How hot is too hot for an indoor squirrel?

[lennysmom]

Our AC went out tonight and it's already nearly 10 degrees hotter then Angel is used to in here! :eek I don't want him to get overheated. He has plenty of water and I gave him some cold watermelon and an ice cube just now - that seemed to perk him up a bit.
I do have the ceiling fan running, but it's just so humid and stuffy. Ugh, I'm ready for fall.
It is suppose to get in the 90s again here tomorrow and his room gets lots of sun and heats up fast without any air. :(
My question is, how hot is too hot for these indoor acclimated squirrels to safely endure? He still has a decent coat on him - not a full fledged winter fluff, but certainly not a summer coat.

We do have one portable AC unit, only big enough to cool one room and our very hairy dog will also need some air tomorrow until I can get someone to come out and look at the unit. I'm hoping it still works as my hubby is not sure. If so, I may have to put Angel's cage in our bedroom with Rosco and cover his cage so he can't see him. Angel has never seen Rosco, since my plan was always to release - until I discovered he still has no natural fear of cats. :(
If the unit still works, maybe they will be ok together while we are at work with a covered cage?:dono
Rosco is an older dog and mostly just lays around now - he's been nose to nose with Lenny before and just looked at him.

If it doesn't work, does anyone know of anything else I need to do to ensure Angel does not get overheated tomorrow? I will be very concerned about him.
Sigh.... REALLY hope the HVAC repair man makes it out here soon!! The unit is only a couple of years old and under warranty thank goodness!

[SugarBugFerret]

I myself am quite interested in what our gurus have to say about this. It is a question that has crossed my mind many times while just sitting out on my screened porch with Skiddil. It is well into the 90s here, and it doesn't take her long to start pancaking on the glass table to cool off. But she has to have her out of cage time, and that is the safest place. So squeep gurus...what say you?

[Rhapsody]

I think he will be just fine with the fans on him for a day or two. I rehab in Florida and my babies are inside with me (with A/C) for a good three to four months before they are placed outside in their release cage for a months worth of soft release time before I let them go and I have never had a squirrel develop problems adjusting to the heat....... its just some thing they naturally do, as though they know its part of their life.

[lennysmom]

I think he will be just fine with the fans on him for a day or two. I rehab in Florida and my babies are inside with me (with A/C) for a good three to four months before they are placed outside in their release cage for a months worth of soft release time before I let them go and I have never had a squirrel develop problems adjusting to the heat....... its just some thing they naturally do, as though they know its part of their life.

Well, that makes me feel better about it - thank you Rhapsody. :) I've read so much about heatstroke and all that it really worried me because it just seemed like such an extreme jump in temperature all the sudden. There is a ceiling fan in that room and I think my hubby may have just gotten the portable AC unit to work, so we might move Angel in our bedroom today with Rosco anyway and just cover the cage.

[CritterMom]

90's indoors where they can't get any relief anywhere is pretty hot for one that isn't acclimated. Can you completely secure that cage so that if the dig decides to do something it will absolutely not be able to get in? Like put wire ties on all of the doors, etc?

A good addition to the cage is a marble time. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy a standard 12" square marble or granite floor tile. I prefer marble, and you need to get natural stone, not ceramic. For whatever reason, marble stays cool - put you hand on it in a 90 degree room and you will see. Your squirrel will find it and pancake on it.

[Nancy in New York]

Block off his window with anything you can find, like blankets, etc. to keep he sun out.
Buy a small cheap indoor thermometer or for that matter, if you have an outdoor one bring it in for a few minutes to see the inside temperature.
I think you will be surprised at how much cooler it is in the house even without air conditioning.
Just keep everything closed up and the sun blocked out, and the doors shut, except when leaving of course. :grin2:poke

[HRT4SQRLS]

I know it probably won't help for today because you probably don't have any prepared. At a feed store I saw a cage with rabbits for sale. It was HOT, HOT even in the shade. They had frozen water bottles in the cage and the rabbits were huddled up next to them. I'm sure it helped. :)

I love the marble slab idea. :thumbsup

[Nancy in New York]

I know it probably won't help for today because you probably don't have any prepared. At a feed store I saw a cage with rabbits for sale. It was HOT, HOT even in the shade. They had frozen water bottles in the cage and the rabbits were huddled up next to them. I'm sure it helped. :)

