Today i noticed my chin's front paws/hands are red (like their ears when they're tucked back or hot). My room is cool. Her ears are not red. I have 3 other chinchillas and their paws look fine and none of their ears are red so i know its not overheating. Her paws feel chilly to the touch as they usually are and when compared to her cage mates paws her paws are about the same temperature. Does anyone have any idea why a chin's paws would become rosey?
jeudi 31 juillet 2014
Divided/stacked cages?
So I'm looking for a cage that's not too wide, but is divided/stacked. I have a cage that can do this (not very well, but it can) and it's way too wide. It takes up so much floor space! I'm trying to keep my older chinchilla Pikachu separated from my male, but I don't want two cages taking up floor space. I want something that is taller than wide, but spacious enough for two chinchillas per floor. Do any of you have such a thing? Or know where I can get one? I've looked online, and there is one I like, and although the maker said he doesn't make them anymore, he would make me one. But, I was just wondering if there were any other options. I want solid shelves and a deep tray, and bar spacing for kits. If any of you know of anything, please let me know! I can't be the only one in this situation!
Thanks!! :)
Thanks!! :)
Flaky tail, fur loss
Hello all! I've adopted a chin several months ago and I've noticed that his tail has been losing some fur very recently. There aren't any solid bald patches, but what used to be a bushy tail has lost enough fur to let me see his pale skin when seeing him from above. The skin itself is not red in any way, but it is flaky/crusty.
Due to my paranoia, I'm wondering if this is a beginning symptom of fungus or just tail shedding combined with the beginning of what looks like a summer heat.
He eats well, drinks well, and his bowel and activity movements are perfectly normal. I'd just appreciate some thoughts (:
Due to my paranoia, I'm wondering if this is a beginning symptom of fungus or just tail shedding combined with the beginning of what looks like a summer heat.
He eats well, drinks well, and his bowel and activity movements are perfectly normal. I'd just appreciate some thoughts (:
Bonding a single chin with a bonded pair.
First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their advice && helpful posts. This site has been my "go to" reference guide since the day I got my first baby, Pompeii, last August. I have learned SO much from all of you && I truly appreciate you helping me keep my chins happy && healthy :)
I have three male chinchillas. We got Pompeii in August 2013 when he was 6 months old.. he is a standard gray male and is what I now consider to be an extreme alpha male. He is extremely sweet but is our little diva for sure lol
A few months later in October, my close friend asked me to adopt her 2 1/2 year old male chinchilla because she no longer had the time for him. I wanted Pompeii to have a friend && couldn't say no to that little face, so obviously we took him in. Kirby is an ebony tov beta male and the sweetest little guy ever. I was worried about him initially because his previous owner had been giving him the wrong food, barely any loose hay and let him run around in one of those "death balls" for hours! :( Since we have had him, he is down to a healthy weight and is absolutely in love with his Chin Spin wheel.
Like I said earlier, I religiously read this forum for advice and this was especially true when the time came to bond Pompeii and Kirby. After about three months (and many many hours of supervised play time, switching cages, shared dust baths and patience lol), we finally let him spend the night together in one cage. Of course I didn't sleep at all that night haha but luckily the next morning I walked in the room only to see them all cuddled up together. Ever since then, they have been inseparable.
A few weeks ago, I was approached by my fiancés sister and asked if I could adopt her chinchilla. She had just recently had a baby and she said she couldn't devote the time he needed anymore. She also has a 4 year old who would constantly rough handle him (unintentionally) and it just wasn't the right place for him anymore. Initially, my first instinct was to say no. We just recently moved about a month ago and I was terrified of disrupting my boys any further. After visiting him seeing him practically throw himself at me in his cage for attention(which is a one level rabbit cage btw) and seeing how he had barely anything to chew except a plastic castle, the wrong type of hay that was just thrown in his cage every so often, food that was filled with unhealthy treats instead of pellets and was located in a somewhat warm environment next to an air freshener plug in... I gave in lol. He is overweight and doesn't look like he's had a dust bath in a while. He was much to friendly and cute to be sold on craigslist to an owner with no knowledge about chinchillas. So yesterday, we picked up Peeve, a 2 year old standard gray male, and brought him home.
And so the process begins again... separate play times && more fleece linens to clean lol I know it will all be worth it in the end though.
So here's my question-- as far as starting the bonding process with two bonded chins and a single chin, how do you begin supervised introductions? would you suggest having them all meet individually or should Pompeii and Kirby both meet Peeve together during play time? I definitely am not going to rush this process but I'm not sure of the correct way to acclimate all of them. I'm so afraid that Pompeii and Kirby's close bond will be broken if Kirby accepts Peeve and Pompeii becomes jealous and resents that. Like I said, Kirby is a sweetheart and beta male and Pompeii, although sweet as well, is an extreme alpha with a very strong personality. I'm not sure about Peeve's personality yet, he is extremely friendly but I just hope his previous environment didn't make him defensive.
Also-- I have a very large Critter Nation cage with 3 units(original 2 unit cage with an add on unit). We just bought the add on unit because we were going to use that as a "stand alone" for a few months for Peeve. Stupid me didn't realize that the add on unit would not come with a top piece for the cage! haha so our options now are to just use his original rabbit cage for the time being or to have him blocked off in the add on cage on top of their cage. I know they're supposed to be side by side ideally so just wondering what you thought the best option would be.
Sorry for the ridiculously long post!
&& Thank you all again for everything!
Melissa
I have three male chinchillas. We got Pompeii in August 2013 when he was 6 months old.. he is a standard gray male and is what I now consider to be an extreme alpha male. He is extremely sweet but is our little diva for sure lol
A few months later in October, my close friend asked me to adopt her 2 1/2 year old male chinchilla because she no longer had the time for him. I wanted Pompeii to have a friend && couldn't say no to that little face, so obviously we took him in. Kirby is an ebony tov beta male and the sweetest little guy ever. I was worried about him initially because his previous owner had been giving him the wrong food, barely any loose hay and let him run around in one of those "death balls" for hours! :( Since we have had him, he is down to a healthy weight and is absolutely in love with his Chin Spin wheel.
Like I said earlier, I religiously read this forum for advice and this was especially true when the time came to bond Pompeii and Kirby. After about three months (and many many hours of supervised play time, switching cages, shared dust baths and patience lol), we finally let him spend the night together in one cage. Of course I didn't sleep at all that night haha but luckily the next morning I walked in the room only to see them all cuddled up together. Ever since then, they have been inseparable.
A few weeks ago, I was approached by my fiancés sister and asked if I could adopt her chinchilla. She had just recently had a baby and she said she couldn't devote the time he needed anymore. She also has a 4 year old who would constantly rough handle him (unintentionally) and it just wasn't the right place for him anymore. Initially, my first instinct was to say no. We just recently moved about a month ago and I was terrified of disrupting my boys any further. After visiting him seeing him practically throw himself at me in his cage for attention(which is a one level rabbit cage btw) and seeing how he had barely anything to chew except a plastic castle, the wrong type of hay that was just thrown in his cage every so often, food that was filled with unhealthy treats instead of pellets and was located in a somewhat warm environment next to an air freshener plug in... I gave in lol. He is overweight and doesn't look like he's had a dust bath in a while. He was much to friendly and cute to be sold on craigslist to an owner with no knowledge about chinchillas. So yesterday, we picked up Peeve, a 2 year old standard gray male, and brought him home.
And so the process begins again... separate play times && more fleece linens to clean lol I know it will all be worth it in the end though.
So here's my question-- as far as starting the bonding process with two bonded chins and a single chin, how do you begin supervised introductions? would you suggest having them all meet individually or should Pompeii and Kirby both meet Peeve together during play time? I definitely am not going to rush this process but I'm not sure of the correct way to acclimate all of them. I'm so afraid that Pompeii and Kirby's close bond will be broken if Kirby accepts Peeve and Pompeii becomes jealous and resents that. Like I said, Kirby is a sweetheart and beta male and Pompeii, although sweet as well, is an extreme alpha with a very strong personality. I'm not sure about Peeve's personality yet, he is extremely friendly but I just hope his previous environment didn't make him defensive.
Also-- I have a very large Critter Nation cage with 3 units(original 2 unit cage with an add on unit). We just bought the add on unit because we were going to use that as a "stand alone" for a few months for Peeve. Stupid me didn't realize that the add on unit would not come with a top piece for the cage! haha so our options now are to just use his original rabbit cage for the time being or to have him blocked off in the add on cage on top of their cage. I know they're supposed to be side by side ideally so just wondering what you thought the best option would be.
Sorry for the ridiculously long post!
&& Thank you all again for everything!
Melissa
Hi everyone!
First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their advice && helpful posts. This site has been my "go to" reference guide since the day I got my first baby, Pompeii, last August. I have learned SO much from all of you && I truly appreciate you helping me keep my chins happy && healthy :) I finally decided to join this site because I feel as though I have gained enough experience && knowledge to be able to contribute and help others the way you've all helped me!
I have three male chinchillas. We got Pompeii in August 2013 when he was 6 months old.. he is a standard gray male and is what I now consider to be an extreme alpha male. He is extremely sweet but is our little diva for sure lol
A few months later in October, my close friend asked me to adopt her 2 1/2 year old male chinchilla because she no longer had the time for him. I wanted Pompeii to have a friend && couldn't say no to that little face, so obviously we took him in. Kirby is an ebony tov beta male and the sweetest little guy ever. I was worried about him initially because his previous owner had been giving him the wrong food, barely any loose hay and let him run around in one of those "death balls" for hours! :( Since we have had him, he is down to a healthy weight and is absolutely in love with his Chin Spin wheel.
Like I said earlier, I religiously read this forum for advice and this was especially true when the time came to bond Pompeii and Kirby. After about three months (and many many hours of supervised play time, switching cages, shared dust baths and patience lol), we finally let him spend the night together in one cage. Of course I didn't sleep at all that night haha but luckily the next morning I walked in the room only to see them all cuddled up together. Ever since then, they have been inseparable.
A few weeks ago, I was approached by my fiancés sister and asked if I could adopt her chinchilla. She had just recently had a baby and she said she couldn't devote the time he needed anymore. She also has a 4 year old who would constantly rough handle him (unintentionally) and it just wasn't the right place for him anymore. Initially, my first instinct was to say no. We just recently moved about a month ago and I was terrified of disrupting my boys any further. After visiting him seeing him practically throw himself at me in his cage for attention(which is a one level rabbit cage btw) and seeing how he had barely anything to chew except a plastic castle, the wrong type of hay that was just thrown in his cage every so often, food that was filled with unhealthy treats instead of pellets and was located in a somewhat warm environment next to an air freshener plug in... I gave in lol. He is overweight and doesn't look like he's had a dust bath in a while. He was much to friendly and cute to be sold on craigslist to an owner with no knowledge about chinchillas. So yesterday, we picked up Peeve, a 2 year old standard gray male, and brought him home.
And so the process begins again... separate play times && more fleece linens to clean lol I know it will all be worth it in the end though.
Sorry for the ridiculously long post!
&& Thank you all again for everything!
Melissa
I have three male chinchillas. We got Pompeii in August 2013 when he was 6 months old.. he is a standard gray male and is what I now consider to be an extreme alpha male. He is extremely sweet but is our little diva for sure lol
A few months later in October, my close friend asked me to adopt her 2 1/2 year old male chinchilla because she no longer had the time for him. I wanted Pompeii to have a friend && couldn't say no to that little face, so obviously we took him in. Kirby is an ebony tov beta male and the sweetest little guy ever. I was worried about him initially because his previous owner had been giving him the wrong food, barely any loose hay and let him run around in one of those "death balls" for hours! :( Since we have had him, he is down to a healthy weight and is absolutely in love with his Chin Spin wheel.
Like I said earlier, I religiously read this forum for advice and this was especially true when the time came to bond Pompeii and Kirby. After about three months (and many many hours of supervised play time, switching cages, shared dust baths and patience lol), we finally let him spend the night together in one cage. Of course I didn't sleep at all that night haha but luckily the next morning I walked in the room only to see them all cuddled up together. Ever since then, they have been inseparable.
A few weeks ago, I was approached by my fiancés sister and asked if I could adopt her chinchilla. She had just recently had a baby and she said she couldn't devote the time he needed anymore. She also has a 4 year old who would constantly rough handle him (unintentionally) and it just wasn't the right place for him anymore. Initially, my first instinct was to say no. We just recently moved about a month ago and I was terrified of disrupting my boys any further. After visiting him seeing him practically throw himself at me in his cage for attention(which is a one level rabbit cage btw) and seeing how he had barely anything to chew except a plastic castle, the wrong type of hay that was just thrown in his cage every so often, food that was filled with unhealthy treats instead of pellets and was located in a somewhat warm environment next to an air freshener plug in... I gave in lol. He is overweight and doesn't look like he's had a dust bath in a while. He was much to friendly and cute to be sold on craigslist to an owner with no knowledge about chinchillas. So yesterday, we picked up Peeve, a 2 year old standard gray male, and brought him home.
And so the process begins again... separate play times && more fleece linens to clean lol I know it will all be worth it in the end though.
Sorry for the ridiculously long post!
&& Thank you all again for everything!
Melissa
mercredi 30 juillet 2014
Still here!
Hey guys, just popping in to say my boys (Nibbler and Kolchak) are doing wonderful. Feeding time consist of them climbing out of the cage and sitting on my shoulders while I get their pellets and hay. (Don't worry it's all right next to the cage so there is very limited movement from me while they sit there and try to groom me).
Moving to Colorado
Well, next Tuesday is the big day. We will be packing up and moving back home to Colorado (chins, dogs, cats and humans). Our new address will be in Aurora, Colorado on S. Andes Way. And no, the irony of the street name has not slipped by me. I will get back on here and update after the move and you will see more of me on here again. Wish us luck.
"Champagne" Chinchillas
For those who are Empress members, you probably already read that the goldbars and Lowe recessive whites were given their own subclass in the Empress show system called "champagne." The champagne subclass will be under the white class and will compete against the dark-eared whites and pink-eared whites for white class champion.
I've been breeding the "champagnes" for a few years now, from the Lowe recessive white lines from Canada and just wanted to share a few fun pictures of some of my babies.
My 4th of July champagne baby, CCHT D-50, Lil' Miss Moonshine - 3 weeks old
Moonshine again
Almost 4 months old, CCHT D-18, Miss Bellini
CCHT C-34, 6 month old Miss Mimosa. This girl took RCC white at the CA Spring Show this year.
