Ideal temperature?

[AshleyG]

I wasn't sure if this should be posted here or general topics, but since I'm a new owner I figured here would be okay... I'm sorry if it's not!

One of the reasons I thought a chin would be the perfect addition to my home is I love cold temperatures. I tend to keep my house anywhere from 60-65 (much to my husbands dismay... but my electric company loves me!). I know they shouldn't be over 75 degrees which will never be an issue... but is there a temperature that is TOO cold? The girl in the pet store told me there isn't a temperature that's too cold unless it's below about 32, but she also told me a lot of false information. Some places I read said anything under 50 is too cold. As for the "ideal" a lot of people had a lot of different opinions.

What would you say? The hottest my house ever gets is 70, but that's EXTREMELY rare. Do you think about 65 is good? What if it gets colder? I live in Florida so it doesn't get cold much, but this winter temperatures dropped in my house to as low as the 30's.


As a little side note - I was also told humidity is bad. Would it be a good idea to invest in a dehumidifier? My husbands been wanting to pick one up for awhile anyway, so maybe one for her would be good.

Thanks for any answers! I'm just doing my best to keep my girl as happy and comfortable as possible.

 

[tunes]

My chin room is sitting at 53 today and they are bouncing and happy. When it hits 50, I start to get worried. 32? Not happening. In summer we stay at 60-65 (some days it's just too hot to keep it lower), in the winter 50+. If there are a lot of babies, 55+.

If you get really humid where you are, I would get a dehumidifier. I like the barn to be in the mid-30s or less. More than that and their fur starts getting icky.

 

[akane]

My house is usually 68-72F except the hedgehog room which has a space heater to keep them at 78-80F. With the cold weather we keep joking we're going to go sleep with the hedgehogs. The bedroom was 64 this morning and the livingroom was probably a bit cooler. Chins are quite happy and active both at 60 and at 72. I wouldn't let them get below 40F in an emergency where you lose heating but otherwise preferably not below 50F.

 

[ticklechin]

Temp where the chinchilla is happy or the temp when the chinchilla and the humans are happy? Chins are happy at like 55, humans are happy at 68.

 

[Idgie]

My chin seems happiest around 60-70. In the summer, I never let it get above 75, but that's with air and a dehumidifier (we use it for our basement). The air conditioning takes most of the humidity out, but I'm near Chicago. We don't have our house under 60, so not sure about that.

 

[AshleyG]

My chin room is sitting at 53 today and they are bouncing and happy. When it hits 50, I start to get worried. 32? Not happening. In summer we stay at 60-65 (some days it's just too hot to keep it lower), in the winter 50+. If there are a lot of babies, 55+.

If you get really humid where you are, I would get a dehumidifier. I like the barn to be in the mid-30s or less. More than that and their fur starts getting icky.

I thought 32 sounded awfully cold for those little ears and paws! Tonight when my girl decided to play she seemed awfully happy with my temperature right around 60! It definitely gets extremely humid here, so I think this is the push we needed to pick up a dehumidifier!

My house is usually 68-72F except the hedgehog room which has a space heater to keep them at 78-80F. With the cold weather we keep joking we're going to go sleep with the hedgehogs. The bedroom was 64 this morning and the livingroom was probably a bit cooler. Chins are quite happy and active both at 60 and at 72. I wouldn't let them get below 40F in an emergency where you lose heating but otherwise preferably not below 50F.

So... hedgehogs warm, chins cold? That's interesting! I had a friend that had a hedgehog and I was always curious about them. They're adorable little things! I just don't think I could do the heat! My house is very rarely even at, let alone above, 70, unless it's a super hot Florida summer day then it can creepy to maybe 72-73.

Temp where the chinchilla is happy or the temp when the chinchilla and the humans are happy? Chins are happy at like 55, humans are happy at 68.

THIS human is very happy at 55! However not so much my husband. So I guess we'll just have to find a nice medium for all 3 of us! The cats don't seem to mind one way or the other... they just snuggle under the covers.

I always tell my husband... it's easy to get warm. You cover up! But it's harder to get cool. Now it's me and Ana against him, so we win!

My chin seems happiest around 60-70. In the summer, I never let it get above 75, but that's with air and a dehumidifier (we use it for our basement). The air conditioning takes most of the humidity out, but I'm near Chicago. We don't have our house under 60, so not sure about that.

My AC definitely also helps with the humidity, our bedroom is attached to our master bath and it makes it sticky in the bedroom but with the AC on it cuts it back, but a dehumidifier is definitely a must I think now.


Thank you guys for all of your advice! This 100% cleared up the "what's too cold" issue and helped me consider the best temperature for my girl!

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

I don't let my chin room get below 55 in the winter and it stays between 60-63 in the summer.

 

[dreenbmp]

we try to never go above 75 in the winter or summer I would recommend not going above that at all. ...me and my wife like our home cold anyway lol.

If you do need it to be hotter in your home, granted, your chinchillas are in another room...you could always shut the door to that room and close the vent to prevent most heat from going into that room.

If you can't afford the electric bill to make it cool in the summer, you can buy an small AC unit for 100 bucks at walmart, or use a fan on low and make it blow on a section of the cage so they can stand there if it gets to hot.

You can also buy a chinchiller (a piece of marble, or stone) for their cage that a chin can sit on, it keeps pretty cool.

Hope this helped! Good luck!

 

[Pikaia]

Just to let you know, fans do nothing for chinchillas. A fan cools you by moving air across sweat on your body. Chinchillas don't sweat, so it's useless. You need to have an A/C unit if the temps go above 70-72. It's a must with chinchillas.

 

[tunes]

or use a fan on low and make it blow on a section of the cage so they can stand there if it gets to hot.

Blowing hot air on a chin will result in blowing hot air on a chin - that's all. As mentioned, chins do not sweat, so blowing a fan on them does nothing but annoy them and open them up to respiratory infections. If you have a chin, you have air conditioning.