[The Boggit keeper]

Yikes! Hot weather = yuck, for mice. It was near 100F here today, but luckily I have 3 air-conditioning units.

Not sure how many people know this, but the reason heat affects mice so disastrously is because mice cannot sweat like people or pant like dogs, to cool off. A fan doesn't help mice because the way a fan works is to quickly cool and evaporate the sweat that comes off us. That's why mice need an ambient temperature of around 70F or lower to do their best. They can survive into the 70s for short periods of time but can't really take the heat for long periods or over and over.

I know a very prestigious show breeder who has won the best awards there are in the US, and whose mice were mostly wiped out a couple years ago because the air conditioner failed in 80 degree weather. It's really a tragedy whenever mice die due to heat.

I was aware that mice seemed to do better in the cold than the heat but I had never really understood the actual reason for this-I just assumed it was because they had "fur jackets" on.
Thankyou Jack for this invaluable information. We have had it very warm over here in the last few days and I have been concerned for my mice, they are kept in my lounge and even with the windows open the temp has still been 28.c/ 82.f. I have had the fan running for them but had noted in another thread that it was suggested to put a tile in the freezer and then put that in the cage for the mice, do you think this is a good way to provide them with a way to cool off and do you have any other suggestions? (we don't have an A/C as we don't usually need them in the Sunny old Forest of Dean :lol: ) Thanks.

 

[The Boggit keeper]

Secret Garden, so sorry to hear of the loss of your mice

 

[The Boggit keeper]

Funny you say that about the mice not seeming to "get" the cool tiles etc,last year when we had a hot spell I resorted to putting damp facecloths in the freezer and then putting them in with the mousies- they just seemed to spend most of the time skirting around the cage trying to avoid them :roll: I just thought it was because they were wet (the facecloths not the mousies,well, mabe the mousies as well :lol: ) Thanks for the ideas about frozen friut/vegs jack & secret garden.