Renting with Pets: Weather Warnings 2
// December 4th, 2009 // Renting with Pets
The heat, the heat – oy vey, the HEAT!
Do you want to know why this post is late, everyone?
The heat – oh my goodness, the HEAT!
Part 2: Sweltering Temperatures
It has been sweltering, folks. And unfortunately, I have been blessed with a computer that does not like the tropical Queensland weather. One day this will be rectified, but until then? Both you, the reader, and I, the author, will have to suffer through this together.
Don’t get me wrong – one of the best things about living in a subtropical climate such as Queensland is the glorious summer weather that we have – it begs us to go to the beach, or have a BBQ, or sit in the sun and get our yearly dose of Vitamin D.
But on other days, it screams at us to get inside, turn on the air conditioning, and hide until the evening.
We have various options to both enjoy and escape extremely warm conditions, thanks to wonderful technologies that keep our houses cool and our food chilled. However, until our companion animals have opposable thumbs, they have difficulty accessing these same technologies.
In the last couple of weeks, many animal welfare societies have started to post their summer guides. To save doubling up on a lot of this information, I would like to link to a couple of the key ones:
- RSPCA Victoria have a quick bullet-point list on Summertime Care.
- RSPCA New South Wales offer their Safe Summer for Animals articles.
However, in summary, you cannot beat these three tips:
- Plenty of cool water (lots of big ice cubes can help too).
- Plenty of shade (inside preferable, but an outdoor patio is suitable).
- Plenty, PLENTY, of relaxation.
Overheating
Too many animals pass away every year when they are left in cars or other unsuitable environments in the summer months (see RSPCA Queensland for their November 2009 article on car fatalities). I could go into a long diatribe about this, but here’s the simple truth, folks:
Don’t ever leave your animals unattended in a motor vehicle or other enclosures susceptible to high temperatures (plastic dog houses, plastic carry crates, etc.).
Just don’t do it.
No exceptions, no pardons, no “quick stop-off at the grocer”.
It is creating a high-risk situation that is avoidable, and no responsible person should ever consider putting their companion animal’s life at risk.
Small animals
As a bird and guinea pig owner, I have an extra challenge in this regard. For starters, my animals are limited by their cage and hutch as to where they can find a cool, shady respite.
In the summer, I urge my fellow exotic animal owners to bring enclosures inside. With shade being the most important element, why not relocate enclosures to 100% shade?
Other tips include the following:
- Using old pillowcases on top of guinea pig litter as little “beds” sure helps with the litter bill. I alternate between a day pillowcase and a night pillowcase for about 3 days, leaving the other one out on the clothesline to air out.
- Tiles! We have invested in a couple of old bathroom tiles, and these make a wonderful addition to a hutch, giving your animal the option for a cool surface if the heat picks up.
- We use water bowls instead of those water drippers. However, in the summer I like to have both there, just in case the bowl water gets soiled for any reason.
- Misting spray bottles are wonderful for birds that are not keen to hop into a bowl for a bath. Making sure the water is fresh, give your birdies a nice little misting bath (do not aim directly at the bird. Instead, turn the nozzle to face the ceiling – the water will shoot up into the air before “raining down” on your birds).
Stay tuned to Part 3 of our series on how to deal with the summer holiday season!
