Squirt died! 😭😭😭😭

My Sullivan beige chinchilla Squirt died. He had a GI infection and was put on antibiotics but it didn’t work. I even had to feed him by syringe every 2 hrs because he stopped eating. I loved this little guy to no end!!! And I miss him terribly!! I am making a video and will put it on YouTube when I am done, if interested in watching it please let me know and I will give you the link. I would appreciate anyone who watches it to honor and celebrate Squirts life with me.

My other chinchilla Coal can tell that Squirt is gone and acts as though he misses him. So I am spending even more time with Coal now, which is causing a bigger bond between us. Coal could use prayers too because he has an enlarged heart and needs to be on meds the rest of his life.

Bonding with chinchillas

Hi there! I am new to the chinchilla world however I have previously owned two rabbits so I kind of understand some aspects. However, I have two male chinchillas who are father and son and are only 3 and 1 year old. I've had them for four or five months now and they somewhat are OK with me but they are really difficult to bond with, aren't too cuddly which I knew could be a possibility and run when I make even the slightest move. What can I do to kind of bond with them? They really don't give me many opportunities to try but I do.:hmm:

Male with Females and Neutering

So I currently have 2 female chinchillas (Elsa and Bella) housed together in a triple unit FN. I'm thinking about adding in a third chin which wouldn't happen until at least this fall or winter if I decide to do so. I was wondering about the possibilty of the potential third chinchilla being a male. If I did so I would want to have him neutered of course (not looking to breed). I tried doing some research on housing a male with females as well as some research on neutering. Most of what I found was to not house multiple males with females and as far as neutering some sites completely recommend against it and others make it out to not be a big deal. What are your thoughts on a male with 2 females and neutering?

Chinchilla ripped toenail off while playing

Hi everyone,

Last night my chinchilla somehow ripped her toenail off while she was out of her cage for playtime. I'm not sure how or why it happened, as I only noticed it when she jumped back in her cage after she was done. There's little bloody toe prints on the floor as well, so it's hard to determine when exactly it happened.

Anyway, she overall seems fine. The bleeding has stopped from last night and seems red and tender, but doesn't look infected. Her ears are her normal light pink and she isn't short of breath or showing signs of difficulty breathing. Right now she's been resting and hasn't been moving much, so I moved her food bowl up to where she's hanging out and moved her water bottle too. She's been drinking and eating and had a few sticks as well, so I don't think she's in too much pain. Last night I dabbed the toe with a warm, wet paper towel to get rid of the blood. Is there anything else I should do? I don't really have anything safe for her besides the bag balm I use on her feet.

Additionally, the reason why I think the toenail ripped off is due to our flooring. I live in a basement unit with my boyfriend, and our apartment either has veneer wood flooring, or it has something akin to concrete. I'm not really sure how to describe it, as it's not nearly as rough as concrete and has some sort of glossy finish atop it. I think she might have been running too fast and somehow ripped the nail off. Either way, the floor isn't good for her feet at this point and I don't want this happening again. Does anyone have any ideas as to how I could make my floors safe for her? I can't put her in the room with the wood flooring, as that's our living room and has too much stuff to move. I was thinking of buying those attaching foam tiles that people put in their garages or in children's rooms, but wasn't sure if she would chew them or not. I figure if I put them around the entirety of the room she wouldn't notice it. She's never been one to eat things off the floor.

introducing two males

hello, i have one male chinchilla who is probably about 7-8 months old now that i got about 5 months ago & one female around the same age that i got about four months ago living separately so they don’t breed. however, i recently got a new male chinchilla about two weeks ago who is about a year & a half old. i have been trying to introduce the two males by alternating their cages & putting their cages close together but not close enough that they can touch.
anyways, my question is about the new male, toby. he has been making a lot of noises since i’ve gotten him. they’re not soft sounds, they’re kind of loud & pretty frequent. he makes the noise mostly at my other male when he sees him however he makes it even when the other one is in it’s house & toby can’t see him. toby stands at he edge of the cage closest to the other male chinchilla & makes the noises and wags his tail at him. last night, the other chinchilla started making sounds back at toby but not as often or as loud & they don’t sound as aggressive as toby’s. toby makes the noises even when he’s alone with me during playtime & no other chinchillas are even in the same room which confuses me. he also occasionally wags his tail during playtime while making the sounds.
i have put toby and the other male together and they always try to spray and attack each other so i haven’t put them together for about a week. i don’t know why toby makes these noises all the time and wags his tail even when no other chinchillas are near. does anyone have advice or maybe know why toby makes these noises?

