Treats

Hello everyone

I was just wondering if anyone could suggest some good treats to give my chins, but more importantly, how often should I be giving them? I've been using raisins to help get them used to me and now they will jump straight into my hands and climb all over me. I know that in large quantities raisins can be really bad for them so I've been very wary about giving them too many, so can anyone suggest anything that I can give to them more frequently?

I've seen a lot of treats in the pet shops (things like yoghurt drops) but I've always thought they wouldn't be very good for them. I did try a pack of different flavoured dried leafs which have gone down well, but I don't know how often I should be giving them either as the packet doesn't say.

Thank you!

Cooling Methods?

Let me start off by saying that when I got Elsa in September, my mother said that she understood about chinchillas having to stay cool and agreed to be careful about the temperature in the house. Well it's been getting warmer here in southern IN, but not consistantly warm enough for my parents to turn on the AC and my room (yes, Elsa's cage is in my bedroom) is upstairs which makes the heat issue worse. Does anyone have any tips for keeping her cage cool? I've kept my door shut since my room iss right by the stairs, kept the room dark, and my window open since it was cooler outside and my room still got up to 72 today.

I mentioned the idea to my mom about getting a portable AC for my room before summer since I remember last summer my room probably got up to around 80 degrees (I'm not poitive since I didn't have a thermometer at the time). Let's just say that she didn't like the idea and she started compaining about how the electric bill gets so high in the summer. I mentioned me paying her for some of the bill, but she still isn't fond of the idea. I'm going to keep pushing her about it because it is necessary and any tips on how to convince her would be very much appreciated.

Planning for hedgie in 2017!

So I planning for a hedgehog sometime next year hopefully! Until then I wanna do all the research I can so I am 100% prepared. I have many, many questions that hopefully you can take the time to read and look through :)

Ok so first. I recently sold a young chinchilla cause she and my other one didnt get along. I kept her cage though just in case. Today I split it in half and took the bottom half and am just wondering if this will work for a hedgie cage?
The dimensions are 1'9" W x 2'8" L x 1'10" H


Obviously I am going to clean it first lol

2. I have seen a couple different houses that people use for their hedgies and I really want to do the house that is fleece and round but not a plastic igloo. Does anyone know what I am talking about and where to get them?
I will be making my own snuggle bag cause I have a lot of extra fleece I am not using thanks to my chinchilla.

3. What litter do you use in the little pan that goes under the wheel?

4. What do I do for heat? I cant use a space heater cause the chinchilla needs to stay cool. Please be detailed

5. How much does a hedgehog eat? Do I need to feed a certain amount a day to prevent obesity or just free feed?

6. Do I provide insects and fruits/veggies daily?

7. What are the best hedgie supply stores?

8.Where do I let my hedgie to play or how - Do I let him roam around my room? (its already chinchilla proofed) However my floor is not carpet and I heard that that can make their little feet cold. Or do I just let him sit on my lap with a snuggle bag or what?

9. When choosing my hedgehog, where should I get it from? what should I look for when picking it out?

I think thats all for now, but I am sure I will have more questions in the future. Hedgehogs became legal where I live just last month so there isnt anywhere to buy supplies or whatever for them yet :)
Any more advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Male or Female help

Hello! I was told this chin was a female, and I know its really hard to tell because females have a part that looks like the males penis. But can you tell if he/she is a male or a female from these pics please??

Chins in need of serious help in Tampa, FL

Was browsing through craigslist ads when I come across this horrible situation in Tampa, FL

http://ift.tt/23BUhkF

In case the ad is removed or cannot be accessed, it reads as follows:

"Breeding pair of Chinchillas with one week old baby for sale. White female and dark gray male chinchillas both are about three years old. No papers! The female usually has two or three babies each time but this time she only had one white baby. She has a history of having white babies. 70% of all babies have been white. They live together in the large cage except when the female has babies. Easy money to be made on these proven breeders. Also comes with two cages and supplies... Chinchilla"

These poor chinchillas are a M/F pair, housed together in a one level (what appears to be) rabbit cage very similar to this one: http://ift.tt/23BUeFA, with only one ledge and an empty cardboard beer container to chew on. The ledge is plastic as is the hay holder. The "large cage" the ad poster mentions is the rabbit cage. The small cage looks like a large hamster cage. There are no papers to speak of and yet this person is breeding these chinchillas. They are asking $500 for the whole set up and I would take them right now if I had the means to, but sadly I am a college student and with my two boys cannot take on any more animals in my dorm, not to mention I can't afford the $500 fee. I may ask some of my friends if they may be able to help me rescue these guys but I wanted to reach out here as well and see if anyone else is better able. The worst thing I can think of is someone equally as ignorant about chinchilla care purchases these sorry souls and continues to breed them without understanding the implications. :mad:

Hi!

Hello everyone! I'm Tanya :) I am excited to be part of a group with other chinnie parents! We got our babies,Gizmo and Willow, from someone who couldn't keep them where they were moving to. She got them from a pet store and didn't know exactly how old they are but guessed about 2 years old. I love them so much! I really never thought I would but from the very minute I held my baby Gizmo, I was in love! Gizmo is very sweet and well mannered. He loves to be petted and scratched under his chin. He will let me hold him, but get spooked easily. Willow on the other hand, is not so pleasantly behaved. He "barks" at anyone who comes near him and unless I have a pinch of oats in my hand, he just runs around like crazy trying to get away. I have stopped trying to pet him because i don't want to scare him to death, and because he's got a heck of a defense bite. Any advice about him is greatly appreciated! Again, I'm so happy to be here! Thanks for having me!

New chin :D

It finally happened! I got my 2nd chin, in hopes for my 2 chins to become friends. She is quite timid, but that is expected because her owner told me she rescued her when a pet sitter left her outside! She was in desperate need of a bath and was super excited for one! My other chin the one i've had for about 2 1/2 years was so excited when she smelled another chin. It's funny the new one got used to the new cage and all, but my other chin is still trying to figure out whats going on! XD Her name is "Rosebud" Rose for short, or bud...can't decide haha! A few days ago I would never had thought I'd have 2 chins by the end of the week... But, hey im lovin it! :grouphug:

Praying for them to like each other!!!!

My chinchilla does nothing but hide

Sorry if this has already been answered. im new to this forum and forums all together.

i have had a chinchilla for about a month, she is perfectly fine.

went to petsmart yesterday and they had a white one there acting very strange and noticed it was fur biting. i felt so bad and didnt really want another but I got its own cage (recommended size) lot of toys and all that.

but my problem is she doesnt do anything! she never uses the wheel i got her, eats the most minuscule amounts. drinks near nothing, and either hides in her house all the time. or just sits there staring doing nothing, used to bark every time you went into the room and luckily she stopped that.

what should i be doing!? thanks!

I am worried about my chinchillas behavior towards me.

Hello this is my first chinchilla. He was born February 2015 and I got Him April 2015. He has had a friendly behavior towards me until yesterday. I put my hand in his cage and he started to make a noise and what seemed like he was defensive. He would make a noise and look like he wanted to bite me. This morning I tried again and he did the same thing. I don't know if it means he is upset with me or what? Any advice will help. I don't know if it is relevant but I got a new Guinea pig the day before it started.

Older chin starts new unwanted behaviour

My chin, Bentley, is a 10 year old male who has lived alone all his life (so I believe). I've had him for over a year and before that a friend owned him for about 5 years.

Recently he's been humping my hand, arm, leg, foot, whatever he can get at. It all started with giving him organic raw rolled oats for a treat. He went nuts and is very demanding. After I give him a tiny piece or two he gets aggressive, uses his teeth to grab a bit of my skin and starts the humping behavior. He does this while out of his cage. He does it only for rolled oats. Any other treat he just takes and eats without a fuss.

I've tried pushing him away and saying, "NO" in a firm voice. It worked at first but not any more. He's getting worse by biting harder now and more insistent.

I'm puzzled. He's never been like this before. I have a fair idea he's doing it as domination to demand more treats, but why now at age 10?

Any ideas how to stop him? Maybe just give him the treat while he's in his cage?

I've tried withholding the treat but he does it anyway. The little punk.

