☆.。.:*・Heat and Humidity・*:.。.☆
I really wanted to open my windows the weekend.
Really, REALLY wanted to open them.
Nothing like be shut inside 24-7 to make a looming hellish workweek ahead look all that much brighter.
But Japan is not just hot, its humid.
Like a WALL of HUMIDITY, humid.
Nothing I have ever experienced before outside of Japan or Korea. And this is where having all my little collection of Japan Ferret Handbooks come in handy. Even with all the incorrect, outdated, and sometimes rather dangerous information (giving certain cooked vegetables as treats to ferrets?!), the authors have lived in Japan all their life and know the climate specifics they have to deal with. As a result, some of the aids I will introduce here are ones you have seen and possibly use yourself, and some are Japan-specific due to the severity of the humidity/heat and the access (or lack thereof) to certain products. Referenced books can be seen at the bottom.
FERRET IDEAL: temp @ 22-23C, humidity @ 30-40%
Humidity Issues:
Make sure does not go over 65%. not only will it affect their health, food will spoil and living area (bed) will have hygiene issues. (reference below)
Yeah, well. Good Luck keeping it @ even 60%.
Right now with no energy restraints in place (those begin July 1, 2011) I sometimes run the dehumidifier function on my A/C ( 除湿 ) all day long and still come home to find the meter sitting @ 60%.
suggestion: store food in airlock containers and store the container in a cool dry place.
ex: In my apartment, the wall a/c is in the one main room (studio). Just so happened that the oshiire (large leveled closet) is across from it. I store Ranmaru's food in the top shelf across from the a/c and above any light that might come in from the windows.
**warning about low humidity via 100qa book! (added later after books arrive from Japan)
**竹のこと (added later after books arrive from Japan)
Heat Issues:
They say there are "cool packs for pets with special covers to prevent chewing". The only ones i have seen are soft gel packs with thick CLOTH covers. Everyone with a fuzz knows those teeth can go through leather much less bone so a cloth cover is not going to protect them from the leaking gel. I use old BLENDY bottles 3/4 filled with water and frozen. (BLENDY is the coffee in a nice rectangular 1 liter bottle that fits perfectly in your tiny freezer or refridge doors.) I then wrap those in towels or put them in specific thermos bottle bag holders to soak up some of the condensation that will form.
Not just individually in the major sleep area, but 2-3 bottles in a pile in a large bowl/bucket.
Also, in addition to the ice "pool" I have a mini pool always 1/3-1/2 filled with water in the bathroom. (It would perfectly cover up to his chest, no further.) It's there year round really for his floaty duckies and as a drinking spot, but in the hotter weather he can stick his feet in easily to cool off. Remember, ferrets can't pant or sweat and a normal dry fan (just blowing air) won't help your fuzz keep cool!
If your fuzzy gets overheated, s/he needs cool water applied to their feet.
Following this thread, another kindly ferret friend on FB added this little contrivance:
"We also have a box lined with paper and there is shredded paper in it as well for them to dry off and not catch a chill, that's worked for us for the last 4 summers"
Also, in response to my question on heat-beaters, this fabulous construct was offered on FB. My guy is free roam so we can't use it, but a lot of ferret-parents in Japan use cages, so I am posting this idea for them also.
Try putting a light weight fabric like a piece of old sheet in a dish pan of water, ring it out, drape over a fan pointed at cage, leave one end in dish pan of water. You might have to safety pin in to fan. This is called a poor mans swamp cooler.
(Many thanks to Dookie Ferret for this idea!)
Finally, for those living in Japan, and possibly of use elsewhere, the traditional "uchimizu" (打ち水) technique. It really works to keep the area around the house cool and hence, the house itself cooler. It's an old technique from hundreds of years ago that is easy and effective. Minor but every little bit helps.
If you live in Japan, most likely you are living in an apartment which means you HAVE a veranda and/or front steps. You don't need the water at any certain temperature either. If your doing this on the veranda where your washing machine is you can really soak the ground and not worry since there is automatically a drain for the washing machine. SOAK THE VERANDA FLOOR with water. Before work I would dump a good 2-3 buckets of water out on the veranda which also had the added benefit of washing down the dirt and dust of the day. By the time I came back 9 hours later - Bone DRY.
You can do this on the front area of your apartment steps or ground too, but will have to be more conservative with the amounts given you have neighbors right there.
Sounds like a waste of water, but one of my favorite TV shows (not to mention a long running favorite of the natives) - Tameshite GATTEN! - had a piece on this and showed thermography of air temperature around storefronts before and after applying the uchimizu technique.
It does work!
And if you are looking at temps that start at out 26C every day since June 1 and a looming energy shortage (and you are if you live in Japan), EVERY little bit helps.
Keep cool and see you again! (^_-)-♪
Reference Books:
Raising a Happy Ferret, Tamukai Kenishi, DVM
FERRET, Anifa Books Complete Manual, Studio MOOK
Ferret Handbook, Nomura Junichiro, DVM
Ferret Paradise, Mao
Dr. Nomura's 100 Q&A for Ferrets, Nomura Junichiro, DVM
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