anxiety about the hot weather already

Engel said:
It's been a nightmare, more so these past few days. Pigs were moved into the shed once it was warm enough. Now it's getting to 27 in there. My pigs are more acclimatised to the hotter end as the house needs to stay warm for a disabled family member. I've got damp sheets up to provide an AC type cooling, which is helping. Cool bottles are in and I have a few tiles for them to lay on but they're ignoring the bottles and tiles at the moment. If it gets much warmer outside they'll be coming in during the hottest hours of the day. Next week is meant to be warmer so I'm dreading it.

Best thing to do is not panic. You're doing great. Have a look at our warm weather guide for more ideas Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
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wow yes that’s very hot! good luck next week! sounds like your doing all you can to keep them cool! thanks so much🫶🏻
 
T&A said:
My guinea pigs love ceramic tiles as they always stay cold. When in the cage they’re always lying on them!
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Hii! Sorry to barge in on this but may i ask, don’t they get soiled if they pee on the tiles? Cause i was thinking about getting tiles to keep them extra cool
 
Fluffy17 said:
Hii! Sorry to barge in on this but may i ask, don’t they get soiled if they pee on the tiles? Cause i was thinking about getting tiles to keep them extra cool
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Putting a ceramic tile in is fine.
Yes they probably will pee on it so you just need to wipe it clean.

However with any cooling measure added to the cage - whether it’s tiles or frozen bottles - what you actually want is for them to ignore them and for them to be sitting elsewhere in the cage (so with any luck a tile won’t get peed on!). If they ignore them then it means they aren’t feeling warm enough to need them. Keeping the room itself cool is the main thing to look to do.
 
When the weather is hot we keep the curtains closed on any windows that are in the sun. Then as soon as the sun is off a window, open the curtains and the window.

At the moment, our front window in the living room has the sun on it from about 7am to about 5pm. So it only has the curtains (or wooden shutters in that case - it's an old house) open between 5pm and bedtime. The window is actually open all day to prevent heat building up between the window and the shutters. You can also do this with curtained windows - windows open, curtains closed.

Try to create a through draught by opening windows opposite to each other, or windows in rooms at opposite sides of the building.

I don't think there is much chance of mice coming indoors in summer. We have fieldmice in our garden, and they have never tried to come into the house in summer. During cold weather in winter they take shelter in the garage - that's the time that they might come into the house if they could find a way. But not in hot weather.

Most of all, take a breath. You seem very anxious, and I think you may be worrying more than the situation deserves. At the moment the room is only at 23C, and it may never be hotter than that. If it gets over 25C then you can start taking measures like putting cool bricks in the cage and so on. That has not happened yet, and even if it does, it will not be the end of the world. You can get through it.
 
Cheekypigs said:
When the weather is hot we keep the curtains closed on any windows that are in the sun. Then as soon as the sun is off a window, open the curtains and the window.

At the moment, our front window in the living room has the sun on it from about 7am to about 5pm. So it only has the curtains (or wooden shutters in that case - it's an old house) open between 5pm and bedtime. The window is actually open all day to prevent heat building up between the window and the shutters. You can also do this with curtained windows - windows open, curtains closed.

Try to create a through draught by opening windows opposite to each other, or windows in rooms at opposite sides of the building.

I don't think there is much chance of mice coming indoors in summer. We have fieldmice in our garden, and they have never tried to come into the house in summer. During cold weather in winter they take shelter in the garage - that's the time that they might come into the house if they could find a way. But not in hot weather.

Most of all, take a breath. You seem very anxious, and I think you may be worrying more than the situation deserves. At the moment the room is only at 23C, and it may never be hotter than that. If it gets over 25C then you can start taking measures like putting cool bricks in the cage and so on. That has not happened yet, and even if it does, it will not be the end of the world. You can get through it.
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yes this is what we currently do!

thanks so much, you are right, i am extremely anxious lol, it is honestly killing me😅
 
Piggies&buns said:
Have you sought any help for your anxiety?
(I struggle with it too)
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hiya, yes i have been trying to get help since being diagnosed around the age of 13. i am with adult mental health team currently awaiting therapy. unfortunately i’ve tried countless types of medications, therapies, group sessions, you name it iv done it and nothing has ever helped me, its hard, it makes me feel like theres no hope.. it’s completely taken over my life and i don’t really ‘live’ more just surviving.. it’s awful😪
 
I have severe anxiety/depression and I have struggled with anxiety my whole life, just a couple years ago through covid taking over my whole life, making me drop out of school etc. (I am only 19).
I am on anti-depressants but another thing I have found really help me, alongside techniques to deal with it, is beta blockers. They are generally used for people who suffer with heart issues, or have had a heart attack.
They are meant to regulate your heartbeat, so when that adrenaline comes on, it will be more regulated. Which in turn helps with the physical signs of anxiety, such as sweating and nausea, means you have one less thing to deal with. We haven't found anything for the thoughts just yet ;)
You have likely already looked into them, if not tried them, but just a thought as I know how tiring it is.

For my pigs I have the same worries, but as time goes on and I have these moments of anxiety, I begin to learn how to deal with them better.
Situational anxiety is obviously much tougher, such as the weather, but keeping to the logics of the situation instead of worrying about this and that (overthinking) has helped me a bunch. I take a second, ground myself, and focus on what is actually going on and what I can do in the situation, take a second to think about what I would advise someone if they were in this situation.

