UK Heat Spike Tomorrow

Wiebke

Wiebke

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Please make sure that your piggies can stay cool and are out of the sun, a hot breeze (even in the shade!) and a heat trap, like a patio. If necessary, bring them inside for the day.

The problem with heat spikes is that your piggies cannot adapt as easily to major temperature changes, so short term heat spikes are always a challenge, especially for the older, frailer, ill; babies, pregnant sows and nursing mothers - i.e. any guinea pigs with a weak or weakened/overloaded immune system.

Our Hot Weather Guide contains the largest collection of little practical tips for both cages and the whole room/accommodation. It is the combination of several that is most effective. There are plenty of little/no cost and low impact tips that everybody can do without adding to the energy or housaehold bill that work nevertheless.
Here is the link: Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

Here is our member feedback guide when testing out different measures for a range of housing settings from innercity flats to sheds during a prolonged heatwave with lots of questions and by trying different things: Hot weather warning for the UK - Member questions and heatwave feedback

Please keep your piggies safe: Your aim is to see your piggies ignoring the frozen water bottles because they are not overheated, NOT to come home and find them plastered against one.
 
Wiebke said:
Please make sure that your piggies can stay cool and are out of the sun, a hot breeze (even in the shade!) and a heat trap, like a patio. If necessary, bring them inside for the day.

The problem with heat spikes is that your piggies cannot adapt as easily to major temperature changes, so short term heat spikes are always a challenge, especially for the older, frailer, ill; babies, pregnant sows and nursing mothers - i.e. any guinea pigs with a weak or weakened/overloaded immune system.

Our Hot Weather Guide contains the largest collection of little practical tips for both cages and the whole room/accommodation. It is the combination of several that is most effective. There are plenty of little/no cost and low impact tips that everybody can do without adding to the energy or housaehold bill that work nevertheless.
Here is the link: Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

Here is our member feedback guide when testing out different measures for a range of housing settings from innercity flats to sheds during a prolonged heatwave with lots of questions and by trying different things: Hot weather warning for the UK - Member questions and heatwave feedback

Please keep your piggies safe: Your aim is to see your piggie ignoring the frozen water bottles because they are not overheated, not to come home and find them plastered against one.
Click to expand...

Keep your piggies safe today!
 
Its 28 degrees in the piggies room.curtains are closed,fan going and ice pods in place.
Amelia was struggling,so I've given her a bath....she was due one for fungal treatment.
A South facing room is hard to keep cool.Take care of your piggies in this warm weather.
 
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eileen said:
Its 28 degrees in the piggies room.curtains are closed,fan going and ice pods in place.
Amelia was struggling,so I've given her a bath....she was due one for fungal treatment.
A South facing room is hard to keep cool.Take care of your piggies in this warm weather.
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I hope Amelia is feeling better today.
 
Having some issues with my air conditioner and they can't come till Monday.

It's 26.1 in the house, should I be worried?
 
It's very slightly cooler here today but yesterday and the day before I was really struggling and couldn't get the piggy room below 26-27C. Toffee and Spice seem to be ok though and not interested in their frozen water bottle.

They're forecasting thunderstorms but no sign of any here yet... I'd love a good thunderstorm!
 
Ramia said:
Having some issues with my air conditioner and they can't come till Monday.

It's 26.1 in the house, should I be worried?
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Have they got ice blocks or bottles of frozen water in with them? They should be ok. Hopefully it will get cooler soon.
 
Ramia said:
Having some issues with my air conditioner and they can't come till Monday.

It's 26.1 in the house, should I be worried?
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They should be ok if it wasn't a sudden jump and they haven't already any medical problems. Just provide them with plenty of cool-packs or bottles of frozen water to cool themselves with, and if you have a fan, drape a damp cloth over their cage and point the fan towards it.
 
Ramia said:
Having some issues with my air conditioner and they can't come till Monday.

It's 26.1 in the house, should I be worried?
Click to expand...

Hi

If you have microwaveable pads, put those in the fridge and freeze a bottle of water (not fully filled, ice expands) in the freezer overnight; wrap it in some fleece or small towel when putting it into the cage. Replace it with another bottle in the freezer so you can switch bottles.
Also add a little crushed ice to the water you fill the bottles with so the water stays drinkable for longer. Please make sure that you do not overdo the ice. Make sure that you pull any curtains on sunny side and that the cage is never in full sunlight.

