how to take care of my chin in winter with high humidity level

Hi,

It's the winter season in New Zealand, and the city I live in is relatively cold with the humidity level ranging between 66-90% (can go higher sometimes). I could use a dehumidifier, but unfortunately running one will only consume electricity without resolving the issue. When I turn mine on (brand new) and set it for 45%, it won't even go below 60%.

The temp outside is usually between 4-12 C and inside is 19-20 C when the heater is on. Has anyone ever experienced a similar problem, or can help me out? I'd love to hear your feedback on this

Can you put the chin in a different or closed off room that you can run the dehumidifier in? If not I would still try to get as much humidity out as possible, as well as give more frequent baths to help keep the chin's fur dry. Maybe try using 2 dehumidifiers? or see if you can get a stronger one? I would also try to keep the temp lower then 20C, the higher the humidity the lower the temp needs to be, around 10-15C might be better with the higher humidity.

I kept running the dehumidifier and the humidity is 58-60% (that's the best I could do). Any signs I should look out for that could indicate he might be in distraught because of the humidity? He seems fine

Giving him a dust bath is a good idea, is it okay to have them 5 times a week in winter?

58-60% is on the high side (ideally you want below 50%) but should be ok. It really is more a combo issue with temp and humidity together being an issue, as I said it you can keep the temp low (around 10C) the higher then normal humidity should be ok. I really don't know too much about signs for too high humidity, but I would think they would be similar to overheating since the humidity will cause the fur to be heavy and sit closer to the body, trapping more heat. So watch for things like abnormally laying around, heavy breathing, and just looking uncomfortable. The biggest issue with high humidity is their fur can grow fungus and/or mold, which can not only make them sick but can cause the fur to fall out. Mold can also end up growing on the bedding and food too. So you will need to make sure the cage stays clean and dry, don't put more then a days worth of food in the bowl at a time, and change out the hay daily so it doesn't get moldy either.

Yes if the humidity is high you will need to give more baths, possibly up to once a day when the humidity is highest. Watch for signs of the chin getting too dried out though, like cracking and/or flaking skin on it's ears and feet and itchiness. The main reason for not getting a bath everyday is it can dry out the chin since the recommended max humidity level is around 40-50%, but higher humidity means there is more moisture to absorb. So you will have to find the right amount (5 a week is a good place to start) of baths so the chin's fur stays dry, but the skin doesn't dry out.

I would also limit or stop doing play time for now too since the humidity will cause the chin to heat up faster.

On a side note, the high humidity is not good for your home either, it can cause mold growth on your walls, ceilings, and along windows, cause warping damage to any wood stuff you have, etc. Mold can make you very sick too so keep an eye out for that.