Asking about heat control inside the home -- not for me, for small susceptible animals (Phoenix: insurance, house prices)

[jeff2023]

Am planning on moving either to Yuma AZ, or else Phoenix. I understand the outdoor temps get 110 and above.

I take care of very small animals, namely pet mice, hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Some of those small animals are quite susceptible to heat.

I do all that I can (i.e. keep curtains drawn, rooms darker, and use several thermometers) to always keep room temperatures moderate. In my own experience, when room temps get at or above 75 F, some small animals, usually the aged or sickly, have shown physical discomfort (gasping, irritation) and real stress. At about 80 to 81 F I've experienced severe reactions (seizure, stroke) from the occasional animal. For some animals, 85 F ambient / room temperature can lead to extreme health problems and even death.

I wonder if homes in Arizona can still be kept at say, 71 F (roughly) even on hot days.

I have one small pet that is especially aged but in very good health and I think she has a long time to live yet (she's already broken all my previous records). I would want to make sure she, and the others, are able to live well enough. Are homes in AZ still quite able to stay in the lower 70s? If it's 110 outside, are homes bound to get into the 80s (and beyond)? I don't really care for me, as I love some good heat. Just for the animals.

Thanks.

[Ponderosa]

71 is a real lift for a central AC system on a very hot day. That can be a 50 degree drop from outside in Yuma. When it is near those temps in PHX, my unit struggles to keep it at 78 (runs continuously). There is no way I could do 71 until long after sunset. Better insulation, shade, etc might get me a couple degrees, but still. What you could do though is use a window unit or mini-split in a separate room. With the main ac keeping it down to the mid-70s the window unit or mini-split could do the rest. I have my bedroom set up like that and its a nice chilly 64 degrees at night. It is also a whole lot more economical than cooling the whole house to a low temp.

[rjsurfer]

My local population of small animals doesn't seem to be affected by the 100+ heat outside my home. Although they do seem to be more active at night.

I wonder why your indoor borders are more susceptible.

Ron

[jeff2023]

@Ponderosa Thanks. Yes, I rather guessed that a 50 degree difference is perhaps really pushing it. I didn't think of adding an additional window unit, sounds like something I'll have to do. Pardon me for asking, but I wonder are you talking about an "older" house or one with an older ac system? I'm hoping to get one that's fairly new -- if I move to Yuma then I'll be more financially capable to do so. Again this is only about the animals, personally I love some good heat.

Surfer, I guess there's the old saying "your mileage may vary". Secondly, it's very well documented that some small animals are directly affected by heat (lots of reports about rabbits, guinea pigs, and the like). I can also personally confirm this even with mice. Third, and most important, is my observations, as well as experience, that has me saying "never again." Really bad stuff I won't bother to describe right now. Curious, what kinds of animals are you working with, and where do you keep them?

[KurtAZ]

It is really going to depend on the room, how well insulated the home is and WHERE in AZ are you talking about. We are in Chandler and have ferrets. As you said, they are very susceptible to heat and heat related symptoms. Their room is on the ground floor, away from any external walls. We keep the A/C at 74° during the day and their room almost always measures close to that. We do have a room A/C just in case and a small generator that we can run power from in case of emergencies but in 4 years, we have never had to use it.

The larger problem is keeping the humidity in the room at the right level, otherwise they start itching and coughing. A/C will suck the humidity out of the inside air so we have a couple of humidifiers in the room to deal with that.

[ihatetodust]

Originally Posted by jeff2023

Am planning on moving either to Yuma AZ, or else Phoenix. I understand the outdoor temps get 110 and above.

I take care of very small animals, namely pet mice, hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Some of those small animals are quite susceptible to heat.

I do all that I can (i.e. keep curtains drawn, rooms darker, and use several thermometers) to always keep room temperatures moderate. In my own experience, when room temps get at or above 75 F, some small animals, usually the aged or sickly, have shown physical discomfort (gasping, irritation) and real stress. At about 80 to 81 F I've experienced severe reactions (seizure, stroke) from the occasional animal. For some animals, 85 F ambient / room temperature can lead to extreme health problems and even death.

I wonder if homes in Arizona can still be kept at say, 71 F (roughly) even on hot days.

I have one small pet that is especially aged but in very good health and I think she has a long time to live yet (she's already broken all my previous records). I would want to make sure she, and the others, are able to live well enough. Are homes in AZ still quite able to stay in the lower 70s? If it's 110 outside, are homes bound to get into the 80s (and beyond)? I don't really care for me, as I love some good heat. Just for the animals.

Thanks.

Nope. The AC won't keep up at 71 IME. And it might cost you $600 a month to try.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by ihatetodust

Nope. The AC won't keep up at 71 IME. And it might cost you $600 a month to try.

depends on where they are since this is posted in the general Arizona forum. If it is 80° outside, 71° is doable. If it is 100° outside, 71° is doable if you want the A/C running constantly (depending on insulation/windows/shade). Flatly saying 71° isn't feasible depends on a lot of factors.

[jeff2023]

@KurtAZ, I like your diligence. And I can understand, I also take measures to ensure animals are in the "right places" to get balanced temps. Away from windows, down lower to the floor (even if not on it). I also keep digital thermometers next to their cages / containers.

You mentioned "where in AZ". Well, I might prefer Buckeye AZ or around PHX, but with house prices showing no ease, and interest rate problems, I might be more suited for Yuma financially. I might guess even Tucson would be a stretch.

Power generator, didn't think of that and never had one. Do you have a general recommendation on what kind (or power level) I might look into?

Homes in AZ rarely if ever have basements? When I grew up as a kid we had one, remember it always being cooler down there. Such a shame.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by jeff2023

@KurtAZ, I like your diligence. And I can understand, I also take measures to ensure animals are in the "right places" to get balanced temps. Away from windows, down lower to the floor (even if not on it). I also keep digital thermometers next to their cages / containers.

You mentioned "where in AZ". Well, I might prefer Buckeye AZ or around PHX, but with house prices showing no ease, and interest rate problems, I might be more suited for Yuma financially. I might guess even Tucson would be a stretch.

Power generator, didn't think of that and never had one. Do you have a general recommendation on what kind (or power level) I might look into?

Homes in AZ rarely if ever have basements? When I grew up as a kid we had one, remember it always being cooler down there. Such a shame.

The generator is just a small one to run the A/C in the ferret's room, otherwise, if we had a power outage and it got over 90 in the house, they would just die. We were considering purchasing a whole home generator but, honestly, I can't think of a power outage in our neighborhood in the past 17 years so it would just be money wasted. Also looked into solar but decided against it with all the costs/leases/problems selling etc. Not to mention that our Homeowner's Insurance won't cover it.

Both Buckeye and Yuma would get hot. Tucson is a little higher elevation so not AS hot but still hot in the summer. I have not had a problem maintaining 74° in the house though, even through this stupid record breaking summer.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by rjsurfer

My local population of small animals doesn't seem to be affected by the 100+ heat outside my home. Although they do seem to be more active at night.

I wonder why your indoor borders are more susceptible.

Ron

Good question, since critters for the most part live outdoors where there's no AC.

OP could look into a window unit for a small room, that would be a lot cheaper and doable than running the central AC at full throttle 24/7 because that's what it would take to keep the house at 70.