If you have a fan or can nip out to buy a fan, point it towards a damp piece of fabric pegged to the cage front to create an additional cooling effect and avoid strong cold drafts.

26 C is not too bad - it depends on the jump in temperatures. You want to give your piggies' bodies time to adjust gradually and avoid bigger jumps over 5-10 C up and down in less than a day if possible.

Here is the guide link again. Issues like yours and having tips for people all over the world are the reason for our collection - you just never know when you need them: Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
 
Thanks for all your replies.

The AC is running and keeping it at 26.1 for now. It's just lagging behind what I set it for so I know something is not right. I'm on a cancellation list for tomorrow morning, but I am hoping it keeps running although it is 3⁰ F behind what I set it (I have it set for 76 and it is keeping the house at 79).
 
Ramia said:
Thanks for all your replies.

The AC is running and keeping it at 26.1 for now. It's just lagging behind what I set it for so I know something is not right. I'm on a cancellation list for tomorrow morning, but I am hoping it keeps running although it is 3⁰ F behind what I set it (I have it set for 76 and it is keeping the house at 79).
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Hi

Just a degree celsius higher than set is not a problem for your piggies. They can cope with that.
It is when you go from 70 F (ca. 20 C) to 85 F (ca. 30 C) or higher in a day that they can go into distress. Any sudden jump over 5 C (about 7-10 F) should be avoided.
 
It rained here during the night and most of the morning which helped but it’s still rather muggy
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
I wish! We had a bit of rain last night but the rain or possible thunderstorms that were forecast for this afternoon/evening have now disappeared from the forecast.
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It didn’t make much difference. Still muggy. 😢
 
This has been the worst day for us so far, not only hot it's very muggy and the breeze we had before had gone. It's pleasant now the sun has gone, we have a stiff breeze blowing through the open windows. I love the heat, but muggy I don't like. The piggies are taking it in their stride in their north facing room, poor Red is struggling though, although I don't think that's entirely down to the weather.
 
Suddenly very muggy here too- no breeze and none of the promised rain.

Hope Red feels better soon.
 
piggieminder said:
This has been the worst day for us so far, not only hot it's very muggy and the breeze we had before had gone. It's pleasant now the sun has gone, we have a stiff breeze blowing through the open windows. I love the heat, but muggy I don't like. The piggies are taking it in their stride in their north facing room, poor Red is struggling though, although I don't think that's entirely down to the weather.
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Iris isn’t enjoying this heat, either. I’ve got a grumpy pancake piggy.
 
She studiously avoids the cool blocks (in fleece covers) as suspicious. Silly piggy. Hazel used to claim one within minutes of them being out in the cage.
 
I looked out the window and saw the air conditioner wasn't even spinning. It's just the fan that has been on all day.

I know it's expensive to have after hours service men come, but I just called a place and they are coming tonight. It's 200 dollars just for them to come after hours and then repairs.

I have to do it for Stripe and Chesney because I work tomorrow and it is going to be 90 degrees.
 
Poor grumpy Iris.
Red looks at me like I just crawled out of a hole when I swap his ice block for a new one. He is avoiding the blocks, they are evil! He's just had his Gabapentin dose upped so I'm hoping it's that that's making him sleepy. I don't want to take him to the vet in this heat and he was only there 2 weeks ago.
 
piggieminder said:
Poor grumpy Iris.
Red looks at me like I just crawled out of a hole when I swap his ice block for a new one. He is avoiding the blocks, they are evil! He's just had his Gabapentin dose upped so I'm hoping it's that that's making him sleepy. I don't want to take him to the vet in this heat and he was only there 2 weeks ago.
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Why do these piggies not understand we are just trying to help them with these cool blocks?
 
Ours are suspicious of the cool blocks too, I had to put a pea flake on it to give them the courage to come up and see what it was and put their paws on it.

Winnie is so suspicious she did a belly crawl towards something new in her cage last week!

I hope the heat peaks soon for everyone. It’s a stress with pets isn’t it. To think I used to look forward to summer…😂
 
We’ve got a lovely breeze today. Iris has positioned herself in the best spot in the cage to enjoy it (I’ve got a website open but curtains are closed).
 
We had cloud and a cool breeze for most of today, it seems to be getting hotter and muggy again now.
 
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