Chins in need of help

I was going through craigslist and just looking at all the chinnies (idk why I do this it breaks my heart half the time and I am unable to save them)
When I cam across these two different ads
One is 3 chinchills, 2 male and the female is pregnant, it looks like the lady is still housing the pregnant girl with the males in a big multi level cage and I am worried she will definitely hurt herself or her babies. Based on the cage the owner has put some time and care into them, but she clearly didnt read enough to know not to house opposite sex together.
They are located in Tucson Arizona. I am hoping maybe someone lives near there and is able to help these babies out!! I would get them but I cant afford it at the moment. Please help someone :)

http://ift.tt/1OWTfIk

The second ad is a little black guy that looks pretty sorry, he looks like he has either come in contact with water or hasnt had a dust bath for quite a while. He looks rather skinny too, and his feet look like something may be wrong. His cage is plastic and idk what is being fed in the bowl.
This guys is located in Phoenix Arizona. Hopefully someone can help him out

http://ift.tt/1QNIMl4

Chinchilla can't absorb food

I have a 14 year old male chinchilla named Smokey who cannot gain weight. He still gets hungry and eats, but it just goes straight through him. He has gotten very weak and stopped drinking from his bottle. I am feeding him Critical Care with Pedialyte in addition to his regular food and hay, but he is starving. He has lost all of his body fat and I can feel all of his bones. He lived with two other male chins that are fine. I separated them and put him in a guinea pig cage since he is too weak to jump or walk up ramps. I was just wondering what this could be and if anyone else has ever dealt with this problem.

Hi Everybody!

Hello ladies and gents! My name is Ashley, and I recently became the mommy of an adorable little fluff ball named Rue (Rupert). The poor little guy's had a rough life from what I understand. His previous owner had to move from her house in to an apartment that allows pets, but then they said she couldn't take Rue :(. She doesn't know how old he is since she received him from someone else, who I think received him from someone else as well. So I'm hoping to be his forever home!

I've only had him for about three weeks, but every search I've done to see what to buy him next or to upgrade to has brought me to this site, so I figured 'Why not join?!' Every one seems wonderfully helpful and nice, and I'm excited to be here! Thank you for the help in the past and in the future! ;)

Introduction of Mayah and some questions

Hello! I have a standard grey named Mayah. She is a mix of super sweet, a grumpy old fart and a trouble maker lol!
So a little bit about her
She came from a not so great home. She lived on plastic everything, no toys or chews, an awful brand of food, no playtime or human interaction, and rarely got a cage cleaning.
And now She LOVES to be pet and held (which I guess isnt normal for a chin?), but only when she isnt in a playful curious mood. She gets at least 30 mins of playtime a day. She is on oxbow gets dust baths and hay and is just a happy little girl with a HUGE personality. She is super smart and begs to get out cause she knows when its time, and she kisses on command for treats. She is about 5 years old now, I have owned her for 2. I had a baby beige chin once, and I tried for a YEAR to get them to live together, but Mayah just would not have her, she just likes her person and her dog and thats IT. So the baby girl went to a very good home with a couple that was looking for a young chin.

Anywho, her cage is pretty boring and dull, but I am a mama to many many pets and it is hard to get them all a perfect home, but after I do my 40gal terrerium, her cage is next on the list for a complete amazing remodel!

I have pics to share and a couple of questions as well :)

1. I have a list of safe woods for chinnies, and many of them are trees that I grow. Am I able to give her the twigs straight off the tree or does something need to be done to them first? They arent sprayed with ANYTHING.

2. What are good (preferably less expensive) online stores to shop for supplies at? Cause I think we all can agree that petstores dont exactly meet the chins needs....

Thats all I can think of for now, but I am sure more questions will pop up.
Now for the pics!

How wide can cage wire be?

I am having a very tough time trying to find a cage for our chinchilla. Breeder said he was about 3 months old when we got him in mid November, 2015. We got him a wire cage with a plastic bottom. Great cage, but he's chewing the plastic so we need a new one.

I am wondering how wide apart the wire can be. The wires in the old cage are almost exactly 1 inch apart, and there was no problem with him trying to squeeze out. How much wider can it go? I realize that chinchillas are much larger than hamsters and mice, but I've always heard how those small animals only need a minimum of space to squeeze through. Would wiring, say, 1 1/4 inch be ok? 1 1/2 inches apart?

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I'm going to be buying online, and returns are going to be a hassle.

Chinchilla on 2016 postage stamps

I just found out that a chinchilla will be one of twenty animals featured on USPS Pets Forever Stamps. The stamps will be released sometime in the second quarter of the year.

PLS help. New chin soon!!!!

Hi! So I decided my chin is lonely and I am gets her a friend soon. First, I don't really know how to introduce 2 chins? I have a ferret nation cage and also a backup smaller cage I can use for the new chin. I understand that they may not like each other and the owner said if it doesn't work out she can take her back.

Please inform me on how to introduce 2 chins. :)

Thanks!

Help! Chin with Heart Murmur?

My precious chinchilla, Cotton (11.5 years old) - Last Friday was lethargic, did not eat much and seem to having difficulty breathing. Occasionally he stretches his head out and there's a click sound when he breathes in. I later on noticed that he was actually breathing from his mouth when he does that.

I quickly made a trip down to the vet on Saturday morning 23/1.

The technicians there saw that he had labored breathing, immediately put him under oxygen therapy. The vet observed that there were fluids in the lungs and some murmur. After about 1.5 hours of oxygen therapy, the vet came back, Cotton's longs were clearer then went in with the stethoscope and been diagnosed that he has grade 6 heart murmur.

Vet prescribed the following:
1. Furosemide 0.05ml once a day.
2. Fortekor (Benazepril) 0.1ml once a day
3. Critical care
4. Suggested me to buy an oxygen tank in case he is seen having difficulty breathing.

24/1 Sunday:
He is still has labored breathing. He stopped eating on his own. At first he liked the critical care so I was able to feed him by spoon. Generally lathargic all day. Little to no poo.

25/1 Monday:
Thought things were looking up when he started eating hay and pellets on his own. Still see the labored breathing and I ordered an oxygen concentrator in case he is out of breath. Turned on the oxygen concentrator for a few hours in the day. Not much poop again.

26/1 Tue - 27/1 Wed:
He stopped eating again, similar breathing issues. Ordered some food from Fuzzies Kingdom and Tanya also advice that if he wasn't eating, to grind some alfafa, oats and mix with warm water. Thankfully he took this gladly but wouldn't take a whole lot of it either. Still very little poop

28/1 Thu:
Tried force feeding Cotton with critical care in a syringe, and boy it was difficult. I am not sure how to get 30ml into him at minimum. His face kept avoiding the syringe at some point. And occasionally he had to breathe through his mouth during the feed which got me worried as to whether I would choke him. He tries to forage around but has to take his time to chew and swallow or he gets out of breath again. I decided to go to another vet for a second opinion.

Today:
Woke up today seeing the hay bowl ruffled a little bit. He pooped alot more today but they were still tiny hard poops.
Went to the new vet and she diagnosed Cotton having Grade 3 murmur which got me confused now whether to believe the first vet or the second. She suggested increasing the dosage for Furosemide to 0.10ml twice a day as the earlier dosage was too little.

Also I have been reading forums and found out that it is difficult to diagnose a murmur, does anyone know how does a murmur get diagnosed and confirmed by a vet typically?:unsure:
Cotton's been with with me for 10 years and I just can't bear to see him like this. He used to be so energetic..

Sorry for the long post but any comments from you guys is highly appreciated.

Wet eye

My little 1 year old boy cheech has wetness around his eye. Mainly around left eye, right eye is a little wet but barely noticeable at all. He had a bloat problem a couple weeks ago and he started feeling better and is very active and eats but now has this wetness around one eye. The discharge is clearish white from the eye. Still very active. Any ideas? Don't want to pay for vet for something minor if he's okay

Attached Images

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First Vet Trip - Meds and Symptoms Questions

Hi all - - I've been silent for a couple of years but I've come back since I know this community is a great wealth of information.

This may be long.

