The dicsussion has always been how high a temp they can handle and the concensus seems to be 78'F
My question is, whats the lowest they can take?
78 Degreese Fahrenheit? Only if you want dead chinchillas, in my opinion. I wouldn't dare let my chins' rooms get above 72, if at all possible. One time one room got to 74 (air conditioner went out) and most became lethargic. We went out and bought window units as back ups that same day. You have to keep in mind also, not all thermometers are accurate and the air/heat unit allows most temperatures to fluctuate a few degrees above and/or below what they are set. 78 F is just to close to heat stroke for me ... what if your air fails and you have it at 78 ... that doesn't give you much time to get it fixed ... it can get to 80+ in a matter of minutes. As a general rule, we keep ours at 68 year round.
Now for your question: "What's the lowest they can take?" I've been told (by some of the old timers) that the chins can withstand being 45 to 50, but only for a short period of time, and this is
only if your cages have solid floors rather than wire floors or
if they do have wire floors you have a huts for them. But ... I prefer my little ones to remain comfortable as possible, so it's 68 year round for us.
Jo Ann