I would not be surprised if you have already seen this, but it is a nice read anyway - Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters
Be kind to yourself, I know how hard it is x
 
piggl said:
I have severe anxiety/depression and I have struggled with anxiety my whole life, just a couple years ago through covid taking over my whole life, making me drop out of school etc. (I am only 19).
I am on anti-depressants but another thing I have found really help me, alongside techniques to deal with it, is beta blockers. They are generally used for people who suffer with heart issues, or have had a heart attack.
They are meant to regulate your heartbeat, so when that adrenaline comes on, it will be more regulated. Which in turn helps with the physical signs of anxiety, such as sweating and nausea, means you have one less thing to deal with. We haven't found anything for the thoughts just yet ;)
You have likely already looked into them, if not tried them, but just a thought as I know how tiring it is.

For my pigs I have the same worries, but as time goes on and I have these moments of anxiety, I begin to learn how to deal with them better.
Situational anxiety is obviously much tougher, such as the weather, but keeping to the logics of the situation instead of worrying about this and that (overthinking) has helped me a bunch. I take a second, ground myself, and focus on what is actually going on and what I can do in the situation, take a second to think about what I would advise someone if they were in this situation.

I would not be surprised if you have already seen this, but it is a nice read anyway - Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters
Be kind to yourself, I know how hard it is x
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hiya thanks so much for sharing this with me, i have had beta blockers before and they actually made my anxiety worse! thanks so much for recommending though as it may be something others can look into!

thanks again🫶🏻
 
piggl said:
I have severe anxiety/depression and I have struggled with anxiety my whole life, just a couple years ago through covid taking over my whole life, making me drop out of school etc. (I am only 19).
I am on anti-depressants but another thing I have found really help me, alongside techniques to deal with it, is beta blockers. They are generally used for people who suffer with heart issues, or have had a heart attack.
They are meant to regulate your heartbeat, so when that adrenaline comes on, it will be more regulated. Which in turn helps with the physical signs of anxiety, such as sweating and nausea, means you have one less thing to deal with. We haven't found anything for the thoughts just yet ;)
You have likely already looked into them, if not tried them, but just a thought as I know how tiring it is.

For my pigs I have the same worries, but as time goes on and I have these moments of anxiety, I begin to learn how to deal with them better.
Situational anxiety is obviously much tougher, such as the weather, but keeping to the logics of the situation instead of worrying about this and that (overthinking) has helped me a bunch. I take a second, ground myself, and focus on what is actually going on and what I can do in the situation, take a second to think about what I would advise someone if they were in this situation.

I would not be surprised if you have already seen this, but it is a nice read anyway - Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters
Be kind to yourself, I know how hard it is x
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covid, or moreso lockdown, definitely made things worse for me, i just think of the worst possible scenario and find something to worry about no matter what the situation. it really is horrible x
 
I also have an anxiety disorder. I used to manage it with beta blockers, they helped a lot but in the end they stopped helping so much, and I ended up in crisis at the end of 2021, off work and everything. I'm doing much better now.

One of the main things that's helped me has been recognising when my thoughts are anxious thoughts and then treating them, not as valid concerns, but as symptoms. And I'll tell people "I'm having a lot of anxious thoughts today" in the same way as I might say "my arthritis is playing up today". That way I manage to get out of the spiral, and I can just lean into the fact that I feel poorly and need some extra blankets and treats, rather than the exhausting treadmill of trying to argue with the thoughts themselves. And that feels better for me, because everyone has poorly days sometimes and it's ok. It will pass. And I don't need to "fix" my anxiety or stop being an anxious person. I just need to find ways to live well as an anxious person.

That's not the only thing that's helped, there are also meds and good counselling and strategies which have helped me to get into that headspace. It's not easy to get there. But once you are there, life is a lot better.

Also, sometimes I just grab a pig. I'm like "anxiety: pig cuddle". It genuinely helps.
 
Cheekypigs said:
I also have an anxiety disorder. I used to manage it with beta blockers, they helped a lot but in the end they stopped helping so much, and I ended up in crisis at the end of 2021, off work and everything. I'm doing much better now.

One of the main things that's helped me has been recognising when my thoughts are anxious thoughts and then treating them, not as valid concerns, but as symptoms. And I'll tell people "I'm having a lot of anxious thoughts today" in the same way as I might say "my arthritis is playing up today". That way I manage to get out of the spiral, and I can just lean into the fact that I feel poorly and need some extra blankets and treats, rather than the exhausting treadmill of trying to argue with the thoughts themselves. And that feels better for me, because everyone has poorly days sometimes and it's ok. It will pass. And I don't need to "fix" my anxiety or stop being an anxious person. I just need to find ways to live well as an anxious person.

That's not the only thing that's helped, there are also meds and good counselling and strategies which have helped me to get into that headspace. It's not easy to get there. But once you are there, life is a lot better.

Also, sometimes I just grab a pig. I'm like "anxiety: pig cuddle". It genuinely helps.
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i’m glad you are doing better now!

i wish i could think that way but unfortunately i don’t have anxious days.. i am literally anxious 24/7.

i wish my girls liked a cuddle but they don’t😪 this is what used to help me when i had my rainbow bridge three and was one of the reasons i actually had pigs bought for me again, unfortunately my girls just hate cuddling, so that was a bit of a kick in the teeth and gets me upset quite a lot x
 
piggiemummy03x said:
covid, or moreso lockdown, definitely made things worse for me, i just think of the worst possible scenario and find something to worry about no matter what the situation. it really is horrible x
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It is so hard, I totally get what you mean.

Big hugs, I hope you have someone to talk to, no one should go through this alone :hug:
 
I was also anxious pretty much 24/7. I do hope you can find some help sooner or later, it's an absolutely miserable place to be. People don't understand how debilitating it is.
 
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