Keeping Cool Battling Summer!

Do you have a basement where it might be cooler? Your bathroom might also be a bit cooler. Heat is more dangerous to them than cool temperatures. Once it gets over 80, your guinea pig might get heat stroke.

I use any ice pack I can find. I like to just freeze Ziploc bags, then cover them in a washcloth for the boys to lay on. I also put a frozen water bottle on top of their pigloos, which kind of makes their houses air conditioned lol. Anything you use is going to melt, so you have to have several on hand and switch them out as they melt.

Frozen 2 litters of water. That will take longer to thaw. Also pieces of tile will allow then to cool down. I have seen parts of a marble tile sold for chinchillas at pet stores. Or just get one at a home improvement store. Keep the fans on them, they should be fine. Leave an area they can get out of the wind though.

Inle_Rabbit said:

Frozen 2 litters of water. That will take longer to thaw. Also pieces of tile will allow then to cool down. I have seen parts of a marble tile sold for chinchillas at pet stores. Or just get one at a home improvement store. Keep the fans on them, they should be fine. Leave an area they can get out of the wind though.

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I agree about the fans! I use one on my boys cage, well, theirs actually blows OVER the cage into their corner. Maybe try that? It helps keep a good bit of airflow going without blowing directly on them.

I'll try the 2 liter idea as well as tiles. Perhaps I could stick the tiles in the freezer and chill them for awhile before putting them in their cage

failur3byh3art said:

I'll try the 2 liter idea as well as tiles. Perhaps I could stick the tiles in the freezer and chill them for awhile before putting them in their cage

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That's not a bad idea. Stone tends to stay cool, and if you already have it cold I'm sure it will stay colder longer!

Would these icepacks be good and safe for my guinea pigs?

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I bought about 8 to put around the cage and on top of their igloo hidey houses.

If they are the hard plastic kind I don't think thee should be a problem. 2 litters and water bottles are cheaper though.

Adding more to this thread instead of creating a new one since it's still the same topic. I have a question although I know it has been hinted and said slightly before. I absolutely want to know if it is indeed ok to have a fan blowing on them. I have a medium sized fan that pushes a decent amount of air. It is really hot in my house and I have the windows and doors closed. It's about 95F outside (dry heat) and opening the door would bring more air in. It's about 82-85F inside my house. I have them laying on icepacks and frozen water bottles. My new A/C isn't coming til next wednesday so I have almost a full week to wait. I'm just worried my guinea pigs will get sick if they have any form of air hitting them. I have the big fan roughly 6-7 ft. away from their cage. Is this safe? They do have spots in their cage where they can escape the wind.

Are they in a corner?

Yes, they are in the corner of this room. It's away from sunlight/windows (to avoid night drafts).

Fans are fine -- what you don't want are cold drafts blowing on them. If you've got a big fan, just don't aim it directly at them. Set it so the air is circulating in the room.

Mine live under a ceiling fan which runs from February to November. No ill effects so far.

Ok, thank you for your response >_<. I feel so bad for them and this hot weather. I live here in Los Angeles and the weather is almost always dry heat. It's never really humid.

I put the fan blowing into the corner, over the cage. That way the air is blowing over the cage but not directly onto them.

Thank you for the responses. The past couple hours I have opened up a couple boxed up fans and have fully placed them around the room. Air has been circulating nicely and it's now 76F in this room (which is a huge improvement over earlier.) I gave each and every one of them cucumber as a treat (also to help battle the heat). They have been pop corning ever since. I have one last question however. Seeing as I am getting my portable A/C next week.. I have heard that some A/Cs are bad for guinea pigs. More or so the air ionizer. Is this true? What kind of specific A/C should I be targeting or using? This is the A/C I bought (broken link removed)


If worse comes to worse I will take it back to get a proper one for my room. I mostly want a Portable A/c to keep my guinea pigs on proper temps and of course to fight summer in general. I intend on using it to keep my room under 80F. Mostly 68-75F. Once I reach those temps I will be turning it off.

Any thoughts if this A/c would be bad for them or safe to use with them?

It will probably be just fine. Mine have been in AC all summer for 3 summers all are doing well.

Where did you hear that air conditioners aren't good for pigs? I live in Houston, where the air conditioners run 10 or 11 months of the year. We couldn't have pigs here if it weren't for air conditioning.

@Inle_Rabbit

That's good to know >< I can't wait to get my A/C

@bpatters

on a supply pick up I overheard people saying that the chemicals/dehumidifiers in A/Cs can be bad for guinea pigs.