Air conditioners safe for rats?

[Mandon]

Welp, summer's here. Gotta think about keeping my girls cool before it gets too hot. Last year we got by with a fan and some ice but the fan broke so I'm deeply considering investing in something better to make sure we're all safe and comfortable this year.

Are air conditioners okay? I'm just worried because it's bringing in air from the outside, which I'm assuming isn't clean and might cause respiratory distress. I have a hepa air purifier next to their cage so I assume that'll cancel it out and clean the air, but I'm not sure.

 

[jorats]

I believe the A/Cs now have a switch that you can recycle the inside air. A/Cs are safe for sure, but I would make sure it doesn't blow directly onto the cage.

 

[Mandon]

I believe the A/Cs now have a switch that you can recycle the inside air. A/Cs are safe for sure, but I would make sure it doesn't blow directly onto the cage.

But it all comes down to whether I get an indoor movable AC or a window box, right? The former can get pretty pricey.

 

[Petunia]

Welp, summer's here. Gotta think about keeping my girls cool before it gets too hot. Last year we got by with a fan and some ice but the fan broke so I'm deeply considering investing in something better to make sure we're all safe and comfortable this year.

Are air conditioners okay? I'm just worried because it's bringing in air from the outside, which I'm assuming isn't clean and might cause respiratory distress. I have a hepa air purifier next to their cage so I assume that'll cancel it out and clean the air, but I'm not sure.

most air conditioners do not bring in air from outside unless you open the vents, cooling down hot outdoor air would make the air conditioner work overtime and cost you a small fortune.
Some air conditioners give you the option to use it as a window fan, drawing in air from the outside while not cooling it.

I have 3 ACs - 2 that I 'rescued' from the trash, and only one of them has the option to open it to outside air, which is frustrating because on cooler days I'd like to have that option. The other two ONLY recycle room air.

because you have to pay to dispose of air conditioners here, a lot of ppl will give away or sell their old ACS for cheap when they upgrade.

I've gotten a total of 4 free air conditioners over the years, and only two of them only lasted one season, the other 2 are still going strong after several years, so my only cost is electricity to run it.

maybe look around for a used one?

 

[SQ]

I think that the main concerns about using them are that you do not have large changes in temperature (more then 5 degrees), and that it doesn't blow on the rats as drafts can cause illness

I found this video [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OU7WHgJ_cY[/ame]

 

[Petunia]

great video on how AC's work!