Keeping Cool Are these acceptable ways to cool down my guinea pigs during the summer?

I don't believe swimming would be okay, however the other options sound acceptable. Just be sure that they don't chew the paper towel.

1.No, your piggy could drown, dry drown, or get very sick if they breathe in water.
2. Yes but it won't be very helpful, most pigs aren't into that
3.yes! Ice packs wrapped in a t shirt, frozen paper towels, even frozen wash rags are a-ok
4. Yes, Cut the fruit and veg first, don't let it freeze solid

plus
make sure they have clean cool water all the time (a tiny bit of ice in the bottle maybe?)
make sure they're well vented (like a fan or breeze)
make sure your long haired piggies have a summer haircut
if you have a tile floor give them some flor time there, as tile is good at staying cool

jessicaquang said:

1. Can I let my guinea pigs swim in my tub? I know that they generally don't like to be in water but would they like it since it's extremely hot?

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I'm echoing out the no on this one. What you can do if you want to go that route is use a small leak proof contain (I have square bins that work amazing) Put about 2" of water in it and let them WALK around in it. Maybe put some veggies/fruit treats in it to nom on.

jessicaquang said:

2. Can I give them smashed up ice cubes to nibble/lick?

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YES but they may not be interested. An idea might be to add some veggie juice too it (ie smash up some spinach and mix it in with the crushed ice)

jessicaquang said:

3. Can I freeze paper towels for them to lay on?

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I don't think that will work well but another idea is a old pop bottle, fill it almost to the top (I leave 3-4" unfilled for a 2L bottle of 1-2" on a small 500ml bottle), put the lid back on and freeze. I wrap them in knee high cotton socks that I bought just for that but a old pillow case would work or a normal sock on a smaller bottle.

jessicaquang said:

4. Can I give them frozen fruits/veggies?

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Yes but remember that they may not eat them.

Use a tray and put fruit and veg cut up in there. Put water on top of this and put it into the freezer for around 1 hour. Take it out and give this to your piggy they love it! Don't put them in a swimming pool! Also use ice packs and wrap a t-shirt around it for them.