Damp room

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wales1000

wales1000

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If you have a bedroom with gps in and the ceiling has gone damp, but the window is open all the time, could this possibly cause guinea pigs to have breathing problems - i.e. wheezing and bad chest? We think we have a problem in the bedroom, even though when we moved in 5 years ago, it was totally redone, new wallpaper and skirtings, but I wondered if this could cause problems for the guinea pigs? I am trying to get to the bottom of my guinea pig who has a bad chest and is wheezing. I would really appreciate it if someone could please advise!thanks.natasha
 
I've got this problem with my small front bedroom - the ceiling has gone black in certain places which it never did a few years ago - I've heard that cavity wall insulation could be the cause of it - not sure if it's true though. I don't have my guineas in there though - only my 17 year old son who is allergic to fresh air.rolleyes
 
I guess damp can affect guinea in the same way as humans - I'm awful in damp places, and it really sets off my asthma. Have you tried a dehumidifier? It sucks excess moisture out the air - might be worth a try?

Is there anywhere else you could move the pigs to in the meantime?

Sophie
x
 
thanks for your reply - i work in a surveying company and in the building department - i have spoken to one of the surveyors in my team and he said as i had problems with a leaking window and the rain was constantly coming through the window, the wall could be damp inside which has caused this dampness on the ceiling - apparently if you have this, you need to try and dry it out with a demidefyer (spelling) or try something else
 
The cause of the damp needs to be recitfied, i.e a leaking window needs to be fixed. It could be the wood has rot or more likely, just needs re sealing with frame sealant. A dehumidifer will help but if the problem causing the dampness is fixed, the room will dry out in time.

The black on the ceiling is mould. Chances are, you have it behind the wallpaper in that area too. Once the intial problem is fixed, you will need to strip the wallpaper and treat mould with one 1 part bleach:5 parts water. It may need more than one treatment. Mould spores are very bad for guineas chests and ours too!
 
There are different types of mould spores. The common black mould spores that you see in damp rooms is actually pretty dangeous to your health and is quite likely the cause of the piggys wheezing.

If you are asthmatic, get someone else to do the job as it could set off an attack!

Mouldy hay obviously wouldnt be good for piggies as the fungal spores could be inhaled or ingested and cause systemic fungal infection which could kill.
 
the window was sorted out last year, but this mould has gradually got worse - i need the other half to give me a hand, as the ceilings are quite high in my house and its too hard for me to do on my own, only problem is other half is always fishing every weekend, but i have said this Sunday we will need to sort it out - i will have to move all gps and chinchilla into spare room with hamsters, it might be a bit cramped,but all cages should fit in there - only thing is, the gps wont be able to go in the runs for 2/3 days until we have sorted the problem, but surely that wont hurt them?

We will wash down the ceiling with some mould killer, then use some breatheasy paint to paint over it - i was off the other week, so i did actually wash both windows down, wash the nets and the curtains. thanks for your replies xx
 
We lived in a really damp property and it made me so sick I was in hospital for a month with pneumonia.

It can't be doing the piglets any good at all and I agree with the dehumidifier suggestion, we were emptying ours almost every other day at first.
 
I have lived in two properties that had mould growing on the ceilings. The first time it happened which was a high rise flat council bloke was great washed it in a solution of vinegar and bleach which killed off any mould spours then painted it with some mould paint that stunk to high heavens.
He told me just the bleach and vinegar would be enough to kill the spours so that is what I have done in my present house no damp problems caused it in the first place it was the leaky bath. I did my kitchen ceiling ages ago now and no black moould had reared its ugly head since.
The smell of the mould paint is dreadfull and it would be quite a while before you could put the animals back in that room. Try the bleach and vinegar first and see if it solves the problem.
 
ok thanks i shall gvie it a go with the vinegar and bleach - i dont really want to keep the animals out of the bedroom too long, as they wont be able to go into the runs for days - only come out for cuddles!i was thinking too, i have teddies all of the cages and these gather dust, so last night i removed every teddy there was in the room, as this might not help the problem - i even took my wall rug off the wall as this was gathering dust and have washed this too - will be fun on Sunday! i hate decorating, but it has to be done for the piggies / chin's sake.
 
Ms_Fi said:
We lived in a really damp property and it made me so sick I was in hospital for a month with pneumonia.

It can't be doing the piglets any good at all and I agree with the dehumidifier suggestion, we were emptying ours almost every other day at first.
Click to expand...

i am trying to locate a damp meter in work, as we have one, but sods law it's gone missing! so i take a reading of the walls, to see if we do need a dehumidifier.
 
I have a problem in my 2 bedrooms with damp as I don't have heating in them and I have no window in my bathroom (and the fan is broken). You can buy small dehumidifier things at Betterware:
<LI id=product-item-017565> Mini Scented Dehumidifiers

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Now £3.99
Add to basketQty: 1 2 3 4 5 <LI id=product-item-036769> Mini Scented Dehumidifiers (set of 2)

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Now £5.98

They will help - you can actually buy bigger ones than these but can't remember where you get them from. They soak up the extra moisture in the air.
 
The mini dehumidifiers could be useful and cheaper. You can get some pretty effective ones from caravan shops. When we had a patch of black mould we were told to wash the wall down with Jeyes fluid, which we did. The house smelled like a public toilet for a few days but it certainly worked. No problem since. x
 
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Damp and mould can cause a problem with wheezing and breathing, but I'm surprised no one has mentioned possible bedding problems. Some guinea pigs can be allergic to the type of bedding they are kept on and this can cause breathing/wheezing problems as well.

Of course it could be keeping the pigs in the room that is causing the damp! It is amazing how much condensation can build up.

What do you keep your pigs on?

Is the hay extra dusty?
 
our piggies all live on vet beds, which are washed once a week - we get our hay from dust free hay and is the best i have found yet. Today i have moved all the animals into the spare room and have washed all teh ceiling down with vinegar and bleach, i have wiped down all the walls to get rid of any dust and have done the skirtings boards too. I have even started painted the ceiling with some mould proof paint, which i need to finish tomorrow, but we need to finish tomorrow and i am knackered tonight now! i have moved anything out of the room which might gather dust. I have washed a load of bedding ready for when the piggies go back into the room and will wipde down all the cages thoroughly - just hope this helps and the piggy improves.

sorry for the spelling etc, i have had a few beers to chill out tonight after my fun day sorting the room out :)
 
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