Introducing very frightened female chin w/ female

Please help I'm so stressed. So my girl ChiChi is just over 1yr old, we've bonded and she was used to people handling her. It didn't take very long for us to become comfortable with each other. My husband comes home with a chinchilla that some one just didn't want. The person had no cage so the poor thing is in like a dog crate type thing and looks completely terrified! I put my girls dust bath in with her (w/some fresh dust, her coat isn't bad but you can tell she hasn't bathed in a bit, it has an oily look) she's gone in it and won't come out. I put some food and water in there she still won't come out. Going to get her a cage and some supplies tomorrow. I know it's a process introducing two chins to each other, but how should I go about it with this girl being so frightened? Should I just try to get her comfortable with me first then start the process of getting them together? I don't know what to do. It's like you can see it in her eyes she's sooo afraid it's breaking my heart 😢😓😥.

Are they nocturnal?

Hello!

I am new to owning a chinchilla. I have a female and she is only 4 months old. I have had her for a month now. Some nights she sleeps through the night and other nights she will jump around her cage for a few hours. This usually happens in ths middle of the night when I am already asleep and wakes me. I was wondering if there's any way I can train her to be more active during the day and sleep more at night? Is there something I can do at night to calm her? Thanks!!

Chinchilla hair ring?

Hi. Recently my chinchilla has been grooming his penis a lot and I was wondering how many times a day they would normally do this. I'm worried he may have a hair ring but when I did a check he had nothing there. Is there any other reason he could be over grooming? I've already seen him grooming himself there twice today, is that too much or normal? Thanks!

Chinchilla not Eating

Hey all,

I have a chinchilla Dory who has a history of dental problems. She hasn't been eating right for over a month now.

She has been to the vet three times, and has gone under anesthesia for some dental surgery. For two weeks she was on antibiotics, and for one she was on painkillers. It has been three weeks now since she had her dental surgery, and she has already had a follow up visit because she wasn't eating.

I would really love some advice since the vet checked her teeth and seemed to be at a loss for why she hasn't been eating.

She is still on critical care and seems to be going up in weight, but she is still half chewing her pellets.

I would love some advice, I don't know whether to take her back to the vet who did her teeth, since we have already seen her so many times, or to try and find a new one.

The vet who has previously done her teeth in the past is no longer at the practice, and this has been a new experience for us.

Sick Chinchilla

So I recently got my second chinchilla about 2 weeks ago, within the first two days of getting her we took her to the vet (on the 7th) as we noticed she was sneezing and rubbing her nose quite a bit. The vet looked her over and said it seemed like a mild cold, her heart rhythm was normal and she said she was rubbing her nose so much due to being so congested. She prescribed the 2 ml twice a day of SMZ TMP liquid and said for me to come back on the 22nd. Well on thursday night she actually itched her nose so much that she cut it and was sort of breathing funnier then normal, kept opening her mouth and pawing at it a little bit so we thought it best we go Friday rather then waiting until Monday. So we went to the exotic pet specialist and they took a look in her mouth and checked for dental issues which they said all looked clear, she said she doesn't think it is ringworm but if I wanted we could run a test so I went ahead and asked her to do so. She went ahead and prescribed 1 ml of baytril twice a day and to discontinue use of the SMZ TMP liquid. So she still thinks its a cold and shes just super congested so shes trying to breath through her mouth. She also prescribed some drops to put on/in her nose called ofloxacin ophthaimic solution. I'm just super concerned and wondering if anyone's had any similar things happen. I am going to go ahead and link a video of her breathing weird and if you guys could tell me what you think/would recommend that would be amazing. Here is the link http://gph.is/2G2noaj

Urgent please help

Hello,
I need urgent help for a sick young (2 years old) chinchilla. I left my chinchilla with a friend while I went on a 2 week vacation. When I came back (today), my chinchilla is extremely skinny and nearly lifeless. She is moving and walking around but when I go to touch her she is off balance, almost wobbly.
My friend admitted she may have forgot to feed her a few days and needless to say, I was furious.
I called all the emergency vet in my area, which is the only vet open at this time and they said it would cost me $1,000+ to help my chinchilla. I really can't afford this and the normal vets cant see her for another 3 days.
I am afraid she won't make it. I have given her water, hay, pellets, and banana chips (her favorite treat) so that she can eat something. She usually devours banana chips but she is eating very slowly.
Is there anything you think I can do? DIY critical care? sugar water?

