Balm On Chin Fur

One of my chins is very squirmy and doesn't like to be held, but I have to hold him when applying balm on his dry ears which causes some.. slippage when it comes to putting the balm on his ear from my fingertip. So now there's a pretty visible amount of balm residue around his ears on his head and even on his forehead. (No idea how that happened. ) It makes that area look like he's never had a dust bath! Any help on how to remove it is greatly appreciated.

Neighbor's dog cries at least 2-3x a week!

I don't know how well they treat their dog normally, but the sound this dog makes sounds a lot like crying and under stress. At least every Sunday mornings, this dog cries while the owners are heading out before 9am when they are leaving home to church. I never seen that dog being walked, at best hes being tied on a pole outside their home while the owner doing gardening.

It just breaks my heart when I hear that crying. My mom came to my house one day and heard that dog crying. My mom said...

Neighbor's dog cries at least 2-3x a week!

dogs liked

I like dogs & puppies, I love my dog, I am a dog trainer..

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...

Chinchilla pee/bedding smells?

Not eating/drinking water.. (stasis?) My very LONG success story!!

Warning: Very LONG read…not sure if anyone wants to read all this but I will write it anyways!

Loki is my chinchilla(2 yrs old). He hasn’t eaten on his own for 1 month and hasn’t drank water on his own for 2 months.. 100+ days later… he is back to his old happy self!

I wanted to share Loki's success story because there were two success stories I came across on the internet. Both stories were the reason why I didn't give up.

Days “0”(Aug 14-18): I was on vacation. Our housemate made sure...

Not eating/drinking water.. (stasis?) My very LONG success story!!

cleaning chinchilla shelves

I am wondering the best way to clean the pine shelves in my cage.
I usually just wipe them off while cleaning and once a month I spray them with a 50/50 vinegar water mix then wipe them off.
I soak them in vinegar and water then sand them when I do a big clean or if I think they need it (approx every other month).... but I find both of these methods don't really remove the stains that I want to remove.
Am I not leaving the vinegar on long enough? how do I remove the stains?

Any tips?
Thanks!

VERY dry ears.

So one of my chinchillas has really dry ears. His brother also has slightly dry ears but not nearly as bad. Does anyone have any solutions?

Bonded chins won't stop fighting

I have two male chinchillas, Radish and Peanut. We have had them for roughly 3 years and they were a year and a half when we got them. They have always been housed together and they're well bonded (they love playing together and snuggling together etc)
Peanut has always been the most boisterous of the pair, he loved to madly hop around, play on his wheel and generally be a mad-dashing ball of fluff.
Radish is more relaxed, never far from the food bowl, always ready to nap.
As you can...

Bonded chins won't stop fighting

Black Friday Deals - Take my Money

Any vendors having Black Friday, Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday sales for Chinchilla items?

Hi!

Hi everyone! So excited to have found this forum! Looks like there's a gold mine of knowledge in here and I'm excited to dig into it haha. My name is Danielle and this is Javier aka Javi. He's roughly a year and four months old a bit shy but warming up. We are still getting to know one another as I just got him from a local girl who appeared to be overwhelmed with chins. He was one of five living in one cage. She had 2 - 3 year olds, 2 -1 year olds and the other one year old female had a...

Hi!

Urine color

I have a question about what healthy urine should look like. I've had my male chinchilla for over a year, he's been to the vet and is healthy, however, his urine has always been a reddish brown color, is this normal?

Whiskers & Fluff Holiday Fun

Hey all!

We have a bunch of fun stuff in our Holiday Shop!
We have up to 30% off in the Holiday Shop for holiday fleece, toys, Christmas trees, Personalized Stockings, and the Build-a-Cage Bundler basics (ledges, hanging houses, scatter guards, hammocks, and more!). Double Fluff Bucks earned in the Holiday Shop...

Whiskers & Fluff Holiday Fun

Chin making loud sound

Hi everyone,

My boy Kumo is a VERY chatty ~10 yo chinchilla. Over the years I've gotten pretty familiar with most of the noises he makes and what they mean (you know...happy grunts during playtime, angry kacks when he sees the carrier because he hates the vet, warning calls to warn all the animals at the vet that the vet is awful...). He's a very communicative little guy.

However, he's been making a new noise that makes me jump to check on him every time he makes it. It's a loud...

Chin making loud sound

Dry ears

One of my chins has some lighter gray areas on his outer ears, mainly on/near the edge. Is this a sign of dryness? I've been applying bag balm to his ears every other day or so, and I'm waiting to see any improvements. He also has a small pinkish red area at the base of the back of his ear (near his head) on each ear. It feels a little rough, so I apply some balm on that area too. It seems to be furless. I'd like to avoid any vet visits because he's already gone this month, but I will do it...

Dry ears

newbie!!

I am new to the world of hedgehogs!
i will be bringing my hedgie home in a couple weeks.
i have purchased this ceramic heat bulb.

I just want to make sure this is an okay setup for my little hog!

