From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2011-07-14 17:10:38 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: power outages and keeping ferrets cool enough
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Okay, the basics of knowing how to cool ferrets include:
1. Knowing how ferrets differ from humans.
2. Knowing what is risky for ferrets.
3. Understanding what heat is and how to utilize that knowledge.
for these:
1. Ferrets do not present with a good amount of sweat on
bare skin so using a fan on them is not going to work like it
does for us humans.
2. Usually for cooling overheated ferrets wetting their paws
is advised because too rapid a heat loss can itself be risky.
Sometimes taking risks is needed because other existing risks
are so high, and a treating vet will be able to determine when
that is the case.
3. Okay, heat is energy. Coolness is reduction of heat;
coolness/coldness is not something in and off itself but just
a reduction of something (heat). Sorry, Kooky and Fonzi.
(Those who do not know the first reference can look up
"77 Sunset Strip" and also the song, "Kooky, Kooky, Lend Me
Your Comb".)
Some of you may recall this from junior high, from middle
school, or from explanations of why global warming worsens
storms and their frequencies (because it takes a huge
amount of energy to raise the heat in something as large as
a big mass of air and water even just one degree and that
energy fuels storms). Okay, so now you have just been
reminded.
Light is also a form of energy.
How does that help you keep your ferret cool? Here is how:
A. You can think of what uses heat and therefore reduces its
presence. Evaporative cooling is a fine example. In fact, this
is where you CAN use a fan. Usually for ferrets all that a fan
is going to do will be to increase the ambient heat from the
heat the motor creates, BUT you can surround a cage with
dampened sheets and blow a fan on them to speed up the
evaporative cooling. Just remember to keep wetting down
the sheets and the result will be that the cage will locally become
cooler. You don't have to use the fan, of course. The evaporative
cooling will still cool the cage, just not as fast. Sadly, if it is too humid
you can not use that trick because the high humidity will reduce
the rate of evaporation too much.
Melting also uses up heat. Melt an ice cube in your hand to
verify that.
Some materials insulate well and others conduct heat well. Those
which conduct heat well can help draw heat from a body. That is why
metals and some types of stone and tile feel cooler than other things.
Yes, you can let a ferret rest on a conductive material to help draw
away heat. We used to keep a marble slab for that reason, which is
not the most effective option but it can be put in the fridge and then
it also will draw more heat when equalizing with the surrounding temperatures
later. Actually, I should try to remember where we put that. This is
why a hot animal might prefer to lay on bathroom tile or other such
materials. They help wick away heat which is why they feel cool to
the touch.
Now, staying cool means balancing the equation on both sides. Think of
it like balancing your budget. When you balance your economic budget
you have to think BOTH of how much you are spending (outgo) and
how much you are earning from income, dividends, and interest (income).
With heat management you have to take into account not only what
can cool (use up heat) but also what is adding heat to the home.
Appliances, lights, solar gain, and living warm bodies animals all add heat
to a home.
The more efficient the appliances are, the less energy they waste. Wasted
energy is often present as heat.
When you need to cool a home turn off any appliances that are not needed.
The type of light bulb matters. Compact fluorescents turn out a lot
more light and a lot less heat for the energy used. They are about 3 or 4
times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs put out
about 97 to 98 percent of the energy you put into them as heat rather than
as light. You can see why they heat a room more than compact fluorescent
lights.
When you need to keep a home cooler use lighting sparingly and try to
preferentially use compact fluorescent bulbs.
Most people will have already figured this out, but don't have a window open
when you are trying to heat a home or trying to cool a home (and cooling
typically uses more energy than heating and is harder to do). You can't
really heat or cool the great outdoors, but if you have that window open
you will trying to do just that. Close the window when using the a/c, save
that money and put it aside for ferret veterinary needs.
Bodies also create a lot of heat. A human is like a 100 watt light bulb
for energy used and as homeotherms (warm bodied animals) we put
a lot of energy into heat management. Ferrets are smaller than us
and warmer than we are. They typically run about 101 to 102 degrees
Fahrenheit while the human typical temp is 98.6'F and 95% of people
usually run between 97.8'F to 100'F. You can't really change that, but
you can reduce activity in heat and that will help reduce risk and heat
output. (Exercise burns more Calories and burning Calories creates
more heat, so it is great for weight loss but not great if things are
already too hot.)
Solar gain adds heat. You can reduce heat by cutting the amount
of solar gain with curtains, shades, etc. If you want to reduce heat gain
while still getting enough light to see in a room that would otherwise be
bright then you can have windows with films, or you can use the Victorian
trick of using lace curtains which is not as good but it sure can help quite
a bit. (Yes, many things retained as non-fuctional decorations once
served functions: filigree overhangs on porches to give enough light but
also shade, heavy curtains and tapestries as insulation, lace curtains to
allow in just enough light but keep a room cooler, high ceilings to keep rooms
cooler, vent windows over bathroom doors to keep bathrooms cooler in
summer, working outdoor wooden window shutters that can be drawn
closed and latched from the inside to protect windows from storm damage,
lines of deciduous trees and tall bushes on the south side of homes
to shade in summer but let solar gain happen in winter, storm breaks, etc.
I am mentioning these because before a/c people also needed to try to stay
cool so if you look at the techniques used for that in older architecture you
might find some which you can use when you lose power, or even to help you
reduce energy needs and costs when you do have power.)
Of course, some homes are better than others for heat control. Basements
have the soil around them working to help keep them cool. Adobe is a
brilliant insulator. Middle Eastern homes use tricks like shade utilization
and sometimes having part of the roof and windows higher than the rest to
promote air circulation. In some places heat exchangers can be used and
those help with little energy input. Even roof color can matter; a dark roof
heats a building more.
Beyond the sorts of things that have been discussed and which you can
use to figure out ways to wick away heat are things that require energy
input, like creating ice, or using a generator.
Now, you know a bit about heat. Hopefully, it will help.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump off the cliff."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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