I love the marble slab idea. :thumbsup

Great idea with the frozen water bottles.
Lindsay, does any place near you sell blocked ice?
You could put that in a container with a lid and do what
Patti suggested.
If you have something large with a flat top
that would work well, and Angel may even be able to flatten out
on top of it. If the ice block doesn't fit the container, hose it with hot
water in your kitchen sink to get the shape you need. :)

[stosh2010]

90's indoors where they can't get any relief anywhere is pretty hot for one that isn't acclimated. Can you completely secure that cage so that if the dig decides to do something it will absolutely not be able to get in? Like put wire ties on all of the doors, etc?

A good addition to the cage is a marble time. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy a standard 12" square marble or granite floor tile. I prefer marble, and you need to get natural stone, not ceramic. For whatever reason, marble stays cool - put you hand on it in a 90 degree room and you will see. Your squirrel will find it and pancake on it.

I used to put my 12 inch Granite/marble square--in my fridge for an hour or two..
Then wrap in in a thin t-shirt...and my CREW loved it.

>> especially if you are doing any car transport--the cold marble is a God-send.

[island rehabber]

I used the frozen water bottle idea last summer, in the release cages at my former site. They all got late afternoon sun, which was a killer during that horribly hot summer we had in 2013, so I put frozen water bottles in their water bowl and they loved it. With my kids on the terrace this summer, I put a fan on them anytime there was no breeze in their direction. :tilt

[lennysmom]

Thanks so much everyone for the great ideas and reassurance. :thankyou:thumbsup
I love the marble or stone tile suggestion, as well as the frozen water bottles, although as much of a chewer as he is, he might try to chew it up.
My hubby did mange to get the portable unit working, so right now Angel is in his travel cage in my bedroom as his big cage just won't fit in there with the furniture - it's HUGE!

The dog is gated off in one half the room and Angel is in the other half with his cage covered, so he can't see the dog. I hate to leave him in his travel cage all day, but I thought it was better then him roasting in that room all day.

Hopefully, they will get it fixed today because I don't want to keep him in a travel cage more then a day or so - it's not very big for a full grown squirrel. :( He needs to get out, stretch his legs, and get exercise.

[lennysmom]

Ugh, well I thought the portable unit was working, but the room is not much cooler then the rest of the house, so perhaps not. :Cry
Going to get a marble or natural stone tile or two after work for Angel. Gave him some cold watermelon just now and a couple of frozen grapes and green beans too. Hopefully, that will help him a little.
And of course today is one of hottest and most humid days we've had here in awhile.:(
Have all the windows covered as best as I could manage and I'm keeping the doors closed too. At least the fan helps some.

[lukaslolamaus]

How soon did they say, they can fix you ac?

[lennysmom]

How soon did they say, they can fix you ac?

Not sure - they are coming to look at it this afternoon, so hopefully soon.

[lukaslolamaus]

That's good ....hopefully it's a quick fix, and everyone will be cool tonight!

[lennysmom]

That's good ....hopefully it's a quick fix, and everyone will be cool tonight!

Unfortunately not. :( The fan motor is not working, so he had to order the part. He's going to come back tomorrow afternoon to fix it... it's going to be a hot night! It's cooler outside right now then it is in our house and it is still almost 90 here if that tells you anything. :eek

We are buying stone tile and another fan now and I left Angel with a bowl of ice cubes and cold watermelon. So far, he's not showing any obvious signs of being overheated.

[Nancy in New York]

Unfortunately not. :( The fan motor is not working, so he had to order the part. He's going to come back tomorrow afternoon to fix it... it's going to be a hot night! It's cooler outside right now then it is in our house and it is still almost 90 here if that tells you anything. :eek

We are buying stone tile and another fan now and I left Angel with a bowl of ice cubes and cold watermelon. So far, he's not showing any obvious signs of being overheated.

