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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Jul 1, 2015 20:09:55 GMT
Quick question- not immediately requiring an answer but it's a necessary for my info...
What would heatstroke look like in a degu? The Uk is currently suffering through a heatwave that we haven't had in a long time, and as the kids are now in wooden cages the air circulation is obviously not as good as it was in the mesh cages. I've given them plenty of water, and they don't seem any different than usual, so I don't think they've got it now, but I have seen from on here that they can be prone to overheating - how do I know?
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Post by deguconvert on Jul 1, 2015 22:22:12 GMT
Lethargy and heavy breathing, and being stretched flat out are some that I would expect to see. Do you have a water bottle or something like that you can put ice water into to give a cool place for cooling down? Or some rocks, ceramic, bricks, you could put in your fridge to chill and then put in the cage?
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Post by Maravilla on Jul 2, 2015 6:28:56 GMT
Degus cope a lot better with higher temperatures than chinchillas do. DC already pointed out some possibilities of providing cool places, but it would be better not to cool them down too much (not ice cold) but change the items from time to time. It would also be possible to put the sand in the fridge for some time. The rest are the usual measures: keep windows closed during daytime (and the room dark, if possible), airing only in the cooler hours, wet towels in the room/near the cage, avoid direct sunlight into the cage.
We are right now passing through the same, most of Germany is already suffering from air temperatures over 30-33 degrees, where I live we will have those now with maximums around 36°C. The last years my degus coped pretty well with the high temperatures but we managed to keep the flat at around "only" 26-28°C when outside it was 34-36°C.
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Post by uglibug on Jul 2, 2015 7:18:44 GMT
We are keeping our curtains drawn and using refridgerated tiles to help them cool off. Also, like I've known people do with chins, we restrict their cuddle time to evenings when it is cooler. It has upset their routine a bit but they seem fairly ok with it.
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