I have two chinchillas, both male, both in separate cages as they never bonded. One of them is a "rescue" chinchilla whom I've had for 3 years, with no problems what-soever. About a month ago I noticed symmetrical bumps on the tops of his toes on his back feet. It is just one toe per foot, but it is on the inside toe of each foot. He was not acting any different, he was eating/drinking/hopping around normally and would let me touch them and did not shy away from pain or anything abnormal.

I finally got my own life together and brought him to the vet this past Tuesday, looking for an answer as they didn't seem to be going away (they weren't growing either) She did a once over, and his overall health was great! But she was concerned about the lumps and took a little sample with a needle to send out for testing. She sent me home with Orbax and Metacam for him. She also wanted me to change his bedding, because the bottoms of his feet were a little irritated as well. I use wood pellets as bedding (no dust, was easier to clean) and she suggested Carefresh. I did question her about the idea of impaction and she told me its what she suggests for all her chinchillas and has never had an issue. She also gave me a cleanser to do a foot soak with for the bottoms.

Okay, so I went and got carefresh and bring him home. Clean out his entire cage and put the new bedding down. Give him a fresh new bowl of food and give him his meds and clean his feet. I wake up the next morning and notice him nibbling on the carefresh. So after work I went and got fleece, completely scrapped the carefresh and lined the bottom of his cage with a makeshift liner (I will be sewing a bunch of fleece items this weekend) Gave him his meds again, and washed his feet again. When I went to sleep he was nibbling on a hay cube.

I woke up this morning and notice there were MAYBE 10 small poops in his cage and that his food bowl didnt seem touched. I called the vet while as was at work, told her about the poops and that I didnt think he was eating. She prescribed Oxbow Critical Care and Reglan for him to start today. She also took him off the Orbax because the test results came back and his lumps are not a nail infection like she thought, so there was no use for the antibiotics.

It is now about 915pm; I just fed him 10ml of Critical Care which he gobbled up so fast, as well as started him on Reglan and gave him his Metacam. I rubbed his belly in soft circular motions for a little, but I'm currently a worried momma as this is the first time I've ever had a sick chin. I don't know how to tell if he stopped eating due to the antibiotics, or if he gave himself an impaction with being in carefresh for ~20 hours.

Any advice would be grateful!

Hello!

Hello from AZ! I have a standard grey F named Mayah, she is 5 years old, I have had her for about 2. Even though I am not new to chins I can still always use more knowledge, which is what I hope to obtain here :)

A hedgehog was my first choice in a pet EVER but they were always illegal here so thats how I got a chin instead and am happier than ever! But now they are legal I hope to be able to care for both eventually :)

Holding my chin

I need some advice. I see all these pictures and videos of people picking up and holding chins like its no big deal. Picking up my chin is always an ordeal. He wiggles and squirms and if I can manage to get him in my arms he flails around like crazy to be put down.

Is it just a matter of him getting used to it? Is it his age (5 months)... Or is it they he will just always hate being held?

Just want to know if there if some Magic trick everyone else is doing. Haha

Bass Equipment Pans

I am looking into buying some metal pans with sides for my chinchilla's cage. Just a quick question...
It gives you the option of prime galvanized or stainless steel. What is prime galvanized? And which one is better?

Thanks

Bridges for Ferret Nations

My boys love these bridges, I made them two over a year ago and they still look great. I started making them for a few friends and decided to see if I could start selling them.

They are made from kiln dried pine and heavy duty wire. I just wrap the wire around the cage, because every hardware I use is to loose for chinchillas bouncing off of them.

They are $40 each bridge. Private message if you would like to have a shipping estimate, or with any questions.

Thanks for looking! :)






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Not First Introductions?

I had questions concerning sort of, but not really introducing my chinchillas to one another.
Some background information on my boys: Stu is a dark tan male about 4 years old. I've owned him for a little over 3 years. Prior to being with me he was housed with another male and as far as i know never showed any aggression towards his chin friend or his humans. However he came to be with me because his cage mate turned and and bit one of his toes off. thankfully his previous owner was able to separate them until i took him. My other boy, Ein is around 6 years and i've owned him since he was very young. He has never had a cage mate. or had extensive time with another chin. Both are very friendly and social to me.
when i first got Stu he was intended to be a friend to Ein. although i had the means to house him separately if needed. he was quarantined, and placed side by side to Eins cage for 6 months or so until i bought a critter nation. In the six months they were side by side they also had play time together, there was a little mounting here and there and some chasing. Stu seemed more submissive than aggressive. Ein was doing a bit of chasing and mounting. Around the time i got them a critter nation my life got very busy and i was unable to continue introductions. they have been splitting a cn (one on top and one bottom) for 2 or so years now and have had little play time together if not any. What would be the best way to re-start introductions between the two? i want to house them together if possible. although i am completely aware and prepared if i need to keep them permanently separate.

R.I.P Felix

After not eating and acting himself, I took him to the e-vet. He was sent home. Within a few hours I was rushing him to UT Veterinary Medical Center. (Full story and updates... http://ift.tt/1Nz9GX7 )

Yesterday, I decided to end his pain and suffering. Felix went to the rainbow bridge to be with his brother, Maddox.

He was my baby. I can't even stand to be in my own bedroom, as he shared a room with me. Every where I turn there is a reminder of him.

R.I.P Sweet Boy.
Mommy misses you dearly.

Yucca?

Why is it so hard to get a hold of? It seems like no one is selling it anymore.

Having trouble bonding with chinchilla. Please help!

I got my chinchilla back in August, and she has always let me take her out and allowed me to pet her. Lately, she has been acting strange. She has been making these clicking noises when we pet her or like today, she made clicking noises before I even touched her. This is my first chinchilla, and I have read that this is a sign of distrust. I try to take her out everyday, but it is becoming difficult to get her out of her cage. I have even tried catching her in her dust bath, and then taking her into her play area. I am heartbroken. Please be kind when giving me advice. I am really looking for some ways to make her feel better.

Strange Behavior During Playtime

Good Morning!

Recently I bought a large mesh tent for my chinchilla to run around in. Usually he runs around in my bathroom, but it's too small of an area for him to run around in/he now gets bored because he's explored every part of the bathroom and always tries to burrow underneath the door space as soon as we try to play with him in the bathroom (even with ample toys and sticks inside with us).

When we first bought the tent, Po (3 years old this February) was very happy, ran around (we put in a cardboard obstacle course we made for him in there) and was chirping and popcorning all over the place. However, the second to last time we let him out, my roommate didn't contain her dog as properly as she should have and the dog kept following him/us around the tent trying to sniff Po. I told my roommate to put her dog up, but she didn't for another 5 minutes (in the middle of an online test or something). Po got really scared and making frantic noises and so I scooped him up and we both left the tent to go to my room so I could put him back in his cage, where he feels safer.

I waited a couple days before I decided to take him out in the tent again, and I made sure Autumn (the dog) was placed in her kennel in my roommate's room with the door closed before I did so. Po was really happy at first, acting very much like he usually does in the tent (popcorning off me, chirping, being very curious/playing in the obstacle course), but about 20/30 minutes into it Po started freaking out again. He started acting very agitated and his happy chirping noises turned frantic. He went to the corner of the tent and sat there for a good 5 minutes and when he finally came back over to me, he started making frantic noises again and rubbing his face nervously. I scooped him up and gave him some chin scratches to calm him down, which seemed to work for a little bit, but then he started being scared again and so I put him back in his cage.

Does anyone know why he would be so happy and then not in such a short span amount of time? Do you think it's because Po could smell the dog's fur on the carpet? Why would he not immediately worry if this were the case?

Do you think he's depressed? I've been working a lot of overtime lately, but usually my boyfriend (whom he's been around since I got him) is around to talk to him/play with him.

Another thing I think worth to mention - the other day he wanted me to just hold him. Po kept climbing out of his cage when I opened it into my hands and sitting there. He gave me some kisses and when I went to put him back into his cage, he tried crawling back into my hands. This is rather unusual for him. though he likes the occasional back scratch/head pet, he only likes to be carried on occasion, and never for more than a minute or two.

I've owned him since he was first separated from his mother and he's never really acted like this.

Any ideas?

Procaine benzylpenicillin

My chinchilla had dental surgery 2 weeks ago (Jan 14) but it was performed by a different vet because Dr. Mans (who usually sees him) was not on clinic that week. I was instructed to give him subQ injections of procaine benzylpenicillin once every 5 days which caught me off guard because he has always been prescribed oral baytril after surgery in the past.

