Hay Holder/Feeder?

Hay guys (and the puns already start :crazy:)!

We recently ordered a bass equipment feeder and long story short it won't work, so does anyone have any recommendations for good hay holders/feeders?

Chinchilla eating very little, skin and bones, sleepy a lot.

My chinchilla, Toby, is very thin. I can feel all his bones. He has mild diarrhea, better than it was, but still diarrhea. He seems tired a lot. He keeps chewing at his teeth when he sits around, or maybe grinding them, but nobody sees anything wrong with his teeth. He has been sleeping in my lap all day.

I have been making sure every day that he eats. I put food to his face and wait until he eats, and I don't put him back in his cage until he has finished. I watch him drink his water, and he does drink it.

He keeps trying to find warm places to lay. I think he's leaving me. I am very sad, and don't know what is wrong.

I fed him some pumpkin. I read that it helps with severe diarrhea. All he will eat from me is his food watered down, anything mashed like banana, sweet potato, squash, pumpkin, etc, and he will eat hummus. He won't eat hard foods, but he will take a cuttlebone and chew that.

He's just been laying in my lap. I'll put him on the couch to let him run around, and he will just crawl sadly back over to the end of the couch and reach out for my computer chair, so I hold my hands out, he jumps to me, and then curls up in a blanket on my lap. I feel so sad for this little guy. I have a vet appointment in a few days, but I need to do something to help him in the meantime...What can I do? And what do you think is wrong??

I was told it could be giardia, which luckily has antibiotics as treatment, but I still am wondering if maybe it is something else.. He seems so weak.

He also has blisters on his ear, and my boyfriend told me that my other chinchilla was chewing his ear. I don't know what is going on, and I'm scared. I love him so much.
:(

Belated Christmas pics + update (microphthalmia chin, for those who haven't seen one)

Hi, here's some late Christmas pics of my lot, Henry (standard), Anna Maria (black velvet) and no-longer-so-little Charlotte (standard)! Linking to the Photobucket album directly because it drives me mad faffing around shrinking them:
http://ift.tt/2kNSrw3

As you can see in my pics of Charlotte (now one year old, will be two at end of June), she was born with microphthalmia (her mum was pregnant when I got her), very small, not fully developed eyes, with cataract on one. The other eye unfortunately doesn't stay open at all (vet said it's too small so not enough pressure to keep it open) and was initially prone to infection, but has seemed Ok for some time now so fingers crossed. She is most likely fully or almost entirely blind, but gets around very well, the only difference that's really noticeable is that she's easier to catch and can get disorientated in new areas. She's an odd chin, a character, it's hard to tell with chins because they're usually bats anyway and she's only my third and each differ in their own way, but I have wondered if there's something else going on with her, it's hard to pinpoint and maybe it's actually just she moves subtly differently because of her vision, but she seems a bit 'off', but happy with it. Maybe it's that she lives with her mum but she still seems like a baby sometimes - I caught her trying to fit upside down underneath Anna Maria the other day like she did when she was tiny, which didn't work very well! If she finds something fun, popping in and out of the cardboard castle, climbing up me as she's just learnt to do, she tends to want to do it again, and again, and again. :confused1: Henry can be pretty focused on a toy but he wouldn't have the attention span and is just too nosy to stay put - it can look oddly repetitive by what I'd considered usual chin standards (haha, probably there is no such thing, all of mine are nutty in individual ways), though maybe her vision issue encourages her to stick with what's in front of her or has already worked out is there rather than venture off to search for other amusement. All three enjoyed Christmas but she was utterly thrilled.

She has beautiful fur now she's an adult, your hand just bounces off it (she is from show lines though obvs will never be bred), but while basically friendly tends to grumble at me if I touch her now, not sure all the treatment for eye infections as a baby helped get her used to handling.

Specific nutritional specs questions

What exactly makes a pellet a good quality for a chin? What makes it a bad pellet for them? (Other then the basic no extras, fruit, veggies, seed, nut etc) What key nutrients are needed and what percentages are required? What can make a specific rabbit food safe for chins, but others not.
That whole kinda thing...

and

How about the hay? What are the nutritional requirments from hay? What is the nutritional difference between the hays (and non nutritional)?

Hello from a new chin momma and her boys!

Hello, my name's Typhani (pronounced "Tiffany" if you were wondering.). I've been a new chin momma for a little over two weeks now, and I just got my second chin baby a few short days ago. My boys are Daryl (standard fur, unknown age) and Merle ("white" fur, 3 months old). I'm loving my boys so much and I'm happy I got them! I'm still working on getting everything perfect for them, but they're perfectly happy for now. I joined this forum just to have someone there just in case I would have any questions about anything. :thumbsup:

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Wondering if these pellets have lost nutritional value

Hello,

When we first got our chinchillas, I didn't do as much research as I should have about how long pellets last, so I stocked up on Mazuri. I got a 25 lb bag when we got the chins in late October, but (because we had other bags of Mazuri) didn't get to it until around mid-December.

The only date I can find on the bag says "OCT05163" at the bottom, which I assume means the mill date is October 5, 2016 (not sure why the 3 is there).

I've read that food retains it's nutritional value until 6 months passed the mill date, meaning this food would be ok through the end of March. However, again because I didn't do enough research, instead of putting the 25 lb bag in an air-tight container, I rolled up the bag and put a plastic clip on it. The clipped bag remained in the box it was delivered in, but the box remained open. So even though the food was technically in a closed, rolled up and clipped bag, I guess I can't say it was exactly air tight. I'd say it was like this for a month and a half. I just put it into an airtight container.

My question is, do you think that that month and a half or so of just being rolled up and clipped could have caused it to lose it's nutritional value, or would it be ok for me to use up the rest of this bag (as long as it doesn't last past the end of March)? I'd like to not waste this food if possible, but will buy new food if their nutrition is compromised (and I will definitely not buy such big amounts in the future)

Clenched paws and running in circles

My almost 6 month old chinchilla started acting a little weird last night.. it lasted for maybe 5 minutes but felt like forever. He seemed to have a cramp in one of his front paws.. he held it in close to him and was standing a bit but hunched over.. he then laid on the floor.. his front paws still looked to not be okay..he was shaking a little bit and then he started running in circles and then would lie down. He let us pick him up without a fight and stayed very still while I held him.. then he jumped out of my arms pretty quickly but didn't seem to be running right.. he hid in one of his hiding spots for a few minutes with us watching and then seemed to be okay. He's been moving and eating fine since.. any ideas of what might have happened

Housing two pregnant females together?

I am a breeder of 10 years now but i've never fell into this situation before.
I get another female and decided I would try the two females to a male (I usually just stick to breeding pairs). After a long introduction, they all get along great other than the small squabbles over who gets to drink first lol. The two females are both dominate, though one slightly more than the other and my male is probably the most passive male on the planet. The two girls are always snuggled together and when scared, they run to each other so they have bonded really good.
The issue is, can they stay together during and after birth? Or will they harm each others babies? I have plenty of cage space but I don't want to have to pull them apart unless it's dangerous. Pulling the male away is easy, neither really care if he's there or gone lol.
Does anyone have any insight on this? Thank you :)

Exotic nutrition

The site Exotic Nutrition sells treats like dried hybiscus and goji berries for chins? are they safe ? Also dried marigolds are they safe?