I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of these on the show tables now! I heard the Western Canada Branch ECBC show also had quite a few!
I've been breeding the "champagnes" for a few years now, from the Lowe recessive white lines from Canada and just wanted to share a few fun pictures of some of my babies.
My 4th of July champagne baby, CCHT D-50, Lil' Miss Moonshine - 3 weeks old
Moonshine again
Almost 4 months old, CCHT D-18, Miss Bellini
CCHT C-34, 6 month old Miss Mimosa. This girl took RCC white at the CA Spring Show this year.
I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of these on the show tables now! I heard the Western Canada Branch ECBC show also had quite a few!
Looking for advice
My husband bought me two chins at an auction this spring because I've always wanted a chinchilla. First thing I did when we got them home was separate them because we didn't know what sex they were. After researching how to sex them I was glad we had separated them because of course we had one male and one female. As it turned out I was wasting my time because the female was already pregnant and surprised us with 2 very cute kits. One of each sex.
Up till this past monday (when the kits turned 8 weeks old) I had all four chins in a two story critter nation cage with the two sections cut off from each other to prevent pregnancy. Now having had to separate the male kit from mom and sister I really am finding that I do not have the space needed for 4 adult chins. So I have two questions:
1) Would one level of the critter nation be large enough for 2 adult chins?
2) How do I find a good home for one or two of my chins? I don't want to sell them to someone who is inexperienced and won't treat them well but I don't know how to go about finding experienced owners in my area.
Can anyone help or give me some advice?
Thanks
Up till this past monday (when the kits turned 8 weeks old) I had all four chins in a two story critter nation cage with the two sections cut off from each other to prevent pregnancy. Now having had to separate the male kit from mom and sister I really am finding that I do not have the space needed for 4 adult chins. So I have two questions:
1) Would one level of the critter nation be large enough for 2 adult chins?
2) How do I find a good home for one or two of my chins? I don't want to sell them to someone who is inexperienced and won't treat them well but I don't know how to go about finding experienced owners in my area.
Can anyone help or give me some advice?
Thanks
HELP ! Aggressive Chinchilla
Hello folks. I'll try to keep this on point and as specific as possible.
My 7 m.o. male chinchilla is housed alone, and my new 3 m.o. and 10 m.o. females are together. The girls bonded on the ride home and are fine. I have been switching items in their cages for scents. I let the boy run alone in his room first, then let the girls out together in the same room, then i'll switch who goes out first the next day. The male constantly approaches the girls cage. He and the baby lick faces and seem fine, however, the older female showed no interest beyond the first few days, and when the male approaches her in her cage, she clicks/chatters her teeth every now and then, or bites at him through the cages.
Yesterday, my fiancee and I sat in our neutral large walk in closet with no hide outs, just 2 toys, and a time out carrier cage. We let the older girl and the male out, prepped for anything. The male chased the female for a few moments. Attempted to mount her 2 times. She ran. the third attempt she got mad, stood and sprayed at him. He discontinued attempting to mount, but was trying to quietly follow her for a minute. She tried to bite him. I put her in time out.
Last night, the male approached the girls cage, and when i put him away i noticed a fur-less red mark on the left side of his "upper lip". No blood. Just raw and red, the size of half a pencil eraser.
IS that enough injury to never attempt to bond them in the future? Can and should I still attempt to bond the 3 month old through scents and supervised meetings until she is at least 11 months old and can breed healthily? I figure they can be friends with no influence on the older female not tolerating the younger female anymore. Should i keep the 3 month old in the cage with the other girl forever? I dont want to deprive the older female of a bonded cage mate just because she's being a jerk. :pillowfight:
Some of their personality traits if it helps the "combination" . ......
The only male chinchilla in the house, 7 month old Brody, is the most hyper, "people-curious" chinchilla ever. He's good with human hands, comes to me when called, no biting, pees in the corner, etc.
The two new girls, 3 month old Fiona, and 10-15 month old Cake, are now on week 2 of living with moi. Fiona is shy but enjoys approaching me and being held, Cake is timid, easily frightened, seems to like my hand in her cage, not on her body, and seems to slowly be warming up to me.
THANKS TO EVERYONE IN ADVANCE!
My 7 m.o. male chinchilla is housed alone, and my new 3 m.o. and 10 m.o. females are together. The girls bonded on the ride home and are fine. I have been switching items in their cages for scents. I let the boy run alone in his room first, then let the girls out together in the same room, then i'll switch who goes out first the next day. The male constantly approaches the girls cage. He and the baby lick faces and seem fine, however, the older female showed no interest beyond the first few days, and when the male approaches her in her cage, she clicks/chatters her teeth every now and then, or bites at him through the cages.
Yesterday, my fiancee and I sat in our neutral large walk in closet with no hide outs, just 2 toys, and a time out carrier cage. We let the older girl and the male out, prepped for anything. The male chased the female for a few moments. Attempted to mount her 2 times. She ran. the third attempt she got mad, stood and sprayed at him. He discontinued attempting to mount, but was trying to quietly follow her for a minute. She tried to bite him. I put her in time out.
Last night, the male approached the girls cage, and when i put him away i noticed a fur-less red mark on the left side of his "upper lip". No blood. Just raw and red, the size of half a pencil eraser.
IS that enough injury to never attempt to bond them in the future? Can and should I still attempt to bond the 3 month old through scents and supervised meetings until she is at least 11 months old and can breed healthily? I figure they can be friends with no influence on the older female not tolerating the younger female anymore. Should i keep the 3 month old in the cage with the other girl forever? I dont want to deprive the older female of a bonded cage mate just because she's being a jerk. :pillowfight:
Some of their personality traits if it helps the "combination" . ......
The only male chinchilla in the house, 7 month old Brody, is the most hyper, "people-curious" chinchilla ever. He's good with human hands, comes to me when called, no biting, pees in the corner, etc.
The two new girls, 3 month old Fiona, and 10-15 month old Cake, are now on week 2 of living with moi. Fiona is shy but enjoys approaching me and being held, Cake is timid, easily frightened, seems to like my hand in her cage, not on her body, and seems to slowly be warming up to me.
THANKS TO EVERYONE IN ADVANCE!
New Introductory Membership Rate for ECBC - just $25/year!
Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative (ECBC) is now offering a reduced introductory membership rate of just $25/yr for new members. With the magazines now offered In electronic format, the savings can be passed onto the membership. Whether you're a small hobby breeder, large rancher, or just a chin fancier, our monthly magazine has something to offer you! And with show season coming up, it's the perfect time to join!
E-mail empresschinchilla@gmail.com for more information.
E-mail empresschinchilla@gmail.com for more information.
Soft Poos
I've been lurking on this forum for half a year...getting advice in the shadows haha. I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing! I got Thor in February (he's 8 months old) and I got Luna in April (she's just over a year old). After the 30 days of keeping them apart and watching them both for illness, I introduced them to one another (with neither of them attacking the other--they've been best friends :) ).
Soon after they were housed together, I noticed they both had soft stool. I started by pulling their pellets (I was in the middle of transitioning them from Oxbow to Mazuri) and leaving them on Timothy hay (Kaytee). It didn't change anything.
Soon after that Thor became lethargic for 2-3 days, but perked back up to his normal self (begging to come out of the cage, jumping on my shoulder as soon as I opened the cage door, etc.), but the stool was still soft. I separated them since I have a double FN, just to make sure they were both having the issue--they were. I gave them back their pellets since that didn't seem to be helping, and I took them to the vet (this was about a month ago that I took them to the vet...on June 20th).
The vet could only get a stool sample on Luna...Thor was being really lethargic again and didn't poop at the vet. The vet said that they had tapeworm and ringworm, and prescribed Panacur for 5 days, as well as Praziquantel given once that day and once 2 weeks later. After the 5 days I took a fecal sample of both of them back to the vet and the vet said they tested negative for parasites. However, their stool was still soft. I also noticed holes in their feces, which the vet told me was from the worms (I later learned on here from research that it is from gas....).
Because I noticed they still had holes in their poop after the vet said it was negative, I kept giving them the Panacur off and on. Their poo began getting firmer after 3 or so weeks. It's stayed that firm...if I squish it between my fingers it is a firm clay consistency and is hard to break apart. About a week ago I separated them because Thor kept fluctuating between 470-500 grams. Before the parasites started, he was at 530 and still gaining. Luna was at 630 grams and never fluctuated more than a gram or two, so I figured maybe she was being dominant and because of that Thor wasn't eating as much. I also stopped allowing them out to play, so that Thor can conserve his energy to gain some weight (he is pure skin and bones, I'm guessing from the parasites)...it is also possible that Luna is pregnant..I found a mating plug (due on Halloween...something I intended and did a lot of research on...I researched chins forever before I even got Thor). I stopped giving them the Panacur last night after reading that it can destroy the good bacteria and can also cause soft stool.
Today I also got simethicone and acidophilius from the drug store. I've been giving them both 0.3 ml of simethicone every 5-6 hours, and I have them each half of a tablet of acidophilius. I also contacted the vet when they were still having the soft stool and was told that the worms are gone so it is something they'll get over on their own. I also pulled their Mazuri pellets tonight because I read a thread saying that Mazuri can rarely cause soft stool. I want to eliminate that as the problem.
In the morning before I work I'm going to go get some pet pectillin from the petstore to see if that helps. Is there any risk in giving pectillin, simethicone, and acidophilius at the same time?
The one good thing is they're acting completely normal, they're just having the soft poop. And since separating Thor and Luna, and eliminating their play time completely, Thor is now at 517 grams, and Luna is at 642... The night I separated them he weighed 480, so he's gained 37 grams, and she's gained 12. I hate keeping them separated though...they call out to each other during the night and have no one to cuddle with when they sleep.
Does anyone have any other suggestions that I could do? Or stop doing?
Thanks in advance!
Kenzie <3
Soon after they were housed together, I noticed they both had soft stool. I started by pulling their pellets (I was in the middle of transitioning them from Oxbow to Mazuri) and leaving them on Timothy hay (Kaytee). It didn't change anything.
Soon after that Thor became lethargic for 2-3 days, but perked back up to his normal self (begging to come out of the cage, jumping on my shoulder as soon as I opened the cage door, etc.), but the stool was still soft. I separated them since I have a double FN, just to make sure they were both having the issue--they were. I gave them back their pellets since that didn't seem to be helping, and I took them to the vet (this was about a month ago that I took them to the vet...on June 20th).
The vet could only get a stool sample on Luna...Thor was being really lethargic again and didn't poop at the vet. The vet said that they had tapeworm and ringworm, and prescribed Panacur for 5 days, as well as Praziquantel given once that day and once 2 weeks later. After the 5 days I took a fecal sample of both of them back to the vet and the vet said they tested negative for parasites. However, their stool was still soft. I also noticed holes in their feces, which the vet told me was from the worms (I later learned on here from research that it is from gas....).
Because I noticed they still had holes in their poop after the vet said it was negative, I kept giving them the Panacur off and on. Their poo began getting firmer after 3 or so weeks. It's stayed that firm...if I squish it between my fingers it is a firm clay consistency and is hard to break apart. About a week ago I separated them because Thor kept fluctuating between 470-500 grams. Before the parasites started, he was at 530 and still gaining. Luna was at 630 grams and never fluctuated more than a gram or two, so I figured maybe she was being dominant and because of that Thor wasn't eating as much. I also stopped allowing them out to play, so that Thor can conserve his energy to gain some weight (he is pure skin and bones, I'm guessing from the parasites)...it is also possible that Luna is pregnant..I found a mating plug (due on Halloween...something I intended and did a lot of research on...I researched chins forever before I even got Thor). I stopped giving them the Panacur last night after reading that it can destroy the good bacteria and can also cause soft stool.
Today I also got simethicone and acidophilius from the drug store. I've been giving them both 0.3 ml of simethicone every 5-6 hours, and I have them each half of a tablet of acidophilius. I also contacted the vet when they were still having the soft stool and was told that the worms are gone so it is something they'll get over on their own. I also pulled their Mazuri pellets tonight because I read a thread saying that Mazuri can rarely cause soft stool. I want to eliminate that as the problem.
In the morning before I work I'm going to go get some pet pectillin from the petstore to see if that helps. Is there any risk in giving pectillin, simethicone, and acidophilius at the same time?
The one good thing is they're acting completely normal, they're just having the soft poop. And since separating Thor and Luna, and eliminating their play time completely, Thor is now at 517 grams, and Luna is at 642... The night I separated them he weighed 480, so he's gained 37 grams, and she's gained 12. I hate keeping them separated though...they call out to each other during the night and have no one to cuddle with when they sleep.
Does anyone have any other suggestions that I could do? Or stop doing?
Thanks in advance!
Kenzie <3
Hey!
I've been lurking forever...but finally decided to post something concerning my two chinchillas health! I figured I might as well post an introduction also :P
My name is McKenzie (I usually go by Kenzie :) ), and I have 2 chinchillas. One I got in February (Thor..he's 8.5 months old), and the other I got in April (Luna..she's 1 year and 1 month old).
Thor is a standard grey and Luna is a white ebony :)
My name is McKenzie (I usually go by Kenzie :) ), and I have 2 chinchillas. One I got in February (Thor..he's 8.5 months old), and the other I got in April (Luna..she's 1 year and 1 month old).
Thor is a standard grey and Luna is a white ebony :)
Dust Questions
Hi all!
So I recently moved my three chins from a spare bedroom into my craft/junk room and I'm curious as how to keep dust from getting everywhere in the room after I bathe them. I had this issue in the spare bedroom and found myself dusting and vacuuming often to prevent the dust from becoming too overbearing. However, since there is lots of... Well... Junk in the junk room, it's difficult to dust and vacuum save the space around the cages. The issue is not the bathing itself, it is having the chins run around in the cage after the bath and getting dust everywhere.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!
So I recently moved my three chins from a spare bedroom into my craft/junk room and I'm curious as how to keep dust from getting everywhere in the room after I bathe them. I had this issue in the spare bedroom and found myself dusting and vacuuming often to prevent the dust from becoming too overbearing. However, since there is lots of... Well... Junk in the junk room, it's difficult to dust and vacuum save the space around the cages. The issue is not the bathing itself, it is having the chins run around in the cage after the bath and getting dust everywhere.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!
Urine stained chin???
I just noticed that my girls (about 4 months old) have urine colored bottoms. It's a pretty wide area around their privates. Is this normal? Anything I can do about it? They're both mosaics so it's pretty easy to tell. My last girl was ebony so I don't know if she was like that too & I just didn't notice.