He has been experiencing the usual post surgery loss of appetite, but it isn't improving and got worse after his injection last Sunday night. I brought him to the clinic this morning; Dr. Mans examined him and recommended that he stay overnight. He said that Arthur has had single penicillin injections after a couple of his surgeries, so he doesn't think this is the problem. I'm not sure I agree. After going through Arthur's med records, I found notes that he was given penicillin injections, but the type of penicillin wasn't specified.

Specifically, what is the concern with procaine penicillin? After searching the vetmed literature, all I could find was that some species are "sensitive" to it.

Excessive Mounting Issue

Hi all!
I recently attempted to fully integrate my two boys after about a month of slow introducing (started with separate cages completely then moved to split cage-I have a 2 story ferret nation- w/ wire bottom so they could interact through the bars, then had playtimes in a neutral area before finally seeing if they wanted to live in the same cage, and this I did after rearranging the entire cage and scrubbing it down entirely).

However, while the integration /seemed/ to go ok for the first hour or so (boys were up and down exploring the cage and had finally settled down and were eating near each other-I had two separate piles of hay so they didn't feel a need to fight over resources) I have noticed that any time I let the boys together for any extended period of time Mojo, my larger and older guy, seems to believe he must mount Eli almost constantly.

I know mounting is a show of dominance and is natural, however, Mojo is definitely almost overexerting this and it gets to the point where Eli, understandably, gets fed up with him and starts a fight. This has happened a couple of times (once during a playtime and when I tried to integrate them-both times I was sitting right next to the cage watching and I immediately broke them up) and Mojo really just does not seem to understand the concept of enough is enough. Eli definitely seems to be more or less ok with Mojo being the dominant chin, he just gets irritated when Mojo keeps trying to dominate him even after he's clearly allowing Mojo to be in charge.

Not sure if there's anything I can do to try and curb this issue, because other than the mounting causing escalations the two boys seem ok with each other-they don't make angry noises at each other and they don't fight on sight, seem generally comfortable around each other and interested in each other. Mojo has not been around another chinchilla in 2+ years so I feel that may be part of the issue as well-he just never learned proper etiquette.

Either way, I would definitely appreciate any tips or help that can be offered, as I really do hope these two boys can get along and I believe they can if they can reach an understanding!

chin seems angry after cage remodel?

So I bought a bunch of new fleece for my chins, they used to have liners but I switched them out to shavings about two years ago and just recently decided to go back. They also got a fleece tube, a house and a hammock each. They still have all of their old things too but one of my chins seems really aggravated by the change, he's biting at the bars and his bass pans, pulling up the liners and dragging his food bowl/wood house around and biting my hands if I open the cage even though he's never bitten me before. The other chinchilla is totally fine and normal. Is it possible that he hates the change? Will he get used to it? Should I just take some or all of the new stuff out? This might be a stupid question but just stressed out that he seems to hate his new stuff!

Only Bark for heavy chewer

I tried to do a search for my question but couldn't find anything or rather my queries found everything but the answer to my question, lol.

My chin likes to chew only the bark off chew sticks and such, then he leaves the rest of the stick to waste. He's putting a dent in my budget going through so many chew sticks every week. I leave them in his cage hoping he'll finish them off but mostly find them on the bottom of his cage all peed on.

He decimates anything chewable in a few seconds. I have a wooden house, lots of wooden ledges, a lava stone ledge, a long wooden cage edger, and a large toy with layers of wood and sticks. And about 5 chews sticks a day. Once the surface/bark is gone he's done with it.

Is there something chin-safe that is equivalent to bark that I can give him to chew on? Any ideas very appreciated!

Chin always runs out of cage

As soon as i open my cage door to pet my chin (oreo) she will run right out, and its a chore trying to catch her as im sure you know!:banghead:

If i try and block the entrance to keep her in she will scratch at my hands and bite me. shes never done this before. ive had her for about 3 weeks and in the past 3 days this is starting to happen.

She gets about an hour of playtime or more a day, and i spend more than that just petting her to give attention. Although these past days i cant even do that because of this! any help much appreciated.

Please help mucus with stool

Hello, my name is Emily and I am new to this group. Today is Jan. 24th and on Jan. 9th I took Koaliee my male chinchilla to the emergency vet because he stopped eating and drinking and his stool was wet and mushy. They did a Fecal Cytology Gram Stain and a Fecal Exam Float and sent him home with Oxbow Critical Care. That I had to syringe feed him with. I have not changed his diet or environment either. I got Koaliee about a year ago and he has been doing great even when we brought him home. I have stopped giving him treats and I have been advised to feed him hay and pellets with his critical care. The doctor there said that if his poop is mushy and green that's good but he has always had hard tic tac shaped poop even when I had seen him at the pet store. Please help because I don't know what to do. Should he go to the vet immediately?

Rip Chico

Last Thursday i had to put poor Chico down. He wasnt rebounding from any of his issues. Irregardless of whether or not it was the root going into the eye socket or not, he was in pain. That much was certain. So i took him in and and him put down. He died 6:30pm 1/21/16.

Chico was my very first chinchilla. My brother showed up asking if i could watch him while they got settled from moving back to the state. That was around 2007-2008. And he never left my side since then. Of course when he asked, i had never even heard of a chinchilla before much less have a clue about them.

When he got to my place in a small temp cage, he was so stressed out and spastic it was unbelievable. He would freak out if anyone even walked near the cage, much less tried to interact with him. (And living with them, this came as no surprise.) But he calmed down over time. He became a very lovable chin. He loved having his stomic scratched. Tho i got the feeling sometimes that he wished it were lower. I remember when it was just Chico and me, and i would let him out to run he would often just sit perched on my hand. Some times he would even climb in my lap and fall asleep on me.

It was a real shame that Chico out lived his son Houdini. In fact most of Chico's symptoms started to be seen right after Houdini died. Chico is now only survived by his two daughters Sophia and Ameena, and there mother Sophie.


Chico on the top. Houdini on the bottom.

Cage liners

Hello!! I just have some questions about cage liners!

-I've been using fleece but it has a permanent stink after 3 machine washes, is there a soak i can leave them in to take the smell out?

-My cage has a wire bottom, it is a Prevue Hendryx 485- does anyone have any suggestions on add-on metal bottoms? Maybe one with tall sides? I'm really struggling to keep the area clean.

-Any other suggestions on cleanliness for my floors would be amazing, thank you!


-Marissa

Orange pee - Bladder stone?

Hi, all. I have noticed that my Asa has been drinking a lot of water lately, and his pee is orange. I have not changed food, hay, or bedding. Could this be a bladder stone or kidney stone?

We have recently moved overseas, and I don't want to do the "new vet in a strange country where I only speak a little of the language" thing if I don't have to, but definitely WILL if there is a need.

Thank you.

Introducing a new chin

Hi all! I'm getting a new chinchilla and I know the introduction process for him and my dear Hermes can be quite tedious and sometimes unsuccessful. I was hoping for some links to the best information you have read on different ways to properly go through this introduction process.

Thanks in advance!
-Sandra

Thrift Shop Towels?

So I need to make more liners for Pepper's cage. I have all the fleece bought, and normally I would use a towel as an inner absorbent layer, but I don't have any old ones lying around and even at "cheap" stores, towels are still like $10 each! Not horrid, except I need four of them, and their only purpose will be soaking up chinchilla pee....

I was thinking about seeing if I could get some towels from a thrift store, but I'd be worried about chemical buildup on them, if the previous owner had used a lot of scented detergents or dryer sheets or whatever with them..... at home we use eco-friendly scent free detergent on all our laundry, including the chinchilla stuff, but obviously I can't control what people did with their towels prior to my owning them.

Has anyone used thrift shop towels in their cage liners before? Is there anything in particular to do beforehand (other than just giving them a good wash) to make them safe(r)?

Thanks!!

Chinchilla not eating/chewing - no mouth issues found...

I am hoping that someone out there will have had a similar experience to mine, (preferably one that ended happily) and can tell me how they remedied the problem.

