i just purchase my little cosmo yesterday and i'm getting worried our ac isnt cooling properly. It is 76 degrees upstairs right now and i know this is the danger zone. He isnt panting or anything and he isnt sprawled out either I was jsut wondering if i should get a window ac unit to regulate the temp better. Is this being crazy or am I right to be worried? I found one at home depot that is one 100 dollars so I can afford it. What should I do oh wise chinchilla owners? Oh and we have a marble slab that we cool for him but he doesnt feel the need to use it. he just paws at it. Should I rush out and get one tommorrow?
not sure what to do
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starleomach
Dawnna's Keeper
I would get a window unit
If it was me, I would have an a/c for his room. Slabs are very temporary solutions to an ongoing problem. They warm up awfully fast.
caiti
Well-known member
Chins don't pant, as far as I know. Signs of overheating include but are not limited to:
Red/hot ears and/or paws
Bulging veins on ears
Lethargy
Sprawling/laying down
Do you know what the humidity is also? 76 seems too hot, but no one can really say what the limit is for each chinchilla. Most likely your chin is warm, especially if it is humid. I would get an AC tomorrow if you know you're AC (central air? or other window unit in different room?) won't lessen the temp any more than 76. Until then, frozen water bottles in the cage (I wouldn't leave them overnight because the precipitation would leak in the cage unless you can wrap them in fleece), you can put the slab in the freezer for a bit (usually they'll stand on it just to investigate what it is and mine always licks it, heh) and don't do playtime as he may overheat himself.
My chin was at my parents house this weekend and it was 75F, 45% humidity. I was worried and I kept her close to the AC vent and had ice in her cage etc. At night, when it cooled down I took her out once to play. She did ok, but I had to watch her since I knew she could easily overheat. Every chin is different, so some other chin in Chloe's situation could have been worse off. It would give you peace of mind to not have to worry when you leave the house is Cosmo is going to get too hot or not.
Red/hot ears and/or paws
Bulging veins on ears
Lethargy
Sprawling/laying down
Do you know what the humidity is also? 76 seems too hot, but no one can really say what the limit is for each chinchilla. Most likely your chin is warm, especially if it is humid. I would get an AC tomorrow if you know you're AC (central air? or other window unit in different room?) won't lessen the temp any more than 76. Until then, frozen water bottles in the cage (I wouldn't leave them overnight because the precipitation would leak in the cage unless you can wrap them in fleece), you can put the slab in the freezer for a bit (usually they'll stand on it just to investigate what it is and mine always licks it, heh) and don't do playtime as he may overheat himself.
My chin was at my parents house this weekend and it was 75F, 45% humidity. I was worried and I kept her close to the AC vent and had ice in her cage etc. At night, when it cooled down I took her out once to play. She did ok, but I had to watch her since I knew she could easily overheat. Every chin is different, so some other chin in Chloe's situation could have been worse off. It would give you peace of mind to not have to worry when you leave the house is Cosmo is going to get too hot or not.
I live in a two story house and we have two different units for each floor but for some reason we have been having nothing but trouble with them. And i am on the second floor so warm air rises, so yes i will definately have to get one on my way home from work. I live in SC so the humidity is ridiculously high( 74%) right now....I will check his ears and try to swap his slab out as often as i can so he can get cooler until I can get it in there. My parents think im crazy for going through all this trouble for a "rat" as they call him. They dont understand how fragile he is . But I would be heartbroken if he died of a heatstroke knowing I could have gotten a window unit to prevent it.
MyLilPintoBean
Lovin' da Chinnies!
I know that there is a thread around here with a chin emergency kit list on it. Here it is:http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18258&highlight=Chin+emergency or http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26
For a power outage, I have water bottles (lots of them!) frozen in the freezer and fleece liners to go over them to stick in my chins cage. I also have multiple chin chillers chilling just in case. I feel like a nut sometimes when it comes to my girls!!
For a power outage, I have water bottles (lots of them!) frozen in the freezer and fleece liners to go over them to stick in my chins cage. I also have multiple chin chillers chilling just in case. I feel like a nut sometimes when it comes to my girls!!
I have thought this every time it's stormed heavily. Luckily I have a wonderful vet that could board him at short notice if something were to happen. I would recommend finding a vet that is comfortable taking exotics in for boarding in case of emergency.
VolunteerChin22
I <3 dustbunnies
Some people give a trusted neighbor a key and instructions to check on them if the power goes out. If you arrive home and the power is out for an extended period of time I would make other arrangements for him like taking him to a neighbors/friends house etc. You could always get a generator. Things happen you just do the best you can.
caiti
Well-known member
Yea, I know. If my power goes out I know my room will stay cool for some time. Honestly, I try not to be out that long and when I am, I ask my roommate to just make sure the power is on (she's on a different circuit than I am so if she's in her room, she wouldn't notice my room losing power unless she went out and saw). There are alarm systems that alert you via phone whether the power goes out or if your room reaches a certain temp, but I think they are very expensive.
Lynn & The Chins
The Chinchilla WhisKerer
A couple of years ago, when it was REALLY, unusually hot, we had "rolling power blackouts" where they would cut our power in various parts of the city each for a short time to avoid the system completely crashing.
I live in a condo and have an arrangement with an elderly neighbor who is usually home to call me if the power goes off and stays off for over 45 minutes.
I work fairly close to home and could go pick them up and take them to Dr. Fitzgerald, who would hold them in his office (which is also nearby) for me...YES, I AM a lucky girl!!! :thumbsup:
I live in a condo and have an arrangement with an elderly neighbor who is usually home to call me if the power goes off and stays off for over 45 minutes.
I work fairly close to home and could go pick them up and take them to Dr. Fitzgerald, who would hold them in his office (which is also nearby) for me...YES, I AM a lucky girl!!! :thumbsup:
ticklechin
Well-known member
I have a whole house power back up generator that turns on automatically when the power goes out. Before that I had a small generator.
I am going to buy a window ac unit today and I think I will call my vet to see if it would be ok to board him in case of a long black out or something. Luckily for me my house generally has someone in it so if there is a black out someone can put him in a car with ac or get him to the vet
