Warm weather

[nlkiser198343]

Wanna be prepared for this here to even tho it's winter right now and my house is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Average temp. In summer tho my downstairs with there cage is to open for air conditioning to work well and my grandma sleeps in the living room with them and only likes the fan. Most summer days stay in the 70s and lower 80s but occasionally go into the nineties. I heard of leaving frozen water bottles wrapped in socks or towels or refrigerating there water. Will that be enough tho on a 90 degree day if I'm at work half the day. We usually leave windows open all summer downstairs with a fan.

 

[Piggies&buns]

When it is hot here the advice is to not leave windows open during the hottest part of the day. All that can do is draw hot air into the room, particularly if a fan is being used, it just then blows hot air around and can make things worse.
It’s advised to keep windows and curtains closed during the hottest part of the day. Only opening them mornings and evenings if there is a cool breeze to move air around.

You can put frozen water bottles in the cage for them to lay against if they wish. If they don’t use them, then they are not feeling warm enough to need to. But on their own will not be enough if the room doesn’t remain cool enough.
The first thing to do is try to prevent the room from getting warm in the first place - not always easy though!

This guide explains.

Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

 

[nlkiser198343]

Wanna be prepared for this here to even tho it's winter right now and my house is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Average temp. In summer tho my downstairs with there cage is to open for air conditioning to work well and my grandma sleeps in the living room with them and only likes the fan. Most summer days stay in the 70s and lower 80s but occasionally go into the nineties. I heard of leaving frozen water bottles wrapped in socks or towels or refrigerating there water. Will that be enough tho on a 90 degree day if I'm at work half the day. We usually leave windows open all summer downstairs with a fan.

I could try putting them in my room with the air conditioner but the door would have to be open because the cats food and everything is in there. I would hope he wouldn't be able to get in there cage. Maybe my mother would let them stay in her room with air conditioner those days. So 85 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer is when I should probably do this right?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I could try putting them in my room with the air conditioner but the door would have to be open because the cats food and everything is in there. I would hope he wouldn't be able to get in their cage. Maybe my mother would let them stay in her room with air conditioner those days. So 85 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer is when I should probably do this right?

You would not want the cat to be allowed into the room the piggies are in. The cat’s prey drive would take over, and as prey animals the piggies could be terrified just by seeing the cat even if he never went near them.
I know you’ve got a Midwest cage, so I presume without a lid which obviously puts them at huge risk. Even with a lid, a cat could still get their paw into the cage to take a swipe at the piggies.

Anything over 77 degrees F (25 degrees) is considered too warm for piggies. There also humidity etc to take into account - the heat here is quite different to the heat in other countries.

 

[nlkiser198343]

You would not want the cat to be allowed into the room the piggies are in. The cat’s prey drive would take over, and as prey animals the piggies could be terrified just by seeing the cat even if he never went near them.
I know you’ve got a Midwest cage, so I presume without a lid which obviously puts them at huge risk. Even with a lid, a cat could still get their paw into the cage to take a swipe at the piggies.

Anything over 77 degrees F (25 degrees) is considered too warm for piggies. There also humidity etc to take into account - the heat here is quite different to the heat in other countries.

You would not want the cat to be allowed into the room the piggies are in. The cat’s prey drive would take over, and as prey animals the piggies could be terrified just by seeing the cat even if he never went near them.
I know you’ve got a Midwest cage, so I presume without a lid which obviously puts them at huge risk. Even with a lid, a cat could still get their paw into the cage to take a swipe at the piggies.

Anything over 77 degrees F (25 degrees) is considered too warm for piggies. There also humidity etc to take into account - the heat here is quite different to the heat in other countries.

My cat kinda goes where he wants in the house but the place there at now does have a lid and it's elevated so he can't get to the sides. I've never seen him try to jump on it. He'll watch them from afar sometimes so if I did build a second c&c cage maybe and a stand would that be ok probably if the cat can't sit by the side of the cage? If my cat could go outside I wouldn't feel as bad but animal shelters frown on that in the states and can take your cat if walking around outside

 

[Piggies&buns]

My cat kinda goes where he wants in the house but the place there at now does have a lid and it's elevated so he can't get to the sides. I've never seen him try to jump on it. He'll watch them from afar sometimes so if I did build a second c&c cage maybe and a stand would that be ok probably if the cat can't sit by the side of the cage? If my cat could go outside I wouldn't feel as bad but animal shelters frown on that in the states and can take your cat if walking around outside

We can only urge caution where cats being around piggies are concerned.
You would obviously also need a lid on a c&c cage.

