temperature

by boofandkara Mon 23 May 2016, 5:02 pm

It is getting real hot here lately. It's gotta be 76-78 degrees in my apartment. I have no air conditioning and honestly no plans to buy one. The boys are both continuing to burrow. Karamakete is in his carefresh under his plastic igloo, and Boofaloo is under his wooden log in a nest of fabric scraps (both cotton and fleece) that he's built. Should I be concerned? If they were hot, they'd come out and hang out in the hammock or something, right?

by peas Mon 23 May 2016, 5:15 pm

It can be a bit hotter in their tanks don't forget. I am not sure where you live but if it starts getting into the mid 80s you will have to find ways to cool the down. Do you have a thermometer right near their tanks? Room placement can make a difference too. It's 3 degrees colder on my floor than it is just at bed level, where i am, in a crappy house!

At the moment, i wouldn't worry about their burrowing. Some mice like it hotter than others and when they are hot they'll probably let you know. (you'll see them sleeping out in the open)

If your mice are of the shy variety, you could try and maybe making a little area that is empty in the corner where they can sleep that is less insulated. Like maybe a little plain cardboard hide (with a cardboard floor) that is empty so they can sleep there and still feel secure without any insulation.

But as i was saying, if it gets hotter you will have to look into ways of keeping them cool.

by MouseLover Mon 23 May 2016, 8:06 pm

If it gets very hot, you can put something like a ceramic plant pot in the fridge, and then put it in their tank/cage. It will provide them with somewhere cool to hang out/nest if they get too warm.

They're probably fine but I'd give them something to help them cool down, just so they have the option if they need it.

by MesaMouse Mon 23 May 2016, 9:20 pm

I keep my house set at 81 degrees in the summer months and none of my girls have ever shown any adverse effects. A good and cheap option for offering a cool spot in the tank is a small ceramic tile, about 4"x4": just keep a few handy in the 'fridge so you can pop one in for them to rest on. Small tiles can be found at Home Depot/Lowe's for under $1 each.

by scaredymouse Mon 23 May 2016, 11:04 pm

You don't even have to go buy anything (even though ceramic tiles are nice Very Happy

)... you can just put a coffee cup in the fridge and plop it in the tank on it's side. It makes a nice hideyhole and stays cool.

Also, cotton is not safe for mice. Fleece is perfectly fine but if mice chew on the cotton fabric and ingest any of it, the fibers can get tangled inside of them.

by boofandkara Tue 24 May 2016, 7:25 am

scaredymouse wrote:You don't even have to go buy anything (even though ceramic tiles are nice )... you can just put a coffee cup in the fridge and plop it in the tank on it's side. It makes a nice hideyhole and stays cool.

Also, cotton is not safe for mice. Fleece is perfectly fine but if mice chew on the cotton fabric and ingest any of it, the fibers can get tangled inside of them.

I had read something about a specific kind of cotton and I made sure none of the little squares that I cut up fray. They are all of a material that does not fray. He's also been on the bedding about a week and has not chewed on any. I am really surprised that neither of my boys are chewers. I gave them chewing toys and sticks and they don't use them, they have wooden ladders in their houses and they don't chew on them...the only thing I've seen one of them chew on was a cardboard divider I put in to keep the nesting area separate from the food area (cause they were getting bedding and food everywhere). He tore it up a bit and then I took it away. I even bought them these fiber pads from a pet store that are made for them to shred up and use as bedding and the sales associate told me they'd love tearing them up, but they've totally ignored them. The little shredding pads just sit in a corner.

by scaredymouse Tue 24 May 2016, 8:08 am

We have a saying around here: better safe than sorry. Just because you don't see them chew doesn't mean that it didn't happen. I wouldn't put cotton in my tank. And I'm sure sales associates mean well, but they are wrong a lot. And there are unsafe products on the shelves. They make cotton fluff for mice and hamsters which has killed many a small animal, but it's still on the shelves and it's selling just fine. If you want to use cotton because you read something somewhere, that's fine. But this is a public forum, so I need to make sure that everyone else that reads this understands that cotton is dangerous and has the potential to kill mice.