We have a 6 year old chinchilla named Gus. He's had a very happy and healthy life. A few weeks ago I noticed that he wasn't eating as many alfalfa pellets as usual and that his poos were smaller and less abundant. I took him to the vet, who did a thorough check-up and concluded that perhaps he needed to be on a drug for "motility" (gets the bowels going but doesn't loosen them) and an antacid to help with tummy trouble. We gave this to Gus for the recommended 3 days and he did begin to eat and poo more.

But shortly after, his feeding dwindled again. The other odd thing was his lack of interest in chew toys. He is always seeking out bigger wood chips in his shavings and loves when we leave him edible products to gnaw, but for the past couple weeks he has not been chewing them. He was also grinding his teeth more than usual.

Naturally, this made us think he had a problem with his teeth.

This week I took him to the vet again. She did a thorough check-up before deciding if it was ok to sedate him for the exam. In doing so she discovered that he has a heart murmur. Because this can greatly increase a chinny's risk under anesthetic, we had an ultrasound done to figure out the nature of the murmur. It turns out he has a mild degree of cardiac disease, specifically "mitral valve insufficiency". It's caused a thickening of one of his valves, but not of the heart itself. He has a good heart rate despite this and is pumping blood well, his body is coping and we're in the very early stages of this problem. For now no medication is required and the specialist did not think that his lack of interest in pellets and chew toys was due to this.

They then did the mouth exam, which turned up nothing!! Even the xrays were fine. Turns out he has nearly perfect teeth. So now we (including the vets) are somewhat stumped as to what is troubling him. He is back on the motility drug and antacid, along with a painkiller that I was told is similar to Tylenol for humans. I am giving him Critical Care to supplement his eating, as he's still eating fewer pellets and less hay than usual. He is drinking, peeing, is alert and happy to come out of his cage, makes happy sounds, jumps around, looooves his dust baths..... The hope is that whatever is bothering him will go away while he is taking these medications that are helping him continue to eat. But, I'm a worry-wort (and also 5 months pregnant), so of course am thinking ahead and wondering what we do next if this doesn't work. He's to be on the meds for another 10 days, so we still have a lot of time to tell the tale...

I was hoping that by posting this story someone may have encountered a similar problem. If so, I'd love to hear your experience - was it a weird pathogen causing the illness? Did it just go away on it's own? Were you told it might be a temporary problem with something undetectable in the mouth/gut?? IF we need to go back to the vet, I'd love to have a few ideas in the back of my mind to throw out as suggestions of what it could be based on my observations of him and on what I've heard of happening to other chinchillas. Every sign we've observed points to a problem with his mouth.... Yet nothing wrong can be seen.

Thank you very much! Gus thanks you, too.

Hello

Im from. Ky
And very interested in chinchillas. And owning one to have for a pet .
I have done so much research on them
But i need to do more .

Looking in Western NY

Hello, I'm currently looking for two young female chinchillas to buy as pets. I'm hoping for mosaic and ebony color variants, and two that are either siblings or already introduced. Does anyone know any breeders within ~4hrs of Rochester NY? Thank you :).

New Chinchilla Issues

My little sister brought home a new chinchilla. She is an 8 week old beige and much smaller than my chinchilla was at 8 weeks. We've tried to help her figure out how to use a water bottle, but she doesn't seem to understand. Is there any way to teach her? Is there any other way to get water into her?
She also isn't running or jumping as much or high as my chinchilla was at 8 weeks. She seems very behind. The owner said she was weaned. And she can eat, but that's about it.
Another issue us that she does not know how to take a dust bath. Does anybody know why? And it there any way to teach her or will she eventually figure out how?

Thanks for your help
-Willow111

Chins in the bay area?

Hi, I'm wanting to get another male chin and wanted to know where there are breeders in the area.
Thank you

chin spin in a superpet cage?

I was looking into getting a chin spin. I feel like the bars on my superpet (my first home, multi level, extra large) cage wouldn't hold up well. Does anyone here have a chin spin in a super pet cage? http://ift.tt/1Ai8jrQ is what i have.

Baby biting hard?

I've never had a baby chin before, so I'm not sure what to expect. The other day I drove to Alabama to pick up my 9 week old beige mAle. He is tiny and precious and his name is Peanut (or Winston!). I held him the entire drive home, he was very calm and mostly slept (he is a baby after all). When he got home, I had him in a smaller cage because I was still setting up his big cage. That night he was climbing up the bars trying to pry them open with his teeth. I tried to pet his belly,, and he managed to find my finger and bite it- pretty darn hard. Since then he has been moved to his big cage, he is running his wheel Nonstop at night, and if I put my fingers in the cage, he bites hard. When I go to grab him he seems fine. Is this a normal baby chin thing? Does he need to be taught not to bite so hard? And is the climbing up the walls trying to escape normal? My baby is so different from my adult!

Just for fun and education

This picture is of a little female born here. Just for the fun of it ( I already know the answer since I bred her) I would like people to guess her color and her parents' colors. I think this could be a learning opportunity for some of our members. Her name i s Ilmare' but she ended up with the nickname of Woofy becasue she looked like a husky when she was little.

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Fur loss around eye

Me and my chin had to go to the vet because he hurt himself during play time, the vent said to use some eye drops on his eyes and we did as recommended, it's been some days since that happened and now the fur around his eyes is very bushy and I've spotted a small bare spot on his fur. Does it look something serious?

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Chinchilla having seizures?

Our chin cheech is about 1 year old. He started making a slight squeeking while breathing and was occasionally breathing out of his mouth so we took him into the vet and they said he was healthy and okay. His breathing got better and he appeared great. Then I had to take him on a 10 hour car ride(which he handled great the first time) and he seemed completely okay after but a day or two later he started getting lethargic, not eating quite as much, and would often stretch. We don't have enough money to just take him in when he's still eating and pooping(although was smaller) so we called the vet and he said he thinks it's bloating but since he's still eating and moving it's likely not severe. I was recommended infant gas relief medicine which he loves, and it has definitely been helping. Everything is improving except that after the car ride, very occasionally he would randomly tump over and fall down(like he was dizzy) and lays there for a few seconds before getting up and seeming normal. Everything else is getting better, poop is bigger, eating more, more energy, but he still is every so often falling over. We think it might be a seizure but not sure. What could this be? We were thinking the bloat and "seizures" might just be unrelated and that he's epileptic like other chillas since he's improving in every other condition. Also have given him a very weak apple cider vinegar/water mixture which seemed to help him eat as well. Any ideas?

possible bumblefoot? help!

Hi all! My chinchilla Rudy is about a year old I believe, my sister bought him from a Pet Smart and then could no longer take care of him so I now have him :)

I have noticed that on his back right foot there is a little scab and it is somewhat dry. Could this be the beginnings of bumble foot? He has had it for at least a month now and no changes, not better or worse, so I haven't pursued it but I am curious now as I want to make sure he is very healthy.

Can anyone help me? Any recommendations on what I should do? He has the four story "ferret nation" cage currently with a giant wheel specifically made for chins, so no wire that could hurt his feet or anything.

Is there somewhere I can bulk buy chin toys in the UK?

All 3 of my chins absolutely love toys they can shred up, such as things made from vine. If I give them toys that are a bit sturdier, they won't touch it, little monkeys. I adore chinchillas2shop but sometimes it doesn't have the products I'm looking for :)
I wouldn't mind paying for shipping from another country, but so far I haven't found anywhere that ships to the UK, and I'd prefer to get toys from here anyway
Thanks! :)

Wired polyp on Chin's genital

Last Friday night, I found out that my chinchilla's genital is turned purple, and he sucks it a lot. I think it might be the hair ring, So I hold him and checked for the hair ring. There is no obvious hair ring, but I do find some hair and removed it. After this, his genital is not as purple as before. But I find another issue, there is a wired polyp on his genital (I looked at the photo that I took before the hair ring check, he already have this wired polyp). Even after the hair ring check, he still suck his genital quite often (actually since I took him home, I found out that sometimes he such his genital), so I'm thinking if he suck his genital is trying to remove the polyp or what? Here are some pics of his genital and wired ployp.
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Penis Prolapse Care

Yesterday while installing a flying saucer I noticed that one of my chins wasnt running around during playtime with the others and instead just hiding out in a corner in the cage. I thought nothing of it originally thinking maybe he was still tired since it was about mid day. Later that evening during feeding I noticed his penis was hanging outside his body with some poop clinging to it. The head part of his penis was exposed.