 

[nlkiser198343]

I'll probly try either keeping them down there where they are then. The cat doesn't stay in there much anyway and try the air conditioner. It's only one for the 3 open rooms downstairs basically. But I could maybe put it in the window behind there cage but like 4-5 feet away. Maybe put a blanket over that side of the cage so it's not blowing directly at them and a fan should I blow directly into there cage or just circulate back and forth around the room. If it's still to hot I can try closing them up in my mother's room upstairs with her and the air conditioner. My air conditioners don't have temperature settings tho. Just high and low cool. I don't think it could make it to cold for them right. I doubt it would get colder than 60 when I'm not around. Carrying a 4 foot cage back and forth won't be easy but I don't think to many days will go above mid 70s

 

[nlkiser198343]

We might get 1 or 2 week stretches that go into 80s occasionally. Maybe a day in the 90s occasionally and I'm mostly leaving at 4 so I'll be there for the hottest part of the day. Some days I work mornings until 4

 

[nlkiser198343]

We might get 1 or 2 week stretches that go into 80s occasionally. Maybe a day in the 90s occasionally

When it is hot here the advice is to not leave windows open during the hottest part of the day. All that can do is draw hot air into the room, particularly if a fan is being used, it just then blows hot air around and can make things worse.
It’s advised to keep windows and curtains closed during the hottest part of the day. Only opening them mornings and evenings if there is a cool breeze to move air around.

You can put frozen water bottles in the cage for them to lay against if they wish. If they don’t use them, then they are not feeling warm enough to need to. But on their own will not be enough if the room doesn’t remain cool enough.
The first thing to do is try to prevent the room from getting warm in the first place - not always easy though!

This guide explains.

Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

Do you run ac all day to keep them cool in summer? I would imagine that's when you take them inside. Is that the only way to keep them cool if I'm gone for 8-10 hours? Of course closing curtains and other things you said to.

 

[nlkiser198343]

We can only urge caution where cats being around piggies are concerned.
You would obviously also need a lid on a c&c cage.

And with c&c I bought 16 grids and connectors I would imagine the grids also work as a lid right? I know I would need more tho for a big enough cage with top and the coroplast bottom which is really expensive to buy on its own. I think it actually looks cheaper to buy whole cages than packs of grids

 

[Piggies&buns]

Do you run ac all day to keep them cool in summer? I would imagine that's when you take them inside. Is that the only way to keep them cool if I'm gone for 8-10 hours? Of course closing curtains and other things you said to.

Things are different here in the Uk. 80 Fahrenheit is 26 degrees c - that is warm for us. Usually we are around the early 20 degrees c (75F ish).
Air conditioning isn’t really a thing here - we don’t need it. Some people may buy a portable unit but it doesn’t get warm enough here for them to be needed for more than a couple of days a year.
I keep my house cool by using damp sheets on the windows and keeping windows and curtains closed. I open the windows early mornings to cool it down from the night before and then it doesn’t get too warm during the day even if it is warmer outside. If we get a heatwave then it can be harder, and with climate change it may become more of an issue for us, but generally we don’t get that warm.

My boys live in my shed. When the outside temperature is 16 degrees or more they get lawn time and go back to their shed at night.
In the height of summer when it gets to 25 degrees or more, they come into the house during the day and then usually back to their shed at night (unless it doesn’t cool in the shed - sheds are hard work).

 

[Piggies&buns]

And with c&c I bought 16 grids and connectors I would imagine the grids also work as a lid right? I know I would need more tho for a big enough cage with top and the coroplast bottom which is really expensive to buy on its own. I think it actually looks cheaper to buy whole cages than packs of grids

Yes the c&c grids can be overlapped and cable tied together to form a lid

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'll probly try either keeping them down there where they are then. The cat doesn't stay in there much anyway and try the air conditioner. It's only one for the 3 open rooms downstairs basically. But I could maybe put it in the window behind there cage but like 4-5 feet away. Maybe put a blanket over that side of the cage so it's not blowing directly at them and a fan should I blow directly into there cage or just circulate back and forth around the room. If it's still to hot I can try closing them up in my mother's room upstairs with her and the air conditioner. My air conditioners don't have temperature settings tho. Just high and low cool. I don't think it could make it to cold for them right. I doubt it would get colder than 60 when I'm not around. Carrying a 4 foot cage back and forth won't be easy but I don't think to many days will go above mid 70s

60F is 15C. Anything cooler than 15C is too cold for piggies.

Do consider though that it is the fact that piggies should not be exposed to sudden temperature changes.
You should aim to keep their room around 20 degrees c (68F)

 

[nlkiser198343]

I'll probly try either keeping them down there where they are then. The cat doesn't stay in there much anyway and try the air conditioner. It's only one for the 3 open rooms downstairs basically. But I could maybe put it in the window behind there cage but like 4-5 feet away. Maybe put a blanket over that side of the cage so it's not blowing directly at them and a fan should I blow directly into there cage or just circulate back and forth around the room. If it's still to hot I can try closing them up in my mother's room upstairs with her and the air conditioner. My air conditioners don't have temperature settings tho. Just high and low cool. I don't think it could make it to cold for them right. I doubt it would get colder than 60 when I'm not around. Carrying a 4 foot cage back and forth won't be easy but I don't think to many days will go above mid 70s

I think I read that average summer temp in uk is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit and in the state I live in Pennsylvania it's average is 70 Fahrenheit so we might not be much different in weather.