Please help,
Thanks

Ferret Nation liner questions

Apparently I need detailed instructions on how to make cage liners. I have made 5 sets of liner for my FN182 with Bass pans. Not one of the 10 liners is the right size, or even the same size as any other.

In addition to the size issue, how do you do the inside corner of the cutout for the top level without having one side bunch up?

Do you make it with two or three layers? I've been doing it with three, but I'm thinking that may be the problem.

Also, I've been cutting the fleece on carpet, which I'm thinking now might not be the best idea. I may try my next one on the kitchen floor where it can't be stretched as I lay it down.

So, just how do you go about making a successful set of liners? Do you have a pattern? What size do you cut the fleece, and how much seam allowance do you have?

One more question - I bought some fleece this morning. I had only bought anti-pill so far, but one of the ones I got this morning was labeled on the bolt as blizzard fleece. I know that is supposed to be good. But when it was cut, there were fuzzies all over the place; all over the table, all over the floor, all over the woman cutting it. She said that when it's sewn it doesn't do that. But.....????

Thanks a bunch for your help!

Trish

Oil in chins fur?!!

Hi, my chin Luna suffers from dry ears. I usually use the tiniest bit of olive oil and it works great and I’ve never had any problems with it before.

Last night I done my usual but she was tired so she want to sleep. Her ears go back when she sleeps and now it’s in her fur. I’ve given her a dust bath but it doesn’t seem to have helped too much. What do I do?

FN Loft

Hello would anyone be so kind as to upload a quick picture of the loft in an FN without the tray on it? I want to sit a CHE dome on top of the wire grid like I seen on YouTube but can't do that if there's an open space under the tray? I hope what I'm asking makes sense. I'm hoping I won't have to buy a single c&c grid panel just to sit my dome on. Thank you in advance.

Contacting Ryerson Chinchillas

I was wondering if anyone had any experience ordering from Ryerson Chinchilla? I would like to order a 2 hole carrier and have tried emailing them but have received no response. Since I'm in the UK I can't use their website as it only does delivery estimates to the US and Canada.

Have people found that they are more responsive to calls? Any suggestions or thoughts would be much appreciated!

Looking for two specific chinsa

I know this is a long shot, some of you may remember me. I had to sell my herd several years ago due to autoimmune issues.

Some of my favorite chins were "sold" (money still owed) to JoEllen Wiese here in Nebraska. She later sold them and I was not notified. I would have wanted some of them back, I asked about them that's when I found out and was told she would try to contact the people who bought them etc. I never heard anything back.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has or knows who might have my two favorite girls. RNV T137, white mosiac female - Luxor
KANE S17, Beige female - Solace

I'd just like to know they're being taken care of. They're both big beautiful girls, but are slower breeders. I know this is a long shot but I still miss my chins, and just want to know these two are safe.

Thanks for anyone who might have information

Where To Buy CN Cage Liners?

I'm looking for cage liners for my CN pans and shelves and was wondering where I could buy them cheapest and good quality. They also need to have the clips on each corner to attach the liner to the cage. Thanks for any help!

Best chinchilla pellets?

Hi. I'm a fairly new chinchilla owner as I got my chinchilla from a rescue in late September. Since he has gotten here I've fed him unlimited Timothy hay and "oxbow garden select" pellets. Recently I was reading on this site and found that a lot of people said that the garden select was bad for Chins. Can anyone tell me if they are bad or not? If so what are some good chinchilla pellets? I've heard of other oxbow pellets such as deluxe and essentials, as well as other brands such as traditional and mazuri. Anyways if you have any good brands or tell me what you feed that would be great!


Eric

Chinchilla Pooping/not Pooping - HELP!

Hi - had my Chin for less than a month. He seemed to be pooping all the time - then yesterday, suddenly didn't poop all day. I got concerned - mind you - Mon-Thurs he is in may office and while he sleeps a lot - he is used to my movements and gets up to eat a little/drink a little, etc... Fri - I was with why toddler age son all day and he was left alone most of the day - so he pretty much slept all day. Also, we just replaced the water bottle with a glass one and it seemed to not give the water as easily as the plastic one we had. I gave him attention last night - he ran around, ate a bunch of hay and drank a bunch of water (we put the old water bottle back) and he pooped a normal amount in the night. But then today after the morning activity - I was not around much of the day and same routine - he is moving around now, eating - I'm in the office - but again no poops yet - which is what happened yesterday - it took like an hour and then the poop came back. Is this remotely normal? Should I be getting him into the vet? His poop from last night looked normal not constipated - I looked up images. Help? Thank you.

