guinea pigs and heat

heyyyyyyyy

not gonna be long (or yes, we'll see lmao), just came to my mind.

as i already did, im gonna start with an introduction:

guinea pigs are originated in the Andes, South America. up there (or down there??) the average temperature is 7 degrees celsius (45 degrees fahrenheit), that means that its rather cool weather.

guinea pigs can tolerate temperatures from 15ºC (60ºF) being the minimum and 30ºC (85ºF) being the maximum. that doesnt mean that they gonna instantly die if the temps go lower or higher, but the further away from the maximum or minimum temperature, the higher the risk will be for health issues: overheat or getting sick (they get colds). and yea, they can die ofc.

guinea pigs cannot control their body temperatures they way humans do, they dont sweat. they handle cold much better than heat bc they are just fur and they have a higher body temperature compared to us humans, why? to get protected from lower temperatures, bc that is the best way to survive to their environment (south american andes). if the climate tends to be colder, better be a furry little rodent.

also an interesting fact before ending the introduction: guinea pigs regulate their body temperature with their ears !! like elephants hihihihi

now time for my pigs' experience:

right now it is hot in spain, and since summer heat started i could see how my guinea pigs got lazier, a bit lethargic (they do eat, drink, poop and everything, they just nap all day).

rn its 35ºC (95ºF) here with 40% humidity and a 37ºC (almost 100ºF !!!!) chill factor (as im typing this im fucking melting jesus come save me).

my advice for people who live in hot places and has guinea pigs is:

• if u can use AC all day and u dont give a shit about anything, use it lmao
• let them be on the floor/more floor time. the floor is colder and they are in a more open space so theres more air stream n shit.
• give them cold water, like, fill their water bottles with cold water (no need to be fucking brain-freezing cold, but ykwim).
• fill water bottles with cold water (ice works too) and wrap them with a towel or something so your pigs can lay onto the bottle. put the bottle on their cage.
• u can find carpets on amazon or maybe pet stores that are filled with liquid that u can put in the fridge to cool it down so the little rodents can lay on it.

if u got pigs and u are in this situation dont worry that much, they will probably be fine unless they're old or/and are sick, just keep an eye, check if they eat, drink, poop......

also, about the little aguacate 's and nugget's dominance problems: im sure the heat irritates them more and thats why they get some confrontations lately.

time to end this entry !!! here a couple pics of nugget and aguacate !!!!!!!!

big boy using his coconut shell as a pillow.

any questions or advice related or unrelated to the topic can be commented or sent thru DM !!!! ill read everything.