Mollie The #Chinchilla Reminds You To Keep Your #Pets Safe And Cool This Summer

Hi everyone.  This is Mollie the chinchilla.
Where we live it's started getting hot (not every day has been hot, but many have) and the human caretakers have had to put my fan on lots.  Noticing - and appreciating - this, I thought it was time for the reminder we give you every year about keeping your pets safe and cool in the hot weather. 
It doesn't matter what the situation with that Avirus thing is where you are, or whether you've been locked down - whatever that means.  Hot weather is still something that's going to happen, and keeping your pets safe and cool during it is still something you need to do.  It's especially important for animals like me, since chinchillas struggle to deal with heat because of our thick fur coats.  But even animals who need and appreciate heat, like Artemis the tortoise, have limits as to the amount of heat they can comfortably and safely deal with.
So, no matter the kind of animal who shares your home, you need to make sure they don't suffer in the heat.  For all animals, you need to make sure they have plenty of cool water to keep hydrated, a shady place to rest out of the heat, and plenty of ventalation so they don't suffocate.  There will be other considerations too, depending on the species and their needs, especially if it gets extremely hot where you are.  For example:
Chinchillas can't deal with hot weather at all, so make sure they're either in an air conditioned room, or have some other kind of cooling system, like a fan.  Something cool to rest on in a shady spot in their cage - such as a cooling slab - would help them too.  You can also offer something to nibble on to help keep them cool, such as a couple of frozen peas, a frozen carrot stick, etc.Dogs need shady and cool places to rest, whether they're indoor dogs or outdoor dogs, and you should be careful not to play with them for long stretches of time in the heat, since it could cause them to overheat - something that's very dangerous, and potentially life threatening.  Filling a Kong ball - or similar treat ball - with something and freezing it (peanut butter works well for this) is a good way to give them a cooling treat, as well as occupy them in a way where they won't be getting too hot from the exercise.Tortoises can deal with much hotter temperatures than some animals, but are at risk of becoming dehydrated if they get too hot, so consider bathing your tortoise more often than usual in the hot weather.
Those are just some examples of things you might do for your pets to keep them safe and cool during the hot weather, using the kinds of animals living in my home.  There are other things you can do though, of course.  In fact, if you want to share some things you do for your own animal family members in the comments section of this post, that would be great, since it might help give someone else ideas.
Remember though: Mummy and I aren't vets, so this is just advice based on our own experiences, and what Mummy's been told, or learned to do over the years, for us.  If you're unsure what to do for your own pet, or have any reason to be concerned about them - during this hot weather, or at any other time - call your vet.  If your vet can't help you for any reason, find one who can.
Squeak soon,Mollie