Chinchilla blood results

I'm about to send my chinchilla's blood for testing, but the lab doesn't have reference values for this kind of rodent.
Does anyone have this kind of information? help would be appreciated :)

Chinchilla not eating on his own

My 5 year old chinchilla recently had an accident. Somehow he got out, still not sure how because the doors were shut tight then one popped open out of nowhere. (I’ve taken proper precautions since this accident to keep doors secured with a second measure). He got out of his room and our dogs were messing with me. He was not injured, I throughly checked him over. He bit me very hard because he was scared when I scooped him up. He has stopped eating and drinking on his own. We are hand feeding him mushed pellets and water and he’s eating them. The past day he has been more alert and seemed a little more normal but still not eating on his own. He is separated from his cage mate and in a small cage currently because his cage mate was picking on him with him being a little shook up. Is there anything else I can do for him currently or just wait it out?


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Extremely Large Abscess on Chin's Neck

I adopted what I was told was a healthy 7 year old chinchilla Athena, and then I discovered a large abscess on her neck. She is going into surgery today to remove the sac and drain the area. I would appreciate any follow up advice for post-op care. Please also take a look at this page I made for her visit today, it would mean a lot.
http://ift.tt/2EASIeG

Won't move in cage?

I have a sweet chinchilla whom I let out everyday for a couple hours. She is super active and runs around, bouncing off walls whenever I let her out. I actually rescued her from the humane society, and I think that she was abused because when I got her, she bit a lot at first, a little hard, and was very cage aggressive and skittish. Now I can pet her back, and she climbs on me and never bites, and her cage aggression is gone completely! However, there is an issue I am concerned about. Whenever I let her back in her cage, I always put cartoons on for her at an appropriate volume. She jumps up ontop of her wood log and just sits there. It's weird because she has a three story cage full of chewable toys, a wheel, hanging pumice chews, and yummy food. She does have an appetite and eats her food still, but I still worry that she will sit there and not move. Does anyone know why she does this? Also, sometimes when she is sleeping, she'll poke her head out of her hut for scritches. Once I give them to her, she makes the contact sound. But she only does this when she's half asleep which is weird too.

It's been years

Just wanted to say hi, and thanks for the birthday wishes. It's been so very long since I have visited this forum, and am happy to see it's still around.
I am in Newfoundland Canada and been breeding chins now for over 20 years.
We used to have so much fun way back.
I have had as many as 40 but am down to 20+ these days.
Wonder who is still around from the past? :thanks10:

Tap Dancing/ Shuffling Female Chinchilla

Hey everyone! This is my first post here! I rescued two female chinchillas six months ago, Chynna and Bijou 💕 We do play time in my bathroom every morning for two hours, during this time Bijou my smaller female will hope onto my cats litter box. It has a cover on it so it allows her to get up higher and have a better view of my bathroom. While on top of the litter box however she’ll start shuffling and thumping her feet. It’s super cute but concerning so I had the vet checked her out and everything is fine! I’m just curious as to what could cause this behavior! Any answers would be greatly appreciated:) Thank you!

Chinchilla off food, seems swollen underneath

Henry seems to have gone off his food and not drinking, he's accepted being handfed mushed pellets, about 10ml, and taken a couple gojis, but not with the usual enthusiasm. Some very small poos this morning. There's been some teeth grinding though he tends to do that after gojis but it was more than I'd have thought so not sure if there's pain. He doesn't seem so bad in himself otherwise, he's moved round the cage and jumped across perches, but didn't struggle as much as usual when I picked him up. I'd thought he seemed off these last weeks, but assumed it was related to seizure -there have been no obvious ones, but quiet periods and he's not seemed as with it, even when lively-, but he'd been eating Ok -I poss. gave him more treats than should've over Christmas- and played with a few toys. I thought he might look swollen underneath then, around the genitals and anus, but attributed it to the temperature raises due to seizure. We have a vet appointment this afternoon.

