chinchilla smell

Hello, occasionally my chinchilla will abruptly bark(?)/mating call noise and emit a bad smell. Should I be concerned? I don't believe its me because he'll do this when I'm not even touching him. He's eating and drinking properly, his droppings look fine, and he's urinating normally.
Thanks

Eating (and swallowing) wood

So I have not been able to find anyone else experiencing this but, my chinchilla seems to actually chew and swallow everything she bites.

She has always been strange in terms of behaviour and I have tried to get her out of the habit. She stopped chewing her rock and various wooden objects for a while so I started encouraging her again because her teeth were overgrowing.

Does anyone have any advice on how to train this out. It does not seem to mess with her digestion so far but it definitely does not sound good.

Unexpected Baby Chinchillas

I thought I had two boy chinchillas, the father and son. Turns out its father and daughter. The daughter(Cheerio) just gave birth to two baby chinchillas this morning. This is Cheerios first litter of babies since she was born this past January. Im not sure if she is nursing the babies or how I should set up the cage?? Cheerio is really active, running on the wheel, jumping on top of things, so I took the wheel out and she seems really aggressive towards me and was trying to get out of the cage when I was taking her wheel out. Ive been doing a lot of research and the babies are fine, eyes open, squeaking, cuddle with eachother, and walk around but mom just keeps moving away from them. On the bottom of the cage I put some hay because before I had those tiny water absorbing woodchips and I also bought that cotton bedding stuff from Petco and put it in a little box for the babies. Should I not touch the babies? I read that mother chins wont reject their babies if a human touches it but im not sure. Can I leave the dust bath in the cage?? should I not have much in the cage? I also have a little hut for the chinchillas to go inside of in their cage. Also is it okay that they are technically inbred babies? Do you think mom is too young to have had babies?? Mom was born Jan 1 2018 so shes not even a year yet. How do I properly care for the babies and mom?? Help!

Hello

Hi,

Recently adopted an 8-month-old female Chinchilla. She now a member of my family which include 1 chihuahua and 12 guinea pigs. I have been researching how to properly care for her as she is my first Chinchilla. Joined this forum in hope of getting advices from experienced Chinchilla's caretakers. Thank you for allowing me to become a member of CnH.

S.

Attached Images

Sasha Chin_2.JPG (37.7 KB)

1 hayrack for 2 chins?

Hello,

We are currently trying to bond my chin a 1 year old male with another 5 year old male. So far things are going good, if this continues they will eventually stay in the cage my current chin is in. I do not have the money to buy an entire new clean cage or make an entire new interior (the entire inside is custom made and took quite a long time to make).
So I plan on deepcleaning the cage for when they move in together (any cleaning solutions recommended?). My chin is currently with the breader of the other chin, so he is in a different cage atm so they will be placed in his old cage together after a couple of weeks.
But do I also have to rearrange the entire cage or some shelves enough (and can I change it back after a while?). And I do plan on buying an extra waterbottle and pellet tray, but would it be possible for them to share a hay rack? It is accessible from 3 sides so they can each eat on one side of it. Or would this cause issues?
Also in the weekend I go to my parents house and always take my chin, never had any problems with it he is used to it. But if I put them in another cage in the weekend could it ruin their bond? Even if I take the same precautions as their "main cage"?

Thank you in advance.

Crinkle cut paper?

Hello!

Can I put crinkle cut paper (such as this one-https://ift.tt/2SgmnRb) in the chinchilla's cage?

I am hoping to put it into a box for digging, and chewing.

Thanks!

Advice for putting away a cage

Hiya I'm new to this site and new to owning chinchillas. I'm still learning even after having my boys for two years. Its time for a change from their cage because I made the decision to get a CN without reading up on its more fragile bars. Since I'm not 18 nor living by myself I had to ask my mom about switching to the FN. She isn't a fan of the idea because its only lasted a year (due to my poor choices, like the wheel and my ledges being too wide), so some of the bars have snapped and the cage is growing louder and rickety. But the main problem for her is storing the cage. Taking it apart is an option but its worse taking it apart than putting it together and I'm afraid she'll stress and give up on me. And we both feel like its a waste of money to keep it in the basement. I was thinking of recyling it but I don't even know what type of metal its made of aside from the coating. I just want to ask
if there other suggestions I might not be taking in, aside from selling it. Nobody deserves nor wants that cage in its current condition. And if there isn't anything else we'll just put it down in the basement. Thank you!

