Humidity Question

[mojito]

So I live in the middle SC, where the weather isn't very reliable. Like last year it snowed in March, and while some days in January feel like winter, most days I can wear a short-sleeved shirt because it feels like spring. I ordered a portable A/C unit and dehumidifier (in one!) but it won't come until Thursday. For the most part my chin Dexter hasn't faced anything over 72-73 degrees in my room, and I know over 75 can start to get dangerous. Its beginning to get warmer, and since my parents won't let me mess with the central A/C I want to open a window and let the cooler air come in, since its 54 outside right now. The only problem is on The Weather Channel it tells me that the Relative Humidity is 78%. I know that the colder the air is, the less amount of water it can hold so although there isn't really too much water in the air right now compared to if it was hotter (78% at like 80-85 degrees would be like a few hours after raining). I'm really stuck as to what to do, the temperature in my room right now is 72 but it will rise overnight because my parents have the heat on. Is okay to open a window overnight even though its 78% humidity (and 54 degrees)? He's supposed to be getting dustbath tomorrow night as well if that helps.

Thanks in advance !

[GrayRodent]

If the central AC is running it should bring the humidity down inside. Generally outdoor humidity increases at night and decreases at sunup. I still wonder how humidity plays a role in chinchillas overheating if they don't sweat. Unless there's some kind of evaporative cooling system in their mouth like we see in dogs. Maybe someone can explain why. I agree that evaporative coolers wouldn't be good and would fail on a hot and humid day. The efficiency of evaporative cooling decreases with humidity. I would think the most important metric is temperature.

[mojito]

The central A/C is not running, however I do have two fans in my room to help circulate the air. I do know that the moisture in the air can get trapped in the chinchilla's dense fur, and over time fungal infections can begin to grow. I did see somewhere on another site where it said as a general rule temp + humidity should not exceed 150. Assuming my room is the same humidity as outside I'm safe, but I'm not completely sure. I agree with you that temp is most important. Thanks for you advice I was beginning to worry that my room may be too humid!

[GrayRodent]

If I was more awake I would have caught that and recommended that you close the vent coming in from the house. Usually rooms have a vent over the door that has baffles inside that can be opened or closed by hand to adjust the flow of air. Just don't forget to open it back up for the AC.

[chinclub]

Absolutely open the window.  My chin building has a huge exhaust fan that blows out the air and sucks in fresh air from the other side of the room.  I leave it on full time when the temp drops below 70.  I also open the glass on my front door so that the air can get pulled in through the screen. 

When it is cold at night you just want to be sure any breeze isn't blowing right on the cage.  I almost said drape a towel over that side of the cage, but of course the chinchilla will spend all night eating it!  Instead maybe drape a towel over the back of chair placed between the cage and the window.

As long as the temp at his cage is 70 or less he will be ok.  Being in South Carolina also I have had days when the humidity in the building was as high as it would read.  I just had to crank the ac's up and kept the temp below 70.  Everyone was fine.

[chinclub]

I also wanted to add that when the humidity is high your chinchilla will need more dust baths to stay pretty.  You will notice this more in mid-summer.

[mojito]

Yes I have been giving him a dust bath 3 times a week when I leave the window open. Thanks so much for the great advice!