It's odd that my rabbit is showing similar symptoms. I'd taken her to the vet last week as she wasn't eating as enthusiastically, seemed quiet, and swollen underneath, they cleared her scent glands, she seemed to pick up for a few days but then seemed to go a little offish again. She's previously been on a course of antibiotics for a cough that she showed about a week after I rescued her, but the vet eventually concluded it was allergies, possibly to her own fur as she's an angora, and it seemed to have mostly settled. I was intending to take her to the vet again but I can't take both at once and she's not as bad as Henry. She's kept in a different room and I do try to be careful about the possibility of transmitting infection to the chins - which if anything may have happened other way round I guess, chin to rabbit, it didn't occur to me to be cautious that way round. She can possibly go to my mum's for a while if you think necessary.

The two chinchilla girls -different cage, same room as Henry- seem fine, lively and destructive. Same food, same water, but he gets a bit more dried fruit because he absolutely won't take his tablets without it.

I'm not sure if this is a new issue or a continuation of previous ones. I suggested to my vet at the time that I wondered if Henry's seizures were linked to infection, given he seemed to pick up after a long course of antibiotics for poss. urinary infection. I'd said he looked swollen underneath at the time. He's not urinating frequently now as far as I've seen, but then he's not drinking. He's still on phenobarbitol, half a tablet a day. Unfortunately I'm not sure he ate it all last night, he dropped part, not being as interested in food, and I couldn't find it so didn't dare give him more in case I overdosed him.

If it's not related to the epilepsy, could it be a digestive issue?

Would really appreciate advice, I'm so worried about him. If I need to continue to handfeed how much should it be? Any specific antibiotic if needed?

chinchilla spinning wheel upside down?

so my boyfriend and i got a flying saucer wheel as a christmas present for our chinnie (we've had her since mid-september). she's had it about 3-ish weeks now and will use the wheel as a platform to get to another ledge, will fall asleep on the wheel, and will also do this:



(pardon the barren cage, i was in the middle of cleaning her liners)

she literally gets on her back and spins her wheel with all four paws!!! has anyone's chin ever done this before? i searched all over the internet but it doesn't seem to be a very common thing for them to do. she's rolled over onto her back before (she rolled underneath a corner platform she has in her cage and hung out there for a bit) and she does it with the wheel several times a day. she never gets stuck or seems distressed, and usually when i come into the room she'll jump up and start going under the wheel and spinning it like she's trying to show off. i think it's absolutely hilarious, so i wanted to know if anyone else has ever experienced a similar situation! at this point, i think she's going to start "running" on the wheel that way instead of using it for its intended purpose :cute:

Kiln Dried Pine Bedding

I know folks have told me that kiln dried pine bedding is just fine but I've read a few articles recently that say pine is not really good at all for Chinchillas and if you want wood, go with Aspen. I'm wondering though, are these folks just working with Aspen bedding makers or is there something legit to these articles. An example of one of these articles: http://ift.tt/2CEEPeQ. Has anyone else heard that pine bedding is not so safe?

And wondering what do folks use for litter boxes. I was thinking a metal tin or glass pyrex dish. All the commercial ones appear to be plastic and don't see myself DIY'ing my own. Thanks and sorry for all the questions folks - once I get all my basics down, think I'll slow down. I appreciate the help and responses.

Help! Replacement shelves for Cage that has Plastic shelving

Hi all,

I was hoping I could get some help. I have the larger equivalent of this cage: http://ift.tt/2F7hVym.

The width appears to be just shy of 18 inches and length appears to be just sh of 30 inches and the height is just shy of 30 inches. I want to replace the plastic shelves with metal or wood but want to keep them as same length and width. My Chin is just over 2 months and we just brought him home less than 2 weeks ago and he's adjusting so well, I'd hate to totally disrupt his environment. Currently he's showing no signs of chewing on those shelves but been told by a number of people it may be only a matter of time before he does, so would like to replace, but rather than redesign, wanted to see how I might get equivalent size and width without breaking the bank as ultimately when he's six months, going to get him a larger cage. I'm not much of a DIY gal, so was hoping folks might have some suggestions. Appreciate the tips. The shelves are about 17 X 10 and latch right onto the metal of the cage.

Chinchilla laying on side against cage?