Looking for a white female

I am looking for a pet white female chinchilla in the Boston area. Thanks in advance for any connections! I am wondering if anyone knows anything about Pionee Valley Chinchillas, TMJs Chinchillas or Forever Feisty Rescue? Looking for a reputable breeder.

Thanks!

Bella is a dusty girl!

I've had my female Chinchilla for about a month now (yay!) And she LOVES dust baths. My only problem is she is sooo dusty after and everything in her cage gets covered in dust! Is this normal? Or is there something I can do to prevent this?
TIA!

Hair Loss

I have a 1 year old chinchilla that started with hair thinning on the tip of his nose. It hasn't been red or flaky. He also hasn't been itching it and is acting normal and eating and drinking normally. I took him to the vet and had the ringworm test done and it came back negative for ringworm. The vet said his teeth are good and is in good health.

He did manage to come in contact with another chin and he has hair loss on his nose now. His hair started to thin a couple days after the contact. Hair is growing at the base of his nose but he his losing hair further up his nose. The other 2 chins are fine so it seems to be only a contact thing.

I have cleaned there cages with hot soapy water. They all have their own cages. Not sure where to go from here.

Good chin vet in NYC?

Hi All!
Don't have need for a vet at the moment, but would like my boys to be registered with a reputable one in case they ever need to go. Does anyone have any recommendations -- preferably in Queens, NYC? Thanks in advance!

Choking motion when syringe feeding

Hi,
Recently took my 15 year old chinnie to the vet and she had her teeth trimmed. She was taking critical care okay for a few days, but now makes a choking/gagging motion when she's swallowing (not every swallow necessarily.) I make sure I feed her slowly, so not sure what this could be? Ideas??

Wood for making huts?

I was wondering if the common board wood at home depot would be safe for chinchillas. http://www.homedepot.com/p/1-in-x-12...8503/100322335

4 year old chinchilla can't jump and is uncoordinated

Hi all,

Has anyone had a chinchilla lose its ability to jump and become uncoordinated after dental surgery?

My Otto had an abscessed tooth removed and was put on antibiotic for 7 days. A follow up visit to the vet for his lack of coordination showed he had lost weight from decreased appetite from his meds and my inability to force feed him enough critical care. Otto had a seizure on the 3 hour drive to the vet for his follow up visit which the vet said was likely due to lack of food. But I could not get him to eat that morning before the drive. Vet said he does not have an ear infection and suspects he's just weak from poor nutrition. So I have worked many tricks to get more critical care in him and it's been 2 weeks. He has regained weight and is fairly active besides still being very uncoordinated and easily looses balance. He's also been recovering from constipation from all this so I'm having to encourage him to drink more water via syringe per vet instruction. He's not up to healthy poos yet, but he's showing improvement. He has had a couple of falls in his cage but he fell no more than 6 inches. I have since confined him to flat land when unsupervised and hope that he doesn't break himself. During playtime I've watched him attempt to climb onto a shoebox and he barely makes it.

I'm wondering if my Otto will ever recover fully to be able to jump again or if he's permanently crippled.

Herb question(s)

So I have noticed that people have said not to mix certain herbs together when giving herbs to your chinchilla. I am not sure what this means and was hoping for some clarification.

Thanks!!

Granite Tiles for Bedding

I have seen many people use granite tiles to line the bottom of their chinchilla cages and I am interested in how it works.

Does this only work well for potty trained chinchillas?

I read that people get the tiles sealed in order to make clean up easier. Is that true and how do you do this in a safe way for the chinchilla?

Also, where do people get these tiles?

Are ceramic tiles better or worse to use?

Are there any other negatives or things I should know before switching to this method.

Thanks!

New etsy shop

Hey there! Super excited to say my Etsy shop is now open for business. If you could give us a quick look it would be awesome! Below is a list of items we now offer as well as future things to come.

WE HAVE NOW:
- Rose Hips (Crushed & Whole)
- Marigold/Calendula (Whole & Petals)
- Nettle Leaf
- Dandelion Leaf
- Chamomile
- Homemade Treats

COMING IN THE NEXT WEEK:
- Pumice Stone Chews
- Apple Wood Sticks
- Willow Sticks
- More Herbs & Flowers

COMING IN THE FUTURE:
- Handmade Chew Toys
- Handmade Chew Garlands
- Fleece Hides & Houses
- Fleece Liners
- Misc Items
-
ETSY SHOP: https://www.etsy.com/shop/xCritterCreations
FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/xCritterCeation

COUPON CODE: GRANDOPENING (15% Off $10 Or More)

SHIPPING: $3.50 for the first item and $1 per item for anything after that.