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Critter nation

Can critter/ ferret nation be expanded wide and tall or just tall? I want my chin Totoro to have more room toys and fun

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Questions about food and water

Sorry if this has been answered somewhere already. I am adopting two chins in feb when I get back from Mexico and just want to make sure I have everything all ready for them.

I've read lots that tap water isn't safe for them (if I won't drink it I don't expect my animals to) is water filtered from a Brita ok? Or am I better off using ro or distilled water? Do they need the minerals in water that would be missing in distilled?

Also wondering wich food is typically best, oxbow or mazuri? There is a store near by that sells oxbow, or I could order mazuri online.

Thanks so much for the help.

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Need some advice.

Hi everyone,

I have two female chinchillas that are sisters, i've had them since they were 3 months old and they're now 5 years old. A few months ago they had a huge fight and blood was drawn so I separated them. They seem very lonely and depressed since this incident and I was wondering about getting them companions. They will hopefully live for many more years and I don't like the thought of them being alone forever :(

I've heard it's best to get young males for them that are neutered or to get them neutered myself, does anyone have any further thoughts or advice on this?

Hidden Dangers in Chinchilla Food

Dear Chinchilla Owners,

As you know, or may not know, alfalfa is extremely high in calcium. Calcium, in high levels, can often result in your chinchilla forming a stone within his/her bladder- commonly referred to as a bladder-stone, uncommonly referred to as cystolithiasis. When a chinchilla is subject to bladder-stone(s) his/her health can rapidly decline. Preventative actions are the best way to prevent this health hazard, of which can be cause for expiration of your chinchilla, or other major health concerns resulting from an untreated bladder-stone.

One of my two chinchillas, Clarence, recently underwent bladder-stone removal surgery, otherwise known as cystostomy. The aforementioned procedure involves a small incision into the abdomen, and then another to enter the bladder. Upon removal of the stone, the bladder is closed, most commonly by using a "rolling" technique so as to reduce a possible reopening of the bladder, and also prevent other risks associated with a bladder-stone removal procedure. The incision is then closed by means of a tissue adhesive - which prevents infections, reopening of the incision, and allows for the tissue to heal at a normal pace. Along with tissue adhesive, staples are often used in conjunction, this to ensure the wound does not become opened under stress and movement.

The main source of alfalfa for my chinchillas was their food, Oxbow Essentials Pellets. This food, despite being the best that I knew of, had alfalfa listed as its first, and therefore, most abundant ingredient. I slowly weaned my chinchillas from this food by beginning at a 50/50 dilution of new and old food, and then increasing the amount of new food by ten percent every five days. You do not want to remove calcium entirely from your chinchilla(s) diet, so you will want to provide them with small amounts by means of chew toys, treats, food, and/or ledges made of calcium.

Though the procedure my chinchilla underwent was a success, many chinchilla owners lose their chinchilla due to surgery complications, the bladder-stone(s) being too advanced and spreading into the urinary tract, the chinchilla unable to awaken from the anesthesia, and other risks. It is best to avoid this sort of medical emergency as quickly as possible. This post is meant to be an informative post to advise you of the possible risks associated with providing a chinchilla foods/treats/etc. that contain high concentrations of calcium and/or ingredients that are high in calcium. Please feel free to add any sort of input you feel could be useful to the members reading this post. If you would like to share with us your chinchilla surgery stories, I would enjoy reading them. But, I do not want to become depressed due to the loss of your loved, little chinchillas, so please no details on the deaths. I am in no way trying to be offensive, but it breaks my heart to read about the loss of a chinchilla, because I know personally the attachments and bonding that takes place between us and our animals.

My chinchilla procedure story:

http://ift.tt/2kBKf59



Best Regards,

Sleeis

The Dangers of Alfalfa

Dear Chinchilla Owners,

As you know, or may not know, alfalfa is extremely high in calcium. Calcium, in high levels, can often result in your chinchilla forming a stone within his/her bladder- commonly referred to as a bladder-stone, uncommonly referred to as cystolithiasis. When a chinchilla is subject to bladder-stone(s) his/her health can rapidly decline. Preventative actions are the best way to prevent this health hazard, of which can be cause for expiration of your chinchilla, or other major health concerns resulting from an untreated bladder-stone.

One of my two chinchillas, Clarence, recently underwent bladder-stone removal surgery, otherwise known as cystostomy. The aforementioned procedure involves a small incision into the abdomen, and then another to enter the bladder. Upon removal of the stone, the bladder is closed, most commonly by using a "rolling" technique so as to reduce a possible reopening of the bladder, and also prevent other risks associated with a bladder-stone removal procedure. The incision is then closed by means of a tissue adhesive - which prevents infections, reopening of the incision, and allows for the tissue to heal at a normal pace. Along with tissue adhesive, staples are often used in conjunction, this to ensure the wound does not become opened under stress and movement.

The main source of alfalfa for my chinchillas was their food, Oxbow Essentials Pellets. This food, despite being the best that I knew of, had alfalfa listed as its first, and therefore, most abundant ingredient. I slowly weaned my chinchillas from this food by beginning at a 50/50 dilution of new and old food, and then increasing the amount of new food by ten percent every five days. You do not want to remove calcium entirely from your chinchilla(s) diet, so you will want to provide them with small amounts by means of chew toys, treats, food, and/or ledges made of calcium.

Though the procedure my chinchilla underwent was a success, many chinchilla owners lose their chinchilla due to surgery complications, the bladder-stone(s) being too advanced and spreading into the urinary tract, the chinchilla unable to awaken from the anesthesia, and other risks. It is best to avoid this sort of medical emergency as quickly as possible. This post is meant to be an informative post to advise you of the possible risks associated with providing a chinchilla foods/treats/etc. that contain high concentrations of calcium and/or ingredients that are high in calcium. Please feel free to add any sort of input you feel could be useful to the members reading this post. If you would like to share with us your chinchilla surgery stories, I would enjoy reading them. But, I do not want to become depressed due to the loss of your loved, little chinchillas, so please no details on the deaths. I am in no way trying to be offensive, but it breaks my heart to read about the loss of a chinchilla, because I know personally the attachments and bonding that takes place between us and our animals.

My chinchilla procedure story:

http://ift.tt/2kBKf59



Best Regards,

Sleeis

Sleepy chin

This is a first for me, at least with my current chin. I scooped Diablo upfrom one of his platforms, as I often do, and usually I will get to hold him for a brief moment. Today, however, he decided to nuzzle up right under my chin and take a nap. It's the cutest thing.

Fleece measurements for bass pans

I just ordered 2 pans from bass Equipment and i want to buy fleece liners for them before they get here. What size are the liners for the 3" tall pans?

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Please help!

Hi, guy,

I haven't been a chinchilla owner long (about a year), and I'm having problems introducing two chinchillas. My older chin is Jimmy, who's about a year old. I was worried that he wasn't getting enough affection/exercise, so I decided to take the risk of introducing a second (male) chin. Rocket is about 3-4 months old.

