Hello, I'm not exactly a new owner, and I don't even own the chinchilla in question.
This is going to get long.
I still live at home with my parent. Also living at home is my underage cousin, who, last christmas, got a Chinchilla.
For the first few months, the chinchilla was up in his room. I'd check on it occasionally to make sure he had water, and once even cleaned the cage because it was just getting way too gross, but mostly left the chin to its owner.
However, at the end of spring/beginning of summer, we had to move the chin downstairs, because it just got way too hot upstairs for it to be safe for him. So now there's a little corner nook where the chin's cage and my rat's cage sit about a foot apart, and seeing the chinchilla daily has of course made me more curious about him.
I started feeding the chinchilla daily, and changing his water, because I didn't think my cousin was doing it often enough. I even took him out to play when I took out my rat, but had to stop when I realized they didn't get along, and my supervision wasn't enough to keep them apart.
I don't know if my starting to care for the chinchilla made my cousin feel like he didn't have to, or if the chinchilla was receiving inadequate care for months up in his room. But my cousin's interactions with the chinchilla have dwindled to giving him a treat in the mornings. That's it.
So, my concerns are:
- The chinchilla is lonely
The chinchilla doesn't get enough playtime
The chinchilla is being fed too many treats (specifically, raisins)
The cage--it's entirely made out of wire (with a wire bottom), has sharp edges, and is very difficult to clean.
The cage is not being cleaned nearly enough
The bath house isn't being used properly (left in, old dust)
My reservations are:
- I did not sign up to care for this animal--I would not have signed up for him, myself, at all, as he requires way too much care
I have absolutely no money to throw at the situation
He's not actually my pet, so what I can do with him is limited
Removing the chin from the household is just not going to happen. And my mom is buying supplies like dust, hay, bedding, and the occasional toy, but a new cage is just too big a sum at once to convince her to purchase.
So my question to all you experienced chinchilla owners is--what can I do? I'd really like to improve the chinchilla's quality of life, but I just don't have it in me to personally clean the chinchilla's cage as often as he needs, play with him every day, or buy him a new cage.
Are there simple improvements I can make to the chin's cage without spending a lot of money? is there something I can do to make it easier to clean? those are my primary concerns, but if you have tips or suggestions for anything I can do for this chinchilla, I'd love to hear it.