I can't believe that your house is hotter inside than out. I wonder if you have good insulation, or since you are in the south, perhaps they use less down there.
Anyway, when you get the fan you can put it in the window to draw the "cool" air in, unless it's humid, then I would keep the dry air in the house.
See if that helps, but only if it's not humid. :dono

[lennysmom]

I can't believe that your house is hotter inside than out. I wonder if you have good insulation, or since you are in the south, perhaps they use less down there.
Anyway, when you get the fan you can put it in the window to draw the "cool" air in, unless it's humid, then I would keep the dry air in the house.
See if that helps, but only if it's not humid. :dono


Unfortunately, it is VERY humid in this part of TN Nancy. The humidity will just suffocate you on hot days sometimes. So, we just have box fans inside and ceiling fans - it does make it tolerable, but it's still just miserable. I'm sitting in front of the fan with a cold rag.
Angel however, seems to be taking it all in stride - he is a lot less active, but doesn't seemed too distressed. I've been giving him lots of cold treats and he did lay on the marble some too. Don't know where to buy blocked ice though and everything I can think of to put in his cage frozen I would be worried about him chewing on besides just plain ice - Angel thinks everything is to chew. :shakehead
Tomorrow afternoon can't come soon enough for me!

[Shewhosweptforest]

You know this stinks...but as someone said earlier..they acclimate pretty well, if they have fresh cool water and shade outdoors....I mean this year, during the Spring, we went one day from highs in the 70's no humidity to high's in the 90's ....poor Sweet P had a thick coat from the terrible Winter :dono but she did fine. Also, my squirrels are in the house 75 degrees....... and then spend hours in the squirrel room which is wall to wall windows and gets pretty warm, because with the door to the rest of the house closed it doesn't set the thermostat off. They all do fine...I sweat in my robe :carzy2they do slow down on the really warm days. He'll be fine...and I just wanted to suggest (which I'm sure you've already done) put Lenny's travel cage up on a dresser...up high like that your dog shouldn't be able to mess with it :thumbsup :Love_Icon

[SammysMom]

Gallon jug of water frozen makes a great ice block. If you put it in front of a fan that is blowing on him, it will do wonders. Cut the plastic off of the ice and blow the air onto the ice in front of his cage. Or in front of your chair...:grin3

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

Gallon jug of water frozen makes a great ice block. If you put it in front of a fan that is blowing on him, it will do wonders. Cut the plastic off of the ice and blow the air onto the ice in front of his cage. Or in front of your chair...:grin3 :thumbsup I did that for years here in South Texas for Chi Chi. I put the frozen jug everyday on the shelf that she napped on. She would lay next to it. I put it back in the freezer each night. Also had a little saucer of crushed ice for her to nibble at.

[lennysmom]

You know this stinks...but as someone said earlier..they acclimate pretty well, if they have fresh cool water and shade outdoors....I mean this year, during the Spring, we went one day from highs in the 70's no humidity to high's in the 90's ....poor Sweet P had a thick coat from the terrible Winter :dono but she did fine. Also, my squirrels are in the house 75 degrees....... and then spend hours in the squirrel room which is wall to wall windows and gets pretty warm, because with the door to the rest of the house closed it doesn't set the thermostat off. They all do fine...I sweat in my robe :carzy2they do slow down on the really warm days. He'll be fine...and I just wanted to suggest (which I'm sure you've already done) put Lenny's travel cage up on a dresser...up high like that your dog shouldn't be able to mess with it :thumbsup :Love_Icon

Thanks for the reassurance and the tips. Greats minds must think alike Sweeper - I just got finished putting the travel cage up on the dresser in our bedroom. :thumbsup Actually, it did used to be Lenny's travel cage, although Angel has used it so much now, I just consider it his since Len Len doesn't need a cage anymore. :)
I thought I was going to die in a robe trying to play with Angel in his 90 degree room! But we have managed to get the bedroom a little cooler with the portable unit - it's not working to full capacity, but something is much better then nothing!

[lennysmom]

Gallon jug of water frozen makes a great ice block. If you put it in front of a fan that is blowing on him, it will do wonders. Cut the plastic off of the ice and blow the air onto the ice in front of his cage. Or in front of your chair...:grin3

That's a good idea Gayle :thumbsup - I never would have thought of that either. I may try that tomorrow during play time for sure! After being in the travel cage all day, poor Angel didn't play very much because it was just so hot.. I felt so badly for him. But I think an ice fan might help. :) ... for both of us. :grin

[lennysmom]

:thumbsup I did that for years here in South Texas for Chi Chi. I put the frozen jug everyday on the shelf that she napped on. She would lay next to it. I put it back in the freezer each night. Also had a little saucer of crushed ice for her to nibble at.