We have kept our prices as low as possible and currently have some of the lowest prices on items for small animals on Etsy! All our herbs and flowers are organic and home grown, they come from friends and family. Thank you for reading this and maybe checking us out.

New etsy shop

Hey there! Super excited to say my Etsy shop is now open for business. If you could give us a quick look it would be awesome! Below is a list of items we now offer as well as future things to come.

WE HAVE NOW:
- Rose Hips (Crushed & Whole)
- Marigold/Calendula (Whole & Petals)
- Nettle Leaf
- Dandelion Leaf
- Chamomile
- Homemade Treats

COMING IN THE NEXT WEEK:
- Pumice Stone Chews
- Apple Wood Sticks
- Willow Sticks

COMING IN THE FUTURE:
- Handmade Chew Toys
- Handmade Chew Garlands
- Fleece Hides & Houses
- Fleece Liners
- Misc Items

ETSY SHOP: https://www.etsy.com/shop/xCritterCreations
FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/xCritterCeation

COUPON CODE: GRANDOPENING (15% Off $10 Or More)

We have kept our prices as low as possible and currently have some of the lowest prices on items for small animals on Etsy! All our herbs and flowers are organic and home grown, they come from friends and family. Thank you for reading this and maybe checking us out.

Hey There!

Hiya there! My name is Mandee, I’m from Rochester Ny and am the proud pet parent to...

Chinchillas:
Peony: Female Standard Grey Chin (2 1/2 Years)
Pippa: Female White Chin (1 1/2 Years)
Peanut: Female Beige, Freckled Ear Chin (3 Years)

Bunnies:
Hutch: Male 4 Years Old
Dutch: Male 7 Months

All of them have been rescued animals!

Peony came from a home where they purchased 2 chins and were told they were both female...WRONG! She got pregnant and had a kit a baby boy. They then sold both the baby and the father leaving her alone. She was stuck inside a Midwest guinea pig cage with a dust bath house and one ledge...no toys at all. She had bitten off all of her fur she could reach due to the stress and boredom. Some days they neglected to feed her so she was underweight as well...I’m happy to say I have had her for over a year now and she is doing fantastic. She was afraid of people but now comes right up to greet you. Her grew back though sometimes she does still chew.

Pippa and Peanut came together but had never been introduced or housed together. They got them both as babies through a breeder, I was told they were getting rid of them due to moving but when about a week after adopting them I noticed peanut had some drool...turns out they had never given them anything to grind their teeth so her teeth were severely over grown and causing issues. They have since been trimmed and both her and Pippa are doing great!

After very slow introductions and moving toys back and forth between cages, all three of my girls now successfully live together in a DCN.

Throughout my life I have had many pets such as guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, rats, hamsters, dogs, cats, frogs, lizard, and fish but chinchillas are by far my favorite.

I also currently have started my own Etsy shop full of healthy treats for your pet!

ETSY SHOP: https://www.etsy.com/shop/xCritterCreations
FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/xCritterCeation

Hello, My chinchilla is having nutrition isses after dental work

Hi all,

I just joined because there seems to be a lot of helpful information here. I owned a degu for nearly 10 years. After my degu passed I adopted a rescue chinchilla I named Otto. He was almost 3 years old when I adopted him and have had him a year and a half.

My poor Otto had to have an abscessed molar removed and has since struggled with nutrition. The antibiotic caused him to lose his appetite and he refuses to eat much of his critical care. I've been working with my vet on this.

I had been getting Otto to eat critical care using a piece of dried papaya to entice him, but this trick only lasted a couple days. From what I've read, fruit isn't good for him anyway, but it was the only way to get him to swallow the critical care from the syringe. I hope the other flavor of cc I ordered is something he'll like. He's not quite up to healthy poos...is constipated and dehydrated. Although he grazes on timothy hay constantly and drinks water whenever I give it to him. He doesn't eat much pellets (Mazouri/kaytee) I have him on the Kaytee food because it's the only brand I can get locally when I forget to order.

Since I'm syringe feeding him, I have gas drops, but don't want to give him too much. At most I've given him 0.3ml in the evening before playtime. He's not very active anymore so I thought it may have been gas.

