Hi,
I live in Texas USA, and I have central air conditioner and a very insulating apartment (so the heat and cold stays inside), and I also close the blinds during the day to avoid the apartment getting too hot (it works perfectly). I don't set the air conditioner very cold because I don't really like it cold and I cannot sleep when it's cold, and I start sneezing. Every time I came home I felt the apartment was too cold and the bill was getting too high, so I increased the temperature by one degree. For the last two days I was able to stay at home most of the day, so I could see how they were behaving most of the day.
I am fine with the temperature (77 F or 25 C) according to the upper floor, but the lower part is colder (when my parents came on December they complained about the cold temperature because they were sleeping downstairs, but I was sweating because I sleep upstairs) so let's say maybe 25 or 24 C, or could be less. The guinea pigs kept acting normally: sleep, but also chase each other, scream at me for food, sometimes they go out do nothing, or stay in their middle fleece forest to eat hay but be semi-hidden, etc. But I am not sure if they like the temperature or not.
My Priscilla lived in a town with a similar weather. But she was free (no cage, only cage for sleeping time: 10 pm to 8 am) and the floor was not carpeted or laminated, but tiled. So in general the floor was fresh. There was no air conditioner in the living room (just fans and there was AC on the bedrooms where she slept at night) and she didn't seem to care. But of course, all guinea pigs are different and it's not like they can tell me if they are too hot or too cold.
My questions are the following:
1) I froze bottles of water and put a towel surrounding them and put them in the cage next to their hideys fleece forest. Since they were sleeping on the other side, I put it in the middle (so it would be closer to them). A couple of hours later, one baby sneezed two times -it was adorable, but up to this point I hadn't heard them sneezing-, so I moved the bottles to the side (so they would have the option of sleeping closer to it or no). Should I keep putting the cold bottles?
2) They have two drinking bottles of water, but I've seen them drinking only from one of them, it seems they like that one and do not drink often from the other one. Specifically, the dominant is the one that drinks a lot more (the preferred bottle is close to where the dominated sleeps so she can go out an drink) and crosses the whole cage just to go and drink from that one (instead of just walking to the one next to where she normally stays).
I have not seen the dominated to drink water (I'm not home most of the day) but I always give them vegetables with water and I see a lot of pee, specially on her side (I use two fleece pieces and switch the ends every day so they can dry) Should I be concerned about the one of them doesn't drink as much water? I tried giving her water directly and sometimes she drinks and sometimes she gets fed up with me.
3) They are not long-haired guinea pigs. They are regular hair, but they are furry animals like any guinea pig. Should I give them a summer haircut so they are less hot? My issue with cutting their hair is that dominant doesn't hurt the dominated because of the fur (she pushes her with her teeth, which is the way she attacks). However, once I remove some fur by cutting it, their skin will be more exposed and the dominant may hurt my baby. I am not concerned about the dominator since she is never attacked by my peaceful baby.
ALSO: the cage is always clean and never wet due to their pee.
Regards,
I live in Texas USA, and I have central air conditioner and a very insulating apartment (so the heat and cold stays inside), and I also close the blinds during the day to avoid the apartment getting too hot (it works perfectly). I don't set the air conditioner very cold because I don't really like it cold and I cannot sleep when it's cold, and I start sneezing. Every time I came home I felt the apartment was too cold and the bill was getting too high, so I increased the temperature by one degree. For the last two days I was able to stay at home most of the day, so I could see how they were behaving most of the day.
I am fine with the temperature (77 F or 25 C) according to the upper floor, but the lower part is colder (when my parents came on December they complained about the cold temperature because they were sleeping downstairs, but I was sweating because I sleep upstairs) so let's say maybe 25 or 24 C, or could be less. The guinea pigs kept acting normally: sleep, but also chase each other, scream at me for food, sometimes they go out do nothing, or stay in their middle fleece forest to eat hay but be semi-hidden, etc. But I am not sure if they like the temperature or not.
My Priscilla lived in a town with a similar weather. But she was free (no cage, only cage for sleeping time: 10 pm to 8 am) and the floor was not carpeted or laminated, but tiled. So in general the floor was fresh. There was no air conditioner in the living room (just fans and there was AC on the bedrooms where she slept at night) and she didn't seem to care. But of course, all guinea pigs are different and it's not like they can tell me if they are too hot or too cold.
My questions are the following:
1) I froze bottles of water and put a towel surrounding them and put them in the cage next to their hideys fleece forest. Since they were sleeping on the other side, I put it in the middle (so it would be closer to them). A couple of hours later, one baby sneezed two times -it was adorable, but up to this point I hadn't heard them sneezing-, so I moved the bottles to the side (so they would have the option of sleeping closer to it or no). Should I keep putting the cold bottles?
2) They have two drinking bottles of water, but I've seen them drinking only from one of them, it seems they like that one and do not drink often from the other one. Specifically, the dominant is the one that drinks a lot more (the preferred bottle is close to where the dominated sleeps so she can go out an drink) and crosses the whole cage just to go and drink from that one (instead of just walking to the one next to where she normally stays).
I have not seen the dominated to drink water (I'm not home most of the day) but I always give them vegetables with water and I see a lot of pee, specially on her side (I use two fleece pieces and switch the ends every day so they can dry) Should I be concerned about the one of them doesn't drink as much water? I tried giving her water directly and sometimes she drinks and sometimes she gets fed up with me.
3) They are not long-haired guinea pigs. They are regular hair, but they are furry animals like any guinea pig. Should I give them a summer haircut so they are less hot? My issue with cutting their hair is that dominant doesn't hurt the dominated because of the fur (she pushes her with her teeth, which is the way she attacks). However, once I remove some fur by cutting it, their skin will be more exposed and the dominant may hurt my baby. I am not concerned about the dominator since she is never attacked by my peaceful baby.
ALSO: the cage is always clean and never wet due to their pee.
Regards,
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