Before introducing the two of them, I did a lot of research about how difficult it can be to pair chinchillas, and I did everything I could think of to make it easier. I was about to buy Jimmy a new cage anyway, so I ordered the Critter Nation two-level cage, thinking it would be best to start fresh, so the whole thing didn't smell like Jimmy. I brought Rocket home in a small cat-size carrier, and left it outside Jimmy's old cage for a bit so they could get used to each other's smells. Right away, I saw positive signs: there was no hissing or urinating-- in fact, both chins went to sleep next to each other, in their respective cages.

After a couple of days, I moved the chins into the two-level cage (which is currently separated, so they cannot move from one half to another). I regularly switch them, so both cages smell like both chins. I then made a few attempts to introduce them in a neutral location: a bathroom where I had set out a dust bath and a few hidey holes.

From what I've read, I expected that Jimmy (the older, most established chinchilla) would dominate and push around poor little Rocket, and I'd have to work on that. What I did not expect, however, was for it to be the other way around. Rocket is dominant, and he scares the bejeezus out of Jimmy. Each time I attempt playtime, it starts out fine: they mostly ignore each other, with maybe a little bit of chasing. Then there's a quick, short skirmish, and Jimmy is missing a patch of hair. Rocket tends to pick up the clump of hair and gnaw at it for a minute, giving him a really creepy Hannibal Lector vibe.

No blood has been drawn, and I wouldn't even say there's been a single serious fight. I haven't owned chins that long, but from my perspective it seems like Rocket REALLY wants to play rough, and Jimmy thinks, "Oh, that could be cool," and as soon as Rocket starts to chase him he panics and releases a chunk of hair and climbs up my body to escape Rocket.

Everything I've read online suggests I should start over with side-by-side cages, but both chins are established in the double-decker cage now, and I can't take it apart. I could bring Jimmy's old cage into the room with the Critter Nation cage, and set them up side by side, but is that too jarring for Jimmy, now that he's adjusted to the new cage? Should I keep attempting playtime, or separate them for an extended period?

Grrr... Midwest, Whhhhhy!?

So, I am currently building a new cage for a future rescue chinchilla ( You'll be seeing an introduction post about him next week ;) ) and when I received my brand new ferret nation, the door panel came damaged. I contacted Midwest and they agreed to send a replacement. It came today and I ripped the box open out of pure excitement to reveal... a critter nation door panel. :facepalm:

Thankfully, the breeder I'm getting the lil' guy from has an extra one I can use but I'm currently laughing very hard at what I received in the mail!

Youtuber's Chinchilla 'Situation'

(Hopefully this isn't in the wrong fourm, I didn't know where to put it exactly...!)

Recently, it has come to my attention that a very popular youtuber by the name of Wassabi Productions, or Roi, has purchased a young companion chin for his current female, Chi Chi. He has made 3 videos of his new addition so far.

The first video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvIkF42X8m0&t=426s ) basically introduces her. The first mistake I see is that he actually put the kit in with the other 2 year old chin, before even taking the necessary steps to ease them into the introduction, causing the start of a dispute. They quickly separate them.

The second video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mLOtPbb9o4&t=571s ), Roi finally does a bit more research and buys a separate cage to use for the time being during the bonding period. They still have not bonded and Chi Chi attempts to bite Bun Bun through the cage bars.

The third video, and hopefully not the last one of this beautiful little girl, ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2wrKVU9SJE&t=598s ) he is following the right path by having their cages side by side and letting them get used to each other's scents through dust baths and fleece beds. However, he starts to lose hope. He explains that he will wait until the next Friday (this upcoming Friday!) for him to start noticing hope for the pair but if it doesn't work out he will have to "take the next step". I start to get very worried when he starts to talk about the old chinchilla farm and how he is sure that Bun Bun has many best friends back there.

I don't know much about pairing, as the chins I have had all were aggressive towards other chins and were kept individually, but I know that he needs to gather more research before he considers taking her back. Does he know that it can take much longer than 2 weeks? I read somewhere on here that someone's chins took 3 months to bond! Also, Chi Chi has lived her entire life has an individual, so this is pretty new for her.

What are your thoughts on this? I'm going to comment a link to this fourm on his video. While it's a long shot, maybe-just maybe, he will see it and get the support he needs for this scenario.

Chinchilla suddenly became aggressive

Hi all, I've had my male chinchilla two years now. A few months ago (4 or 5) I adopted another male who is about ten. My younger guy is being incredibly aggressive towards me and other people. He's completely fine with the other male (they regularly have playtime but don't yet share cages). The younger chin lunges, bites and chatters his teeth whenever I go near him. The only thing I can think of is that he is angry at me for giving him some eye drops the vet prescribed. Any help with this would be amazing, I just want my Oaks to keep attacking me :(

Chin not drinking much water

Ever since I brought home my chin (11 weeks old) a week ago, I've been noticing that she consistently only drinks at most 1oz/day (most of the time, less than 1oz). I don't think she pees much as well. Her "fresh" poops are not very moist and turn hard very quickly like dried pellets. I am very worried about dehydration or possibly other illness. Please advice on how I can get her to drink more!

Also The first few days after bringing her home, she seemed to be more curious, energetic and interacting more with me, but now she seems to be more easily scared and hides back to her hideout more frequently. She would still comes to me when I hand her fresh hays or toys, but I am feeling that our bonding is going backward. Should I bring her to a vet? I've been worried about her non-stop.

Free - Chin cage and supplies, Richmond, Virginia

The last of my elderly chins passed away last week - Biscuit was 17 or so, and still had a considerable amount of energy up til the end. For my family, it's time to take a rest from chinchilla ownership (after 23 years), so I'm looking to offload my equipment to a good home.

I have a variety of supplies, most of it from Whimsy's Menagerie, and would like to give them to someone in the Richmond region who can use them. Whoever makes (and keeps) a meeeting with me first can have them! I'd prefer it if someone was willing to take all or most of this in one go rather than cherry picking, please.

Items:
SuperPets cage - similar to this one, but no wheels and half as tall: http://ift.tt/2kgKJdx
Lixit 16oz glass water bottle
small pet carrier
2 ceramic food bowls, 2 small ceramic treat bowls
2 CageShelves - 12" lounging ledges (Whimsy)
1 CageShelves - lookout ledge (Whimsy) (see: http://ift.tt/2k1i1QE)
2 PVC pipe attachments for cage
1 half pipe attachment for cage
1 bag assorted oven-dried wooden sticks
2 fleece animal houses
2 mostly full jars of blue beauty dust
1 bag of Critical Care, mostly unused
hay and large rubbermaid container for hay
assorted other items, like pumice stones and tins for pellet storage

Feel free to contact me at ellen DOT chapman AT gmail DOT com to arrange something. I will probably find alternate arrangements if I don't hear anything in a couple of weeks. I live in Jackson Ward and can be flexible about pickup time.
Thanks!
Ellen

Urine stain on fur

Hi. I am a new chin mom for about a week. A few days ago, I decided to switch to fleece lining when I got the FN cage (I used aspen shaving before in a smaller cage when I first got Candy). Very quickly, I started smelling urine from the cage and recently on Candy as well. Then last night, I noticed that she's got something that looks like urine stain on her bottom part (yellow/orangish color) when she stood up. She also licks that area occasionally. I am hoping it's just simple urine stain (she is not pottery trained yet and is only 11 weeks old), but I am concerned about the fact that she smells a bit (again, could be b/c of urine on her). She still eats and plays. Should I be concerned about possible urinary tract infection/kidney stone, etc.? How can I get rid of the stain on her fur? She's so young and new and we are just beginning to bond so she wouldn't let me pet her much, let alone hold her (it's very hard to catch her w/t scaring her off too) so it may be hard for me to wipe it off her. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Neutering and weight!