Good to know it works well. :) I actually did the saucer of ice several times today and he seemed to enjoy that.

[Shewhosweptforest]

:thumbsup Hope the ac is all fixed :thumbsup :Love_Icon

[lennysmom]

:thumbsup Hope the ac is all fixed :thumbsup :Love_Icon

YES Sweeper, the air is FINALLY back on!!! :jump :woot
Angel was chomping at the bit when when I got home from work to get out and play, so I figure dinner can wait a little while. :)

[lennysmom]

Thank you so much everyone for all of the tips and reassurance in this situation.:thankyou:thankyou I was so worried about Angel Squeakers in the hot house, but as usual TSB came through for us. :thumbsup

Angel took the heat like a champ and didn't fight me at all about being in the travel cage for two days - he's so easy going and such a sweet boy and that is a real blessing. :)

[Nancy in New York]

Thank you so much everyone for all of the tips and reassurance in this situation.:thankyou:thankyou I was so worried about Angel Squeakers in the hot house, but as usual TSB came through for us. :thumbsup

Angel took the heat like a champ and didn't fight me at all about being in the travel cage for two days - he's so easy going and such a sweet boy and that is a real blessing. :)

So glad the air is back on, Angel survived, and mama can breathe again.
These little ones just put such a panic in us sometimes, don't they! :shakehead
:Love_Icon Angel :Love_Icon

[Shewhosweptforest]

:dono :grin3 I have to laugh to myself....Angel is a little "sleeper" ...here we have always been amazed at how sweet and wonderful Len Len is...and he is, all that:Love_Icon But, little Angel almost got overlooked....or missed because of his big bro...when he in his own right is a sweetheart....actually sweeter in some ways :Love_Icon And the really ironic thing is...when I got my first squirrel, 29 (or so) years ago (NR-paralyzed) I was told by the wildlife vet I worked for "lucky she's a female because a male would have been to aggressive to keep" :eek Really? I beg to differ.....we have so many sweet males on this board...I can't even begin to list, for fear of leaving one out. TSB ...where lessons are learned, everyday! :thumbsup :Love_Icon

[lennysmom]

So glad the air is back on, Angel survived, and mama can breathe again.
These little ones just put such a panic in us sometimes, don't they! :shakehead
:Love_Icon Angel :Love_Icon

Oh yes, they do for sure Nancy! The worst case scenarios always race through your mind and it can drive a person, well - nutty! :tilt If it wasn't for you and others on TSB I swear, between Lenny and Angel, I would have already lost my mind.

And yes, I can finally breathe again - I've never felt so thankful for air conditioning!:thumbsup If not for Angel, we would have stayed at my MIL's house until the air was fixed, but I couldn't take Angel and there was no way I was leaving him here alone in the heat... it's amazing how a squirrel can totally change your priorities. :)

[lennysmom]

:dono :grin3 I have to laugh to myself....Angel is a little "sleeper" ...here we have always been amazed at how sweet and wonderful Len Len is...and he is, all that:Love_Icon But, little Angel almost got overlooked....or missed because of his big bro...when he in his own right is a sweetheart....actually sweeter in some ways :Love_Icon And the really ironic thing is...when I got my first squirrel, 29 (or so) years ago (NR-paralyzed) I was told by the wildlife vet I worked for "lucky she's a female because a male would have been to aggressive to keep" :eek Really? I beg to differ.....we have so many sweet males on this board...I can't even begin to list, for fear of leaving one out. TSB ...where lessons are learned, everyday! :thumbsup :Love_Icon

Well, you are right Sweeper - Angel defiantly lives in the shadow of his big bro Len Len. :tilt And they are two very different squirrlies, but both special boys.:Love_Icon:Love_Icon I feel like God sent me Angel to help me through having to let my heart out into the wild - he can never replace Lenny, but it does help bridge the gap for now. Not sure how long I will have Squeakers, but I am immensely enjoying his company for now and his sweet nature makes it all the more a blessing.
I have to watch about his excessive chewing, but other then that, he's an ideal house squirrel. :)