I shortly afterwards separated him into his own pet carrier with food and water and some chewables. After a quick google search I suspect that it might have been a fur ring so I inspected his bits. I didnt find anything but thought that maybe he recently had one that he took care of himself and he might just be a bit swollen still. The tip was a bit calloused and bruised so I applied some coconut oil in hopes that it would help soften and moisturize it a bit. While I was doing that I was able to coax it back into its sheath but it is still hanging outside his body. This morning when I checked on him it was still hanging outside his body but remained in his sheath. He doesnt seem to be in much pain since he is still eating and drinking and even sat in a perch while I fed him a treat after his inspection. Im right now in an observe mode to see if it gets better or if I need to take him to the vet since it has been less than 8 hours since I doctored him up. He still runs up to me whenever I pass the cage hoping I'll feed him a treat or a scratch

My main question right now is if coconut oil is safe for chinchillas. I would think it would work since it is organic and since it is tasty it might promote some self cleaning as well as keep it moisturized. We didnt have any ky lube or vaseline on hand so we used our next available resource.

Originally when I pulled him fully out for a ring inspection I didnt have my hands lubed up. However after I applied some oil his penis immediately shrank to about half size. Was this a good thing?
Any tips on how to promote faster healing for the poor guy?

Thanks!

Penis Prolaps Care

Yesterday while I was installing a new flying saucer wheel I noticed one of my chins just sitting in the corner of his cage while the others were out for some play time. At first I thought ok well it is mid day maybe he is just tired but then later in the evening when it was time to feed them he ran up and I noticed that his penis was hanging outside his body. Checked for a hair ring but found nothing. I read that he might have a prolapsed penis from having a prior hair ring or something.

I soon separated him from the others and put him up in a small pet carrier. Before I did this though I did notice that the tip was a bit calloused and looks bruised. I was able to coax it back into his sheath with a little bit of coconut oil. I saw him eating and he still ran up to me for a treat after all of this so it makes me believe it isn't hurting him too badly. So right now I'm in a bit of an observe mode to see if it gets better or if I need to take him to the vet.

My main question right now is I'm wondering if coconut oil is ok for chinchillas. We didnt have any vaseline or ky on hand so thought this might be the next best thing as it is still natural and it might be tasty so it can promote some self cleaning and moisturizing on his member.

Can anyone assure me that coconut oil will not harm his health?

What do you use to hold hay?

I was originally using a Tupperware cup to hold Olives hay in. She continuously knocked it over, so I tied a different tray with holes in it, to her cage. But now she's using that as a second potty. Keep in mind that were working on finding a hay she likes, she doesn't seem very interested in it. What do you use to hold your hay? Do you think this problem will improve once we find a hay she likes? (Using oxbox, working on the different types of hay.)

Biting all of a sudden

So, my little guy is about 5 months old, and I've had him for probably around a month. At first he kind of nibbled just to see if I was edible, and everything was great! Just a few days ago he was nibbling more than normal, and trying to bite clothes and zippers a lot more than ever. I just got home from a trip of two days, but my boyfriend was here and took care of him and everything, and now when I went to go hold him he ran away, and when he did come up to my hand he bit me several times and all he wanted to do was get away from me, he was squirming and everything. So, I just sat next to the cage and put my arm in and I was reading to him, and all he was doing was chewing my sleeve and biting every part of my hand he could...so I took my hand out and closed the cage...he has plenty of food, hay, and he has a few things to chew on, but they're not hanging anymore, he chewed trough the wooden stuck they were all on. Sooo suggestions? New chin mom here!
Thanks in advanced!

Cleaning a branch

I got a large piece of a cooking apple tree branch out of my uncle's garden yesterday. When I've had them in the past, I've put them in the oven, but this one is too long to fit and I don't want to cut it. I'm going to scrub it thoroughly with boiling water, but has anybody got any other ideas on how to clean it or what would be safe to use?

Scar looking line on my hedgie's forehead?

While giving our girl Natalia an oatmeal bath to try and clear up some dry skin, we noticed this purpley raised line on her exposed skin down her forehead. (You know, the line where their quills part)

It doesn't seem to bother her I guess and I've no idea how long its been there, as I never really look. Any idea what it is? Any relation to her incredibly dry skin? She was recently treated for potential mites, although the vet never confirmed mites as she wouldn't let him, she's been a lot less itchy since, though we thought the bath would help with the leftover dandruff. Picture below,



We could take her to the vet but she really is not fond of vets and he'd have to put her under which makes me so nervous... He's the only one who will take her in town, but has hardly really dealt with hedgehogs. so if anyone can confirm if they've seen it before, much appreciated!!

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Breeders!

So this is not a BreeDING question as much as a breeDER question. I am about to drive my happy self to Alabama to pick up a kit. It seems that we are meeting in a possible parking lot. My question is, as a breeder, what do you feel is the proper way to sell your kits? Do you welcome potential buyers into your home? Or do you prefer to meet outside of your home for safety/personal reasons? In dogs, I feel it seems proper to meet at the breeders house, meet mom and dad, play with puppy, and then take it home. Does this go for chinchillas as well? Or is it a little more lax? Just wanted a breeder's opinion! Thanks in advanced!

Bulk oxbow pellets?

I cannot find anywhere on here where I can buy oxbow pellets in more than a 5lb. Bag. Please help! Hahaha

TIA

Tufts

I have 4 chinchillas, I bought them over the summer about a month or two apart... the three Zen, Dartagnan and Storm are all in one critter nation cage and the other Clementine is is a separate cage I just got him a week ago and as of right now he isn't getting along with any of my other chinchillas except when I put them all in a playpen they do just fine. So onto my question, over the last month I would say I noticed fur tufts in all 3 of my chinchillas. Lately Storm has been making a new squealing type noise... I've heard him make this noise before like when he is sleeping but now it's louder and more often. Dartagnan is very talkative and he's always making his cheerful chirp especially before he chases Storm or Zen and he rapidly wags his tail in a circle. At night I hear them chasing each other around the cage Zen and Storm will bark at Dartagnan since he does most of the chasing ... and I've been seeing zen storm and Dartagnan get on their back legs and bark at Dartagnan....but they groom each other they cuddle and they hump each other which are all good signs but I don't understand what the fur tufts are all about? Could they be stressed out all of a sudden? Is Dartagnan in heat? Should I separate them? There doesn't seem to be any injury or anything like that just the barking and fur tufts...
They are all boys.

Chinchilla Hair Loss

Hello Everyone, it's been awhile since I have been on and posted but j came on because I need some information.
My chinchilla has had fur loss for almost a year now.
I thought I was stress so I changed where he was in my house because he was in the basement and I thought that he was bored being down there so I moved him upstairs and it's still happening. I thought he was chewing at his hair because he is bored so I got custom ledges, tunnels, toys, etc, but it's still happening. Sometimes it seems like it's growing back but it never gets to where it should be. I did get him from PetSmart when I was in 7th grade so I don't know if it is bad genetics? Also I want to start bringing him to the vet because I got a job so I can now pay for the visits, but is there something the vet can do possibly? Like medication. I don't know if that is the best way, but if this happened to someone else and it's fixed please let me know what you did! I feel so bad for him.

Thanks
Marcus

Kiwi Twigs / Sticks Available

I currently have kiwi twigs / sticks available and am still harvesting. Prices are the same as last year.

$16/lb
$15/lb (for 10+)

I can carefully pack 4.5lb into a medium flat rate box ($11.95 shipping).

Kiwi is a very lightweight hollow centered wood so you get a lot more bang for your buck than with other woods, such as Apple or Pear... And it is a chinchilla favorite ;)

PM me if you'd like to be added to the list!

Bumblefoot Housing Help

I just got back from the vet, and Chip, a 10 year old male, has bumblefoot. It's particularly bad in his right foot, which the vet had to bandage, and which I'll be changing at a weekly vet appointment for the foreseeable future. Now I have to figure out how to make his cage as safe and comfortable as possible.