Since the dental work, he doesn't jump and is very uncoordinated. My vet said that is a side-effect from not getting enough food after surgery. It's been 3 weeks and slow progress.

Raised and showed chins 15 yrs ago; how much has changed?

Hi all!
I used to raise and show chins 15 years ago and have been wanting to get back into this. Looking around online for the chinchilla forums I used to be part of (chins-n-quills) and can’t find it. From what I am seeing, the chinchilla community now is nothing like it was. There used to be a huge demand for chinchillas and numerous reputable breeders in my state (WA) and now it is hard to find any. I recall numerous classified ads being put into the forums on a daily basis and this was the primary way we found homes for the ones we sold.

My question is- do many ppl attend the local shows these days? Are there still local shows through MCBA? Is there still a market for top quality pet or breeding chinchillas? If the forums are not the primary way of connecting with other breeders, how do you all network and advertise? Or is there another forum that I have not found that is more popular?

Thanks for any feedback!! Things sure have changed!
Rachael (formerly Applewood Chinchillas)

cleaning chinchilla

Hello, my chinchilla got some yogurt on his foot (hopped over the bowl). Is there a way to clean him? I'm not sure if a dust bath will do the trick...
Thanks

Bald spot on nose- is it a fungus?

Hello, today I noticed a bald spot on my chin Choco’s Nose. I got her about 3 months ago, and have not had any problems. She lives with my other older chin Mimi, and they get along great, no fighting. I have been on a 1 week business trip, and just came back. I left them in my parents’ care, as I usually do during business trips, and I haven’t had a problem. Mimi does not have any balding, only one broken whisker, which I think she did herself by being rambunctious.

They have an appetite, move vigorously, and are over all acting the same as before I went on my trip. If you guys can please take a couple of minutes to look at the pictures and let me know if you think it’s a fungus or not, it would be greatly appreciated. I personally did not see the skin as being red or irritated.

Thank you!

https://ibb.co/ne1ZDV
https://ibb.co/cuEbSq
https://ibb.co/dNBO7q

Chinchilla dominance

Hello, my chinchilla continues to assert dominance over me (how I see it). Occasionally he'll attempt to hump my forearm, which according to online resources is a form of dominance. Is this an issue? He also nibbles my hand as well, but I'm unaware if this is to assert dominance. I usually just allow him to nibble me.

Aventura Cage?

Hi all,

I have two 4 year old male chinchillas I've owned since babies, and I simply want to upgrade their cage soon. I live in the UK so FNs and the like aren't really around here and I'm not willing to spend hundreds on shipping. I've found this Aventura cage which seems quite spacey and is all metal, so if the ladders got taken out would it make a good upgrade?
https://www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk...illa-cage.html

Thanks!

Chinchillas got into massive fight when Dad got reintroduced to Mom and Baby?

So my chinchillas had a baby. It's been about a week, and I finally got to putting the baby and mom back with the father. They looked like they've been miserable without their company. (They've been together since they were first born... I know it's messed up that they are siblings, but they've been together for around 6-7 years and the baby was really unexpected.) I baby-proofed the cage, and everything was going good. It looked like the mom was trying to teach the baby to jump up to the short little platform I placed. It looked like it was going good, when all of a sudden the baby unexpectedly grabbed ahold of the mom's nose.The mom started making super loud noises.
Then all **** broke loose.
The mom and dad started fighting, the baby was sprinting around everywhere, and fur was flying everywhere. neither of them would let me grab them, so I pulled the shelves out so they'd stop jumping around(they're still fighting, the baby is still scared and sprinting around,) and all of a sudden I don't know if it was the mom or the dad, but one of them started peeing everywhere. I grabbed the dad and put him in the spare cage with food and water. What the **** happened? What should I do? Please help? Are they both still in heat?
(P.S. Since the fight around 30 min ago, the baby stays as far away from the mom, and the only good relationship now is between the baby and the father...)

Chinchilla cage setup

Hello, recently I've upgraded the cage of my 6.5 month old chinchilla. The flooring of both floors are metal bars, which I understand can cause bumble foot. Currently I'm placing towels in his cage, but I've seen owners wrap a solid surface with fleece. How often will I need to wash fleece and how well does it absorb urine? Are there preferable options out there?

Switching feed

Hello guys

I was hoping to get some comments on experiences with switching foods cold turkey.