I have the ferret nation cage with fleece lined trays & a Pyrex dish with pine shavings for their litter box, if that makes any difference.
I have the ferret nation cage with fleece lined trays & a Pyrex dish with pine shavings for their litter box, if that makes any difference.
Male and female chinchilla
My male is neutered so we don't have to worry about them having babies. When we put them together the male mounts the female a lot and the female ends up getting aggressive and pulling his fur out. When they're in two different cages they seem to get along but as soon we put them together the male goes hay wire on her. Is their anyway to prevent this or train them not to mount/fight each other ?
mardi 29 juillet 2014
Then There Were Two
My Zoey with her new friend Chloe .:hug2: Zoey is on the left and Chloe on the right. I had Zoey for almost a year and thought it time she had a friend. Chloe was an adoption from a rescue. Bonding went well with a few hiccups at first. They are enjoying the new cage I built for them. I hope I gave them a Chin paradise. Made all new ledges from kiln dried pine and a fleece lined hideaway for them sleep in.
Dust for a sensitive chin.
I have a chin who earlier this year started getting watery eyes. Her teeth have been checked out and she eats fine, actually she's a piggy sometimes.
I think it may be the dust baths, because they seem to only occur after a good bathing, so I've been giving her fresh dust every time and it's still not helping. I'm wondering if anyone else had this issue and what kind of dust to use? She's currently using Oxbow Blue Cloud.
I think it may be the dust baths, because they seem to only occur after a good bathing, so I've been giving her fresh dust every time and it's still not helping. I'm wondering if anyone else had this issue and what kind of dust to use? She's currently using Oxbow Blue Cloud.
Cone of shame e-collar
Anyone here make nice e-collars for chins? Not looking for plain cardboard and I don't want to attempt making a plastic or fleece one my my own. Looking for something nicer than what the vet carries. PM me if you have an answer or idea :)
Thanks!!!
Shannon
Thanks!!!
Shannon
Favorite/best online chin store?
I just wanted to get some ideas/suggestions flowing because it is hard to find toys and supplies for my chinchilla in stores. I hate when I feel like he is bored and like to get him a variety of things (however he is semi-picky). He doesn't like the simple wood shapes or colored loofas. He is more into the balls or the hanging type of toys. Any suggestions?
lundi 28 juillet 2014
Chins in Texas (Houston area)
Okay there prob is NOT a bigger "newbie" to Chins than myself. I am acquiring a new family member (1 year old Chinchilla) from my neighbor because they have 2 already and the 3rd is not fitting into their household. They are giving me everything (cage, toys, extra food, bedding, etc...) that they bought for this little guy, and I'm already familiar with him because our kids are good friends. I'm over there regularly and have handled him myself as have my kids (almost daily for several months), so he won't be going to complete strangers. He's very easy going and seems to be accepting of new people...but again...I don't know jack squat about them!!
I'm reading a LOT and learning as much as I can today before picking him up after work this afternoon.
My biggest concern initially is this temperature requirement. I know they have not kept their home at 70* and they have not had any other additional cooling source/AC/fan on their Chins. My house is usually around 77-78* inside (hey...I'm in SE texas and it's HOT here). So...what's the deal with this 70* warning I keep reading about?
I'm reading a LOT and learning as much as I can today before picking him up after work this afternoon.
My biggest concern initially is this temperature requirement. I know they have not kept their home at 70* and they have not had any other additional cooling source/AC/fan on their Chins. My house is usually around 77-78* inside (hey...I'm in SE texas and it's HOT here). So...what's the deal with this 70* warning I keep reading about?
need suggestions for a good hay feeder/manager
I can't seem to find a good hay feeder/manager for my chin. I tried using the wooden ones that are sold at Petco and Petsmart. It worked well for a few months, then I accidently dropped it and one side of the top wooden bar came loose, it wasn't glued on one side so it stuck out a little bit. Well that peeked his interest because the next moring he chewed through the top wooden bar. Then he started working his way down to the next bar, etc. Pretty soon there wasn't much left to the front of it.
I bought another and within a couple days he had chewed through the front again (he must really like that kind of wood). Obviously I can't keep buying a new one of these once or twice a week, so I went online to try and find a good alternative.
I found a metal one from Bass Equipment (the 7" Econo Hay Rack found here: http://ift.tt/1Aqtn0K) that goes on the outside of the cage.
The problem with this one is it's just too big. The gap between the cage bars and the edge of the hay rack is 3", so if I put some hay in there he can't reach it through the bars. I've tried sticking some part way into the cage but I have to put so much in there that it makes a complete mess inside and outside of his cage, plus it wastes a lot of hay everyday. If this was only about an inch deep then it would be pretty good.
What does everyone use for a hay manager/feeder? Ideally I'd like something metal so he can't chew it but it seems like the only options are wooden ones and this big metal one from Bass Equipment. I know some people on here make and sell custom wooden feeders does anyone make custom metal feeders?
Are there any particular wooden feeders that you would recommend?
Thank you.
I bought another and within a couple days he had chewed through the front again (he must really like that kind of wood). Obviously I can't keep buying a new one of these once or twice a week, so I went online to try and find a good alternative.
I found a metal one from Bass Equipment (the 7" Econo Hay Rack found here: http://ift.tt/1Aqtn0K) that goes on the outside of the cage.
The problem with this one is it's just too big. The gap between the cage bars and the edge of the hay rack is 3", so if I put some hay in there he can't reach it through the bars. I've tried sticking some part way into the cage but I have to put so much in there that it makes a complete mess inside and outside of his cage, plus it wastes a lot of hay everyday. If this was only about an inch deep then it would be pretty good.
What does everyone use for a hay manager/feeder? Ideally I'd like something metal so he can't chew it but it seems like the only options are wooden ones and this big metal one from Bass Equipment. I know some people on here make and sell custom wooden feeders does anyone make custom metal feeders?
Are there any particular wooden feeders that you would recommend?
Thank you.
Need help with new kit's gender
Please help. My little kit is a week old. I think it is a female but I'm not so sure since this is the first time I have a baby chin. Is it too young to determine? Please help me out so I can manage to get a new cage and separate this one if it's a male. Thank you every much.
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Chinchilla wheels and ledges wanted!!!!
Interested in chinspins silver surfers and chin safe wheels ledges perchs shelfs call me 2679074626 PayPal ready
dimanche 27 juillet 2014
Question about pedigree
I bought a few super nice chinchillas from a big well known breeder and I got a small card for each animal with only 6 animals in the background. Is this considered a ideal pedigree? I see most chinchilla pedigrees look like my rabbit pedigrees (3 generation) which for rabbits is considered a full pedigree. When all you breeders are buying animals, is this what you want, a 3 generation pedigree? I just want to make sure I have good pedigrees on them is all. Any help is appreciated to help me understand.
Hello CnH!
I saw this and decided I should introduce myself!
As you can probably tell from my screen name, my name is Kasie (KC). I am 22 and have 2 boys, a 4 year old and 3 year old at home with my 2 year old chinchilla named Shadow and my cat named Dizzy. I am currently working at a prepaid card company and do project management but my real passion is psychology in which I am still attending school for. Some of my hobbies include playing tennis, reading (I have to peel myself away), and DIY projects.
I first fell in love with chinchillas about 2 years ago when I met my very first one at my neighborhood block party! I had never seen them before and was completely smitten on how incredibly pretty and soft they are. Ever since that moment I knew I had to have one and the nano second the opportunity to get one appeared, I couldn't say no. I purchased my chinchilla from a local pet store which in hind sight, I wish I hadn't but I love him no less for it! I first found this website when looking for answers to some problems with my chin and was so excited to be in a place with people who KNOW these animals and can give me real advise!
If it attached--- there is a pic of my chinchilla below. I'm guessing he is a standard gray.
Hope to get to know you all more soon!
Kasie:dance3:
As you can probably tell from my screen name, my name is Kasie (KC). I am 22 and have 2 boys, a 4 year old and 3 year old at home with my 2 year old chinchilla named Shadow and my cat named Dizzy. I am currently working at a prepaid card company and do project management but my real passion is psychology in which I am still attending school for. Some of my hobbies include playing tennis, reading (I have to peel myself away), and DIY projects.
I first fell in love with chinchillas about 2 years ago when I met my very first one at my neighborhood block party! I had never seen them before and was completely smitten on how incredibly pretty and soft they are. Ever since that moment I knew I had to have one and the nano second the opportunity to get one appeared, I couldn't say no. I purchased my chinchilla from a local pet store which in hind sight, I wish I hadn't but I love him no less for it! I first found this website when looking for answers to some problems with my chin and was so excited to be in a place with people who KNOW these animals and can give me real advise!
If it attached--- there is a pic of my chinchilla below. I'm guessing he is a standard gray.
Hope to get to know you all more soon!
Kasie:dance3:
Playpen Freak out
Just got a playpen for Carl today and set it up. First time putting him in and he seems fine. Running around and then he starts jumping out at me determined to get out. So I just keep putting him back in. Finally I put him back into his cage and he's fine. My mom told me to just put him in each day for a few minutes but just wondering if anybody has a advice to make him more calm maybe?
2014 Fall Field Day Heartland Group Oct. 4th
HEARTLAND GROUP
FALL FIELD DAY
OCTOBER 4, 2014
NEW STRAWN, KANSAS
HOSTING BRANCHES: GREATER KC, NEBRASKA, SO. MINN, N. ILL, WISCONSIN
TIME: 10:00 AM
PLACE: COMMUNITY BUILDING
319 GETZ
NEW STRAWN, KANSAS
TYPE OF SHOW: STANDARD LIVE ANIMAL/MUTATION LIVE ANIMAL
AWARDS: 34 TROPHIES AWARDED AND PLACE RIBBONS
ENTRY: $5.00 PER ANIMAL (NO LIMIT ON ANIMALS SHOWN)
ALL ANIMALS MUST BE CAGED AND IN THE EXIBITION HALL.
ANIMALS MUST BE OUT OF BUILDING BY SATURDAY EVENING
SET UP: STARTS AT 5:00 PM ON FRIDAY October 3, 2014
ANIMALS MAY BE ENTERED AND CAGED FROM 6:30-10:00 PM
ANIMALS MAY BE ENTERED ON SATURDAY MORNING
GROOMING: 6:00 AM TO 9:45 AM ON SATURDAY
JUDGES: JIM RITTERSPACH AND RICHARD RYERSON
SHOW CHAIR: MIKE LAWRENCE 620-490-0325
REGITRATION: VICKI MERRITT 816-726-1542
LODGING:
COUNTRY HAVEN INN- 207 CROSS ST, BURLINGTON, KS 620-364-8260
WOLF CREEK LODGE- 919 N. 4TH, BURLINGTON, KS 620-364-1454
WYATT EARP INN - 2745 HWY 54& 75, LEBO, KS 620-256-6351
SPECIAL EVENTS: SILENT AUCTION, 50/50 DRAWING
SILENT AUCTION RULES; OWNER PUTS BOTTOM DOLLAR PRICE ON ANIMAL HE WISHES TO SELL. ANYONE INTERESTED IN BUYING THE ANIMAL MAY RAISE THE PRICE AND IDENTIFY THE BID WITH HIS NAME WITH THE AUCTION CHAIR. ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED MAY RAISE THE BID ETC…. A BIDDER MAY RAISE THE BID EVEN THOUGH HE HAS PREVIOUSLY BID ON THE ANIMAL. OWNERS MAY NOT WITHDRAW AN ANIMAL FROM THE AUCTION OR RAISE THE BOTTOM PRICE. OWNER CAN NOT BID ON HIS OWN ANIMAL. ONCE A BID IS SUBMITTED, IT CAN’T BE WITHDRAWN. 10% OF PURCHASE PRICES OF ALL ANIMALS REMAINS WITH THE HOSTING BRANCHES.
CONTACT CATHY KANE AT: KCchins@msn.com FOR SHOW BOOK ADS.
FALL FIELD DAY
OCTOBER 4, 2014
NEW STRAWN, KANSAS
HOSTING BRANCHES: GREATER KC, NEBRASKA, SO. MINN, N. ILL, WISCONSIN
TIME: 10:00 AM
PLACE: COMMUNITY BUILDING
319 GETZ
NEW STRAWN, KANSAS
TYPE OF SHOW: STANDARD LIVE ANIMAL/MUTATION LIVE ANIMAL
AWARDS: 34 TROPHIES AWARDED AND PLACE RIBBONS
ENTRY: $5.00 PER ANIMAL (NO LIMIT ON ANIMALS SHOWN)
ALL ANIMALS MUST BE CAGED AND IN THE EXIBITION HALL.
ANIMALS MUST BE OUT OF BUILDING BY SATURDAY EVENING
SET UP: STARTS AT 5:00 PM ON FRIDAY October 3, 2014
ANIMALS MAY BE ENTERED AND CAGED FROM 6:30-10:00 PM
ANIMALS MAY BE ENTERED ON SATURDAY MORNING
GROOMING: 6:00 AM TO 9:45 AM ON SATURDAY
JUDGES: JIM RITTERSPACH AND RICHARD RYERSON
SHOW CHAIR: MIKE LAWRENCE 620-490-0325
REGITRATION: VICKI MERRITT 816-726-1542
LODGING:
COUNTRY HAVEN INN- 207 CROSS ST, BURLINGTON, KS 620-364-8260
WOLF CREEK LODGE- 919 N. 4TH, BURLINGTON, KS 620-364-1454
WYATT EARP INN - 2745 HWY 54& 75, LEBO, KS 620-256-6351
SPECIAL EVENTS: SILENT AUCTION, 50/50 DRAWING
SILENT AUCTION RULES; OWNER PUTS BOTTOM DOLLAR PRICE ON ANIMAL HE WISHES TO SELL. ANYONE INTERESTED IN BUYING THE ANIMAL MAY RAISE THE PRICE AND IDENTIFY THE BID WITH HIS NAME WITH THE AUCTION CHAIR. ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED MAY RAISE THE BID ETC…. A BIDDER MAY RAISE THE BID EVEN THOUGH HE HAS PREVIOUSLY BID ON THE ANIMAL. OWNERS MAY NOT WITHDRAW AN ANIMAL FROM THE AUCTION OR RAISE THE BOTTOM PRICE. OWNER CAN NOT BID ON HIS OWN ANIMAL. ONCE A BID IS SUBMITTED, IT CAN’T BE WITHDRAWN. 10% OF PURCHASE PRICES OF ALL ANIMALS REMAINS WITH THE HOSTING BRANCHES.
