Keeping hamsters cool

[Pebbles82]

There is an old thread on this somewhere but couldn’t find it. We’ve had very hot weather recently and this can affect hamsters and make them lethargic or even get overheated. Noticed a few posts recently about hamster behaviour that might be related to this.

People have used a number of methods to keep hamsters cool in hot weather- one option is to keep a ceramic mug in the fridge until it’s cool then put it in the cage on its side - perhaps early evening. Our hmaster used to actually sit in it to cool off but even if they don’t it cools the cage. Rotating two mugs works well. Swapping them around in the fridge - so swapping it before going to bed is a good idea.

Other options are a bag of frozen peas on top of the cage. Or a fan near the cage - although not so close as to blow into the cage.

[Presley524]

I was gonna post a thread about this. I have an ac that will turn off when it gets to a certain temp and turn back on when it gets too hot. So, what is a good temp to keep the room at for my hammy's?

[Thin Lizzy]

Noah has his own oscillating tower fan, when it's on I stand right at his cage to feel the breeze and I now have a set place on the rug that ensures Noah is kept cool. Plus I have a slate which helped lots last year. I also place a second water bottle at the opposite side of his cage and keep an ice cube tray of 2 types of baby food in the freezer, these are great as the start to melt in the dish and Noah always runs out to nibble it. I've also used lettuce only occasionally, a piece of chilled apple or grape.
Presley, it depends on how hot the room is to adjust the AC.