Hello everybody! Awhile ago I was looking into neutering my male chinchillas and I swear I came across a thread that said how much a chinchilla should weigh before they're neutered but I can't seem to find it. Do you guys know how much they're supposed to weigh?
Also I was hoping I could find approximate healthy weights for chinchillas at different age marks. If you know either of things your input would be greatly appreciated!

Willow is itching his arms and face?

Hello,

I have had Willow for about 6 years now, and he has never had any issues at all, but today I noticed he was itching pretty badly. He is itching his arms, palms of his paws, feet, genital area, and rubbing his face on his shelves. Nothing has changed at all, as far as food, bedding, dust, environment. I'm wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone, is the air too dry? Do I need a humidifier? Does it sound like mites? This just started today, I keep a close eye on him.

Thank you,

Kate

Chins in NJ!

Looking for a chinchilla in the New Jersey area thanks!


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Advice on new food

Hey all, we are thinking of ordering new food to Israel (we don't got any good chin food here)... Any chance u can tell me if this composition is good?


Gravo

Composition:
dehydrated alfalfa meal, flax fibers, barley, beet pulp, maize gluten feed, palm kernel meal, maizemash, cane molasses, linseed expeller, rape seed extracted, St. John's bread, shell grit, lignobond, lecithin
analytical constituents/kg
crude protein 11,7 %, crude fat 3,6 %, crude fiber 19,2 %, crude ash 9,9 %, calcium 13,41 g, phosphorus 4,75 g, sodium 4,34 g
Addition/kg Vitamins
3a672a Vitamin(e) A 15996 IE, E671 Vitamin(e) D3 1635 IE, E300 Vitamin(e) C 7 mg, 3a700 Vitamin(e) E 84 mg
Addition/kg Traces
E4 copper (Cu-chelate of glycine hydrate) 26 mg, E4 copper (Cu(ll) sulfate pentahydrate) 2 mg, E6 zinc (Zn-chelate of glycine hydrate) 107 mg, E6 zinc (Zn-oxide) 10 mg, E5 manganese (Mn-chelate of glycine hydrate) 38 mg, E5 manganese (Mn(II)-oxide) 8 mg, E1 iron (Fe-sulphate, monohydrate) 107 mg, E3b304 cobalt (coated granules cobalt(II)carbonate) 1 mg, iodine (calcium iodate anhydrous 3b202) 2 mg, E8 Selenium (Se-organic CNCM 1-3399 no. 3b8.12) 0.28 mg, E8 Selenium (sodiium selenite) 0.01 mg

Chinchillas in the New Jersey area

I am looking for a chinchilla! Message me if you have one for sale in New Jersey


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Meet Kuzco and Kronk

Hi, I have been a proud chin daddy since september, and they are now nearly a year old. I have chosen then names because of my wife's love for disney and since the cartoon happens in the Andes...Anyway, Kuzco is the beige one, he is the dominant of the two, the most confident at exploring and jumping and interacting, he likes to forage and solve puzzles. Kronk is the pink white one, he is a bit more shy and cautious as his brother and prefers to chew rather than forage/figuring things out. When it comes to healthy treats, he prefers flowers to anything else (I called him flower boy once, he didn't seem impressed...lol). They have a big double critter nation, where most platforms and the fleecy tunnels and fleece covers where made by myself and my wife. They are fed with Rosewood's naturals meadow menu (no grains, just grasses and plants) and Burgess timothy hay with 1% dried dandelion and marigold flowers. They love to chew, in fact toys rarely last more than 3 days...Kuzco has an eye complaint, vet has done tests and ruled out malo, we think it's a genetic thing as the cheek hair on that side grow longer than the other and get in his eye, which he then scratches. Thou once he scratched the hair out it will look sore to start with then look better until the **** hair grow again. The vet said there's nothing we can do, and is not life threatening, all we can do is give him some eye lube when it looks sore (thou that's easier said than done...). That doesn't seem to bother him too much thou as he is full of life.

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i dont know if my chin is happy or not.

hi, so I've had my chin (chilli) for a little over a year now and i just want someone's opinion on if i have been looking after him correctly because I've sort of been winging that.
its hard to tell if he's happy or not because he's so cute all of the time.
ill put it in bullet points so it's easier for everyone:

pros (i think)
- he wants me to scratch his belly, chest and neck 99% of the time (unless i accidentally scare him or something) and when i do, he makes the happiest face in the world.
- he almost never hides.
-he likes to sniff my nose and nibble at my eyelashes lol
- he will happily ride around in my shirt if i fold it upwards from the bottom, kind of like a kangaroo's pouch.
-he seems to stop pooping whenever he is being held/ carried.
- he seems to have no specific reaction towards cats- just kind of ignores them. he let my cat (who is too innocent and stupid to even kill a fly) sniff noses with him.
- he responds to a *pat pat* on the floor which means "come here!" and he does, most of the time.
-i keep him in a chilly basement almost 24/7.


cons (i think)
- he used to be comfortable crawling out from his cage and onto my hands but now all he does is sniff and nibble at them and sit there.
- i put him in a ball *(the death ball) a few times without knowing they actually hate being in them and that it's bad for their spine/fur/temperature.
-he still doesn't like being picked up.
-on fridays, i carefully move him to his secondary cage at my house for the weekend. (i live at my boyfriend's house sun-thurs and my own house fri-sat.) I'm still with him the whole time, but im not sure if driving 30 minutes on fridays and sundays is bad for him or not. he seems to stay very calm on the ride though, and only gets a bit jumpy and excited when we arrive.
-i have almost no space for him to hop around (out of his cage, excluding his wheel) during the weekdays. do i need to take him out every day? he's got plenty of running space on the weekends, but there he doesn't have a wheel (partly because im broke, partly because his cage is right next to my bed and i would never be able to sleep with all of that noise)
-he's got a big 2 story cage at his weekday house, but only a 1 story at his weekend one. its quite large anyway though.
-whenever i pass by his cage he goes right to the latch and stands up, looking at me. does that mean he feels trapped?

i cant really think of any more right now but the things i listed- are they all normal? does he sound happy? what should i do to further bond with him so i will be able to pick him up?

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my chin sleeps on TOP of his wheel?????

its pretty much the funniest thing ive ever seen him do. it does not look comfortable at all. i just want to know if other chins sleep like this too and why???? :)

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Frequency of cancer and abnormal growth in genital region

Hi, a question. I have a 6 yr old grey female chinchilla with an abnormal growth in her genital region. It's been looked at by a vet and it could be a skin tag, tumor, or cancerous growth. Honestly, I think I noticed something a while back and thought, "I don't remember chinchilla genitals looking like that" but thought nothing of it as it was small and seemed to fit in.
As she's irritating it (appears to have gnawed at it), it'll need to be removed if the chance of prognosis is decent.

So. What is the rate of cancer in chinchillas?
Non-cancerous tumors?
Skin tags?

Feel free to share any relevant/related experience!

Our chin is very sick

Dear friends, for last few days we are having the battle for life or death with out loving chinchilla.

