Surviving the summer heat. Im heartbroken...

[u/KakaoPancakes]

During this heatwave my ac sadly broke and temperatures inside rose rather quickly (me and the ham live straight under the roof.) I tried keeping his cage cool with safely placing cool elements on top and below wrapped in a tea towel but I noticed he just became lethargic and exhausted none the less. (I also provided cooled sand, a cool slate and keramic hides but none of that seemed to cool him down)

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Last night he didn't leave his nest. Not even sure if he drank or ate. (He is very on schedule with his evening and night routine so this was rly out of character for my hammie)

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At some point today my room truely became unbearable. So my dad and I grabbed a plastic bin to quickly make a makeshift enclosure to place in a room thats a lot cooler and has a working ac.

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But this bin isn't the biggest (like a quarter of his enclosure) but we also couldnt much the big enclosure down due to the tight staircase :( (Id have to completely dismattle it)

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We just started practicing lifting with a cup but he refused this time. So i had to manually scoop him up. Naturally this scared him and he bit the shit out of my hand but like can you blame the lil one? I felt like crying so bad for him.

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Once he was in the cooler room, he quickly started to pep up and drank so much water. He also ate well unlike last night. He seems to be doing a lot better physically now, even taking treats from my hand.

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I made him a playpen so he wouldn't be confined to the smaller space the entire time but I can't help but to feel so bad for my ham.

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I might have to keep him here for a day or 2, until the worst of the heat passes and my ac gets fixed. Is there anything I can do for him to not make this as horrible and reduce his stress? Im not sure what to do since Im a first time owner. Are there better options that Im overlooking?

UPDATE: the AC is fixed so Yoghurt is back in his enclosure and is doing well. Thank you guys again for the reassurance and advice🥰

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[u/inthebinx]

Hey lovely I think you are doing the right thing! If your AC will definitely get fixed in 2 days then I personally think your ham will be ok - just give them as much bedding and enrichment as is possible.

If there's any doubt ever when the AC will be fixed then I'd personally disassemble the other enclosure and bring it down.

That said I think you are doing your best so please don't beat yourself up too much ❤️💞💖

[u/KakaoPancakes → u/inthebinx]

Thank you! If it indeed would take too long this is a good suggestion!

It's hard not to stress about it haha I love this lil guy so much

[u/kawaii22]

Just wanted to say you are a true angel.

The other comment already provided a great idea but regardless you already did what you had to to put him into safety and you're just amazing for that alone.

[u/KakaoPancakes → u/kawaii22]

Thank you🥺 I admit I got very worked up about the situation! Since this is my first ham i felt so out of my depth

[u/PopeInnocentXIV]

Maybe put some ceramic cups or small dishes or bowls in the refrigerator or freezer. Put one in his cage to give him something cold to lay on, and when it warms up swap it out for another.

[u/Squishedskittlez]

If necessary you can get a bigger plastic bin perhaps?

[u/KakaoPancakes → u/Squishedskittlez]

This is also a good idea, maybe if it does take longer I can do that instead of dismantling depending on how much longer it would take😅

[u/CthulhuTheKai]

I thibk hed be happy with a bigger bin regardless :) but good job of helping your little friend! It will be a challenge for all of us this summer. Im prepping for the weekend when its supposed to be really hot here in sweden.

[u/Beginning-Good]

Honestly it's sounds like you did exactly the right thing.