Heat

[Spoof]

You can come visit me. It will redefine your opinion of hot. Had to turn the a/c back on two weeks ago AND start mowing the lawn allready. It hasn't even been three months!

 

[LovinTheSmallAndFurry]

The reason you aren't feeling the heat at 70 is because the air is so dry.

That being said, with that low of humidity you have some play in the acceptable temperature for a chin. Also, the higher the cage off the floor the warmer it is. I have a raised house with 8' ceilings and the difference between the floor and ceiling is 15 degrees. My friend has one on a slab and there is considerably less play in the temperature. A cheap thermometer is a good way to go. Space heaters put off almost nothing in my house, I literally huddle in front of one, even with the heat set to 70. This is because thermostat is in the middle of the room - meaning the ceiling is 77, and the floor is 63!

I find my house equally difficult to heat/cool, though heating it is far more expensive.

I read somewhere--probably not on this forum--that chinchillas don't like to be approached from above...? If that's not true, then I'd be happy to put mine on a slab.


In regards to heating/cooling, I'm afraid we're also going to have problems keeping the house cool. Though I'm with you, Spoof, I believe heating the house was much harder. The trouble we found was, my boyfriend used the space heater in the living room (where we sleep), and set the house thermostat fairly low, to keep from heating the whole house for no reason. However, when we got the utility bill, it had doubled. His mother (who lives nearby) suspects it was because of the space heater.

I surely hope cooling the house this summer won't be difficult...I HATE being hot/sweaty, particularly sitting in my house.

 

[Spoof]

I read somewhere--probably not on this forum--that chinchillas don't like to be approached from above...? If that's not true, then I'd be happy to put mine on a slab.

I meant slab as in slab foundation. My floor is raised 30" and wood, open underneath for critters and wind.

Chinchilla's natural predators are birds and some who haven't been handled much can have an instinctual aversion to things moving overhead for that reason. Here we're talking about pets that know who you are and where the food comes from. I couldn't sneak into the barn in any way, shape or form without them clinging to the cages demanding attention in the evening. They aren't easily fooled. )

However, when we got the utility bill, it had doubled. His mother (who lives nearby) suspects it was because of the space heater.

It takes more juice to run the heating elements in your furnace than the a/c condenser, that is why it doubled.

If you had a hard time keeping it warm, it will be difficult to cool too. Good news is that when you're laying there sweating at night a fan will make you feel cool.