CONTACT CATHY KANE AT: KCchins@msn.com FOR SHOW BOOK ADS.
Chinchilla mommy expecting questions
I have a few questions regarding my expecting chinnie. This will be my first chin babies. I've done tons of research all year but there are still a few things I'm not sure about. One is, I don't know when she's due so I'm not sure when I should take all the ledges out and make it baby proof. The cage bars are small enough so it's pretty much ready other then all the ledges and hanging houses. And this past week she's been laying on her side a lot and quiet and keeps to herself. She also has been sleeping on the floor of her cage instead of on her ledges or houses. I read this is a sign on pregnancy but when should I approximately expect babies? The wait is killing me! :)
Essential For Life (unopened)
Dear all, I purchased the EFL from Tanya just a couple weeks ago. Now that Dumpling is now up over the rainbow bridge, he doesn't need it anymore... So if anyone, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with chinnie in needs, you can buy it off me, plus approximately 1/3 left of Critical Care for free (un-contaminated) if you don't mind. It's such a waste to throw away these life saving food.
Just drop me a message. :thumbsup:
Thanks!
Just drop me a message. :thumbsup:
Thanks!
samedi 26 juillet 2014
Nanny cams?
I'm just curious if anyone has tried this. I kind of want to get a nanny cam or webcam set up by Lil Bubs' cage so I can see what he's up to at night. I don't mean to track his behavior every night, I'm just curious to see which toys he plays with, how much running around he does, whether he looks bored or scared, etc. I have no idea what mischief he gets up to in the wee hours!
Do any of you have ways to observe your chins in the middle of the night/when you're not around? Am I being super weird or is there an easy way to do this?
Do any of you have ways to observe your chins in the middle of the night/when you're not around? Am I being super weird or is there an easy way to do this?
First Vet Visit
Hi all,
So in acouple weeks I am taking my chin to her first vet visit. I got her a year ago from a friend who could no longer care for her and I do not think she has ever been to a vet before. What can I do to prpare for the visit and is there anything I can do to keep the visit less stressful for her?
Thanks!! :)
So in acouple weeks I am taking my chin to her first vet visit. I got her a year ago from a friend who could no longer care for her and I do not think she has ever been to a vet before. What can I do to prpare for the visit and is there anything I can do to keep the visit less stressful for her?
Thanks!! :)
Need help sexing a kit
Please help. My little kit is a week old. I think it is a female but I'm not so sure since this is the first time I have a baby chin. Is it too young to determine? Please help me out so I can manage to get a new cage and separate this one if it's a male. Thank you every much.
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vendredi 25 juillet 2014
Lowe Rec. White Herd and Standards MUST SELL ASAP OREGON
Hello,
Unfortunately I will be moving to Washington where I will no longer be able to keep my tiny herd. I must sell them before this fall term in August. Please contact me for more information, or photos. I am willing to travel as long as I'm reimbursed for gas and, if needed, hotel expenses. If you would like them to be shipped I can fly them via Delta.
All standards are out of chinchillas I purchased at a show in Isaaquah a few years back that placed at least a first.
My herd consists of the following:
- 1 Lowe Recessive White male from Poplar Hills chinchillas
- 6 LRWC females
- 7 LRWC males
And for my standards:
- A standard pair and their kit, I would be willing to sell them separately.
(1 Extra Dark Standard male, and 1 Extra Dark Standard female, and their male kit)
- 1 Extra Dark female (I really don't want to sell her because of her fur quality, and her charming personality...)
For the LRW and the carriers (total of 14 animals) I'm wanting to sell them with their breeding cages (I have 3, 3 hole cages with collars, water bottles and dishes) for $3,800 OBO.
The standards I'm asking $200 for the standard pair. For the Extra Dark Standard female who I love very much, I'm asking $160. The kit I'm asking $125.
Text or call (503)804-8746
Thank you!
Unfortunately I will be moving to Washington where I will no longer be able to keep my tiny herd. I must sell them before this fall term in August. Please contact me for more information, or photos. I am willing to travel as long as I'm reimbursed for gas and, if needed, hotel expenses. If you would like them to be shipped I can fly them via Delta.
All standards are out of chinchillas I purchased at a show in Isaaquah a few years back that placed at least a first.
My herd consists of the following:
- 1 Lowe Recessive White male from Poplar Hills chinchillas
- 6 LRWC females
- 7 LRWC males
And for my standards:
- A standard pair and their kit, I would be willing to sell them separately.
(1 Extra Dark Standard male, and 1 Extra Dark Standard female, and their male kit)
- 1 Extra Dark female (I really don't want to sell her because of her fur quality, and her charming personality...)
For the LRW and the carriers (total of 14 animals) I'm wanting to sell them with their breeding cages (I have 3, 3 hole cages with collars, water bottles and dishes) for $3,800 OBO.
The standards I'm asking $200 for the standard pair. For the Extra Dark Standard female who I love very much, I'm asking $160. The kit I'm asking $125.
Text or call (503)804-8746
Thank you!
Needs more weight
Lately I been noticing the one of my chinchillas maybe should be putting on more weight. She is quite skinny, and you can feel her bones. She was always quite skinny when we first got her so maybe she is the way she is. But lately I've been thinking of maybe helping her put more weight on her.
What's a healthy way to put on more weight on a chinchilla?
I've seen things like
Alfalfa rings
http://ift.tt/1rilJz8
Alfalfa cookies
http://ift.tt/1rilHY3
Alfalfa Slims
http://ift.tt/1rilHYh
I'm not sure if they help, but I've seen both before in the store. I've heard the cookies are fatty and shouldn't be giving too often. Anyone have any experience giving these to their chinchillas?
I also heard of Enervite its some kind of supplement for dogs. But giving them a pea sized blob can be given 2-3 times a week or even every day if the chin is very poorly. Not sure if this helps or is good either.
I didn't want to make a chance if this would harm any of them. Thanks again for your time.
What's a healthy way to put on more weight on a chinchilla?
I've seen things like
Alfalfa rings
http://ift.tt/1rilJz8
Alfalfa cookies
http://ift.tt/1rilHY3
Alfalfa Slims
http://ift.tt/1rilHYh
I'm not sure if they help, but I've seen both before in the store. I've heard the cookies are fatty and shouldn't be giving too often. Anyone have any experience giving these to their chinchillas?
I also heard of Enervite its some kind of supplement for dogs. But giving them a pea sized blob can be given 2-3 times a week or even every day if the chin is very poorly. Not sure if this helps or is good either.
I didn't want to make a chance if this would harm any of them. Thanks again for your time.
Looking for either a mosaic, black velvet or beige female-sd
Chins are so hard to come by! Maybe someone on here can help. I have been wanting to get another chin and really love the mosaic, black velvet and beige colors. I live in the southern South Dakota region.
Thank you!
Thank you!
jeudi 24 juillet 2014
Chinchilla acting strange
Hi! I am new to this forum and decided to join when it popped up as a result when I was researching issues with my chinchilla.
I have had my chinchilla for a little over a year and a few (3) days ago, I noticed he was chewing and pulling the fur out of his paws to the point where they were bleeding and he wouldn't put pressure on them. It scared me and it was a Sunday morning so no actual clinics were open so my only option was to take him to the pet emergency clinic. When I got there, the vet admitted to not knowing much about chinchillas and said she wasn't sure what was wrong but could tell that his paws looked infected and gave him antibiotics, pain meds and put a ecollar (cone) (made out of duct tape no less) on him. Well I refused to give him the pain meds because he was so lethargic as it was but I gave him the antibiotics thinking what could it hurt and HATED the ecollar on him but left it since he would chew on his hands as soon as it came off. The next day I called the vet who specialized in exotics and they asked me to bring him in asap and I found out that it was from the metal grate on the bottom of his cage (broke my heart since I researched them extensively-even their vocal sounds) and told me I was smart to not give the pain meds since it could kill them and said to continue the antibiotics and also gave a topical cream and took off the ecollar stating that gives them unneeded stress. It has been 3 days and he is still not acting quite himself even though his paws are better. He tends to hang out in the back of his cage (not sure if he just likes the new bedding and no grate or if its more serious) and he has not been pooping as much- the little he does is hard and looks like the constipated examples from my chinchilla book. He also is not eating nearly as much but will still accept treats (such as hay chunks and raisens). He also has been chewing on his mineral wheel, chewing rock and log bed which he usually does not do and grinding his teeth. He has been off the Antibiotics beginning today but I still put the topical cream on. I just don't know what to do to help him get back to normal and I love him so much I want to do whatever I can to help him. Any ideas whats going on?
I have had my chinchilla for a little over a year and a few (3) days ago, I noticed he was chewing and pulling the fur out of his paws to the point where they were bleeding and he wouldn't put pressure on them. It scared me and it was a Sunday morning so no actual clinics were open so my only option was to take him to the pet emergency clinic. When I got there, the vet admitted to not knowing much about chinchillas and said she wasn't sure what was wrong but could tell that his paws looked infected and gave him antibiotics, pain meds and put a ecollar (cone) (made out of duct tape no less) on him. Well I refused to give him the pain meds because he was so lethargic as it was but I gave him the antibiotics thinking what could it hurt and HATED the ecollar on him but left it since he would chew on his hands as soon as it came off. The next day I called the vet who specialized in exotics and they asked me to bring him in asap and I found out that it was from the metal grate on the bottom of his cage (broke my heart since I researched them extensively-even their vocal sounds) and told me I was smart to not give the pain meds since it could kill them and said to continue the antibiotics and also gave a topical cream and took off the ecollar stating that gives them unneeded stress. It has been 3 days and he is still not acting quite himself even though his paws are better. He tends to hang out in the back of his cage (not sure if he just likes the new bedding and no grate or if its more serious) and he has not been pooping as much- the little he does is hard and looks like the constipated examples from my chinchilla book. He also is not eating nearly as much but will still accept treats (such as hay chunks and raisens). He also has been chewing on his mineral wheel, chewing rock and log bed which he usually does not do and grinding his teeth. He has been off the Antibiotics beginning today but I still put the topical cream on. I just don't know what to do to help him get back to normal and I love him so much I want to do whatever I can to help him. Any ideas whats going on?
Preparing For A Play Date
This coming Sunday I am bringing my 1 1/2 year old Zoey to a Chin rescue to try and find her a friend to adopt. I am hoping she will get along with somebody as there are several female Chins we are going to try of various ages. She has never been with another Chin since separating from her mother. I am nervous as I really want her to have a friend. Is there anything I can do to prepare her? If she doesn't get along with anyone, I do have a split level cage. Should I take the Chin she hated the least and attempt to bond them through slower processes or will I just stress her out?
:hmm:
:hmm:
Chinfriends.org Rescue L.I. NY
Chin Friends is a great Chin rescue on Long Island, NY. I am currently working with them to get my Zoey her first friend. Michelle runs it and she is great!! I highly suggest, if in the NY area you consider adoptions.
http://ift.tt/WMih6D
http://ift.tt/WMih6D
Does your chin(s) chew fleece?
Do your chin(s) chew fleece?
Yes
No
(Can choose both if you have had some that do and some that don't).
Yes
No
(Can choose both if you have had some that do and some that don't).
Not a very short introduction.
Salutations to all! I'm a newcomer to both chinchilla ownership and forums in general, so this is all a new experience for me. I received my first chinchilla from a friend who got a hold of two chins (female bonded pair) that lived in a local high school for a year or so. Unfortunately, we had to separate the two for a few weeks to get everything settled at my friend's home because they where a surprise acquisition, making it difficult for her to house two chins at her house for a bit. I took one home and quickly fell in love with chinchillas and just how goofy they can be. Cinders was wonderful in the time that I had her, but eventually had to give her back to her original adopter.
Shortly after, I found and adopted my current best friend, Silvermist (an overweight standard grey from Petsmart), off of Craigslist and mostly filled in the gap left by Cinders. However, after searching the web further, I found a lovely pair of female mosaics that needed to be rehomed, FN included, and could not pass up the opportunity. After an intense drive to and from with copious amounts of rain, hail, and electronic music I was happy to have the two newcomers home. (Tinkerbell and Periwinkle join the fray!)
So far the bonding process has been much slower, but after much research I understand that settling in to their new environment and bonding with a new person can take time, so patience is key here. I look forward to the day that we're great friends, and of course I want to learn more as time goes on.
Joining this forum gives me the opportunity to learn more about chin ownership in a variety of different areas and perspectives, which is always fun and amazing. Since I am greatly considering going into chinchilla rescue work, there is much for to learn about the ins and outs of chinchilla behavior and how to properly deal with it all. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!
(Yeesh, I feel like I'm back in my English class typing out essays, haha. I write too formally for my own good. Many thanks in advance for dealing with my "fancy-ness".)
-Lucian
Shortly after, I found and adopted my current best friend, Silvermist (an overweight standard grey from Petsmart), off of Craigslist and mostly filled in the gap left by Cinders. However, after searching the web further, I found a lovely pair of female mosaics that needed to be rehomed, FN included, and could not pass up the opportunity. After an intense drive to and from with copious amounts of rain, hail, and electronic music I was happy to have the two newcomers home. (Tinkerbell and Periwinkle join the fray!)
So far the bonding process has been much slower, but after much research I understand that settling in to their new environment and bonding with a new person can take time, so patience is key here. I look forward to the day that we're great friends, and of course I want to learn more as time goes on.
Joining this forum gives me the opportunity to learn more about chin ownership in a variety of different areas and perspectives, which is always fun and amazing. Since I am greatly considering going into chinchilla rescue work, there is much for to learn about the ins and outs of chinchilla behavior and how to properly deal with it all. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!
(Yeesh, I feel like I'm back in my English class typing out essays, haha. I write too formally for my own good. Many thanks in advance for dealing with my "fancy-ness".)
-Lucian
Hedgie needs an audience?
So we've been home with Willow (9 mos old) a week and a half. We are enjoying her a lot! She is curious and friendly. We take her out a few times a day and she walks around the coffee table, checking in with whatever human is watching her every few minutes. We take out her wheel and she seems to love it. She is pretty easy to keep clean as each time she is out and moving she poops and pees, and there is not a whole lot of poop in her cage!
But it seems this is the only time she is active! I've never seen her run in the wheel in her cage. I stay up till at least 11, and last night I fell asleep on the sofa then woke at 2:30 am, and as always she was huddled in her tube (or the hedgie bag). There is, as I said, little or no poop on the wheel or in the cage in general.