He has a Chin Condo (Quality Cage) I believe, which has a metal bottom and wood shelving, and I use Carefresh bedding (he doesn't eat it, and it's usually dryer than aspen I've noticed).

After talking to the vet, my plan is to (1) remove his wheel, (2) use even more carefresh than normal and change it every other day and/or as needed in certain spots, (3) thoroughly clean the ledge and line them with fleece, (4) replace his wooden house with a fleece bed to encourage him to stay on that, since it's soft..

Is this a good plan? One thing I'm curious about in particular is whether I should use a fleece bottom instead of or in addition to the carefresh, or whether I should be switching to aspen or any other kind of bedding.

Any advice/comments greatly appreciated.

Pika Pika

"Uhm, who is this intruder?? I didn't invite him into my home!"


"Alright.. I guess I'll let you get your 'cute pose', in exchange for that apple stick you have there".


"It was a pleasure doing business with you -nom nom-".


:cute:

Lockens?

Does anyone have one? :))

I just found out about this mutation a couple weeks ago. At first I thought it must be fake, and looked into it further. I find them very fascinating!
If anyone has any more interesting articles or photos to share, please do.

Quote:

The ebony-related curly mutation is a relatively new chinchilla mutation. In December of 2007, Chinchillas.com, Jim Ritterspach of Ohio, and Tamara Tucker of Texas collectively imported a small group of curly chinchillas into the United States from Germany. Two of the original curlys stayed in Ohio to join the Ritterspach herd, and three went to Texas to join the Tucker herd. Both breeders initially outcrossed the curlys to expand the relatively small gene pool. Early work with the curly mutation has shown that curls in the phenotype can occur in the first generation, as a result of breeding a non-curly to a curly. Additonally, breeding curly to curly can result in even curlier fur in subsequent generations. This particular curly gene has also proven to be ebony-linked. A chinchilla must express ebony in phenotype in order to also express actual curls in the phenotype. The curly fur can appear in the phenotype of ebony hybrids as well, including tans, and ebony and white mosaics. Theoretically, a wrap-around violet curly could exist, as could a solid sapphire curly, or a tan and white mosaic curly, although the latter have not yet been produced in US herds. Ms. Tucker has also begun work with an Angora/curly hybrid, and the results should prove to be exciting among hobbyist and show breeders worldwide. During a worldwide chinchilla naming contest held from October-December 2010, the curly chinchilla was named 'Locken,' a name selected in part for its compatability with the German name for the same mutation. Beginning this same year, a small number of Locken (or curly) chinchillas will offered for sale on Chinchillas.com. Contact sales@chinchillas.com for more information about the Locken chinchillas.

Link to Source

Here are some photos I found in my searching.

New way to wall surf :)

Hi All! Hope you all had a good holiday.

My two girls are doing good... Being little Houdinis...If the mood strikes while I am in the cage doing chores, they will take any opportunity to bombard me and try to sneak out of the cage.

My little sapphire, Jazz, has also found a new way to wall surf...
She goes between the wall and her CN cage..Back against the back of the cage and feet running on the wall, she goes on up!! Has made it up at least three feet or so doing this...Strange girl..

BTW, how long til they are out of the adolescent stage? Mine are just short of 9 months.

Danielle
Jinx and Jazzy :)

Intoducing/Boding 3 females

Hey gang, been doing a site search and have found out a lot of great info about my question. Just a tiny bit of background. I have two female chins in a HUGE home built cage you could fit a herd of cattle in. I have it separated down the middle and chin on each side. Reason? They both are very aggressive and will tear each other to shreds if they ever got together. Up till now its been fine and I haven't worried about it as I let them out separately to play. However the dynamic has changed. A friend called and said she had another friend that had a chin that needed rescuing. So I went and picked up the chin. Another female in really rough shape. She came with a huge 2 level cage. I have pretty much spoiled her rotten and am glad to say she has a light in her eyes now and is doing great. Glad to have her and she is a little honey. I would LOVE to get them all in one cage. Can I do the whisker cut and smoosh method with three female chins? What would be the best recommended method to get them all in one cage? Thanks in advance!

The Oldest Chinchilla ever!

The oldest chinchilla on record lived to be 29 years old!
Can you imagine having a pet for almost 30 years? That's pretty darn cool!
His name was Radar (a good name for those big ears lol) and here is the link!

Your Chin's Weight?

You can also state whether your chin(s) are male or female.
I know many of you have multiple chins, so it will be multiple answer! :))

I know females are normally heavier, but I am just curious to see what the average ends up being!!

I have a male, weighing in at about 680 grams.

weight loss from wheel?

My chin has been losing weight since I put in a real flying saucer wheel (used to have the plastic one). I've read that some chins will run too much that they loose too much weight. What is too much? She has already gone down 126g since November 7th. At her heaviest she was about 765g.

Swollen nose

Hi,

A few days ago, my chin went to the vet for a molar trim. When I picked him up, his nose was pretty swollen, which I presumed was a side effect of the procedure/ having his mouth and nose are messed with. He is currently on meloxicam for pain and swelling and bactrim, the antibiotic both of which the vet prescribed for several days after the procedure. The swelling is going down now, but as it does he's having some discharge out of one nostril. He's eating, drinking, and playing enthusiastically as ever, he just sometimes paws at that nostril.

Has anyone else experienced this or does anyone know what might be going on?

Thanks!

Introducing two males and one keeps on mounting the other!

Hello i have two males that I recently introduced to each other one is 13months (Taro mosaic) the other is 10moths (Bon Bon Homo Beige), the older chin was the resident chinchilla well its taken almost a month for them to get used to sach other (side by side cages and out of cage play times together) they are together in the double unit CN. They are not violent to each other but the problem im having is that the older resident chins (Taro) is always trying to mount the youngest (Bon Bon) its on and off but they still sit next to each other on ledges and stuff but noticed during the day they both sleep separate someone told me that's not good bc that means they don't trust each other? I see them take naps together but the longest sleep they get during the day they sleep separate maybe is bc Taro always tries to hump Bon Bon after grooming him. They are always grooming each other Bon Bon attempts to mount Taro but he is never too successful. There is no fur slip just some chasing and then Taro stops after Bon Bon runs away and then leaves him alone until they groom each other and so on. Yesterday night, during play time I noticed Taro kept on mounting Bon Bon every chance he got he would get on top of him and then jump right off of him! It would be super quick but man! even i was getting annoyed for Bon Bon! I read sometimes trimming whiskers work? Im planning to close the divider of the CN during the night so they get a break from each other when they are most active, since they sleep separate during their longest nap of the day anyway. I see they do nap together furing the day time but for shorts amounts of time like they seem to be more comfortable dleeping spearate but dont mind some short naps together. They both sleep separate on their favorite spots on the cage one on the top unit and one on bottom unit. I guess for now i might keep them separated (close the connection for both levels sonthey each stay in their own unit) during the night for a few nights to give Bon Bon a break. but idk if that would deter Taro from mounting Bon Bon so much in the long run also, will this ruin their bond? I thought ut was notmal since they at establishing a peking order but maybe its too much mounting? Its not every second of the day but still. Anyway sorry for making this long please if you guys have any ideas or advice help me!

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Suggestions for grommet setter tool?

Okay ya'll, I'm getting older and have trouble seeing so I'm getting tired of using the hammer grommet setting method. I've started to think about investing in a tabletop setter. Does anyone who uses grommets have any suggestions?? I'm hoping to stay $100 or less.

Massive Tuft

One of my chinchillas,Lily, had a massive tuft of fur on her hind end. I've never seen one this big on any of them.
She's a chin that likes to keep to herself, and I recently changed up her cage a little bit, could that lead to stress?

None of the other chins can get to her.

Supplements/Hay

Hi all!

I wanted to ask in your opinion, what are the best vitamins/supplements to give chinchillas? Are these necessary/how often? What have your experiences been?

Also, what are the healthiest/best options for treats and herbs?

I want to make my chinchilla's diet as healthy and enriched as possible (and am willing to spend the money to do so) but I also don't want to overload his digestive system with too much stuff.

