Sun-heated water bottle sparks hutch fire

Wiebke

Wiebke

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The below post has been posted with the express permission of the affected family for sharing to raise awareness that a unprotected water bottle in full sun can act as a lens the same way as a magnifying glass in the current strong sunshine and become a firestarter even if the hutch itself is not fully in the sun.

I fully applaud the family for having the courage to share this in order to save lives and to turn their own very upsetting experience into something positive. Their rabbit is currently under vet observation to assess any lasting damage.
It is not something anybody would necessarily expect to be possible to happen, especially not in a country like the UK that is not used to the current prolonged hot weather!

If you can't move your hutch fully out of the sun during the hottest hours and you haven't got an indoors hospital cage, please consider turning your bathtub into an emergency day camp for your piggies until it is cooler again outside.
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes

Shared via Barney's Animal Rescue
Barney's Animal Rescue
 
Oh my goodness! How awful. We do get direct sunlight on our hutch but not until late afternoon/early evening as our garden faces north-west.

We keep a shade over it most of the time now it's so hot, and I'll be much more careful after seeing this. I'm thinking about whether I should cover the water bottle itself just in case.
 
Pigwhisperer said:
Oh my goodness! How awful. We do get direct sunlight on our hutch but not until late afternoon/early evening as our garden faces north-west.

We keep a shade over it most of the time now it's so hot, and I'll be much more careful after seeing this. I'm thinking about whether I should cover the water bottle itself just in case.
Click to expand...

Please do not leave a water bottle out where the sun can shine directly on it anyway; your guinea pigs do not want to drink hot water when they are desperate for a drink! Install a holder inside the hutch or switch to bowls in the shade.

Or put two or three old socks over the water bottle to insulate it as much as possible.
 
Oh my goodness! I had no idea a water bottle could start a fire! I know about mirrors etc

I keep mine out of the shade for obvious reasons but sock idea is great!
 
PiggyPoo said:
Oh my goodness! I had no idea a water bottle could start a fire! I know about mirrors etc

I keep mine out of the shade for obvious reasons but sock idea is great!
Click to expand...

You still want to fill it with fridge cold water and crushed ice to keep it from turning into a hot water tap! Ideally you bring your guinea pigs indoors over the weekend as it is going to be a killer weekend - and I mean that literally in terms of heat strokes for guinea pigs!
The temptation to overfeed watery veg in hot weather!
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes
 
They’re indoors with me where I can keep an eye on them. I only put them out when it’s cool enough with plenty shade and a light breeze on an evening.

Thanks for the tips 😊 xx
 
When I had my first pigs they lived in the garden in summer. On hot sunny days I used an old bedsheet to drape over the hutch & run to give them some shade.
 
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