Is there anything we can do to help her.

It' female chinchilla six years old, saved from a chinchilla farm. She is with us since then and never had any healt issues till now.

We have notice that she is getting big under her neck and front legs, at first we thougt it is fat because she is eating much but it seems that it is not.

Also we noticed that she is not peeing anything and also doing just a little poop.

We took her to vet, but all vets we have here have no experience with chins, they do an x-ray and said that she has enlarged heart and edema in neck area with suspicious in liquidotorax.

They threat her with edemid 40 mg, two times daily 1/8 of the pill.

You can see an x-ray picture in the attachment.

Attached Images

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Barking in the middle of the night?

My 4 month old male chin barked for the first time in the middle of the night. I had never heard him make the sound before so it really scared me, the high pitched squeaky and loud noises. He stopped when we turned on the light, and I sat and watched him for a while. I added more food to his bowl and he hasn't barked since but I am wondering if he is upset? Maybe I did something wrong? He should have been cool enough, plenty of water, clean bedding, the only thing i noticed is he managed to cover all of his food with hay, so I made more of it visible to him. Is this an issue? I am wondering what the barking means, since he has not made this sound and I have had him for nearly a month now. I am hoping he is not in pain or upset, but I really don't know what that was. Any comments would be appreciated! Thank you!

Greetings from new chin Mom

Hi. My name is Winnie. I am a new chin Mom for less than a week but already loving my baby girl, Candy, so much! She's 11 weeks old and is the sweetest and cutest little chinchilla!

Lots of questions!

Where s a good place to get chinchilla toys and other chinchilla supplies? I have found that Petco and PetSmart really don t have that much of a selection.

Can you use regular popsicle sticks to make DIY chinchilla toys?

Is there any other chinchilla advice you can give a new owner I will be picking up my adopted chinchilla this Thursday?

Hello from me and my zoo family

Hi, my name is Becky. I am hoping to get into this forum thing. I live with my fiance. We have 3 chinchillas, and 1 hedgehog, also a few animals. We only have 1 usual pet of a dog, then have 3 snakes, 2 geckos, 2 axolotls ( just laid eggs and be having lots more) and a bunny. That is my hello and hoping to get use using this.

Weening off critical care

I have a 4 year old chin who couldnt close his mouth due to elongated molars. He went in twice over 2 weeks to get them trimmed. His last trimming was last wednesday. He has been on critical care and meloxicam since his trimming. He loves the critcal care but im having trouble having him switch to pellets (hard or softened) or hay. Ive been trying to transition from critical care to my own mixture of finely ground pellets/timothy hay/botanical hay/alfalfa hay. I can get him to eat a 50/50 mixture but he wont really touch anything else (wont touch 75 own mixture/25 critical care). Any suggestions? He'll eat the mixture either out of his cage off my hand or in a small dish in his cage.

Looking to buy 2 baby Chin's in MA area

Hey there, have a ferret nation cage, setup and looking to be used. Me and my partner would like to get 2 chins. (males from the same litter) Does anyone know of breeders within the MA area?

Grooming needs!

Hey guys. I was curious when it comes to grooming a chin. I know it doesn't stop at just giving them a dust bath. To keep the hair from getting all over the room how do you comb it out properly. Is there a specific comb? Been watching a lot of video's but want to know what you all think :). Thanks.

Would my chinchilla like a companion?

I have a four year old male chinchilla who has always been by himself. Would his life be better if he had a companion?

Fall from 3 ft

Hello everyone. I need some advice.

I was going to put my chin back in her cage and as was standing up (I was sitting on the floor) she moved suddenly and jumped out of my hands. She landed on her side and quickly got up and continued running (She fell from 1 meter/ 3 ft high or maybe a little less). She looks normal, when I put her in the cage she walked and jumped. I put her dust bath and she rolled and bathe in it and everything was normal. I also gave her a treat and she ate it normally. She is now sleeping.

I will obviously be keeping an eye on her but should I be worried or am I just being too paranoid?

Okay to eat loofah?

My two previous chins never cared for loofah. But my new chin, Ripley, wants to eat it. I cut her a small slice, but she doesn't seems to be shredding it. She thinks that it is a treat. She is only 5 months old, so I don't really want her eating it at all now. But is it okay when she gets older to let her eat it in small amounts? Thanks.

Help! Introduction of New Chin- going good or bad?

Hello. I was wondering if this is introduction is going well or not. I please do not want any replies. I am very nervous and I do not want any of my chins to get hurt and I am looking for advice. I have been in the process of introducing for 3 months. I have a female chinchilla Nala who is 2. I have had her for almost 2 years. Someone needed to re home a male chinchilla (Chewbacca , age 2) and I decided to take him in hopes to get Nala a buddy. I work at a Vet clinic and am going to have Chewbacca neutered if they get along. If they don't get along, I do not want to put him through that (unless as a last resort to see if that helps the introduction). I know how fast they can mate- but in this case they have not gotten close.
I quarantined Chewy for the first month then put their cages near each other, slowly putting them together until they are 6inches apart. They don't mind this at all. We will take them out every day and hold them letting them see each other (about 18inches away) for 10 seconds. Then we let one sniff each other butts, then put their butts together to form trust. They both do great with this. They only have an issue if their faces get close enough to where their whiskers touch. We have tried play time in a neutral area three times. Every time is about the same until the last one. Nala will occasionally spray Chewbacca then run away. She also would follow him around calmly and he was okay with that. Once he turned to follow her she started making noises (not a bark) briefly and would spray him and run around like crazy. The second time- same thing. Third time- no spraying but she would start to quickly chase/ run after him and he seemed to get annoyed and had some fur slip. After stopping this on and off twice, we stopped the third time once chewy started to make the annoyed sounds. There was no blood shed. I wasn't sure if this is a sign of it's not going to work, or if we should keep trying.
I do not want to have to get rid of one:/. Any advice would be appreciated!

Chin waving??

I just got my chinchilla two days ago. When I come to the cage and she really wants to get out she will wave her arms around excitedly. It is slightly adorable but I'm wondering if this is normal behavior? It looks like she is trying to flag down a cab....thoughts????

Dead grasshopper in hay

I found a dead squished grass hopper in my hay. I'm already half way through the box. Is it safe to continue giving to my chinchillas? I'm thinking it's not a big deal, but would like some opinions before giving anymore of the hay to my chins. Thank you.

The CareFresh/Aspen/PetCo Softwood Fiasco

So my boyfriend and I took our 9 week old chin, Miles, for a vet appointment on Wednesday. Just to get him checked out, make sure his weight was good and to ask a few questions about how we're feeding him and stuff like that.

I told the vet I was using aspen bedding and she recommended Carefresh instead. She really insisted it over Aspen because of the dust Aspen creates. Carefresh scared me because of things I had read on these forums and other places online. Him eating it and it causing impaction where he could die was too much of a risk in my mind. But I didn't question the vet. I trust a doctor over my own paranoia :P

... Last night I go to PetCo after work, buy him Carefresh and head home. I lock him in the upper portion of his CritterNation cage and start to work on the bottom where his bedding is. Clean out all the bedding, wipe down his fleece, re-arrange his toys, put in some fresh hay. Excitedly, I let the ramp free so he can go explore his fresh new bottom level and the little bugger immediately runs down there grabs a piece of CareFresh and starts chomping on it. I watched him for a sec to see if he would really eat it and he was devouring it. I took it away from him, and all he did was run to another part of his cage and start eating it again.