We were told she was a little overweight because she had had a litter recently, could this be why she isn't very active? Or is she just adjusting to her new home? Or is this just typical for some hedgies?
But it seems this is the only time she is active! I've never seen her run in the wheel in her cage. I stay up till at least 11, and last night I fell asleep on the sofa then woke at 2:30 am, and as always she was huddled in her tube (or the hedgie bag). There is, as I said, little or no poop on the wheel or in the cage in general.
We were told she was a little overweight because she had had a litter recently, could this be why she isn't very active? Or is she just adjusting to her new home? Or is this just typical for some hedgies?
Just received Lifeline - how much to give?
Just received my bag of lifeline and needing help on how much to give my chinny. He has lost 40-45g of weight over the last few weeks. Be broke his foot (which is healing nicely) but we had to separate him from his cage mate and he has pretty much stopped eating of drinking anything. Ou reason he is still here is because he has been fed CC 3 times daily. I've heard this lifeline works wonders but I am airflow confused as to how to use it. Do I mix it in with the CC or feed it separately? I understand this is not a meal replacement like CC.any help would be great x
mercredi 23 juillet 2014
What gauge wire do you prefer for toy making?
I know a lot of chinnie parents buy the supplies to make their own chin toys. I know some use chain but it seems wire is becoming the hardware of choice, so for those who make your own toys...
What gauge wire do you prefer to use and why? Easier to cut?
What gauge wire do you prefer to use and why? Easier to cut?
Please help me!!! Very weak lethargic hedgie!!
My hedgehog Ruby will be 4 years old this coming September. I moved so she has been staying with a friend for the last few months, I visit with her once a week and she seemed fine last Thursday. Today my friend brought her into work with us because she seemed very weak. She didn't want to come out of her ball, very lethargic, cool to the touch. She has a "sweet spot" on her back if you rub and it always seems to get her to uncoil. It seemed to work, but she still didn't want to walk around. I gave her a bath because she seemed to have debris all over her face (I'm assuming from the bedding). Afterward she drank a lot of water, but she has always been a big drinker so that didn't concern me. I also noticed that her eyes seems to be infected. After work I applied some terrimycin, which I looked up in an exotics book at work, and it said it was safe. I also gave her a good bath when I got home so I could really examine her. It seems that all the fur on her belly and face in GONE. And anything left is falling out in clumps.
Also when I try to feed her she doesn't have much of an interest, I tried to give her meal worms because they are her favorite and she would sort of go up to them start to chew and get tired eventually and spit the pieces out and just lean to the side and lay there with labored breathing. I now put her in the cage with just a wee wee pad to get the bedding away from her with some fresh cat food (she loves cat food) and some diluted gatoraid. She is chowing down, very slowly, but she is still eating the cat food. But her skin is so red and angry looking and she is just so weak and wobbly.
Please help! I work in an animal hospital, I am an LVT, but we don't see exotics so no one at work is able to help me.
Also when I try to feed her she doesn't have much of an interest, I tried to give her meal worms because they are her favorite and she would sort of go up to them start to chew and get tired eventually and spit the pieces out and just lean to the side and lay there with labored breathing. I now put her in the cage with just a wee wee pad to get the bedding away from her with some fresh cat food (she loves cat food) and some diluted gatoraid. She is chowing down, very slowly, but she is still eating the cat food. But her skin is so red and angry looking and she is just so weak and wobbly.
Please help! I work in an animal hospital, I am an LVT, but we don't see exotics so no one at work is able to help me.
Arm chewing
Hi! First post...
My chin, Bonzo, has been chewing his right arm right above where his paw is. The fur is missing from it and it is red and irritated. He was treated for fungal infection about a month ago and that seemed to clear up (it was mostly located around his nose). I went out of town last week and had him boarded with the vet, and he may have been moved around a lot, so I'm not sure if the chewing has to do with stress or whether it is a recurrence of the fungal infection. He wasn't chewing that particular area before I left, but my mom saw him chewing it pretty vigorously a few minutes ago. I can get more of the antifungal medication but it is very expensive because they have to compound it for him due to his small size. Just wanted to check to see if anyone else had any better ideas before I resort to that.
Thanks,
Sarah
My chin, Bonzo, has been chewing his right arm right above where his paw is. The fur is missing from it and it is red and irritated. He was treated for fungal infection about a month ago and that seemed to clear up (it was mostly located around his nose). I went out of town last week and had him boarded with the vet, and he may have been moved around a lot, so I'm not sure if the chewing has to do with stress or whether it is a recurrence of the fungal infection. He wasn't chewing that particular area before I left, but my mom saw him chewing it pretty vigorously a few minutes ago. I can get more of the antifungal medication but it is very expensive because they have to compound it for him due to his small size. Just wanted to check to see if anyone else had any better ideas before I resort to that.
Thanks,
Sarah
Why won't he go into his hammock?
I made my chinnie a hammock, but unless I put it over one of his ledges he wont dare go into it. Does anyone have an idea as to why he wont go in it normally?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Chinchilla heart abcess
Hi everyone!
I've been reading this forum for a while but this is my first post.
I noticed a very subtle change in my chinchilla - being strange around her water bottle. I took her to the vets as I thought better safe than sorry! She was diagnosed with a lung infection and had dropped from 530g to 480g. She was treated with antibiotics and syringe feeding. When she returned in a week that had cleared up.
Her weight then dropped and we went back to the vets. Now an internal abscess in front of the heart had developed. We were told the abcess couldn't be treated as the body builds a wall around it to protect resulting in antibiotics not being able to get in. The vet thought she had about 2 weeks left.
It's now 3 weeks and she's still here!! She's put on 40g and is being syringe fed 45-55ml of oxbow critical care. In the last couple of days she's started eating again. A couple of days ago she went into the vets for 3 nights as we were away. She lost 30g but they thought that was due to a change of enviroment. 2 days back at home and she's put on 20g.
This is a very long winded way of me asking if there's anything else I can do for her- any other foods to build her up? Any suggestions at all...
Thank you for your help!!
Sarah
I've been reading this forum for a while but this is my first post.
I noticed a very subtle change in my chinchilla - being strange around her water bottle. I took her to the vets as I thought better safe than sorry! She was diagnosed with a lung infection and had dropped from 530g to 480g. She was treated with antibiotics and syringe feeding. When she returned in a week that had cleared up.
Her weight then dropped and we went back to the vets. Now an internal abscess in front of the heart had developed. We were told the abcess couldn't be treated as the body builds a wall around it to protect resulting in antibiotics not being able to get in. The vet thought she had about 2 weeks left.
It's now 3 weeks and she's still here!! She's put on 40g and is being syringe fed 45-55ml of oxbow critical care. In the last couple of days she's started eating again. A couple of days ago she went into the vets for 3 nights as we were away. She lost 30g but they thought that was due to a change of enviroment. 2 days back at home and she's put on 20g.
This is a very long winded way of me asking if there's anything else I can do for her- any other foods to build her up? Any suggestions at all...
Thank you for your help!!
Sarah
mardi 22 juillet 2014
Mom still bleeding?
Hah, second question today!
So my chinchilla Blossom had her babies six days ago. A short while after she gave birth, I noticed slimy blood coming from her bottom. I didn't notice any more until this morning... More slimy blood. It's not just blood, it's... slightly slimy. Forgive my gross example, but it looks like bloody snot! It was oozing. It wasn't a lot... But is it normal? Even after six days? This is her first time giving birth, and she gave birth to three babies. Do I need to take her to the vet?
So my chinchilla Blossom had her babies six days ago. A short while after she gave birth, I noticed slimy blood coming from her bottom. I didn't notice any more until this morning... More slimy blood. It's not just blood, it's... slightly slimy. Forgive my gross example, but it looks like bloody snot! It was oozing. It wasn't a lot... But is it normal? Even after six days? This is her first time giving birth, and she gave birth to three babies. Do I need to take her to the vet?
Cage for 2 chinchillas?
Hello there,
I am new here so please bear with me. I am going to get 2 chinchillas soon, and I do not know if the cage I have bought is big enough.
It is 104cm high, 70cm in length and 42cm deep, I was only going to get 1 chinchilla but no breeder sells them alone here and now do not know if it is big enough for 2.
Many thanks,
ChinAndShep.
I am new here so please bear with me. I am going to get 2 chinchillas soon, and I do not know if the cage I have bought is big enough.
It is 104cm high, 70cm in length and 42cm deep, I was only going to get 1 chinchilla but no breeder sells them alone here and now do not know if it is big enough for 2.
Many thanks,
ChinAndShep.
Help Please...
Hi everyone, I'm new here, and I need some advice.
In December 2013 I purchased 2, 5 month old male chinchillas from a pet shop. 1 standard grey, and 1 white mosaic. Approximately 24 hours later the Mosaic had a seizure, unfortunately everything happened so fast there was nothing we could do. Poor little thing died. So we went searching locally and found a lady who was looking to rehome one (out of 4) of her male chinchillas, as he wasn't getting along well with the others. He was around 4 years old when we got him, and he became best of friends with our other chin. For the past 8 months they've been living in harmony, no squabbles or (observed) sexual behaviour between them. So imagine my surprise when I wake up and find 2 little kits suckling on my male chin 😯 if you haven't already figured it out...he was a she *sighs* The kits are lovely, and I've observed them running around, and climing the side of the cage. After a few busy days I hadn't handled them for while (48-72 hours) For some reason I have a feeling that they are slightly older than a day, and I just missed them when I was changing the water and feeding them. Sorry if that was too long.
Anyways I now have quite a few questions:
1) Can I leave dad in the cage? If not, why?
2) How do I kit-proof the cage? The bar spacing is correct, but what about things like additional floors - their current cage has 3 different levels and 2 ladders - what should I cover wire floors, shelves, ladders with?
3) When can kits start nibbling mums food? Until then do I have to make sure it's out of reach of the kits?
4) What kind of 'nest' or den can I provide?
5) What temperature does the room need to be?
6) What kind of issues should I be looking out for?
7) How often/for how long should I handle them? And when?
8) Should I wean at 8 or 10 weeks?
9) When I do wean them, how do I do it?
10) One is male, one is female, at which age do they need to be separated from parents to stop inbreeding?
11) When should I let them go to new homes? 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks?
12) I'm 100% sure they've already mated again, I know the average pregnancy is 111 days, but how much earlier/later can kits arrive?
13) How do I know if mum is producing enough milk for her kits?
14) Each kit is 40g, how much weight should they gain/how fast?
15) As they have already made a strong bond, would it be cruel to seperate them? I really don't want to...
16) If I learn more about breeding, would it be okay to continue breeding the pair? I mean I never would have ever, but now that this has happened, what's the harm in kits 4 times a year? What would your opinion be if I continued to let them breed?
17) From the photos below, do my chins look the part? They have lovely temperaments, very chilled back guys.
18) What qualities should be looked for in a potential breeding chinchilla (make & female)?
19) Am I right in believing my Sparky (dad) is a standard grey? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
20) What color would you classify Pookie (mum) She has white/light grey/ginger (only a little) fur and pink ears.
21) What colors are the kits classified as?
22) What fur color combinations could Sparky and Pookie produce? Is it just the two colours of the kits?
23) How old would you guess the kits are from the photos and description? 1 day old, 2 days, 3 days?..
24) Until what age can a female chin safely have kits? Is 8-12 the earliest?
25) What do you think of the parents and kits?
Pictures in order; Sparky (dad), Pookie (mum), Female Kit, Male Kit, (left to right) Male Kit & Female Kit.
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If you could take the time to answer all of my questions, it would be appreciated so much! I've been preparing and learning all night...I don't want anything to go wrong, and now I'm just really curious 🐭 any help/suggestions is more than welcome! Thanks.
In December 2013 I purchased 2, 5 month old male chinchillas from a pet shop. 1 standard grey, and 1 white mosaic. Approximately 24 hours later the Mosaic had a seizure, unfortunately everything happened so fast there was nothing we could do. Poor little thing died. So we went searching locally and found a lady who was looking to rehome one (out of 4) of her male chinchillas, as he wasn't getting along well with the others. He was around 4 years old when we got him, and he became best of friends with our other chin. For the past 8 months they've been living in harmony, no squabbles or (observed) sexual behaviour between them. So imagine my surprise when I wake up and find 2 little kits suckling on my male chin 😯 if you haven't already figured it out...he was a she *sighs* The kits are lovely, and I've observed them running around, and climing the side of the cage. After a few busy days I hadn't handled them for while (48-72 hours) For some reason I have a feeling that they are slightly older than a day, and I just missed them when I was changing the water and feeding them. Sorry if that was too long.
Anyways I now have quite a few questions:
1) Can I leave dad in the cage? If not, why?
2) How do I kit-proof the cage? The bar spacing is correct, but what about things like additional floors - their current cage has 3 different levels and 2 ladders - what should I cover wire floors, shelves, ladders with?
3) When can kits start nibbling mums food? Until then do I have to make sure it's out of reach of the kits?
4) What kind of 'nest' or den can I provide?
5) What temperature does the room need to be?
6) What kind of issues should I be looking out for?
7) How often/for how long should I handle them? And when?
8) Should I wean at 8 or 10 weeks?
9) When I do wean them, how do I do it?
10) One is male, one is female, at which age do they need to be separated from parents to stop inbreeding?
11) When should I let them go to new homes? 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks?
12) I'm 100% sure they've already mated again, I know the average pregnancy is 111 days, but how much earlier/later can kits arrive?
13) How do I know if mum is producing enough milk for her kits?
14) Each kit is 40g, how much weight should they gain/how fast?
15) As they have already made a strong bond, would it be cruel to seperate them? I really don't want to...
16) If I learn more about breeding, would it be okay to continue breeding the pair? I mean I never would have ever, but now that this has happened, what's the harm in kits 4 times a year? What would your opinion be if I continued to let them breed?
17) From the photos below, do my chins look the part? They have lovely temperaments, very chilled back guys.
18) What qualities should be looked for in a potential breeding chinchilla (make & female)?
19) Am I right in believing my Sparky (dad) is a standard grey? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
20) What color would you classify Pookie (mum) She has white/light grey/ginger (only a little) fur and pink ears.
21) What colors are the kits classified as?
22) What fur color combinations could Sparky and Pookie produce? Is it just the two colours of the kits?
23) How old would you guess the kits are from the photos and description? 1 day old, 2 days, 3 days?..
24) Until what age can a female chin safely have kits? Is 8-12 the earliest?
