Too hot!

[DakotaSkye]

I have an urgent issue that needs addressing. My rabbit, Freya, is currently being housed in an upstairs bedroom with our two rats. The landlord (and a friend/roommate of ours) refuses to get an air conditioner, though he promised we'd have one installed by the middle of May.

Though I'm incredibly uncomfortable in this house, I can't imagine how Freya feels, and I've plead on her behalf a couple times. I'm deathly afraid that she'll overheat, but our roommate doesn't seem to care or think it's a concern. He likes the hot weather (it'll be over 90 this weekend), and as long as it doesn't bother him, it doesn't get addressed.

I should have expected that was the way it would go. He doesn't care about anyone's welfare but his own, and he's perfectly happy living with something the way it is unless it absolutely needs to be taken care of. He also promised we'd get new windows, and screens for those windows, but we haven't gotten either. So if we can't even open the windows at night unless we want to deal with bugs crawling all over us.

In the end, though, it's Freya's well-being that has me so worried and upset. I've been freezing water bottles and putting them in her cage, but I worry it's not enough.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You could buy some window screen stuff and at least try to make something that can work. You could even just offer the re-screen the window in that room. Even if you could get a mosquito net and put that up around the window could help.

A fan is a good idea. It keeps the air circulating around the room. I would get a stand up one (not a desk sized one). Don't put it directly on the cages or blow the air into the cage. It should just get the air moving to help keep it cool.

The frozen water bottles are good. Marble or ceramic tiles or even bricks put in the freezer can help too. You might be able to find a small battery powered fan (no cord to chew) to put near the cage or in a run if he wants to lay by it. You can also put a bit of cool water on the outside of the ears to help them cool off.

If your landlord doesn't get his act together, I would consider moving somewhere that actually cares. It may mean a bit higher rent, but you should also get A/C, screened windows and other things taken care of in a timely manor.

 

[tonyshuman]

Those are some good suggestions. You also can put a fan with a hidden cord. Tony used to like to lie on the side of the fan the air was coming from when I lived in Chicago without AC. You can also lightly mist the ears with water if she gets really warm.

Is it really supposed to be 90 this weekend? Yikes!

Also sometimes you can find a window AC unit on the curb or cheap on Craigslist, but if you pay utilities you may want a newer model that's more energy efficient. You could go to the store and get the most modest model they have, and send the receipt to the landlord to get reimbursed. I'd call and ask him first, though. You can also threaten to contact a local Tenant's Union (we have a Student's Tenants Union here) or a legal aid for renters service. I'm sure something like that exists in your area.

 

[kirbyultra]

tonyshuman wrote:

Also sometimes you can find a window AC unit on the curb or cheap on Craigslist, but if you pay utilities you may want a newer model that's more energy efficient. You could go to the store and get the most modest model they have, and send the receipt to the landlord to get reimbursed. I'd call and ask him first, though. You can also threaten to contact a local Tenant's Union (we have a Student's Tenants Union here) or a legal aid for renters service. I'm sure something like that exists in your area.

In NYC I believe AC is not required as a landlord's responsibility, so this whole thing with your landlord sounds really strange to me! They have a responsibility to provide working heating but AC, not so much. Not sure how it is in other areas of the country. When I used to rent I had to get my own AC unit installed and when I moved, it was my property and I popped it out of the window, took it with me. There are so many people taking advantage of the rebates that the govt is paying for folks to trade in their clunkers for high energy efficiency models that you might find a perfectly working one for free being thrown out!

90 is pretty darn hot for a rabbit. Make sure you have a way to keep the air moving where your bunny is. As a last resort, if Freya is caged upstairs, try putting a plate of ice in front of a fan and blow the air towards the cage. Oscillating fans are great because it keeps the whole room's air mobile. Placing frozen water bottles in the cage like someone else mentioned is great too. I bought a whole bunch of those blue ice coolers that people use for picnics and stuff, if you have that it works really great. Wrap it in a towel and a bun could comfortably lean against that for relief. Some ice cubes in the water bottle or water dish will give her something cool and refreshing to slurp.

 

[tonyshuman]

It's not a responsibility, but he's saying he's going to. In my lease we have one AC unit stipulated. I have one of my own, too (and we're going to have that 90 degree heat this weekend too!). If an AC unit is in the lease, they do have to provide it, and it's not very fair if he's saying he'll put one in but never does. Asking if you could go out and get one for him because he's so busy, and he'll pay you back (or give you a rent credit for the next month!), that might work.

 

[Rattiemattiesrattery]

Don't forget your rats too!

Frozen water bottles, Ice in the water, a fan with a block of ice (or another frozen water bottle) in front of or behind it, or a cheap window ac could work too. (I have 3 in my house for the summer, plus central air. but it gets up to 130 F here.)

 

[DakotaSkye]

Thank you all for the excellent suggestions. My boyfriend put screens in the windows today so we can open it wide for maximum airflow. I'm also buying an oscillating fan tomorrow. I have yet to look into the window unit A/C, but that'll be the next thing.

I just don't know why any of this is even necessary. My boyfriend and I live in the basement of our friend's house, who lives upstairs with his girlfriend. So we have sort of an informal agreement going, and we've never signed a lease, which could be my first problem. In Minnesota, though, the weather jumps so drastically from day to day (65 one day and 95 the next), that where I live, it's pretty much assumed that a house has an air-conditioner. However, the landlord is the kind of person who buys a run-down, foreclosed house that needs countless repairs, then sits on his a$$ and doesn't do a thing about any of it, despite our offers to help/pay.

He's the kind of person, I'm now convinced, that doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself, and it's making me more and more angry with every passing day. He made it clear yesterday that he doesn't care when I commented that the heat was going to be in the 90s this weekend, and, since he likes the heat, his only reply was, "Good." I wanted to punch him in the face, but instead I just cried at how heartless some people are. I wish I had punched him.

Believe me, my boyfriend and I are trying like the dickens to move out. There have been so many problems plaguing us, and we've had to deal with so much just from them, but the disregard for Freya's health was the final push. However, I'm currently unemployed and my boyfriend only works part-time, so we don't have the money to get our own place yet. I keep looking every day, though, hoping that some miracle is possible.