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The summer heat can cause a problem for chinchillas because their bodies are not designed to cope with heat - they have a thick fur coat and they do not sweat. Chinchillas do not like temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius); but you should not wait until the temperature becomes this high before attempting to cool them down as chinchillas can die from overheating! As a general rule if the combined temperature and humidity are greater than 150 then one or both need to be reduced. It is best to aim for preventing the temperature from exceeding 70 - 75F.
A chinchilla suffering from the effects of heat may lie on one side and remain motionless, the ears may become pink - this is most noticeable in beige chinchillas, or those with pale coloured ears. They may also have difficulty breathing.
The majority of methods suggested below were acquired by reading public newsgroups and forums - many thanks to all people who have shared their suggestions and knowledge on these newsgroups and forums. The sharing of such knowledge is invaluable to other owners.
1. If the sun will shine in through the window then ensure the cage is not near the window. Keep the curtains at least three quarters closed when the sun is on the window.
2. A thin dark material over the window will help keep out the sun, but let in the air.
3. Consider buying curtains or blinds which have thermal properties - these keep out heat in summer, and retain heat in winter.
4. For a chinchilla room, or chinchilla outbuilding you could paint coolglass on the window. This is used on greenhouses to provide shading and will wash off. Look for it in shops selling gardening products.
Opening the windows may cool the room down, however if there is no breeze you may simply be letting warm air in!
There are a number of methods that have been suggested to do this, and I cannot recommend one over another. If you use any water filled plastic container (e.g. ice packs for picnic boxes) then ensure the chin cannot chew the plastic and make it leak! Note that terracotta tiles are best wetted before freezing.
1. Find some really cheap tins of soup/beans etc. Remove the labels and freeze them. When they are frozen run them under a warm tap for a moment to remove the white frosting (the kind your fingers may stick to!), dry them and put them in the cage.
2. Fill and freeze ice cream containers, or use frozen tins, ice packs, or terracotta tiles. When frozen place them on top of the cage. Warm air rises and cold air sinks, so the temperature in the cage below should fall. You may want to ensure condensation does not drip into the cage.
3. Large beach stones (or similar) can be frozen and put in the cage - your chin can sit on them and try chewing them. Alternatively use terracotta pots/tiles.
Fans are of limited use, unless they are distributing cold air. With regard to humans, the draft from a fan keeps us cool by evaporating moisture on the skin; as stated earlier chins do not sweat and so will not actually be cooled by a fan. Also be aware that chins do not like drafts.
Because these do not actually cool the room they are of limited use, except in circumstances where the humidity is excessively high but the temperature itself is within safe limits.
If considering buying an air cooler then it is best to check how it works. Most air coolers work be releasing water vapour into the air - since this will raise the humidity it is not best method of cooling for the chin. An air cooler may humidify by up to 12 litres a day.
If considering buying an air conditioner, or a portable air conditioning unit, something you need to consider is that most, if not all, air conditioners need to vent the 'waste' air outdoors. In the UK the output is measured in British Thermal Units (BTU), the higher the BTU the greater the cooling effect.