I've had my chinchilla for five months now, and this has been going on for a long time now and it's starting to get concerning, whenever he returns to his cage after playtime he lays against the cage on his side? I heard this can be because he's too hot, but the temperature never seems to go over 72? Although my door is always shut due to cats, so it might get a little warmer in there so whenever I think it's warm in the winter/fall I open up the window to let in some cool air, but he still lays there? I think he might just to that because he wants to be let back out, but I don't want to assume since it's worrying.

Lettuce for Chinchillas?

Hi! I am from Colorado. I have a 14 year old chinchilla who I got about 3 years ago from a rescue organization. I am really worried about her right now because she has pneumonia. We have her on antibiotics once a day, pain meds once a day, and critical care feeding four times a day. Our vet has also recommended the spring mix organic lettuce because her back teeth are too sharp and causing pain. At the moment she is too sick for her teeth to be filed down. The main thing I am wondering is if I should give her the lettuce. Everything that I have read says no to greens and I was surprised when the vet told me to give her the lettuce. My chinchilla has another appointment at the vet tonight. They talked about hospitalizing her but said it would be too much stress for her.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Chipped tooth

Last night at play time, Tiquita and Talia got in a fight. While running, Tiquita ran into a shelf I had leaning against a wall (I was cleaning their cage). She immediately began pawing at her mouth. Upon inspection, I found she chipped one of her bottom front teeth. I can bring her in tomorrow night to see the vet, but I was wondering what would be done there? She is eating and acting fine. Ive read that mouth injuries can cause teeth to grow crookedly. Will she be able to tell if that will occur so shortly after it happened? Should I bring Tiquita to the vet tomorrow or would the stress of the visit do more harm than good?

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Excited New Chin Mama

Hi folks,

I jumped the gun a bit and started posting in forums questions without actually introducing myself. I apologize. Between finishing the holidays, going back to work and being so incredibly scattered - I'm acting a bit ADD these days.

To be frank up until a few months ago, I knew nothing about Chinchillas. Last year I lost my 14 year old cat, Luna. It made me very sad and though she'd been sick for some time, when she was gone, the house felt empty (despite having a very active 3 year old). A few months ago while a pet supply, exotic pet store that my son likes to go to, to see the rabbits, but also the snakes, lizards and spiders (not my favorite), they had a Chinchilla. We asked about him and caring for him and what it entailed and got a pamphlet and read it but that was about as far as we went, figuring we may get a dog next Fall. Then in early December we were in the store and they had a new Chinchilla and I fell in love. They let me hold him (which I have since learned is not the best thing for them unless they trust you) and he was so good about it. He didn't scramble or get upset. He was very "chill" as they put it for a Chinchilla. We visited him again later that week and my husband essentially formulated a plan and that Chinchilla came home on Christmas. He is a little past 2 months old and we named him Dash.

We live in Rochester, NY area and its a great climate for Chins. We regularly keep our house below 70 in winter and summer as I don't like the heat. My son is now three and so he has acclimated to my chillier house ways :). And he has learned gentle with animals early on because my cat was sick in the first few years of his life, so he was always taught, touch gently. Right now he only gets to look at Dash because we know how delicate a creature Dash is.

Right now, the wonderful little guy is sitting up in my office now, curled on his side and asleep and not minding my typing at all. We did everything wrong the first few days, as we read a lot, but didn't realize much of the advice we were reading was for 6 months or older Chinchillas. But, then I did real research and learned what to do right and think he is well on his way to good adjustment. He walked on my arm yesterday and think if I'd let him he'd have come out of the cage onto my shoulder, but we are keeping him in the cage because I read at 2 months it is best not to give him much out of the cage playtime due to him not being able to properly regulate his own body temperature.

I thank this forum for some of that learning, which is why I joined it to share my stories, ask questions and just become part of a community of fellow Chinchilla owners, a world much different than dog or cat owners. I still have much to learn and I'm not enough of a DIY person to do what a lot of folks have done - and will need to rely on store bought materials (and spend more) to keep Dash comfortable, but that's okay. I know now from reading that the pet store is the last place you want to get a Chin and a breeder is much better, but Dash is different - he really is "chill" adapting so quickly to his new home- maybe because he was in a pet store, I don't know but admittedly, I was shocked that he walked on me yesterday. It has only been a week and a half since I brought him home. His play is so fun - he takes all his toys in his mouth and runs around and ultimately drops them all down to the floor, then picks them back up again. Watching him gives me joy. And I hope being in this house and loved will give him the same.