Is this an okay setup?

I am new to the world of hedgehogs!
i will be bringing my hedgie home in a couple weeks.
i have purchased this ceramic heat bulb.

I just want to make sure this is an okay setup for my little hig!

Bedding and sticks.

I currently have my two boys in their Critter Nation with no bedding, just the plastic pans and three litter pans with aspen shavings in them. They're getting a new cage with tile on one level and fleece on the other in December-January. The pans have signs of past chewing, as I am using the cage they came with (I got them off of Craigslist), but they haven't chewed them at all since I've given them much more stuff to chew on ( two hanging toys, a wooden ledge, wooden house, wooden hay...

Bedding and sticks.

Eastcoast Chinchilla care

Hello my name is Jamie. I have chinchilla's now as pets. I own my home and have a lot of free space since my children are off to university. I am thinking on opening a chinchilla rescue for the eastern provinces of Canada. I live in Miramichi NB. I know there are other rescues in Canada but I do not believe there are any close to my area. I am wondering if this is something people think there is a need for. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Orphan Kits

Good day,
I need help, please!

I took in a female Chinchilla and she had three babies. She killed the first one by bitting it aggressively.
She later tried to kill one of the other two babies but I stopped her in the process.

I decided it will be best to hand feed the kits. I have a few questions:
* Is it normal for a mom to turn on her babies? I did not touch them accept when I removed the first kit. They are in quite environment, where she had been living for a few months.
* How much...

Orphan Kits

Cleaning

This isn't anything serious, just a curiosity of mine and a few questions. How often do you guys do a minor cage cleaning? (Sweeping surfaces, replenishing food/hay/water, wiping up any urine, cleaning litter pans if needed.) Once a day, twice a day, or something different? How often do you deep clean? (Cleaning water bottles/food bowls, scrubbing litter pans, wiping down surfaces with 50/50 vinegar and water mix or something else.) Also, how often should I clean wooden shelves and how...

Cleaning

Itchy Chinchilla

Hi all!
I’m a new member here but have always turned to this website for help with my chinchillas. Well, I need help once again.
My 4 y/o chinchilla has recently been scratching her hip in the same place lately. There is a tiny spot where it looks like she’s been biting. It’s not bleeding and there isn’t any bare skin. I’m just concerned of what I should do to help her? She freaks when I try to look at it too.
—Another note; I took her to the ER last night because she was sprawling out on...

Itchy Chinchilla

Frustrating Humidity Vol. 2

I thought I had the issue fixed. I just put the heater on low constantly, and it'd turn off when it hit 68 degrees F and it also kept the humidity down with the addition of two mini renewable dehumidifiers and a large tub of dehumidifying crystals that don't have an aroma to them. The humidity was at, I dunno, 45%? But then it started to slowly increase out of nowhere. I never changed anything. Now it's getting to the 58-61% range. Temp is still fine, varying between 66-68 F. I tried turning...

Frustrating Humidity Vol. 2

Hibiscus & Apple wood

I know the flowers of a hibiscus are ok but I haven't found anything in the forum regarding the wood.
Everyone says "apple wood" is ok, does that mean ANY AND ALL types of apple trees are fair game?

I am wondering if I can feed my chin the hibiscus and apple wood that I have in my back yard?

The apple tree produces an edible apple, no clue what kind, looks similar to a Fugi but not as sweet and with a tang to it. It's also a softer meat.
The hibiscus tree is your standard braided...

Hibiscus & Apple wood

Carrier floor

Does anyone know a cheap way to cover the bottom of a carrier so any urine gets soaked up?

Pimple-like abscesses on privates

My chinchilla just went to the vet yesterday for symptoms of Pyometra, luckily she doesn't have it, but there was something wrong. We have pain medication and something to flush out gas/food as that was the vet's assumption. Today we found several "pimples" on her private area. She is red and swollen down there. Could this be an allergic reaction to medication? Please help!

Soap Packaging Wholesale

Design your own custom boxes and get it with free shipping service at your own place.The Cosmetic Boxes is providing its services in manufacturing high-quality boxes at affordable prices with free delivery in the Australia. Moreover, this company is well-reputed for its error-free services and swift delivery in less turnaround time.We are providing soap packaging boxes in wholesale rate.

Tile? Linoleum? Vinyl???

In January-February my chins will be getting a much-needed new cage. On the first floor I'll be putting a Bass Equipment metal pan and then placing flooring inside of it. I just don't know which type to use. I've heard people usually use tile, but I've also looked at linoleum and vinyl. I'm not sure which out of the three to use. Any help is appreciated.

What types of air purifiers are safe?

I heard that air fresheners are unsafe for chins, which is explainable, but that air purifiers aren’t. I’ve never used either before in the chinnie room, but I’m thinking about putting one in there to keep the room smelling fresh. Are there certain types of purifiers that I should avoid? Are smells that chinchillas like in particular?
Thanks

Giving eyedrops to chinchilla?

