Hi everyone! I work at a pet store, and we have a chinchilla who got an infection; she's taken all her antibiotics and is perfectly healthy now but her head is still tilted. The vet is not sure if this condition will ever get better or go away, so right now her options are to be adopted by someone who can care for her, or euthanization, as we don't have the space or resources to care for her long-term at the store; so I'm going to be adopting her as soon as she's cleared to go by the vet.
As far as her individual needs go, I'm going to be using a single-level rabbit cage for her, removing any shelves that she could potentially fall from and injure herself, as the head tilt affects her depth perception and ability to jump. I'm going to look for a hide/home with a wide opening and preferably a rounded, not flat, top, so she can get into it easily, but not on top of it. I've already seen how her food and water are placed in her cage at the store to be sure she can access them, and I'm going to be replicating the setup at home. The veterinarian she's been seeing so far for the infection/head tilt is certified to care for chinchillas, and I'm thinking it'd be best to just have them continue seeing her for whatever she might need, considering they already know her and her disability.
So here's where the questions start: I want to use a soft bedding for her, so that if she does accidentally fall over, she won't hurt herself. Would paper be soft enough, or should I use a fleece liner? One site I read recommended fleece for chinchillas with a head tilt. If I go with fleece, should I purchase liners, or make them myself?
As far as toys and exercise go, would it be safe to let her have a wheel? Would she be able to get into and out of it safely on her own? I'll be chinchilla-proofing my room so she can run around freely when I'm home to supervise her, but I'm not sure if she should have something in her cage with her for when I'm working. For chew toys, would loose ones on the floor be better, or ones that hang from the cage? I feel like with loose ones she could move them around if she needed, but she could also trip over them, whereas with hanging ones she may not be able to access them if they're placed poorly, but if she ran into them they wouldn't hurt her.
As far as dust baths, I'm assuming I'll have to help her get in and out of whatever container I end up using, and obviously supervise her. Is there any kind of container that would be better or worse for this? Should I have her bathe in the cage, or during her free-roam time; if she's bathing in the cage, should I leave the container in there even when it's empty, or only place it in for the baths, so she doesn't try and climb around it herself? For the cage itself, would the wire be alright, or should I try to soften it with something? I'm worried if she tried to jump she could hurt herself, or try to chew on the wire and end up injuring herself that way due to the head tilt.
I'm sorry if any of these questions seem silly but I want to be sure I can care for her properly with her disability. Please feel free to tell me if I'm worrying too much, or ESPECIALLY point out any issues the head tilt might cause that I've missed! I want this little girl to be as happy and healthy as possible, and I'm prepared to do whatever she needs.
As far as her individual needs go, I'm going to be using a single-level rabbit cage for her, removing any shelves that she could potentially fall from and injure herself, as the head tilt affects her depth perception and ability to jump. I'm going to look for a hide/home with a wide opening and preferably a rounded, not flat, top, so she can get into it easily, but not on top of it. I've already seen how her food and water are placed in her cage at the store to be sure she can access them, and I'm going to be replicating the setup at home. The veterinarian she's been seeing so far for the infection/head tilt is certified to care for chinchillas, and I'm thinking it'd be best to just have them continue seeing her for whatever she might need, considering they already know her and her disability.
So here's where the questions start: I want to use a soft bedding for her, so that if she does accidentally fall over, she won't hurt herself. Would paper be soft enough, or should I use a fleece liner? One site I read recommended fleece for chinchillas with a head tilt. If I go with fleece, should I purchase liners, or make them myself?
As far as toys and exercise go, would it be safe to let her have a wheel? Would she be able to get into and out of it safely on her own? I'll be chinchilla-proofing my room so she can run around freely when I'm home to supervise her, but I'm not sure if she should have something in her cage with her for when I'm working. For chew toys, would loose ones on the floor be better, or ones that hang from the cage? I feel like with loose ones she could move them around if she needed, but she could also trip over them, whereas with hanging ones she may not be able to access them if they're placed poorly, but if she ran into them they wouldn't hurt her.
As far as dust baths, I'm assuming I'll have to help her get in and out of whatever container I end up using, and obviously supervise her. Is there any kind of container that would be better or worse for this? Should I have her bathe in the cage, or during her free-roam time; if she's bathing in the cage, should I leave the container in there even when it's empty, or only place it in for the baths, so she doesn't try and climb around it herself? For the cage itself, would the wire be alright, or should I try to soften it with something? I'm worried if she tried to jump she could hurt herself, or try to chew on the wire and end up injuring herself that way due to the head tilt.
I'm sorry if any of these questions seem silly but I want to be sure I can care for her properly with her disability. Please feel free to tell me if I'm worrying too much, or ESPECIALLY point out any issues the head tilt might cause that I've missed! I want this little girl to be as happy and healthy as possible, and I'm prepared to do whatever she needs.
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