Potential problems with 'keeping cool' methods

[muffin]

I have been reading up lately about fungal infections guinea pigs can get on their skin, and have found information suggesting that it is quite common in the UK. The reasons are that there is usually moisture in the air here in summer and winter, making pigs here more prone to fungal skin problems. A lot of cases involve pigs kept on wood shavings, but nevertheless I have to ask whether cooling methods such as damp towels are such a good idea. Most homes in the UK do not have air conditioning, so dry air is perhaps not such a problem here as in the US. The lack of air conditioning also means that there may be little air flow throughout a home, allowing dampness to linger in the air, ie. in the piggies' cage if you have damp towels in there. I ask these questions because I have read such terrible stories about piggies brought into a rescue suffering from really bad fungal problems, and they were in so much pain and discomfort, I want to do everything to avoid such problems occuring for people here. It may be that my concerns are unfounded, but I'd like to make sure. On very hot days I can see the benefit of offering damp towels for short periods, but not over the course of a whole day unless they are drying out rapidly and indicating that the moisture levels in the air are very low.
Thanks in advance for your views and opinions.

One more thing, is there any chance of piggies getting a chill on their stomachs from nibbling/licking ice cubes, or chewing frozen fruit?

[jump it]

As for the heat I would put fans on a nice breeze pointing towards the cage. And for the cold foods. I've never tried ice cubes and don't know the effect of it but I would definitaly say for food to be at room temp.

[fourbwabbys]

My girls love to chew on ice cubes. The never break off a big enough bite to cause a huge temperature difference. It's usually just little shavings that melt by the time they get to their stomachs, so it's basically the same as drinking water.

[Ly&Pigs]

I would definitaly say for food to be at room temp.

Veggies do not have to be at room temp to serve. I give my girls their veggies straight from the refrigerator and have never had any problems. I also give them frozen, slightly thawed watermelon and canteloupe rind in the summer months when it's hot and have never had a problem with it. If you leave veggies out to get to room temp, many of them, especially lettuces and cilantro/parsley will start to wilt and go bad.

As far as the damp towels, instead of that why not give a frozen bottle of water wrapped in a towel. The towel will become slightly damp as the water is thawing but shouldn't be enough to give the pigs a fungal infection. You could also change the towel out for another if it gets too damp.

[muffin]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

As far as the damp towels, instead of that why not give a frozen bottle of water wrapped in a towel. The towel will become slightly damp as the water is thawing but shouldn't be enough to give the pigs a fungal infection. You could also change the towel out for another if it gets too damp.

I know that, thanks, but I have read a few suggestions to drape wet towels over cages, have fans blowing air through them, and to let pigs lie on them or up against them, so just thought I'd see what everyone thought about the suitability for that in the UK.