This makes me nervous... I call the vet. I ask if it's OK if he's eating the CareFresh (I already know from my research that is it NOT OK - but I am curious if she'll be the stubborn kind of doctor that always has to be right or if she'd reconsider her recommendation) right away she said, 'No, we really don't want him eating that. You're definitely going to want to take it out if he's eating it because he might eat a lot while you're not there and we don't want to have to worry about him. I'm sorry to say this but you should just go back to using Aspen - but try to rearrange his cage so he's not sleeping in it'

I'm really impressed with the doctor and feel good that she's taking care of my animal. Without skipping a beat its back in the car, back to to Petco. I ask the Sales Associate for Aspen bedding but she brings me something that says it's made of 'Softwoods' I cannot see anywhere on the package what exactly the wood is but there is a picture of a chin on the label. It's called soPhresh. I think about it for a second... But tell the Associate, No that I really just want Aspen because I know for a fact that it's safe.

So I get home with my Aspen, remake his cage, and the little buddy is happy happy happy. Romping around and making his little chitter-squirrely noises. And then this little jerk (and I truly mean that in the most loving way possible) finds what must be the ONE morsel of CareFresh left in his cage and starts eating it. I can tell its CareFresh because I bought the bright blue one lol. And I grab it from him and throw it away. lol <3

I did some research today and I found out that SoPhresh, the softwood bedding that the Associate recommended to me, is made with Pine, Fir and Spruce - those woods are toxic to Chinchillas from what I understand?

I don't blame the Associate at the PetCo - she was probably about 18 years old and like her, when I see a picture of a Chinchilla on a label I'll assume it's a safe product for them to use. It concerns me that PetCo sells this bedding like that... I feel like I really narrowly dodged a bullet there, almost having to do his cage over THREE times instead of just two!!! lol... I did a google search and saw that the topic of the SoPhresh came up a few years ago on these forums, I find it concerning that someone else may buy it and it hurt their Chinchilla...

Anyway... That's my story of my chaotic Thursday night. :)

Here's some pics of his cage, all fresh right after I cleaned it. Feel free to criticize it if you'd like. He's a new addition to my life so I'm still in the process of buying him stuff, but I think I have the basics down pat :)

Bladder stones help

Hello

I was told by the vets yesterday that one of my chinchillas has a large bladder stone. My vet has given me the option of surgery or euthanasia. I really want him to have surgery as he is my baby and I don't want to loose him, however the vet said he would recommend having him PTS.

Please could anyone let me know if they have had a chinny with bladder stones and what happened to them?

Let me know if there is anything that I may have done wrong to have caused this?

Should I take him to see another vet? or a specialist? or should I not delay by waiting to see a specialist and get him operated on as soon as possible?

Any advice would be great as I am so heartbroken and upset and just want to do what is best for my boy. Many thanks

How cold can they handle/prepping for ice storm

Hello everybody. I am currently rushing to get back to college before a winter storm comes through my area. Everyone is saying there is a large chance of loss of power and talking about the last time it happened lasting a week. I have blankets and a very small generator for myself and my dog but I'm wondering if I need to do anything to prep the chins if that happens. It's going to be in the 30s and 20s over the next few days.

Hedgehog needs a good home.

I am considering giving my hedgehog to a an owner who knows about them and has taken care of them before. I love my hedgehog he's so cute and funny but he's very timid. I want the best for him. From VT

Chinchilla breeder around Houston, TX

I am looking for a reputable chinchilla breeder near Houston, TX to purchase my first chinchilla! Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Fur Loss

I adopted 2 chinchillas, Ben and Jerry, about a month ago. Ben is 4 and Jerry is 3, they have lived together the past 3 years.They have been getting along for the most part since the adoption. However, for the past couple days Jerry has been chasing Ben around during playtime and trying to hump him. This usually leads to some wrestling, never any serious fighting. Once this occurs I separate them into the top and bottom of their cage (feisty ferret). I have noticed Ben losing tufts of fur very frequently. I often find them in the cage and on myself after I play with him. After an episode of the chasing/ wrestling his fur looks as though he is priming with small patches sticking out. I think his back end is starting to look a little sparse. I am thinking the cause of all this fur loss is fur slip but it seems to occur very frequently. Is he losing the fur for another reason? Is there anything I can do to lessen the fur loss?

Ben also has had two spots of chewed fur on his flanks since adoption, these seem to be remaining about the same size.

Safe Wood

Hello guys!! i have been wanting to make ledges for my chin. I went to home depot and I didn't see any kiln dried wood, I searched online and only found this. If this wood is no Bueno, which wood can i purchase from Home Depot or Lowes? Do I need to prep the wood? I know I need to sand the edges down. I am new to this so any advice is appreciated, thanks in advance.

Double FN cages WITHOUT cutout pan??

I know there are tons of photo threads but I can't find too many who have a double unit without the middle cutout floor in. PLEASE share pics if you are using a cage without it!

Would anyone like these oats

Mrs. Wiggle Whiskers decided she is not interested in these. LOL she used to love opening these up. Just let me know your address if you think your furry(s) would like them.

Did Oxbow just change from a 5lbs bag to a 3lbs bag at the same price

I just bought a new bag of Oxbow in the new packaging. I still have the old bag at home the old bag is a 5lbs bag and the new bag was only 3 lbs. I thought it felt light. I am trying to find my old receipt to see how much the 5 lbs bag was but I am pretty sure it was the same price. Has anyone else boguht a bag was it 3 or 5 lbs. If this is true then Oxbo just drastically increased their price.

Bloody poop...HELP!

Hello, I adopted little raikou a few weeks back. Just think past Friday I noticed a little amount of brighter red in his stool. I was not to concerned as I know dark red is the biggest one to be worried about. I fed him some pumpkin and watched over him the next few days. I have not seen any more blood until last night. His poops are HUGE and he acts like he has a hard time pushing. I'm thinking he may have strained and maybe cut himself from pushing. He also, after he's done pooping, will wiggle his bum up and down on whatever surface he is sitting on. Maybe due to irritation? I will be picking up bene bac at some point but does anyone have advice or maybe their hedgie has done the same? I have only had him a few weeks and was not expecting a vet visit this soon. We have 3 big dogs and one of them is due for their last set of puppy shots. We cannot afford a bunch of vet bills so I was hoping this may be something I can handle? Thank you in advance!!! (Sorry for any spelling errors I am on my phone and this site is making it lag..)

Unexpected heat wave

Hello everyone, i am a proud father of a boy for about 4 months now, and a sudden heat wave got to where i live this past 4 days, going to almost 82-84 degrees! sadly my home can't have a normal AC installed, so while i look for a portable one to buy would one of those "diy air conditioners" made using a bucket, Styrofoam and a fan near his cage work?

I'm so worried these past days i didn't even go to work, meaning i can't get the money to buy a decent ac if this goes one :(

2 Female Chins in New Jersey

Hi everyone –

I have 2 healthy, bonded female chinchillas that I am sadly looking to rehome. With a new (human) baby arriving in April and my husband traveling frequently for work, I will no longer have enough time or energy to provide the care and attention that my fur babies deserve. See below for details about each chin (pictures attached).