by Mouseketeers Tue 24 May 2016, 8:13 am

My guys make it through 40+ degree days ( 104 F ) just fine ( I don't have air con ). Obviously I worry a lot less in the winter. But I usually just toss down some ceramic tiles ( that I freeze over night ) and put freezer blocks on the outside of the tank up against the glass. They love lying against the cool glass. In the tanks I throw in frozen plastic juice containers. I never fill the bottles up just in case they manage to chew through the plastic and it floods the tanks ( none of mine have ever done this but I like to be prepared xD ). My girls will lick the outside of the container as it melts.

The plastic hides have holes drilled into the tops otherwise you will often find it gets very hot and humid underneath. They are usually smart enough to stay out of them but there is always one Razz

I take out the wheels and all plastic hides in summer. It goes without saying that you don't want to overwhelm their space with ice and cold stuff. Glass tanks work better for me in summer than plastic bins / cages.

Just a side note, they are pretty good at staying out of hot places or using the wheel too much. There have been days where I haven't been able to add anything to cool them down and they have been fine. But I like knowing they have the option if they need. I have even had does give birth out in the open and build an open nest in the summer because everywhere else was too hot. So don't stress too much they are pretty clever animals Smile

by MouseLover Tue 24 May 2016, 12:28 pm

You are completely entitled to make your own decisions for your mice, but as members of a supportive, mouse-loving community, we absolutely should warn each other of potential dangers to mice (as scaredymouse kindly did for you).

Imagine if your mouse died or lost a limb to cotton (both possible) and no one had warned you, even though we knew the dangers. What kind of community is that?

by CallaLily Tue 24 May 2016, 2:00 pm

MouseLover wrote:You are completely entitled to make your own decisions for your mice, but as members of a supportive, mouse-loving community, we absolutely should warn each other of potential dangers to mice (as scaredymouse kindly did for you).

Imagine if your mouse died or lost a limb to cotton (both possible) and no one had warned you, even though we knew the dangers. What kind of community is that?

Absolutely. Clap

by Brynne Tue 24 May 2016, 4:33 pm

Mouseketeers wrote: ( 104 F ) ( I don't have air con )

Putting your pets aside, Mouseketeers, how can YOU stand to endure those temperatures? Understanding things is my mad passion in life. Is hot weather a fleeting two-days a year phenomenon in your area? That would make sense.

I've been surprised at how common it is for my neighbours here in downtown L.A. to choose to live without an air conditioner. Our building's rent includes all utilities! Air conditioners are allowed with no extra fee! Yet I'm constantly disappointed to find young men and women complaining about the insufferable heat in the summer because they don't have a/c. If the explanation was as simple as the stereotype of the laid-back Southern California dude, then they wouldn't be bothered by the heat and wouldn't be complaining about it. There is something more complex that I'm missing.

Best example: A couple of years ago, I chatted with a fellow tenant and her boyfriend as we waited for the elevator. She was so hot that she was fanning herself with a piece of paper. I asked, "How on earth do people live here without air conditioning?"
She cheerily replied, "We just open the windows!"

No words.

Oh, and that woman is now our building's latest manager Gotcha

.

by Mouseketeers Tue 24 May 2016, 7:32 pm

I live in Australia ... need I say anymore? Razz

I rent and no amount of pleading will get them to install heating or air-conditioning. But it isn't too bad, I work outside so it is actually a relief to get out of the direct sun at the end of the day no matter how hot it is.

Unfortunately unlike what your building manager does. Opening the windows here results in a blast of very hot very dry heat. Windows remain tightly sealed shut till about 2am and then opened for only a few hours lol

by Brynne Tue 24 May 2016, 7:52 pm

Oh, are you a teen living under your parents' authority?

by Mouseketeers Tue 24 May 2016, 7:53 pm

by Brynne Tue 24 May 2016, 8:01 pm

Sorry, that's what I thought of when I read "pleading with them."

I hope that you can save up from your job for a heater or air conditioner, or to be able to move to a more temperate place soon. Best Wishes

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