Davidson Chinchillas - Specialising in Charcoal Chinchillas

 Chinchillas originated in the upper Andes mountainous regions where it is cold and arid. They have the densest fur of any land mammal with up to 80 hairs in 1 hair follicle (compared to just 1 hair per follicle in humans) and they can perish in the heat.
 
Each year, on various chinchilla forums, there are sad stories of chinchillas perishing in the hot weather. The main problem is that hot weather in the UK is usually accompanied by high humidity (our hot, sticky summers).

Chinchillas cannot sweat, unlike humans, so high temperatures and high humidity is akin to being wrapped in a full fur coat (including face, hands, and feet) and sitting in a sauna all day. It is important, therefore, to consider both ambient temperature and humidity levels when discussing keeping chinchillas cool.

The combination of humidity and temperature should remain below 150 (e.g. temp 70F and humidity less than 80%) in order to prevent chinchillas becoming overcome with heat. Temperatures should be kept below 70F.

Lowering the ambient temperature:

 By far the best way to keep chinchillas cool is to physically lower the ambient temperature in a room and the best way to do this is with air conditioning.

Many air conditioning units combine the cooling operation with a dehumidifying function and are available with the ability to re-start after power has failed.

Once the unit has been properly installed, with the hose adequately secured, it can be set to keep the temperature at an adequate level. The dehumidifying function will kick in when necessary and the room should remain comfortable for the chinchillas.

There are downsides to using air conditioning units though, some of which include cost, failure of the unit, and accidental hose disconnection.

Air con units can be expensive due to electricity consumption, the unit can fail for a number of reasons (e.g. the dehumidifier tank fills up and shuts the unit off, there is a power failure and the unit does not have the ability to switch back on, the unit’s thermostat malfunctions) and the hose can accidentally disconnect, causing hot air to pour into the room, raising the temperature to dangerous levels.

 Evaporative coolers are not suitable for keeping chinchillas cool. They function by blowing air over ice or water and they raise the humidity to unacceptable levels. They are also not as efficient or effective as air conditioning and not worth investing in.

 Another way to keep the ambient temperature down is to close all the windows during the warm days and open them to cool the room over night, keep curtains drawn to prevent sunlight from warming the room, and use white glass paint (“Cool Glass”) where possible.

 Localised Cooling:

 There are localised options for keeping chinchillas cool, and although not as effective as air conditioning, they are never-the-less useful.  These options include:

Fans – do not actually do much except move air around the room (including warm air) but some chins do like the feel of a breeze across their face/body.

 Marble slabs (chin chillers), ceramic/terracotta tiles or pots – these allow the chinchilla to keep cool by lying on or in them.

 Frozen tins of food – Freeze cheap tins of beans etc. - once the frost has been wiped from the tins they can be placed in or on top of the cage for the chins to lie around or under.

 Cold blocks in biscuit tins – placing the blocks in a biscuit tin on a towel on top of the cage can be effective but they need to be changed regularly.

 Cold dustbaths – the dust which chinchillas use can be placed in the freezer or in the fridge to cool and then poured into the dustbath. The chin can lie in the dust and keep cool.

 Sensible precautions during hot weather:

 No exercise outside of the cages – chinchillas can easily overheat during exercise. This includes removing exercise wheels from the cage.

 Do not travel with chinchillas in warm weather – it is better to wait and move chins when it is cool (like during the late evening when it is getting dark) and to use a vehicle with air conditioning if moving them is absolutely necessary (e.g. for a trip to the vets).

Also, if there is a need to stop on a journey, do not leave the chinchillas in the car at all – it takes only a few minutes for a chinchilla to die in a hot car.

 Keep cages out of direct sunlight and handle chinchillas as little as possible.

There is no doubting that summers are getting hotter and temperatures also seem to be getting hotter earlier in the year and staying hot for longer periods of time. There are many in the south of the country who needed to switch their air conditioning units on back in April when temperatures reached into the mid 70s Fahrenheit. Keeping chinchillas cool is becoming more of an issue each year. Simple precautions and lowering the ambient temperature are key to keeping chinchillas cool and comfortable.