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This is not true in a fan situation and I wish folks would discontinue posting it. The truth is the opposite - chins need constant ventilation, especially when you have multiple chins. The more air movement the healthier your herd.

A draft is not a fan blowing. I've got five in a 12 x 12 room and that place is like a wind vortex.

It is common animal husbandry 101 that you do not enclose areas where animals urinate due to ammonia. This includes the little box we call a house! :)) Fortunately most people come and go enough that the doors of the house vent it and the a/c and heater circulate the air constantly. All modern houses with central units are required to have a small fan running that circulates air - as well as modern cars - for circulation/suffocation reasons.

I am not saying not to put a fan in the room, I am saying not to aim it directly at the cages - and it is proven to cause problems - ask Ralph Shoots who I was speaking to about air circulation last month who told me about a breeder who had fans improperly put in his room causing respiratory problems. Same logic when I sleep with a fan directly on me in the room I wake up with a runny nose and sore throat.

She already has the door open and a ceiling fan but aiming a fan right in front of a cage is going to cause problems.

The walk through baby gates I've seen are 70$ +
 
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ask Ralph Shoots who I was speaking to about air circulation last month who told me about a breeder who had fans improperly put in his room causing respiratory problems. She already has the door open and a ceiling fan but aiming a fan right in front of a cage is going to cause problems.

One of these days when I make it to an eastern show I would like to. I don't know anything about that breeders conditions, type of fans, cages or quantity of animals they had. I find that interesting and would very much like to know. It could have been in the middle of winter in Colorado for all we know and that wouldn't pertain to this situation much.

All successful herds I've visited use some sort of fan setup and venting system to push/pull air through the chin area. I'm sure there is a "wrong way" to do it. The room in this case is over 70 degrees and the chins likely have houses and places to get away from air movement. Don't forget there are 11 animals in very large cages all over the room. One fan isn't going to do much.
 
I am not saying not to put a fan in the room, I am saying not to aim it directly at the cages - and it is proven to cause problems - ask Ralph Shoots who I was speaking to about air circulation last month who told me about a breeder who had fans improperly put in his room causing respiratory problems. Same logic when I sleep with a fan directly on me in the room I wake up with a runny nose and sore throat.

She already has the door open and a ceiling fan but aiming a fan right in front of a cage is going to cause problems.

The walk through baby gates I've seen are 70$ +

lol omg thats ridiculous !! mom found me a gate that i didnt remember we had, so the baby gate is in effect lol.. and thats unbelievable about the fans! i just told my boyfriend because he has one in his room. Its pointed towards the ceiling and is across the room but thats scary :(. I also wasnt stating i wanted to aim one directly into there cage. It would of course be in an opposite corner of my room. Would that be ok? and yea thats true tara i dont think one fan is going to hurt them but i think it would help circulate my room alot better. Im going to see how leaving my room open goes. If that helps I wont need a fan. :)
 
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Courtney - I didn't say that to scare you, and I know you didn't it just seems like it would be a natural thing and a good idea to do - Just point it towards a wall or in the middle of the room. Actually probably towards the floor would be better since heat rises.

Agreed, it will be fine you don't have a ton of fans in there - I just don't take chances with air directly on my animals 24/7.

You do want air circulation. To get technical, there are different kinds - a positive, a negative draw, and just moving air around the room. In the simplest terms, positive draw brings air in from outside the room - negative draw moves air out of the room (like an exhaust fan). I was discussing the best way to improve my negative draw in my room with a set up like Ralph has which is how all this came up. He was telling me (and he didnt mention where the breeder was, I am guessing in Ohio) that the breeder had so many fans moving air so that "your hat would nearly blow off when you went in the room" and was wondering why he had so many respiratory problems. Was it a lot of fans and a lot of animals? Probably, especially since he was making a visit to the breeder's ranch. Im just going to take the advice and redirect the fans. I dont think it's necessary to feel air move in order to have proper air circulation - I have been to large ranches before and definately dont remember a serious breeze in the room. I think the proper balance of air exchange is really the key. This has been the topic de jour around here as I have been installing vents and exhaust fans lately ;)
 
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One additional piece of advice. When buying an air conditioner, look for one with dials and not digital settings and readouts. (And these are usually the cheapest also which is a bonus in your situation.) I raise dwarf hamsters who have a similar temp requirement and have had friends whose power went out when they were not home. With a digital air conditioner, the unit resets itself to the default when the power goes back on, and the air conditioner doesn't come on as you left it set. Animals have died due to a short power outage. (In one sad case, the power went out from about 6 - 6:30 am when it was cool, but the animals died because it got hot hours later and the air conditioner never came on all day.)

With those with dials, if the power only goes off for an hour, the air conditioner will come back on an hour late but still come back on with your dial settings. I personally use a heavy duty timer I purchased at Home Depot (about $20 I think) to turn my air conditioner off and on during the summer and fall to ensure they get the cooling they need regardless of what I'm doing. I use the air conditioner daily for the animals although I will change the time it goes on and off based on current weather patterns.

Linda
 
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With a digital air conditioner, the unit resets itself to the default when the power goes back on, and the air conditioner doesn't come on as you left it set.

This is definitely something to watch for, but as I recently discovered, most (not all though) of the new digital ones come back on to the previous setting after power interruption. I recently bought a Frigidaire brand window unit and I love it. It comes back on after power interruption in the same mode with the thermostat on the same setting. Most do not list this feature on the box unfortunately so you'll either have to get them to let you test in the store (unplug it while its on, then plug it back in) or test it at home and return it if needed. Some of them do list this feature in the specs on the manufacturer websites, but again, not all.
 
I also just bought a new LG air conditioner that will automatically restart to previous settings. That's actually why I bought it... my current portable A/C will remain shut off if the power goes out and comes back on. I would have to physically turn it back on. Now I just need to install the dang thing (stupid me didn't realize the vent tube on the new A/C is larger than the current A/C's, thus, I have to cut a bigger hole in the wall...)
 
This website is a lifesaver: petchinchillas.info -was my only guide for building my cage.
 
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