CHIN #1 (“Chili”): 4 year old standard grey. Smart, curious, athletic, and playful. She enjoys exploring and showing off her acrobatic skills. Doesn’t mind being held and cuddled IF you can catch her first. She loves treats (shredded wheat, oats, flowers) and uses every adorable move in her book to beg for them!

CHIN #2 (“Mochi”): 3.5 year old white mosaic. Shy, goofy, and sweet. Favorite pastimes include running on the flying saucer wheel, people watching, exploring during playtime, and attempting acrobatic jumps (though her lack of coordination leads to hilarious blunders). She takes a while to warm up to new people, but oats are the way to her heart.

They will come with their two-story Ferret Nation cage, wood ledges, bass pan (upper level), flying saucer, Oxbow pellets and hay, as well as other miscellaneous supplies.

Location: North NJ (Bergen County)
Rehoming Fee: $50

Send me a message if you are interested or have any questions.

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New Chin Mama!

Hi! I am looking for a community to help me give my new (and first) chin the best home he can get! I am an experienced and long-time hamster, dog, cat, fish, and reptile mommy, but I have never had a chin. We are in Colorado, so it is nice and dry here. My chin's name is Bo, and he is about 5-6 months old. I only got him yesterday, but I have been researching and preparing his habitat for a few months. He seems to be a very sweet, energetic guy! He is long-tailed, and quite a bit darker than all the other chins I checked out. I understand that these guys can be high maintenance, and I am willing to give him everything a chinchilla could possibly want and more! I'd love any tips from veteran chin parents, and will probably be checking in often to make sure I am loving my guy as best as I can. Looking forward to becoming a chin mama and learning to care for these beautiful animals! Peace to all (:

Moist poop?!?!

Hello. I've had my chin since May and in the last day and a half I have noticed that his poop is more wet. It's not runny or diarrhea, but it's not the hard solid pellets that it usually is. I haven't changed his diet at all and he doesn't get treats. I feed him the fiesta mix pellets every day (2 tbs) and timothy hay once a day (at night). Is this something I should worry about or is there something I can give him/ change that would bring the poop back to normal?

Thanks!!

Food products

Hey all, we dont got much food products for chinchilla in israel...

what are your opinions on versa laga complete (pellets), we trying to bring it
to israel and i would like to have your opinions on it.

thanks in advance!

oren

My first chin sneezes a lot and wipes his nose

Is this unusual? I only got him today, and he seems to sneeze once every hour. This also might not be a sneeze, just a squeak that I don't understand yet? He also looks like he is wiping his nose with his paw, though he might be just brushing it or even scratching. I want to give this buddy the best life possible, and if something is going wrong from the start I'd love some advice! Thanks much!

Moist poop?

Hello. I've had my chin since May and in the last day and a half I have noticed that his poop is more wet. It's not runny or diarrhea, but it's not the hard solid pellets that it usually is. I haven't changed his diet at all and he doesn't get treats. I feed him the fiesta mix pellets every day (2 tbs) and timothy hay once a day (at night). Is this something I should worry about or is there something I can give him/ change that would bring the poop back to normal?

Thanks!!

AC stopped working

I don't think this is necessarily an emergency, because we're in NYC and it's 21 degrees outside and the heater in the bedroom (where the chins are) is off. The AC has been off since around 3 pm and it has stayed a pretty constant 59 degrees. However, I guess I'm concerned if the heat in the apt building (we have no control over the heat other than turning of the radiator in this room) gets so hot that the heat from the other rooms starts making its way through the walls/door to this room.

We have a window unit that we've been running at 62 degrees pretty much 24/7 for the last 2 and a half months. Last night it snowed, there is some snow piled on top of the part of the AC that is sticking out of the window. Around 2 pm or 3 pm I noticed the AC making a motor type clanging noise. I turned it off. It has been a while since we cleaned the filter, so I cleaned it (it was very dirty) and replaced it. I turned it back on, and it came on but was still making the noise, so I turned it off and figured I'd just give the AC a break since we have it running so often (we've only turned it off once before, for a couple days when it was so cooled it was unnecessary). Around 6:45 pm I tried to turn the AC back on. The lights come on, and it makes a kind of hum indicating it has power, and I can change the settings-- but the actual fan will not come on.

Has this happened to anyone else? I understand we used the AC heavily, but we just bought it this past summer. We did not have it running 24/7 until we got the chins, Dusty and Spike, about 2 1/2 months ago. Right now I'm just gonna wait and try again later I guess, and keep an eye on the temp. My roommate has a window unit, and I'm sure I could borrow it if it suddenly gets hot in here, but I would like to salvage this AC if possible. Anyone have any advice or experience with this? Thank you in advance.

How to get your chinchilla back in the cage consistently?

Hi all!

I am a proud new owner of a 4yo chinchilla named Monkey. He belonged to my cousin. She has had him since he was weaned so I imagine he was pretty attached to her. After she got a dog, she wasn't able to let him out much anymore so she wanted to give him to a good home.

He's been with me now for one week.

Lately he seems bored or depressed sometimes and I have real trouble getting him to go back into his cage...I'm not sure what to do.

I've been letting him out for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. I started by using treats to get him back in his cage at the end of a play session, which was working consistently at first.

A few days ago, at the end of a morning playtime session, he didn't respond to the promise of a treat when I offered one to get him back in his cage. And after that it seems like he doesn't much care about the treats anymore.
I've tried a few different things to get him back in, but he's really been resisting each time. The first time I lured him with a treat and then dropped a towel over him to pick him up and put him in the cage. The second time, I tried to grab him and he slipped out of my grasp. I realized right away how bad an idea that was, since he seemed pretty freaked out that I'd grabbed him and kinda chased him right after. :( The third time I offered a dust bath inside the cage and he went in happily. The fourth time he wouldn't go for the dust bath in the cage, so I gave it to him outside of the cage and then put the bath container in the cage with him in it. He was none-too-pleased about that method either and didn't finish the bath after finding himself in the cage.

I think I'm a terrible person for having grabbed him and for using these nefarious ways to land him back in his cage, but treats aren't working and I need to leave my apartment during the day. I'd really appreciate suggestions for other ways to entice him back into his cage at the end of playtime.

I've only had him a week and there are so many things that have happened that could cause issues. He seems depressed sometimes, stops playing and just sits under the bed in this one spot. When he's in his cage, sometimes he'll put his little paws on the cage side and look out at me longingly! He's doing that right now and I SO want to let him out even though it's not playtime!

He also has been chewing on things he shouldn't be (and probably eating some things he shouldn't be). I really have tried to cover everything but, being a new chinchilla owner, I just didn't realize some of the items - like a pair of scissors that he gnawed part of the plastic coating off of the handles. Oops. I put those away fast.
And, of course maybe he is still adjusting to his new home, missing my cousin, wondering if she'll ever return, mad at/afraid of me for grabbing at him, sick from eating scissor plastic,....or maybe it's just that I moved morning playtime one hour later when I realized 6:30am was too early for me! I'm worried but then he does seem okay sometimes and playing happily. He's eating fine, drinking water, pooping and peeing appropriately.

