It is summer, and it is hot, or you live in a warm climate. If you are lucky and have an air condition system in your house or apartment you are well off. But what if you don't?

Guinea pigs don't take heat very well. Their compact body structure conserves heat much better than it dissipates it. The only place where they have sweat gland are the soles of their feet! Some guinea pigs can tolerate warm temperatures better than others, but it only goes so far. In extreme situations guinea pigs can get a heatstroke, which is something you want to avoid.

Signs

When your pig is overheated it probably will hang more or less exhausted in a corner, breathing more or less heavily. According to Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs the clinical signs are the following:

• Rapid respiration
• Salivation (drooling)
• Prostration (physical and mental exhaustion)
• Eventually death

Luckily, I never saw most of the above mentioned signs on my own pigs. Rapid respiration and moderate prostration were the only ones I ever experienced.

Treatment

Should your pig be overheated, you need to cool it down immediately. Wrap it in a cold damp towel. Replace the towel often. If the pig is really doing badly, go to the vet! Don't wait too long!

Prevention

These are some tips how to prevent overheating in the first place.

• Never keep you pigs behind a window with full sun exposure. The window glass will increase the temperature enormously (even in a cooler season)
• Don't keep you pigs in full sunlight. This applies to indoor and outdoor situations. Always offer shady places
• Have a fan in your room, but don't have the air stream go directly to the pigs. They might develop problems with their eyes.
• Place frozen plastic water bottles in the cage, so your pigs can lay beside them to cool down. Of course you need to change the bottles. My pigs always appreciated those frozen bottles.
• Place some bigger, flat stones in the cage. The pigs can lay on top of them which will help when it's not too hot.