Air Conditioning
Air conditioning is a necessity for chinchillas if you live in a country where the temperature can exceed 21C/70F. This includes countries like the UK, where air conditioning in the home isn't commonplace. Chinchillas are extremely susceptible to heat stroke and if the temperature exceeds the safe levels then it can quickly become fatal.
If you do not already have air conditioning in your home, then please ensure this is installed and working before getting a chinchilla. Air conditioning can be harder to purchase in warm weather due to popular demand, and if you haven't had air conditioning before you need to ensure you have somewhere suitable to expel the air from or it will not work. Sometimes you may need to make alterations to your property to allow the air conditioner to vent correctly. |
Air conditioning units are fairly expensive to purchase and run. As you will need to have air conditioning running constantly in warm weather and not just when you're in the house, it can work out more costly than usual. As well as the expense, you need to ensure that air conditioning will work in your home - either by having a fixed unit installed or having somewhere appropriate to expel the air for a portable unit.
More information on the types of air conditioning and how to decide which one is right for you can be found below.
More information on the types of air conditioning and how to decide which one is right for you can be found below.
Use a thermometer to track the temperature
Invest in a thermometer that tells you the room temperature and humidity levels. Once the temperature goes above 21C/70F you must put the air conditioning on (do not have this blowing directly on chinchillas though, as this can make them ill).
Humans can tolerate much higher temperatures than chinchillas, so whilst you may feel comfortable it could still be dangerously hot for your chinchilla. This is why a thermometer is needed to track the temperature accurately - please do not risk leaving this to guess work.
You should also use your thermometer to ensure your air conditioning is working correctly and keeping the room at a safe temperature. Do not rely on the fact the air it's blowing out feels cold to you, remember the room temperature must be 21C/70F or lower to be safe for chinchillas.
Humans can tolerate much higher temperatures than chinchillas, so whilst you may feel comfortable it could still be dangerously hot for your chinchilla. This is why a thermometer is needed to track the temperature accurately - please do not risk leaving this to guess work.
You should also use your thermometer to ensure your air conditioning is working correctly and keeping the room at a safe temperature. Do not rely on the fact the air it's blowing out feels cold to you, remember the room temperature must be 21C/70F or lower to be safe for chinchillas.
Fans and Air Coolers are NOT suitable
Unfortunately there is a reason why fans and air coolers are priced considerably cheaper than air conditioning units, these do not cool chinchillas down and using them can do more harm than good.
Fans simply circulate the air in a room and do not lower the temperature. You can test this for yourself at home, turn on the fan and keep a note of the thermometer in the room, you will notice that the fan does not decrease the room temperature. Unlike people, chinchillas do not sweat, so the breeze circulated from a fan is completely ineffective to a chinchilla. Fans can actually make the situation worse as they'll circulate the warm air quicker and a draft blowing on a chinchilla can make them sick.
Air coolers are also unsuitable because they raise the humidity in the room which is dangerous for chinchillas, whilst doing little, if anything, to decrease room temperature. Chinchillas must be kept at a humidity level between 40-60% and so you should not use an appliance that will increase humidity in the room.
Fans simply circulate the air in a room and do not lower the temperature. You can test this for yourself at home, turn on the fan and keep a note of the thermometer in the room, you will notice that the fan does not decrease the room temperature. Unlike people, chinchillas do not sweat, so the breeze circulated from a fan is completely ineffective to a chinchilla. Fans can actually make the situation worse as they'll circulate the warm air quicker and a draft blowing on a chinchilla can make them sick.
Air coolers are also unsuitable because they raise the humidity in the room which is dangerous for chinchillas, whilst doing little, if anything, to decrease room temperature. Chinchillas must be kept at a humidity level between 40-60% and so you should not use an appliance that will increase humidity in the room.
Choosing an Air Conditioning Unit
Getting the right size for your room
When purchasing an air conditioning unit, you need to ensure it has the power to cool the size of the room you have. In Britain this is measured in BTU, the higher the BTU number, the higher the cooling capacity of the air conditioning.
Appliances Direct offer a useful guide for working out the size of the air conditioning you will need based on the size of your room.
Appliances Direct offer a useful guide for working out the size of the air conditioning you will need based on the size of your room.
Types of Air Conditioning
Once you have calculated the size of air conditioning required for your room, you need to decide whether to buy a portable air conditioning unit or a fixed split air conditioning unit:
1. Portable Air Conditioning Units
The main consideration before buying a portable air conditioning unit is whether you have a suitable vent to expel the warm air emitted via the pipe. If you don't have a suitable outlet, this type of air conditioning unit will not work.
You will need to expel the warm air emitted by placing the pipe through either an open window or purpose built wall vent if you have one. You may also find that a letterbox is a suitable alternative. If you plan to vent through a window please consider the security of your property as this will mean leaving the window open when you are not at home. Special window seals can be purchased but obviously this does not offer the same level of security as a locked window. It may sound obvious but ensure your chinchilla's cage can be close to where you want to vent from, as the pipes on portable air conditioning units are often fairly short. As mentioned above, please don't have the air conditioning blowing directly on your chinchilla as this can make them poorly.
Portable Air Conditioning Units are typically cheaper to buy but less powerful and economical to run. If you live in a county where your chinchilla will need air conditioning for most of the year then a split air conditioning unit will probably be the best option.
You will need to expel the warm air emitted by placing the pipe through either an open window or purpose built wall vent if you have one. You may also find that a letterbox is a suitable alternative. If you plan to vent through a window please consider the security of your property as this will mean leaving the window open when you are not at home. Special window seals can be purchased but obviously this does not offer the same level of security as a locked window. It may sound obvious but ensure your chinchilla's cage can be close to where you want to vent from, as the pipes on portable air conditioning units are often fairly short. As mentioned above, please don't have the air conditioning blowing directly on your chinchilla as this can make them poorly.
Portable Air Conditioning Units are typically cheaper to buy but less powerful and economical to run. If you live in a county where your chinchilla will need air conditioning for most of the year then a split air conditioning unit will probably be the best option.
2. Split Air Conditioning Units
Composed of two units, one unit is installed inside on either the wall or ceiling, whilst the other unit is mounted to the outside wall.
This eliminates the issue of needing a window or other avenue to vent from but does mean initially there’s more installation required to fix the unit to your property.
Split Air Conditioning Units are more expensive to purchase but are more powerful and cost effective to use in the long run.
This eliminates the issue of needing a window or other avenue to vent from but does mean initially there’s more installation required to fix the unit to your property.
Split Air Conditioning Units are more expensive to purchase but are more powerful and cost effective to use in the long run.
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