whole time. He also always sleeps inside of his fleece cubes or hammocks.

You are not the only one, I have also the same thing with me. My chin always sleeps on my tummy.