Post by Darren Lim on Mar 9, 2004 23:54:47 GMT -5
Keeping a chinchilla cool, whether it's because the weather is unseasonably warm or the a/c just died or lightening knocked the electricity out, requires a little bit of ingenuity and a little bit of imagination.
First, and most important, is to prepare for it ahead of time. Summer is always going to come and the electricity will eventually go out for some reason or another. Take time to put the supplies aside ahead of time.
A great many of the items used to keep chins cool can be bought at a home improvement or garden store. Probably the cheapest is a bag of river stone. Put the stone in the freezer. When you need it, place it into a metal stock pot or a glass pitcher. The metal/glass walls will act as a chiller. Or just place a layer in a shallow pan for them to lay on. Make sure you get river stone as it is smooth and won't cut their coat.
Unglazed floor tiles can be stacked in the freezer and pulled out when needed. Terracotta flower pots can do the same thing. You can soak the terracotta in cold water, wipe it off and the evaporation will keep the chin cool. Terracotta pipes from the plumbing section can also be used. Marble cutting boards, thresholds, bricks and solid surface countertop pieces can all be used.
Wander over to the craft/plant section and pick up a couple of the small chimineas. These are the little fake stoves that are used as planters. They can be frozen and will provide coolness for hours.
Water can be frozen in soda bottles in an emergency, but there will always be an issue of the chin chewing the bottle and possibly getting wet. I was told to wrap them in aluminum foil, but mine chewed the foil to bits in seconds. Fill a heavy stockpot with ice cubes, put the lid on upside down and put a brick on the lid to hold it closed.
If you have electricity, but the heat is unbearable, make a basic air conditioner by putting a shallow pan full of ice cubes in front of a fan so the air blows across the ice and toward the top of the chin cage. Remember cold air falls so you want the cooler air up and dropping. You also don't want to point the fan directly at the chin, but up or bounce it off a wall.
Do not, under any circumstances, use the instant cold packs that come in first aid kits. The substance inside them is toxic. There is no truly 100% safe way to use them.
First, and most important, is to prepare for it ahead of time. Summer is always going to come and the electricity will eventually go out for some reason or another. Take time to put the supplies aside ahead of time.
A great many of the items used to keep chins cool can be bought at a home improvement or garden store. Probably the cheapest is a bag of river stone. Put the stone in the freezer. When you need it, place it into a metal stock pot or a glass pitcher. The metal/glass walls will act as a chiller. Or just place a layer in a shallow pan for them to lay on. Make sure you get river stone as it is smooth and won't cut their coat.
Unglazed floor tiles can be stacked in the freezer and pulled out when needed. Terracotta flower pots can do the same thing. You can soak the terracotta in cold water, wipe it off and the evaporation will keep the chin cool. Terracotta pipes from the plumbing section can also be used. Marble cutting boards, thresholds, bricks and solid surface countertop pieces can all be used.
Wander over to the craft/plant section and pick up a couple of the small chimineas. These are the little fake stoves that are used as planters. They can be frozen and will provide coolness for hours.
Water can be frozen in soda bottles in an emergency, but there will always be an issue of the chin chewing the bottle and possibly getting wet. I was told to wrap them in aluminum foil, but mine chewed the foil to bits in seconds. Fill a heavy stockpot with ice cubes, put the lid on upside down and put a brick on the lid to hold it closed.
If you have electricity, but the heat is unbearable, make a basic air conditioner by putting a shallow pan full of ice cubes in front of a fan so the air blows across the ice and toward the top of the chin cage. Remember cold air falls so you want the cooler air up and dropping. You also don't want to point the fan directly at the chin, but up or bounce it off a wall.
Do not, under any circumstances, use the instant cold packs that come in first aid kits. The substance inside them is toxic. There is no truly 100% safe way to use them.