My chinchilla recently decided to stop eating pellets. We ran her through the vet, got her teeth checked out, stomach x-rayed and so on. Turns out the sneaky rat was just protesting her current food (had it for 3 years) and the vet said she just seemed plain bored of it, as weird as it may sound.

I got her a new brand (very similar in nutritional value) and she immediately attacked the food as if she has not eaten in months. (it was pellets and no treats mixed in)

I tried to mix in just a few with her regular feed but she just picked the new bits out and is completely ignoring the old food, trying not to starve by eating hay all the time.

I wanted to know what could go wrong if I just go for a switch. Maybe as she is still eating hay, trying to keep her on mostly hay and an increasing amount of pellets could be better? I am really not sure but I know she will not touch her old food.

Any information or advice is welcome.

Angry chinchilla wants to chew on unhealthy object

Hello, a few days ago my 6.5 month old male chinchilla managed to reach the foam filler in between the wood. I continued to place my hand where he was attempting to chew, gently moving his face away. He was evidently annoyed, barking and making interesting noises. I'd rather live with an angry, healthy chinchilla than a sick one, so I continued to place my hand on it until he eventually gave up. There were plenty of chewing sticks around the room. The next morning he was loving and playful as usual, but how can I avoid situations like this in the future?
Thank you

chinchilla ears are too red?

My chinchilla enjoys sleeping on my lap while I work. I notice his ears become a hot pink color and veins are visible on the back of his ears. He makes happy squeaks while sleeping (on his side or in a ball). Is this normal? I know he enjoys sleeping on his side even when he isn't too hot or cold.

Chinchilla not pooping

Hello there! I am new to this community but have had my chin babies for about 6-7 years now. I just noticed this morning that my boy chinchilla is not pooping at all. Also, he hasn't eaten anything but drinks his water here and there. He is being much lazier than he normally is as well. Overall, he looks healthy, there is no oozing of anything anywhere, eyes are clear and ears aren't red. Although a few times i noticed that he would make this tight heaving position and look strained with his ears down and make these tiny little noises. There is no way I can get him to the vet, I don't know what is wrong with him, if he is constipated or what. What can i do to help him

Thank you so much in advance to any help or guidance

Chins, cage and supplies for sale

I have 2 female chins approx.1 year old. They are dark gray. They have been on a good diet and well taken care of. I am selling both chins with a 3 tier cage, food, bedding, bath and dust for $140 OBO. They love attention and like to jump on you when they are out of the cage. Please send me a message if you are interested or have any questions.

Chinchilla pee/bedding smells?

I recently got two chinchillas, and this is my first time taking care of them. When I bought them, I received FreshNews recycled paper cat litter. It helped absorb the smell however I noticed the chinchillas eating the litter. I changed the litter to CareFresh the paper bedding but then the cage smell seemed much stronger. I'm not sure why, but I'm suspecting that it may be their pee. I'm not sure whether it's normal but I read online that their pee should be odorless but there's a strong odor smell coming from their cage. I just changed their cage yesterday but the odor is already strong. Please help! If I do use different bedding besides fleece, what should I put underneath? And would you think it's because of the bedding or their actual pee? Thank you!

help asap about new chin behaviour

Hello. My chin is about three and a half months old and I got him about two weeks ago. He is housed in a tall cage but he only as two wooden levels as he is so young. At night he makes a calling noise repeatedly (the “oo oo oo” noise) and then begins to rattle his cage and climb right to the top of the cage £(which is about 5ft) and falls to the bottom then does it again. He has plenty of toys to gnaw and always has fresh hay pellets and water. Could anyone please help? Should I purchase a wheel for him or add more levels to his cage? I took lots of the levels away from him as the Internet recckmended me to.

Baby puffs as treats for Chinchilla?

Can you use baby puffs (https://www.googleadservices.com/pag...hoC2W8QAvD_BwE) as treats for chinchillas?

My chins suddenly became really fearful

So I’ve had my chins(1 male 1 female) for more than a year now. They love to get handled in the past and would run and climb around me during playtime. However, recently they suddenly got scared and would bolt away the moment i open the cage. Also, when i do catch them to put them back into their cage after playtime they drop a ton of fur. I’ve now kept them in the cage without playtime for 2 days but whenever i do come to the cage to check them out and greet them they would run into their hideouts. I’m scared as i don’t know what happened to the two of them. What should i do to help them calm down or rebuild our bond we had in the past?

Note: i do not have any other pets