25) What do you think of the parents and kits?
Pictures in order; Sparky (dad), Pookie (mum), Female Kit, Male Kit, (left to right) Male Kit & Female Kit.
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If you could take the time to answer all of my questions, it would be appreciated so much! I've been preparing and learning all night...I don't want anything to go wrong, and now I'm just really curious 🐭 any help/suggestions is more than welcome! Thanks.
Retiring and selling my herd
I have decided to retire from breeding and to sell my herd. I will be listing prices next week on my home page. I have a healthy, quality herd that produces like crazy.
How much milk should kits be drinking?
I've looked everywhere for the answer to this question, and in the FAQ's for chinchilla breeding and babies, it says the kits should be consuming 2-3 syringe-fulls of milk, but is that an insulin syringe, or something else? I have a syringe that goes up to 5 ml, and my little Ash will normally drink about half before he loses interest. Is that enough, or should I keep trying to feed him more?
Thanks!
Thanks!
lundi 21 juillet 2014
Help With 2 Surprise Kits Please?!.
Hi everyone, I'm new here, and I need some advice.
In December 2013 I purchased 2, 5 month old male chinchillas from a pet shop. 1 standard grey, and 1 white mosaic. Approximately 24 hours later the Mosaic had a seizure, unfortunately everything happened so fast there was nothing I could do. Poor little thing died. So I went searching locally and found a lady who was looking to rehome one (out of 4) of her male chinchillas, as he wasn't getting along well with the others.
He was around 4 years old when I got him, and he became best of friends with the other chin. For the past 8 months they've been living in harmony, no squabbles or (observed) sexual behaviour between them. So imagine my surprise when I wake up and find 2 little kits suckling on my male chin 😯 if you haven't already figured it out...he...was a she *sighs*
The kits are lovely, and I've observed them running around, and climing the side of the cage. After a few busy days I haven't handled them for while (48-72 hours) and for some reason I have a feeling that they are slightly older than a day, and I just missed them when I was changing the chins water. and feeding them. Sorry if this is too long.
Anyways I now have quite a few questions:
1) Can I leave dad in the cage? If not, why?
2) How do I kit-proof the cage? The bar spacing is correct, but what about things like additional floors - their current cage has 3 different levels and 2 ladders - what should I cover wire floors, shelves, ladders with?
3) When can kits start nibbling mums food? Until then do I have to make sure it's out of reach of the kits?
4) What kind of 'nest' or den can I provide?
5) What temperature does the room need to be?
6) What kind of issues should I be looking out for?
7) How often/for how long should I handle them? And when?
8) Should I wean at 8 or 10 weeks?
9) When I do wean them, how do I do it?
10) One is male, one is female, at which age do they need to be separated from parents to stop inbreeding?
11) When should I let them go to new homes? 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks?
12) I'm 100% sure they've already mated again, I know the average pregnancy is 111 days, but how much earlier/later can kits arrive?
13) How do I know if mum is producing enough milk for her kits?
14) Each kit is 40g, how much weight should they gain/how fast?
15) As they have already made a strong bond, would it be cruel to seperate them? I really don't want to...
16) If I learn more about breeding, would it be okay to continue breeding the pair? I mean I never would have ever, but now that this has happened, what's the harm in kits 4 times a year? What would your opinion be if I continued to let them breed?
17) From the photos below, do my chins look the part? They have lovely temperaments, very chilled back guys.
18) What qualities should be looked for in a potential breeding chinchilla (make & female)?
19) Am I right in believing my Sparky (dad) is a standard grey? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
20) What color would you classify Pookie (mum) She has white/light grey/ginger (only a little) fur and pink ears.
21) What colors are the kits classified as?
22) What fur color combinations could Sparky and Pookie produce? Is it just the two colours of the kits?
23) How old would you guess the kits are from the photos and description? 1 day old, 2 days, 3 days?..
24) Until what age can a female chin safely have kits? Is 8-12 the earliest?
25) What do you think of the parents and kits?
Pictures in order; Sparky (dad), Pookie (mum), Female Kit, Male Kit, (left to right) Male Kit & Female Kit.
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If you could take the time to answer all of my questions, it would be appreciated so much! I've been preparing and learning all night...I don't want anything to go wrong, and now I'm just really curious 🐭 any help/suggestions is more than welcome! Thanks.
In December 2013 I purchased 2, 5 month old male chinchillas from a pet shop. 1 standard grey, and 1 white mosaic. Approximately 24 hours later the Mosaic had a seizure, unfortunately everything happened so fast there was nothing I could do. Poor little thing died. So I went searching locally and found a lady who was looking to rehome one (out of 4) of her male chinchillas, as he wasn't getting along well with the others.
He was around 4 years old when I got him, and he became best of friends with the other chin. For the past 8 months they've been living in harmony, no squabbles or (observed) sexual behaviour between them. So imagine my surprise when I wake up and find 2 little kits suckling on my male chin 😯 if you haven't already figured it out...he...was a she *sighs*
The kits are lovely, and I've observed them running around, and climing the side of the cage. After a few busy days I haven't handled them for while (48-72 hours) and for some reason I have a feeling that they are slightly older than a day, and I just missed them when I was changing the chins water. and feeding them. Sorry if this is too long.
Anyways I now have quite a few questions:
1) Can I leave dad in the cage? If not, why?
2) How do I kit-proof the cage? The bar spacing is correct, but what about things like additional floors - their current cage has 3 different levels and 2 ladders - what should I cover wire floors, shelves, ladders with?
3) When can kits start nibbling mums food? Until then do I have to make sure it's out of reach of the kits?
4) What kind of 'nest' or den can I provide?
5) What temperature does the room need to be?
6) What kind of issues should I be looking out for?
7) How often/for how long should I handle them? And when?
8) Should I wean at 8 or 10 weeks?
9) When I do wean them, how do I do it?
10) One is male, one is female, at which age do they need to be separated from parents to stop inbreeding?
11) When should I let them go to new homes? 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks?
12) I'm 100% sure they've already mated again, I know the average pregnancy is 111 days, but how much earlier/later can kits arrive?
13) How do I know if mum is producing enough milk for her kits?
14) Each kit is 40g, how much weight should they gain/how fast?
15) As they have already made a strong bond, would it be cruel to seperate them? I really don't want to...
16) If I learn more about breeding, would it be okay to continue breeding the pair? I mean I never would have ever, but now that this has happened, what's the harm in kits 4 times a year? What would your opinion be if I continued to let them breed?
17) From the photos below, do my chins look the part? They have lovely temperaments, very chilled back guys.
18) What qualities should be looked for in a potential breeding chinchilla (make & female)?
19) Am I right in believing my Sparky (dad) is a standard grey? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
20) What color would you classify Pookie (mum) She has white/light grey/ginger (only a little) fur and pink ears.
21) What colors are the kits classified as?
22) What fur color combinations could Sparky and Pookie produce? Is it just the two colours of the kits?
23) How old would you guess the kits are from the photos and description? 1 day old, 2 days, 3 days?..
24) Until what age can a female chin safely have kits? Is 8-12 the earliest?
25) What do you think of the parents and kits?
Pictures in order; Sparky (dad), Pookie (mum), Female Kit, Male Kit, (left to right) Male Kit & Female Kit.
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image.jpg
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If you could take the time to answer all of my questions, it would be appreciated so much! I've been preparing and learning all night...I don't want anything to go wrong, and now I'm just really curious 🐭 any help/suggestions is more than welcome! Thanks.
My chinchillas nose
Hi if u have read my previous post u know I hand feeding one of my sick chins. Well I hand feed her some ground up pellets with a little water because I can't get critical care at the present moment so she ate some I was happy but it was so messy and I had to clean her up but I missed some on her nose it it dried up and made part of her nose raw so what should I do.
Clio (me) and Jancek (hedgehog) intro
Jancek is a stealth-cuddling hedgehog who is now almost 8 months old. We're past the quilling stages and the awkward "getting used to this new home" stages. I received him from a lovely breeder whom has moved farther away, but I've still referred her to friends who are interested in adopting one day. When I first saw him in his original home he just... would not sit still... Always moving, always exploring.
As he's gotten older we've found ourselves in more of a "watch tv and laze about together" rhythm. Aside from the difficulties in trimming his nails, we're pretty content.
As for me, I'm just the doey-eyed human that spoils him with mealies and is always looking for new and better ways to take care of him, or to share stories with other hedgie-lovers.
As he's gotten older we've found ourselves in more of a "watch tv and laze about together" rhythm. Aside from the difficulties in trimming his nails, we're pretty content.
As for me, I'm just the doey-eyed human that spoils him with mealies and is always looking for new and better ways to take care of him, or to share stories with other hedgie-lovers.
Adopted a bonded pair and they get along with my chin I've had for 10 years!
I was not expecting this but I've had them for about 7 months now and there have not been any issues. They all sleep together in one hidey house in a giant furry pile...it's adorable. Terrible picture but it's hard to get them all together. Bottom left is Guinness who I've had for 10 years and the top right is Papa (10) and Merlin (4). I think Guinness is really enjoying his new friends.
Bald Spot? Don't think it's fungus. Would Like another opinion.
So I haven't been on here in awhile, but I'm a little nervous so please bear with me.
Last year in about late August I saw someone surrendering their chinchilla on craigslist and I'd been itching for another, possibly as a friend for the one I had now, so I got him before he went to someone less chin-friendly. At the time he had a patch of fur that he had lost, and that he was in the process of growing back on his rump. It was a decent size patch, and the owners said they had contacted the breeder and the breeder told them to put anti-fungal powder in his dust bath and he seemed to be doing better. I *think* they said he had also done it the year before and they weren't worried.
Regardless, it grew back with no issues.
Fast forward to about a week ago, I noticed that Larry now has a patch on his rump that is bald, and it has grown a little bigger at this point but seems to be stable.
His fur is in a shedding stage, where I think he's losing a seasonal coat for another coat, as he has all the typical "shedding" signs and his fur isn't jagged and such like it would be if he was fur biting. The skin underneath is smooth and soft and not red/irritated/scaley/scabby/etc that I've read for every fungus post I've seen on here, and there are no other marks or patches on his face which i believe is common with fungus.
Fur biting or fungus were my two known options, but is it possible that this is just a yearly thing for him? I find it extremely coincidental that he lost about the same size patch of fur last year at the same exact time, and *possibly* the year before. I just cant remember for the life of me if this is the same spot. I know it was on his back rump, I just don't know if this was the same side.
He is also not housed with my other chinchilla as they never got along; they are seperated in a 2 level cage so there is no contact and Leo pulling Larrys fur out is not an option.
Any thoughts?
(I've attached two photos, but as I haven't been on here in awhile I might have screwed it up)
Edit: I screwed that picture attachment up, apologies.
Heres a tinypic insert
Last year in about late August I saw someone surrendering their chinchilla on craigslist and I'd been itching for another, possibly as a friend for the one I had now, so I got him before he went to someone less chin-friendly. At the time he had a patch of fur that he had lost, and that he was in the process of growing back on his rump. It was a decent size patch, and the owners said they had contacted the breeder and the breeder told them to put anti-fungal powder in his dust bath and he seemed to be doing better. I *think* they said he had also done it the year before and they weren't worried.
Regardless, it grew back with no issues.
Fast forward to about a week ago, I noticed that Larry now has a patch on his rump that is bald, and it has grown a little bigger at this point but seems to be stable.
His fur is in a shedding stage, where I think he's losing a seasonal coat for another coat, as he has all the typical "shedding" signs and his fur isn't jagged and such like it would be if he was fur biting. The skin underneath is smooth and soft and not red/irritated/scaley/scabby/etc that I've read for every fungus post I've seen on here, and there are no other marks or patches on his face which i believe is common with fungus.
Fur biting or fungus were my two known options, but is it possible that this is just a yearly thing for him? I find it extremely coincidental that he lost about the same size patch of fur last year at the same exact time, and *possibly* the year before. I just cant remember for the life of me if this is the same spot. I know it was on his back rump, I just don't know if this was the same side.
He is also not housed with my other chinchilla as they never got along; they are seperated in a 2 level cage so there is no contact and Leo pulling Larrys fur out is not an option.
Any thoughts?
(I've attached two photos, but as I haven't been on here in awhile I might have screwed it up)
Edit: I screwed that picture attachment up, apologies.
Heres a tinypic insert
Hi, Im new!
Last weekend I rescued a chinchilla. He is the sweetest thing. Within 48 hours of being home, he was already crawling into my hands and up my arms. :-) I've been doing massive amounts of research for the last week and a half lol he had everything he needed, for the most part when I got him. I get him out every night and hold him briefly and then I put him in a pack and play while I clean his cage. He likes to run around the corners and I've had to put a baby gate on top of the pack and play so he wouldnt get out lol I have 2 doggies too :-) I've heard they can jump up to 4 ft in the air..is that at any time or when they are scared? I want to build something for him to be in while I clean his cage, other than the pack and play....but I'm unsure how high it should be. I'm excited for any info! Thanks :-)
chin treats
My chinchillas' favorite treat has been discontinued. They are very picky and like the "bad" stuff that i know ppl on the forum advise against. They basically only like those yogurt dandelion treats (i know, shame shame. They rarely get it) and the discontinued treats. They dont mind ALL LIVING THINGS feista puffs which i have not given them in an incredible long time because i know those cannot be good for them either. Ive been looking and i honestly dont know what is okay and what is not. Reading the labels on human food confuses me, im twice as confused reading chinchilla treats. I hate that all these companies sell things that are "chinchilla" treats when they are made with things so horrible for chinchillas. I know there are some ppl on the forum that sell treats and i will look into those as well. I have tried making homemade treats and my chins didnt think twice about walking away. Can anyone tell me how terrible these treats are?
