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Author Topic: Heating/cooling problems. HELP  (Read 931 times)

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Chins4Life089

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Heating/cooling problems. HELP
« on: March 20, 2014, 08:24:22 PM »

Since the summer is soon coming and the temp is going up a little which is good my room where I am planning to put my chinchillas has very fluctuating temperatures because the sun is always on my room the entire day so I am pretty sure it can reach up to 80 which is not ideal but the only way to not let it get that hot is leave my door open and were I am gone all day and have 2 dogs I don't want them to pester the chins and just need some help with some ideas. The reason the ac doesn't turn on is the thermostat is in the middle of the house so the temp barely changes so it never turns on.


Also I have a good size room but it has a computer tv and a night stand and 2 dresser that have about 3 inch gaps  also a queen bed . I don't want the chins chewing the cord to my computer and stuff and I don't want him under things and behind my computer and things would it be easier to just play in the bathroom ( not really big) or rig some cardboard or wood up so they can't get in trouble ( they always in trouble no no no chins are trouble) just couldn't help myself, but just give me some help and if u need pics just say so and I will post some. The cage I might be getting is a ferret nation 2 level cage already fixed up ( not used, just fixed up like shelves toys ect) with 2 chins I think that will be plenty.

So if u could just get back to me as soon as possible that would be excellent
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GrayRodent

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Re: Heating/cooling problems. HELP
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2014, 08:43:10 PM »

Your only option may be a portable air conditioner which is popular with many chinchilla owners including myself. Where I live it can easily exceed 80 degrees in my room without it. Yesterday I had taken it down for maintenance and it stayed around 80 for most of the night. I felt bad about that but he is used to 76-77F at times during the day so I didn't think it would a big problem.
I created a digital counter for my chinchilla wheel. Normally it logs 5000-6000 rotations but last night it was 2573 which is very unusual. Needless to say that was not a good thing. Your best option may to get some large circulating fans and try to blow them through the house in a strategic pattern (of course never blowing air through your chinchilla cage). This should help with your thermostat issue and make the house a more even temperature. Definitely keep logging the temperature in the chinchilla's room but if it stays above 75 you really should get an air conditioner. There are window units and free-standing units. Mine is free standing and it adapts to my casement window with a wooden panel. It is a more versatile design but it takes more space inside. Mine is too powerful for my room so it cycles on and off a lot except for exceptionally hot days when it barely keeps up.

Certainly it's always a good idea to monitor your chinchillas around makeshift barriers. They are amazing escape artists and power cables have been the cause of death for many.
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kageri

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Re: Heating/cooling problems. HELP
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2014, 10:15:20 PM »

Try shutting all the ac/heat vents to the rest of the house and fully opening the one in your room.  The other vents will still leak plenty.  I used to live in an old farmhouse and that's what we had to do.  Every spring and fall we swapped the vent openings and closings to regulate the individual rooms because of the poor heat/ac distribution.  It was so stupidly setup.  The smallest room had 2 vents while the biggest rooms had 1 vent and the medium size living room where the thermostat was had 2 vents and was right in front of the door to the basement that always stayed 68F year round.  It was a nightmare trying to keep every room comfortable.

What's the longest you will be gone during the day?  You can freeze containers of water and set them in front of a fan that blows near but not directly on the chins.  Over the cage would work best because cold sinks and heat rises.  You can gain up to 5F that way especially if you are in a dryer area but the frozen bottle(s) need swapped every few hours and it takes up freezer space.  Regular air movement does nothing for chins because of their thick coats and lack of sweating so just a fan by itself will do nothing.  If you have a metal floor pan putting a frozen container in the cage will chill the whole floor pan along with metal or ceramic tiles many put in the cage for chins to lay on.  That's how we got through the end of last fall when our ac went out and the temps were dropping the next week so we just had to get them through a week of 78-80F in a house that heats up fast with 4 computers, every modern game system, a heated room for desert hedgehogs....  The problem is eventually chins will grow curious and chew through plastic containers in their cage.  Fabric sleeves might have to be made or roll them under a fleece liner.  It's not a great solution but it can buy you some time on hot days.

The cheapest, easiest, safest, long term solution would be to buy a window unit for your bedroom but that may or may not be your call.  The standalone units that just have a tube going to the window for drainage are more temporary but much more expensive for much less effect.
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