So, the point of this was to ask if there's a better way, a consistent way, to get him back in his cage? Or do I need to keep tricking him into it? Or maybe I shouldn't be doing morning playtime sessions, only evening?

Thank you

Hello!

Hello! I go by Cats, and I have two female chinchillas named Deborah and Scooter for about a year and a half now. I've been visiting this site since I began even thinking about getting a chinchilla and it's been very helpful ever since!!
Unfortunately, my two little ladies seem very intent on destroying everything they can get their tiny hands on, as well as trying to chew on my walls. I'm actually spackling their handiwork up right now. :'0 Baby proofing is apaprently not chinchilla-proof.
Anyways, I'm glad to finally be a member of this site!!

Itchy Chin & poofy tail

Hi, our 4 month old male chinchilla recently started behaving as though he is itchy. I saw him once rubbing up against the cage. He has no loss of fur, but lately has been obsessing over his tail. Can't tell if he is grooming or chewing it. Anyway, I've noticed that is it is constantly poofy, and not in its relaxed state. Otherwise, his appetite, poop and thirst is all normal. His responsiveness is normal too.

New Chin Behaviour Questions

Hi guys! I just want to start off by letting you all know that I have been reading your forums the past few weeks preparing for my new buddy to come live with me (Miles the Chinchilla!) I set up his cage and got all his food ready and was able to pick him up January 2nd (2 days ago) So thankyou so much for all that help, there's a lot of great info in these pages!

I have a few questions, and I'm probably just overly concerned... I want him to be happy. He's got a big double critter nation cage all to himself and lots of toys. He's a little over 8 weeks old. Even after just one day he already seems very comfortable coming over to me and crawling up on my hand, last night he made the most adorable little... squeaky-like baby noises as he snuggled into my hand as I pet him gently and he fell asleep... I stood there for 30 minutes at 1AM because I just couldn't bear it in my heart to walk away from him while he cuddled me like that. It was the most adorable thing I've ever had happen to me in my entire life. :heart:

Ok, I should get to my question... haha. I'm worried that he's lonely... I spend as much time as I can with him, but I do work at home and I am out at work during the day. During night time hours It seems to me like he watches me from his cage, and as soon as I walk over and interact with him (which I do as often as I can) he will play and bounce around, but when I walk away he seems pretty still. The first night he ran in his wheel a bit and jumped on his planks treating them like diving boards. But last night he didn't seem like he was wanting to entertain himself much, looked like he was just waiting for me. What are the best toys I can get him where he will be able to entertain himself a little better? Am I just worrying too much? I've only had him for 2 days so I'm still learning his normal behaviours and we're still getting used to each other.... I just don't want him to be sad when I'm not there :(

I am trying to get him used to being out of his cage so I can take him out more, but he seems to get very nervous if his cage is out of view. He seems most comfortable with me standing in front of the cage and crawling on me then jumping back into his cage when he feels like it and walking back up to me. I play with his toys with him and stuff.

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Here's a pic of my little buddy :)

Raising butt

We have a four month old chin that we adopted a couple weeks ago. We pet her in her cage. She constantly is raising her butt (while she is facing us) to have us scratch her bottom. She often squeaks (not squeals) and will let out a scent. She likes to be scratched all over and is pretty trusting of us to let us touch her anywhere.
Our other chins have never done this, but we rescued them as adults. We weren't sure if it was just simply a matter of her telling us where she likes to be scratched or something else. She doesn't seem particularly submissive otherwise. At what age is she ready to breed? (Not that we want to do that!)
Thanks.

Seizure in older chin

My 16 year old chin had a really scary seizure this morning. I found him writhing on the floor of his cage, twitching and thrashing. I honestly thought he had fallen and broke his spine because he had no use of his legs at all. I scooped him up and held him crying while I called my fiancé to come help me. After 5 min he was alert but not moving. After 10 he had sat up normally but was lethargic. I put him in a separate cage and by 20 min he was hoping around normally. He is willing to eat a raisin, dust bath, run on the wheel and eat hay, so appears to be functioning normally. It's like nothing happened.

I took him to the vet and he gave him a thorough check up. He said he's in great condition despite his age except for a heart murmur (he's had that for ~4 years I think). The vet said there's not a lot we can do that's not invasive and stressful for an old chin so he suggested waiting and seeing if he seizures again. I was reading about nutritional deficiencys etc causing seizures so I was wondering if maybe he needs supplements at his age? The vet said no, but I was curious what you members thought. I feed oxbow pellets and Tim hay with occasional raisins. I picked up some critical care in case he needs added nutrition.

I don't know I'm kinda of at a loss here , it came out of nowhere. :( and I'm worried and not sure what to do. Any advice?

what brand is this cage??

Hello everyone :)
Been keeping chins for many many years, only ever delt with many critter nation cages and a few ferret nation cages. There is a possibility that we will be adopting the chin n cage in the photo attached, i can not figure out what cage it is, its not far off the ground like a nation cage, different door latches and the doors have quite the gap up top. They have other pics but that was the best one, no where is it shown the brand and i guess they didnt know the brand either so i thought id ask some fellow chin owners if they have come across it

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Playful Biting?

My chinchilla has been biting my husband. A little background, Gizmo is 1 yr 4 mos, and we have had him since this October.

I do not understand our little guy. My husband will have his hand in Gizmo's cage petting him, and Gizmo is always really happy, climbing all over his arms, stretching forward so he can nibble on his glasses and face, cooing the entire time. But recently, and this has happened maybe 4 or 5 times, Gizmo has started cooing, and has latched onto my husband's arm with his teeth, and starts pulling hard on his skin. This last time, he almost made my husband bleed. Gizmo is not upset when he bites and tugs, he is actually cooing and looks so content and happy!

We are unsure if Gizmo is playing rough without realizing it? And why the pulling?

How much alfalfa for a young chin?

So from what I've read, some people seem to think feeding alfalfa is fine, some think it may lead to too much calcium/stones. Most seem to agree that it's at least ok to feed it to chins under a year old- but I'm not certain exactly how much a young chin should get.

Dusty and Spike are 6 and 7 months old (we've had them for 2.5 months). We've been giving them alfalfa cubes here and there, but they don't seem to "take" to them. They chew on them sometimes, but the cubes aren't exactly disappearing. I've just bought a bag of loose Oxbow alfalfa, and was wondering how much I should give? Would putting a small handful in each of the two hay feeders, mixed in with their timothy hay, each day be alright? Thank you!

Chin stopped pooping. New mom! Help!

I'm a new chin mom. I've only had her for about two months so I'm still new to everything and not sure if I'm just being a worry wart. But these past couple days my chin has been having a mixture of small dry poops and normal healthy ones. I've been wanting to get her checked out but with the holidays all of my nearby exotic vets have been closed and there are no openings until Saturday. She is still eating hay/pellets and drinking water normally. During play time she is still bouncing off walls. She's just slowed down pooping. And today it seems like she hasn't pooped at all! What is something I can do to help her before saturday?! I am so worried! Your help is appreciated thank you!!

Chinchilla cage alright?

Hello all, I am nearly done with my chins cage, but wanted to post a picture to ensure everything looks alright with all you experienced chinnie owners out there! All suggestions are appreaciated (those wire shelves will be filled in with tile and then covered with fleece)

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