I have a big question about hay. I had read that first cut timothy hay is the most nutritional, so that is also what I bought. I also bought orchard grass hay to mix in for some variety. However, he is not a huge hay eater, unless it is the cubes…which he likes to munch on. His poops have been a little on the soft side since I got him about a month ago (even though I changed his food over slowly)… and I have been hoping to get him to eat more hay to maybe firm them up… would it be better to try a 2nd or 3rd cut timothy hay? I have heard 3rd is much less nutritional and also hard to find a good quality. Please advise!

Thanks in advance!

Stunned chinchilla?

I had Henry out in the hall and was trying to catch him and he climbed the raditor and I tried to use a TV magazine to poke him out but dropped it on him, can't believe I was so stupid, it's kind of heavier than you'd think, he ran and I picked him up but he went kind of curled up on his side, opened his mouth, seems a bit limp. I'm holding him and he's moving more now and did eat a cranberry, I put him down and he hopped but was unsteady, do you think he'll be Ok, I can't believe I did that to him I'm so worried.

Bay area owners

California chinchillas and chinchillarescue.org are having the annual health care day, here is the flyer attached

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Anyone in the Salt Lake Area by the Humane Society?

Hi there! I went to visit the Humane Society of Utah yesterday and in their rodent section there were 4 chins! Joey, who is 8 and is very friendly (he came right up to me and let me pick him up), Pip and Dickens who are 2 (but they have to be sold together), and Paisley who is 4 I believe. She is very cute and friendly, but I guess she was abandoned. Shes missing around 3/4 of her tail, but I didn't ask why. Joey was my favorite out of all of them and I almost adopted him but I don't know if I can take on another chin. If there's anyone in this area who is looking to adopt please check them out! They do have a niceish setup, but I'd love to see them get out of there and into a home. :)

Chins with dogs

Are chinchillas ok with dogs? The reason I'm asking is because (hopefully) later this year my family may be getting a dog. Obviously I would NEVER let them play together but there may be instances where the dog might be in the same room as the cage (the cage is on a ledge and a stand so theres no way the dog would be able to get to them) but i wouldnt want them being scared by the dog. We would be getting a small dog (if we did) as our house is quite small.
If chinchillas and dogs cant live together I would not get one but it would be nice if they did! Thanks in advance :neener:

Critter/ferret Nation uk?

I really like the ferret and critter nation cages. Theres nothing wrong with my current cage, I would just really like to get the cn or fn instead. Are they available to purchase in the uk?

Cage Revamp!

I got a package of chinny stuff today! I spent 3+ hours cleaning/revamping his cage! He is loving his new setup. :))

Funny sleep

Hi I'm Hermes and I like to squish myself between my rainbow house and my cage when I sleep. The more uncomfortable it looks, the better!

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Chin ate a sticker???

So my chinchilla Tinsel was playing outside her cage while I was pasting stickers into my planner. I was watching her, and when she went to a place she is not allowed I nudged her away. Then, I let her sniff my planner, and she seemed to pick a sticker off and start chewing on it. They were those 3D stickers, kinda like foam or whatever.

It was a very small one. About 5 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide. Will this be toxic to her? I am very nervous and worried.

Any idea what this is?

Hey everyone, I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what this white mark is? I thought it might be my girl in heat, but as they're my first chins, I just wanted to double check as I'd hate for it to be an infection and do nothing!

I've also had a quick look at her, sorry for the fact she decided to poop right as I was taking the photo..... There doesn't seem to be any discharge coming out of her, nor does she seem any different in herself. The area around it does seem a tiny bit matted but nothing too significant, and there's no bad smells or anything that would normally scream infection. If anyone has any ideas it would really help to put my mind at rest!

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Heat?

Okay so... Since it was just 70 degrees in December(I live in PA....), I have not taken the AC out yet. I think it's safe to do so at this point, as my room is now getting below 60.

Anyway, my question is... Can I have my heat on low? Just to keep it from getting ice cold in there? I drew this to demonstrate where my cage is, vs where the heater it. I have electric heat that lines the bottom of the floor for about 4ft.

The space between the end of the heater and the cage is also about 4ft. Again, this won't be on high, just enough to keep it from turning me into an ice cube.

Do you think that is too close to the cage for me to have it on at all? I can set it so it kicks off at a certain temperature. Please excuse the bad drawing, I used my new drawing tablet and I'm not accustomed to it yet.

Also, I want to note... There is a window directly above the heater. I can also let some heat out that way if possible(though it's obviously a waste but it's an option if need be).

grey specks on hay

What are these specks on this hay? They appear grey/black. It smells like hay, but could it be mold? Picture attached..

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Hello From Alberta!

Hi Everyone,

I recently became the proud dad of two little hedgies names Coconut and ****head. I'm still getting used to cleaning a wheel every day and making sure they have what they need but they getting socialized quickly.

I've joined this forum to meet other hedgehog owners and find a place I can ask questions and put my sometimes confused mind at ease.

For my first questions should I post my first question here or in one of the hedgie forums? :confused3:

I look forward to chatting with you and getting to know the hedgehog owner culture.

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Help fight wound!

Hi,

My two female chinchillas just had a fight, I heard distress calls and went in to find fur everywhere and one chinchilla hiding from the other. The other was trying to check on her but the one in hiding was very angry. So I separated one in the top half of the cage and one in the bottom temporarily. Just so that the upset one can calm down but since calming down and coming out for a treat which she ate happily I notice that behind her front leg has matted bloody fur so she obviously got quite a bad wound. It seems to not be bleeding any more from what I can tell but she won't sit still for me to get a proper look. The vets are closed for today so if she does need a vet it will have to wait :/
She seems to be running around ok, she even went on an adventure outside the cage when I was trying to examine her (she escaped) which she seemed to enjoy a lot!
She's a very fiesty chin, she gave me a very bad bite the first time I tried to examine her after the fight so it's hard to check her properly.
So basically what can I do for her? does she need the vet? and how long should I leave them separated and how should I go about putting them back together? oh and should I hold off on dust baths while she's healing?
They've never had a fight like this and i've had them for 4 years.

Dandelion Drop Treats

My girlfriend wants to treat our chinchilla to something special but I am worried about how chin safe these treats are. Can I get some opinions on these as a treat for safety?

Hello from FL!

Hi all! Just wanted to introduce myself and my boys!

I've been a chinny owner since October 2013 but only just got a CnH account upon discovering how informative and helpful everyone is!

I have two boys, Mojo Jojo (Mojo) and Elisha (Eli); named after the evil monkey from the powerpuff girls and the New York Giants quarterback respectively :thumbsup:

Mojo is currently about 2.5 years old, I got him from Petco on October 16, 2013. I don't know his exact age but he was almost full grown when I got him so I estimated him to have been between 4 and 5 months old at the time. He is and always has been "my boy" and I love him to death. He's trained (go figure xD) and gives me kisses, jumps over my arm, and targets (touches) my hand when I ask him to! He's an all around love bug and I don't know what I would do without him.

Eli is only 3 months old and I just picked him up from the breeder yesterday. As he's brand new to my life, I know little about him and he's still settling in so I've just started the bonding process (which will be slow but rewarding I can tell!) He seems to be settling in nicely and has gone from barking every time I walk near the cage to being comfortable enough to take food from me with my hand in the cage (I've not made any attempts to grab him or touch him as I realize he's likely still very nervous and stressed and while I naturally want to cuddle him and love on him I want him to feel safe and comfortable more!) As of now I've just spent time talking to him and reading to him, as well as sitting by his cage with the door open (He's not come out of the cage and I wouldn't let him if he tried because he's still very young and he definitely wouldn't let me catch him yet) and letting him explore/get comfortable with me at his own pace. He seems like he'll be a fun, sweet little guy once he's settled in, and I'm excited to see him grow and develop!

Both guys are separated ATM, I'm waiting until I've got a strong enough bond with Eli that I can hold him and catch him when he's outside of the cage before I start the bonding process between the boys, but fingers crossed that when the time comes all goes well and they get along!

I've attached photos of both of them as well!

Mojo is the standard grey and Eli is the mosaic ^^ (Included a photo of Mojo's set up as well as I just managed to get it the way I want it-well, almost. I've still got a wooden ladder and hanging tube on the way but it's almost done;))

~Hannah:)

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