Berry Lucky Small Animal Treats - Ingredients: oat flour, rolled oats, brown rice syrup, vegetable shortening, flax, blueberry, cranberry, apple, rice bran, whole dried egg, alfalfa, cinnamon, chicory and yucca extract
American Pet Diner Smaks Small Animal Treats-Barley and rye flour, fresh apple, vegetable oil, flax meal, honey, brewer's yeast, hay meal, prebiotic (inulin), yucca extract
Berry Lucky Small Animal Treats - Ingredients: oat flour, rolled oats, brown rice syrup, vegetable shortening, flax, blueberry, cranberry, apple, rice bran, whole dried egg, alfalfa, cinnamon, chicory and yucca extract
American Pet Diner Smaks Small Animal Treats-Barley and rye flour, fresh apple, vegetable oil, flax meal, honey, brewer's yeast, hay meal, prebiotic (inulin), yucca extract
Chin losing weight
Hello all, hoping for some advice. :)
I adopted my male chin Henry about a year and a half ago from craigslist. I got him a larger cage (about double from his old super pet), switched him from kaytee with fruits/nuts to oxbow deluxe and am basically spoiling him rotten. I have noticed over the time I had him he went from 650 grams (May of 13) to 584 (yesterday). He also spends a couple of hours a day out of his cage (I did mention spoiled didn't I?) Is this weight loss normal? He eats and poops regularly and the only treat he gets is oat groat. I had him checked out by a vet when I first got him but don't want to subject him to the stress again if I don't have to.
thank you!! and sorry for the lengthy post. :)
I adopted my male chin Henry about a year and a half ago from craigslist. I got him a larger cage (about double from his old super pet), switched him from kaytee with fruits/nuts to oxbow deluxe and am basically spoiling him rotten. I have noticed over the time I had him he went from 650 grams (May of 13) to 584 (yesterday). He also spends a couple of hours a day out of his cage (I did mention spoiled didn't I?) Is this weight loss normal? He eats and poops regularly and the only treat he gets is oat groat. I had him checked out by a vet when I first got him but don't want to subject him to the stress again if I don't have to.
thank you!! and sorry for the lengthy post. :)
I think my chinchilla has brain damage. Help
This is no way a joke or anything this is happening to my chinchilla. Let me give u the story, 2 night ago I though it might be time for my chinchillas first play time with me because all the wanted to do was get out of the cage and the would come to hand so I thought it might be time, it was probably around 9 pm and they were all up and moving around so i took the carrying case and put the 2 daughters in it so I could take them to the bathroom for play time but the mom didn't want to go in and when I tried to pick her up to put her in she bit me so I let her be. I took the other 2 to the bathroom and they played around in there for maybe an hour and they had been doing so good I thought they need a treat and I wanted to get something to drink so I got up left the room got a drink and then her comes the bad part when I went into my room to get the treat ( I also keep the cage they are in, in the room) I found the mom chin in the bottom of the cage laying on her side I thought she might be sleeping but I still investigated and opened the cage and she didn't move so that is when I got scared so I petted her she still didn't move so I picked her up and she barked at me but didn't move and was lethargic so I freaked out and put her on my bed and checked on the chins in the bathroom and put them in there carrying case and put them in my room and looked at the mom I immediately called the emergency vet near me and they told me that the exotic vet couldn't be in till morning and to just look after her till then. I was so angry but I kept a level head and tended to the mom, I got a towel and put her on my lap then about 30 minutes to an hour she started to seize not bad but still did. I thought in my head there is nothing I can do if god is going to take her let it be, so I put her in her cage on the bottom and let thing take its course. I stayed up all night looking after her to see if anything had changed. Her seizures got closer and closer together and got more violent. That morning they got less violent and more spaced til they were gone she hasn't had one since but she has been acting weird, she is really wobbly when she walks and she can't jump she can barely get on the wheel and when she gets on the wheel she usually sleeps. She also is having trouble eating and drinking when she goes to the bottle she is like 1/4 inch away and trying to drink or is up on the rod thing. I have been having to supplement feed her to get her some water and food. She has been a work load but do u think this is brain damage or just her way a recovering from the seizures. Do u think I should go to the vet or not, I don't think he can do anything. Also the other chins are doing fine and do u think I am over reacting and not giving her enough time to recover. Any help and support u can give would be amazing
Neutering Young Chins
Hello all!
I adopted a pregnant female a few months ago. The kits are now 9 weeks old. I have already separated the 2 boys to prevent pregnancy.
I have tried to find a proper home for the boys, but I am failing at finding the perfect home for them. I truly want to keep them as they are the sweetest chins ever.
My only problem is cage space. I do not have room for 4 double FN's in my rodent room. I have 6 females. Trio, pair, and one solo girl. I know I will be neutering these 2 boys. That is the best option I have so no fights happen with the unaltered boys and to prevent pregnancy.
My only concern is pairing up the boys and with what female.
My options are
*Pairing both neutered boys with My solo girl, Violet.
*Placing one boy with my Solo girl, Violet and the other boy with my female pair.
The first option, I am concerned the boys would still fight over Violet when she comes into a heat cycle.
The second option, I have heard some females fight over the male.
This will be my first neutering experience with a chinchilla. My vet is amazing and has done chin neuters before, so I am not worried about this part. The bonding afterwards is my biggest issue and with who..
Their surgeries are on August 15th. The will be just over 12 weeks. I've asked a lot of people about the young age and I feel confident about this.
Timothy Hay from a race track?
I just called a local feed store near me because they have listed on their website timothy bales. I called and asked about them and they told me that they get the hay from Arlington Park Race Track. They don't know what cut it is or anything like that. Does anyone have any insight as to whether or not this would be okay to use?
Thanks
Thanks
Abnormally calm chinchilla (!)
My fuzzbutt MJ is almost 2 years old. He is a standard gray and as of his last vet visit (Last October) is healthy and his behavior has been steady throughout.
At first I thought that I had gotten lucky and found myself an extremely docile pet, however, over time I have watched videos of other chinchillas online and have realized that MJ is abnormal.
MJ naps throughout the day and night for 15 minutes at a time. When awake and in his cage, MJ is practically statuesque and motionless, standing on a perch or a ledge or even on his house for extended lengths of time. I might even call him lethargic. He eats normally (roughly 2 tablespoons of Oxbow chinchilla deluxe) and timothy hay a day.
When I let him out of his cage he becomes incredibly active, running around and hopping on things in his play area.
But as soon as he gets back in the cage, he sits still and stares. Rarely chewing on the toys I have given him- if I hand him a treat and hold it, he will chew actively, but as soon as I let go, he will drop it.
Please help, If he is sick I will do anything. If he is unhappy I will do anything. I even just got my Ferret Nation 181 in the mail and set it up yesterday (still needs liners and to be cleaned, and am waiting to transition him). If you have any ideas or advice let me know. It is all appreciated.
At first I thought that I had gotten lucky and found myself an extremely docile pet, however, over time I have watched videos of other chinchillas online and have realized that MJ is abnormal.
MJ naps throughout the day and night for 15 minutes at a time. When awake and in his cage, MJ is practically statuesque and motionless, standing on a perch or a ledge or even on his house for extended lengths of time. I might even call him lethargic. He eats normally (roughly 2 tablespoons of Oxbow chinchilla deluxe) and timothy hay a day.
When I let him out of his cage he becomes incredibly active, running around and hopping on things in his play area.
But as soon as he gets back in the cage, he sits still and stares. Rarely chewing on the toys I have given him- if I hand him a treat and hold it, he will chew actively, but as soon as I let go, he will drop it.
Please help, If he is sick I will do anything. If he is unhappy I will do anything. I even just got my Ferret Nation 181 in the mail and set it up yesterday (still needs liners and to be cleaned, and am waiting to transition him). If you have any ideas or advice let me know. It is all appreciated.
Wood question!
I have a few chin safe trees and vines on my property, and I know they haven't been treated with any pesticides or fertilizers since I have lived here (about 6 years), but my house is surrounded by farm fields. Would it still be safe to use that wood? Or do I have to worry about run off from whatever the farmers are using?
dimanche 20 juillet 2014
Switching to a Purina Rabbit Chow instead of Oxbow??
I am considering switching over from Oxbow Essentials to Purina Rabbit Chow. First off, which type would be alright to switch to? I have seen Purina Rabbit Pro Show listed on the forum but I do not see a product by that exact name. Is it Purina Rabbit Chow Show? If not, which one is acceptable (the actual product name)?
Second, is this an okay switch?
Thanks
Second, is this an okay switch?
Thanks
Chin needs someone with experience/ knowledge
This was posted last night on Spokane Craigslist, sounds like this chin will need special care.
http://ift.tt/WwVIDk
http://ift.tt/WwVIDk
Chin was trapped under ceramic bowl overnight
When I was giving out treats to my chins a few hours ago, I realized one of my chins didn't come running and as I looked around her cage I couldn't find her at all. Then my heart sank when I noticed that the very large heavy ceramic bowl I keep on the floor of her cage was turned over....I pulled it up and she wobbled out. I didn't ever consider she could tip that bowl because it's so heavy.She felt slightly damp (she had urinated) and very hot, so I cooled her down and after I let her rest for a few minutes I brushed through her fur and gave her a dust bath. She perked up quite a bit after her dust bath and is now hopping around much more normally, but it scared me so badly! I don't know how many hours she was trapped and I am so happy she didn't suffocate.
I hand fed her some Lifeline and a tiny bit of Dyne. I am going to keep close watch tonight to make sure she eats and drinks. Anything else I need to look out for? Has this happened to anyone else's chin?
I hand fed her some Lifeline and a tiny bit of Dyne. I am going to keep close watch tonight to make sure she eats and drinks. Anything else I need to look out for? Has this happened to anyone else's chin?
First car ride home
Will be collecting two chins this week, new home is all ready and I'm armed to the teeth with info, can't wait to get have them.
The drive home with them will be just over 2 hours, will they be ok in a pet carrier for this length of time? We're having a heatwave in the UK at the moment so I was wondering what kind of temperature conditions should I recreate in the car for the little guys? If I have the air con on will this be too much for them?
Should I be providing them with anything in the carrier for a journey this long? Are they likely to urinate? Will this be ok for them to potentially sit in their urine for 2 hours?
Help needed (:
The drive home with them will be just over 2 hours, will they be ok in a pet carrier for this length of time? We're having a heatwave in the UK at the moment so I was wondering what kind of temperature conditions should I recreate in the car for the little guys? If I have the air con on will this be too much for them?
Should I be providing them with anything in the carrier for a journey this long? Are they likely to urinate? Will this be ok for them to potentially sit in their urine for 2 hours?
Help needed (:
Not new owner but new member
I figured it's only appropriate to introduce myself. As the title states I am a new member but not a new chin owner. Although I could be considered new since I don't know much about them.
I received my chinchilla sometime in the spring of 2011. A co-worker's son bought him in Dec 2010 but I guess he didn't have enough time to care for him. I only new about chins b/c my friend's son had 2. My son always played with them so I figured why not. I was sure I could provide a better home than the dark bsmt he was living in.
Admittedly, I didn't have money to purchase a large cage but the 1st few months he was let out every other day for hours. But then our 1st floor was flooded & had to have my chin owning friend take care of him for months.
So now he's maybe 3-1/2 to 4 years old. Years later, I now have a Critter Nation cage & am working towards fixing it up properly.
I received my chinchilla sometime in the spring of 2011. A co-worker's son bought him in Dec 2010 but I guess he didn't have enough time to care for him. I only new about chins b/c my friend's son had 2. My son always played with them so I figured why not. I was sure I could provide a better home than the dark bsmt he was living in.
Admittedly, I didn't have money to purchase a large cage but the 1st few months he was let out every other day for hours. But then our 1st floor was flooded & had to have my chin owning friend take care of him for months.
So now he's maybe 3-1/2 to 4 years old. Years later, I now have a Critter Nation cage & am working towards fixing it up properly.
Rabbit forum recommendations please
If anyone can suggest a good rabbit forum. I used to belong to one a while ago but the bunny died. Now someone is looking for a home for their bunny & would like to join a forum again.
So frustrated!
I have two chinchillas who are siblings. (The boy is neutered). They are 7 months old. Whenever I have them out to play daisy (girl) will play so nice and chew on some wood sticks and popcorn around. But turbo (boy) is the complete opposite! He drives me crazy all he does when he is out is try to escape. I'm not even exaggerating a little...he does this the whole time. The playpen I made them is pretty secure. I am always with them when they are out but it gets so annoying to be having to chase him around when he gets out or just having to follow him around the whole time he is out. If he is about to escape and I stop him, he will bite me! I thinks it's his way of saying he is mad lol. I love BOTH of them to death but he is making me go crazy. Is this just a terrible teen stage? Does anyone else deal with this?
Keeping cool
I'm just curious as to how you all keep your chins cool in the summer? I have a portable air conditioner usually but it broke down a couple of days ago when it was really hot, had to rush out and buy another. So what do you have as a back up? Ice bottles? or do any of you actually keep a backup A/C? I feel as though I should have some kind of backup in case it happens again... :D
samedi 19 juillet 2014
Help for my baby girl!
I have a 3 year old baby girl named Lucy that has very suddenly become so sick! Earlier today she was up and about, running in her wheel and everything and tonight she is dragging her back legs and barely even moving! I did notice yesterday that she still had food from the night before in her dish and that is very unlike her, but I figured it was just one night and she would catch up tonight. However, I just tried to give her mealworms and she won't eat them! Lucy NEVER turns down mealworms! I had also noticed that she was losing a little bit of weight lately, but this is typical of her because of how active she is! Sometimes I literally have to take her wheel away because she will run soooo much!
She has never acted like this before and I am super scared! She's breathing super hard and is just lying on my bed :( If anyone knows what I can possibly do to help her out I would greatly appreciate it!
She has never acted like this before and I am super scared! She's breathing super hard and is just lying on my bed :( If anyone knows what I can possibly do to help her out I would greatly appreciate it!
Remote Temp Monitoring
My biggest fear is that while I am at out of the home is that the power will go out or the AC will break down and hurt my Chin. Is anyone using something like this. Can recommend something to remotely monitor the temperature over the web or with a smart phone so I can be notified and run home to rescue the Chin. Sure I can Google it but then the info would not be here to help others :tease:
Disturbing Chin Treatment
I enjoy watching cute Chin videos on YouTube and came across this disturbing video. Join me in letting this lady know this will not be tolerated! I reported to Peta and they are investigating and going to keep me posted as they too find it disturbing. I hope they find this lady!!! My new hobby is going to be searching out these morons on the web..... :cry3: :vomit:
http://ift.tt/UiRcpH
http://ift.tt/UiRcpH
CN cage, 1 chinchilla... Remove middle?
I went to the FN thread to check out some set ups. Some bi-level units are kept as 2 & some I guess take out the middle. I only have 1 chinchilla so would it be best to remove the middle? I would just be paranoid of him falling to the bottom. But I'm guessing as long as there are enough ledges he should be fine.
vendredi 18 juillet 2014
Specialty woods
Ive always used poplar wood for my chins ledges. The stores here have them in the 'specialty woods' section; which basically means less size options and higher price. Are the Pine, Maple, Aspen woods in the same section suitable/safe for making ledges with as well? I no in general those woods are, but im always hesitant to try new woods with chins unless im sure.