Anyways - that's my story. I'll have lots of questions, as I learn about being a good Chinchilla owner but maybe I can pay it back by answering questions as I become more experienced. Thank you all for taking the time to read and looking forward to communications with you all in days, months to come.

Chinchilla scratching/biting

Hi all,

I recently posted how I'm a new Chin owner and our whole story - but not sure the post has even gone live yet, but realized I forgot to ask one important question. I've noticed that our little Dash is doing a fair amount of scratching (at least more than I believe normal Chins do - seen videos where no scratching for over 10 min) and biting in areas where scratching. Dash came from a pet store - but one that only houses exotics, bunnies, gerbils, lizards, etc...not cats or dogs. I've read that it is very hard for Chins to get fleas or mites but not impossible.

We have been doing dust baths every couple of days - but only had him a little over a week and bc he was a Christmas present probably went his first week out of the store with no dust bath. I'd say its safe to say he's only had two in the past two weeks, but the store said one a week is fine. I've since read you should do anything from every day to every two days - so there seems to be a wide range of opinion.

My question is: Since he is from a pet store not a breeder, should we bring him into our vet (already found one that treats exotics that we know and trust) and have him checked for mites, fleas and/or any other infections, even though I know that will be stressful to him (we only have the cardboard carrier at this point) OR increase the dust baths to every day for a week and see what happens? Because it is winter here and crazy cold the heat is running a lot. Keeping him in a cooler room with the heat vent closed, but don't know if the scratching is bc of not enough baths or the reverse, dry skin. Or the less common fleas/mites.

Would love any advice or thoughts people can offer?

Also, we bought one of those Kaytee woodland getaway houses for his hidey house and he loves it - sleeps on top of it but seems to be chewing it to pieces. Is this normal? I'm worried if he keeps chewing the top it will become less stable. Is there a better hidey house to get?

I truly appreciate any and all advice - I'm super new at this (always just had cats) but even though we've only had him a short while we consider little Dash a member of the family and want to be sure he's happy and healthy. Thank you.

Cage 'guard'?

I've asked this question before but I haven't really had luck finding something yet.
My younger cat is always bothering my chinchilla, to the point where I am unable to give him access to the lower half of his CN(I kept him on one level when he was sick but haven't been able to open it up again). The cat jumps on the cage a lot, and he's just overall annoying. Nothing I do will stop his behavior, I just have to make it work. He's only in that room at night because he can't be trusted elsewhere, so it's not an all day thing.
His claws are dull and trimmed very short so I'm not really concerned about injuries at this point.

The chinchilla actually enjoys it I think, he doesn't appear stressed and will even taunt him into jumping up there.

I thought about getting a play pen and looping that around the bottom half as an extra barrier but I wasn't sure how to attach it or if that would even help. Enclosing it completely is not an option, fleece won't work because he just moves it... So I'm just looking for other ideas/suggestions. It doesn't have to be pretty.

Best Cages and set-up

Hi all - I apologize if this has been asked and if my questions seem simple - I'm a brand new Chinchilla owner and starting out at a deficit. My husband got me a Chin from our local pet store (I know not recommended) for Christmas and while he did research - he didn't quite grasp the many nuances of Chin ownership. But he's ours now and we love him - we saw him many times in the pet store and fell in love then. He's just a baby - only about 2 months old according to the store and sweet but feisty. Whether we knew what we were getting into or not I'm committed now to giving him a great home. So I bought a critter nation double cage that will be here in two days - that I want to use to replace the starter cage - so our little guy has some height. But I've read mixed reviews on the bottom pan, and ramps. So I'm wondering if anyone has recommends if I should keep the ramps with the covers or get rid of all together? And of where I can get replacement pans that will fit the cage that aren't plastic -and then any kind of guard I can buy as I'd prefer to stick with the loose bedding -maybe try to litter train - that he's used to. I just know I'm busy and won't be as good about constantly washing fleece bedding - so loose bedding will be better - but need a better guard if I'm to do that or it will be everywhere.

I also looked at quality cages but those are so expensive -anyone know where I might find a used one? Trying to give at least 48-50 height - as even at two months, showing himself to be quite the jumper.

I'm not much of a DIY person - so looking to fit out the cage with shelves and accessories that are simple to put in and install - as anything that I have to jerry-rig myself could be tough. My husband will of course help but custom building is not his forte either.

I appreciate the advice and help. Thank you in advance!