I keep him in a new wooden hutch indoors, its 4'x18" and has a built-in run the same size underneath with a ramp, id like to know how to keep him cool especially when im out, i am able to leave my window slightly open but any other tips wolud be great.
Answers:
Put an ice pack similar to the kind you would put in a cooler in a corner of his cage. Wrap it in a towel. If he gets too warm, he can snuggle with it to cool off.
Little A/C unit powered by the exercise wheel.
put a small fan by his cage during the day and night.
We give our guineas a shallow bowl of water when its hot. Preferably find a heavy bowl that he cannot tip over.Also its nice to give them juicy fruits like cucumber which give them extra fluids.
If its possible leave your guinea pig in a run outdoors, with plenty of shade.
get a fan
My guinea pig i had liked cooling down by splashing about in a bit of sun warmed water whilst in the garden. -Seriously he did,he liked to swim in it a bit too. I never left him unattended though (god i bet u think im nuts now!) I made sure he had lots of shade too and was able to run about in a pen thing too.
He was my baby and lived to the grand age of 10, Dennis ! Ahhh! x
As I'm sure you know, drafts are bad for small pets like guinea pigs, so no fans and such.
Freezing a full water bottle and keeping it in his house is an okay way to keep them cool.
You can also keep some water in the refrigerator until it is cool, and fill his bottle with it.
Of course, keep him out of direct sunlight, meaning away from the window.
I don't really know much more, but I hope this helps you.
Good luck with you guinea.
Ice packs wrapped in towels, frozen water bottles wrapped in towels, etc. are good ideas. You can also get tiles - like you buy in home improvement stores - to put in the cage for him to lay on to cool off. Generally, direct air, i.e. drafts, are not always best. Be sure to provide cool fresh water daily.
what i do for my rat is I made little pillows filled with rice, then when it is hot, just stick them in the freezer for about a half an hour then put them in the habitat of the guinea pig. they will wonder to it whenever they feel the heat comming on. just make sure the pillows are too small or too big (about the size of your hand should be fine)
i guess you could get one of those clip on fans and put it on the side or top of its cage thats what i do for my guinea pig !
blast the air conditioner
take and put the quietest fan u can find next to his cage and have it turned on low so he gets a breeze but doesn't freeze
Sounds like a really nice hutch %26 I'm so glad you're keeping your piggie indoors!
I assume since you didn't mention turning on the a/c that there isn't any? I guess since I live in Texas, close to the Gulf of Mexico, that the thought of no a/c is foreign to me. LOL!
If that is the case, I'd go with freezing a gel-filled ice pack (bought at any drug store) and wrapping it with a towel to cool down the air in the area where your piggie would sleep. I wouldn't use a fan directly since piggies are very sensitive to drafts. You *may* be able to use a fan indirectly in another area to keep the air circulation going, but not hitting the hutch directly.
Or, you may considering buying a very small air cooling unit for just the room the piggie is in. You'd probably enjoy it yourself after a long day at work. It would be nice to come home to a cool home. Just a suggestion!
I wouldn't put a fan by the cage, it might get too cold. maybe wrapping up some ice packs and putting them inside the cage in one spot would be good. so that way when he is hot he will know to go by the ice pack to get cool.
Use a 2 liter coke bottle. Fill it and freeze it overnight. Wrap it in a towel and put in his cage. You could also put 2 bricks on either side of the bottle so your guinea pig would have a cold "bed" like area to lay on (and maybe wear down his nails a bit too). He could lay on it when he wanted, and leave it if he is cold.
Adding to Justified's advice, you can find a bunch of tips at:
12 Tips for Warm Weather Care: http://guineapigconnection.typepad.com/p...
Comfy Cavies' Hot Weather Tips: http://www.comfycavies.com/articles/hot.
i do two things with my rats, i freeze some fruit or tip bit they like in ice. i also have a shallow heavy glass dish (think it is a pie dish) that i fill with water, that way they can have a paddle if they want.
First of all try to keep it in the coolest place in the room. Then, using a fan can be very helpful. Do not use ice as your guinea pig might get sick. In the very hot days, try to use wet towels placed in the corners of the cage.
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My guinea pigs totally consumed an icepack, plastic and all, I hope that they do not suffer any ill effects! There is no evidence left to show that there ever was an ice pack in there! We had a power failure and the temperature outside was 110 so I had to do something to try to keep them cool, when I returned home the ice pack was GONE! They seem okay so far.
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