Squaring away the 'deetz
Hello all.
I am new to the hobby of 'chinchilla shows'.
I was extremely interested in attending the upcoming chapter show in Auburn, IN; however, I will be having eye surgery the 1st and will not be able to attend. How often are there "shows" in the Midwest area?
Must I bring my own chinchilla show cage? I found a link for this one http://ift.tt/1wGibZd
It seems reasonable, but I want to make sure its the right one / safe.
I am sure I will pester you guys for advice later on proper show grooming and all that good stuff...until then.. :)
I am new to the hobby of 'chinchilla shows'.
I was extremely interested in attending the upcoming chapter show in Auburn, IN; however, I will be having eye surgery the 1st and will not be able to attend. How often are there "shows" in the Midwest area?
Must I bring my own chinchilla show cage? I found a link for this one http://ift.tt/1wGibZd
It seems reasonable, but I want to make sure its the right one / safe.
I am sure I will pester you guys for advice later on proper show grooming and all that good stuff...until then.. :)
Missing buttons?
Hi all!
Sorry if this has already been asked...
So there was this bar near the top of the screen on the main page, with options like "latest posts" and "search" and a edit profile option, and yesterday I was changing the forum skins (because they're awesome) and after I was done, the bar disappeared! I can't search or look at new posts or edit my profile anymore... Does anyone know how I can get it back?
Thanks!
Sadie
Sorry if this has already been asked...
So there was this bar near the top of the screen on the main page, with options like "latest posts" and "search" and a edit profile option, and yesterday I was changing the forum skins (because they're awesome) and after I was done, the bar disappeared! I can't search or look at new posts or edit my profile anymore... Does anyone know how I can get it back?
Thanks!
Sadie
Bedding?!?!?!
In a few weeks I will be getting a new chinchilla,so I just wanted to know beforehand any good bedding,I'm not sure if there is any pet shops in Singapore selling kiln dried pine shavings.I was thinking of getting carefresh but some people have said that their chinchilla had died or something so I just wanted know wether it really is safe or not.Is red cedar safe cause I've seen it in some pet stores.Some common brands I can find is 'ALEX ANIMAL','BACK-2-NATURE,'PETS DREAM','Hagen,living world','HEALTHY PET','KAYTEE'.The red cedar is kaytee brand.
Oxbow Botanical Hay-is this a good choice?
Hi everyone! I just have a question regarding hay. When we got our girl from the breeder, she was feeding her chins timothy hay. I noticed that Pepper wasn't eating her hay after a few weeks. By chance the pet store didn't have the hay I normally bought, so I got the botanical blend and she LOVES IT. Is this an ok option for her?
Thanks!
Thanks!
wet???
So today when I got up and went to go visit my chins, I noticed that my 2ish y.o. female's butt was covered in liquid (I think pee).
I've never noticed this before but I am currently having trouble litter training her- could this be why?
Please tell me it's not wet tail or something =[
I've never noticed this before but I am currently having trouble litter training her- could this be why?
Please tell me it's not wet tail or something =[
jeudi 17 juillet 2014
Windcrest Animal Hospital - Wilmington, DE
Found a great chinchilla vet today in Wilmington, Delaware today at Windcrest Animal Hospital, Dr. Anthony Dallatore. We live in Philadelphia and had gone to NorthStar but they are 50 minutes away and only have one exotics vet Dr. Doolen who was great but you can only seem to get an appointment with him if you can wait at least a week which doesn't help in possible emergency situations.
When I called Windcrest this morning because my Sniffey was showing trouble eating last night, the staff couldn't have been nicer. They made sure I got to see one of the 3 exotic vets and later in the day. Met Dr. Anthony and he and the staff explained that since they had multiple locations and 3 chinchilla experienced vets (one owns chinchillas, one has guinea pigs, and one has ferrets) they always have one of then available and if necessary within a few hours.
He performed a thorough examination of Sniffey and was very capable in his handling of her and explanation of diagnosis.
Needless to say, she is going in for surgery, but if anyone in the Philly area is looking for a good chin vet, I'd recommend Windcrest's team. Only 1/2 hour away and also 24-hours in case of emergencies.
When I called Windcrest this morning because my Sniffey was showing trouble eating last night, the staff couldn't have been nicer. They made sure I got to see one of the 3 exotic vets and later in the day. Met Dr. Anthony and he and the staff explained that since they had multiple locations and 3 chinchilla experienced vets (one owns chinchillas, one has guinea pigs, and one has ferrets) they always have one of then available and if necessary within a few hours.
He performed a thorough examination of Sniffey and was very capable in his handling of her and explanation of diagnosis.
Needless to say, she is going in for surgery, but if anyone in the Philly area is looking for a good chin vet, I'd recommend Windcrest's team. Only 1/2 hour away and also 24-hours in case of emergencies.
Vitakraft Dandelion Drops
Any thoughts on these my Chin absolutely loves them?
Yogurt drops made with real dandelion
No artificial coloring or preservatives!
Vitamin fortified
Made in Germany
Ingredients: Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Dried Whey, Dried Whey Protein Concentrate, Ground Dandelion, Cornstarch, Lecithin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin.
Guaranteed Analysis % AMT UOM
Crude Protein (minimum) 5.2%
Crude Fat (minimum) 21.0%
Crude Fiber (maximum) 4.0%
Moisture (maximum) 5.0%
Yogurt drops made with real dandelion
No artificial coloring or preservatives!
Vitamin fortified
Made in Germany
Ingredients: Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Dried Whey, Dried Whey Protein Concentrate, Ground Dandelion, Cornstarch, Lecithin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin.
Guaranteed Analysis % AMT UOM
Crude Protein (minimum) 5.2%
Crude Fat (minimum) 21.0%
Crude Fiber (maximum) 4.0%
Moisture (maximum) 5.0%
I need advice! Bonding the newbies
Hello all! This is my first post on this site...so be patient with me :)
I currently have my 9 month old male (not neutered) chinchilla. This Sunday, I plan on bringing home 2 new additions to add to the chin loving family . One is a 15 month old female, and the other is a 9-12 week old female kit (a curly mosaic...she's to die for). The owner/breeder is reputable and has been VERY helpful with all kinds of advice and information, but I want additional information from you guys, the loving fans / breeders/ pet owners of these little furry people.
I have the boy, Brody, in his own 3 level 4 ft cage. I just bought a brand new double unit Midwest Critter nation cage and 2 baby proof customize Chinchilla cages (1 mansion, 1 skyscraper) The breeder states that the 15 month old and the baby will almost definitely bond since the adults usually accept babies fairly easily. I am keeping the midwest cage (largest) , empty with NO scents or territory claims until they are all bonded. When I bring home the 2 new chinchillas, I plan on putting them in their own cages as well. 3 cages (in case anyone of them despise any of the other 2). 3 chinchillas. 2 females 1 male.
For this herd dynamic...what would you recommend as the best choice for bonding options? cage inside a cage? smooshing? ( i have a "2 story" medium size mouse/gerbil cage that I was planing on using for vet calls and the transport home for one of them that I could use). I planned on putting them all in the sitting room/library with Brody , where he lives now. Not side by side, but across from each other for a few weeks. When it comes to letting the girls out to play....is this room an okay place for exploration if I am prepared for urine spraying?The more dominant chinchilla should be placed in the cage within a cage, correct? My spare bedroom is completely neutral and I wanted to save that for once they move into the critter nation cage, and the all can explore in their and have that be their play room.
Also, I am aware that Brody will probably attempt to mate with the 15 year old. I am comfortable and prepped for this. However, Once the 10 week old kit hits 4 months I will neuter Brody since I don't want her having babies at the youngest possible age, and I would like them to live together peacefully by then .
Sorry for the jumbo intro. I just want all the advice as possible!!!! THANKS EVERYONE!!!
I currently have my 9 month old male (not neutered) chinchilla. This Sunday, I plan on bringing home 2 new additions to add to the chin loving family . One is a 15 month old female, and the other is a 9-12 week old female kit (a curly mosaic...she's to die for). The owner/breeder is reputable and has been VERY helpful with all kinds of advice and information, but I want additional information from you guys, the loving fans / breeders/ pet owners of these little furry people.
I have the boy, Brody, in his own 3 level 4 ft cage. I just bought a brand new double unit Midwest Critter nation cage and 2 baby proof customize Chinchilla cages (1 mansion, 1 skyscraper) The breeder states that the 15 month old and the baby will almost definitely bond since the adults usually accept babies fairly easily. I am keeping the midwest cage (largest) , empty with NO scents or territory claims until they are all bonded. When I bring home the 2 new chinchillas, I plan on putting them in their own cages as well. 3 cages (in case anyone of them despise any of the other 2). 3 chinchillas. 2 females 1 male.
For this herd dynamic...what would you recommend as the best choice for bonding options? cage inside a cage? smooshing? ( i have a "2 story" medium size mouse/gerbil cage that I was planing on using for vet calls and the transport home for one of them that I could use). I planned on putting them all in the sitting room/library with Brody , where he lives now. Not side by side, but across from each other for a few weeks. When it comes to letting the girls out to play....is this room an okay place for exploration if I am prepared for urine spraying?The more dominant chinchilla should be placed in the cage within a cage, correct? My spare bedroom is completely neutral and I wanted to save that for once they move into the critter nation cage, and the all can explore in their and have that be their play room.
Also, I am aware that Brody will probably attempt to mate with the 15 year old. I am comfortable and prepped for this. However, Once the 10 week old kit hits 4 months I will neuter Brody since I don't want her having babies at the youngest possible age, and I would like them to live together peacefully by then .
Sorry for the jumbo intro. I just want all the advice as possible!!!! THANKS EVERYONE!!!
Food for young ones?
Might be a dumb question but I got my first hedgehog when he was basically an adult, and I recently got a younger girl Natalia. Should younger hedgehogs (like 8 weeks) have more or less protein/fat/fiber percentages or different food? I haven't heard anything about entirely different food requirements, but maybe certain supplements that I should be sure my new little girl gets to help her grow up big and strong. Right now she's on Blue Diamond Spa Select Lite (i think?) cat food, and I plan on adding a second when I can get to the store, along with mealworms and we're trying to get her to eat some wet cat food and other fruits/veggies but she's not at all interested in anything but kibble and worms so far. (of course, it's only been 4 days but still lol)
Suggestions on another cat food to compliment the other would be appreciated. I looked for that "Chicken soup for the cat lovers soul" or whatever it's called but couldn't find it?? Thaaanks
Suggestions on another cat food to compliment the other would be appreciated. I looked for that "Chicken soup for the cat lovers soul" or whatever it's called but couldn't find it?? Thaaanks
New baby girl
Hey all! It's been a long time since I was on here. My last hedgehog, Ppunk, died quite awhile ago at a ripe old age, but I didn't really have much of a reason to keep participating in hedgehog related internet groups. If anything, it made me very sad shortly after his death. The decision of whether or not to get a new hedgehog one day was a difficult one... Am I ready for another one? Will it feel like I'm replacing him? Where will I be in a year after graduating college? With time the first two answered themselves, and I'm still not sure where I'll be in a year, but I can't imagine being there without someone to care for and to keep me company, especially if I move far away from my friends and family. I was having a lot of anxiety about the future and being alone.
I signed up with the hedgehog welfare society to adopt one in need, but while they accepted me as someone to adopt a hedgehog in need, they didn't have any. At first, I decided I would just wait until they had one available but then I just sort of... Found this one at a reptile show and sort of fell in love. (depending on where I am in the future, I still might adopt one if they still like me when needed)
Her name is Natalia, as in the Black Widow, Natalia Romanova from Marvel comics, and in the Avengers and Iron Man movies. She's just 8 weeks old, and is a gorgeous pinto pattern. It's standard coloring up at her face, then white patches get bigger and bigger until she has a white bum. I just got her Monday, and had to frantically pick up a few extra things that I didn't still have left over from Ppunk, like food, worms, heater, ext. She's so amazingly friendly, once you wake her up of course (not a morning hog!), and is really curious about everything around her. I'll probably be asking questions around soon, as I've never had a baby hedgehog before so I've still got a few questions!
(this picture makes her appear bigger than she is, she really sits in the palm of one hand easily.)
Sleeping
I LOVE her cage. It's "lofted" for storage underneath too. Near the end of Ppunk's life, I had plans to make this cage for him in his retirement, but he passed away before we had the chance to. We traveled all over town to probably 5 or 6 different stores (and more online) the day after we brought her home just to find the cube pieces to put together for this, plus four different fleece patterns, none of those sign stores sold coroplast.... It was a long day but she got her dream cage! Since this picture we've made some modifications, her Carolina Storm Bucket wheel/litter pan came in, I made her an awesome dig box, and that little purple tunnel goes into her home, some things got taken out, ext. We'll still probably modify it.
I signed up with the hedgehog welfare society to adopt one in need, but while they accepted me as someone to adopt a hedgehog in need, they didn't have any. At first, I decided I would just wait until they had one available but then I just sort of... Found this one at a reptile show and sort of fell in love. (depending on where I am in the future, I still might adopt one if they still like me when needed)
Her name is Natalia, as in the Black Widow, Natalia Romanova from Marvel comics, and in the Avengers and Iron Man movies. She's just 8 weeks old, and is a gorgeous pinto pattern. It's standard coloring up at her face, then white patches get bigger and bigger until she has a white bum. I just got her Monday, and had to frantically pick up a few extra things that I didn't still have left over from Ppunk, like food, worms, heater, ext. She's so amazingly friendly, once you wake her up of course (not a morning hog!), and is really curious about everything around her. I'll probably be asking questions around soon, as I've never had a baby hedgehog before so I've still got a few questions!
(this picture makes her appear bigger than she is, she really sits in the palm of one hand easily.)
Sleeping
I LOVE her cage. It's "lofted" for storage underneath too. Near the end of Ppunk's life, I had plans to make this cage for him in his retirement, but he passed away before we had the chance to. We traveled all over town to probably 5 or 6 different stores (and more online) the day after we brought her home just to find the cube pieces to put together for this, plus four different fleece patterns, none of those sign stores sold coroplast.... It was a long day but she got her dream cage! Since this picture we've made some modifications, her Carolina Storm Bucket wheel/litter pan came in, I made her an awesome dig box, and that little purple tunnel goes into her home, some things got taken out, ext. We'll still probably modify it.
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