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to see if anyone has experience giving a chinchilla eye drops? My chin has glaucoma and needs 1 drop in the AM and 1 in the PM and I'm struggling to give it to him. I mostly need a way that I can pin him down or grab him that won't hurt him, I know either way he'll be freaking out. He also has an eye lubricant he was prescribed but I haven't been giving it to him because it involves me going to his eye with my finger and he really freaks out then so if anyone may...

Giving eyedrops to chinchilla?

Urine on chin

I just got back from taking my chins to the vet for an exam. (They're both healthy!) But, they peed in their carrier and got some urine on their tails and some on their body. How do I clean it off?

Giant Dog issues

Not as bad as the title sounds. Mr. Batou, my Great Pyrenees is huge. It's impossible to find a halter for him...even harder to find collars.

The other night I almost bought him a doggie costume though. Almost. It was the Staypuft Marshmallow Man. Perfect for a giant white dog. So, I got out the tape and was measuring him.

47" chest.
36" neck.



Costume not going to happen.

Bear with me :)

My three chins are my fav little babies.
I have had Opie and gizmo since December 2018 and they are both very small. Opie is tiny actually. My third is Roo, I bought him in February 2019 (he was a Valentine’s Day present actually). Roo has his own double CN. Opie and gizmo have their own double CN.
I really want to get the 3 of them together and turn 2 doubles into a triple with the last level as an extra. The trouble is when I first got Roo i has quarantined him and then did not put enough...

Bear with me

Hello!

Hi,
My name is tay
I own 3 chinnies
My first 2 are bonded brothers- opie and gizmo.
My 3rd is Roo.

I have looked at this site for information since I got Opie and gizmo November 2018. I bought Roo in February 2019. I love them so much and just want to give them the greatest life

Massive amount of missing fur?

My chinchilla has a massive amount of missing fur on his back and I am very concerned. He has a cage mate he was very bonded with and i’m wondering if maybe they could’ve got into it? Please direct me on what this could be? They’ve since been separated.

Three questions

1. Would my two bonded male chins still need cuddle buddies?

2. I know some people feed their chins 2-3 types of hay. I only feed my boys 2nd cutting timothy, but should I add some other type?

3. How many apple sticks a week is too much?

Fleece help

So I was thinking about making my own fleece liners for my chinchillas cage but I’m not very good at sewing. I was wondering if it is safe for the liners not be sewed but just tucked under the trays on the edges?

Howdy Howdy!

Hello all!

Just wanted to take the time to say hi to all here. Finally decided to make an account (wife and I). We haven't purchased our chins yet. Currently still in the process of doing research. We've owned guinea pigs, and ferrets in the past but wanted to still do the leg work prior to purchasing. Hope everyone is doing well.

Why does my chinchilla scream at night

I have a three year old chinchilla that like to make random braking noises at night and it sounds like she is scared or something. What do this mean

Advice on playtime and room setup?

Hello,
I noticed on some chinchilla blogs, stories and videos the owners let their chinnies free in their room, hallway, or staircases for playtime. What really bewildered me is how, if they are, they are able to keep their chins away from unhealthy objects to chew on. Also, how do they clean the wood or carpet when their little guys decide it’s time to go potty?

Currently, I have my chinchillas in a small room with both of their cages against the wall. This leaves some room in the...

Advice on playtime and room setup?

Chinchillas available

Standard violet carrier male dob 8/22/19 $125. Very outgoing and loves attention; hops right onto our hands. (First pic)

Standard violet carrier female dob 8/22/19 $125. Outgoing and friendly; hops onto our hands right away. (Second and third pic). If she doesn’t sell soon, she may end up being grown out here as she’s looking nice so far! (Second and third pics)

Standard female dob 7/28/18 $125. From great lines and mom to...

Chinchillas available

The Debate On Playtime

I know I just posted a thread on playtime, but after some research, I've realized that there's a LOT of different opinions on this, and as a new chin owner, I'd like to get some opinions and tips on what to do. Now, some people say every day, a few times a week, or none at all as "They are prey animals and don't really enjoy the open areas for exercise. They prefer to stay hid. Also most injury or accident happen during out of cage time." What do you guys think? How often should a chin be...

The Debate On Playtime

Treat?

Is it safe to give my chin a pinch of crushed rosehips, whole oats, rolled oats, pearled barley, and golden flax seeds, as a mixture every once in a while?

Playtime

I've wanted to let my chins out for playtime, even though there's no toys or anything for them outside of the cage yet. I already have a gate made out of hardware cloth and wood blocking them from accessing the other half of the laundry room. My current issue now is that, from a few escapes, they tend to crawl underneath the cage and nibble at the walls. It's extremely difficult to get them back into the cage and keep an eye on them since it's hard to look at what they're doing behind the...

Playtime

Recommended Hay

I went to the pet store to buy some hay for my chin but found several different kinds of Oxbow hay to choose from. There is Oat Hay, Western Timothy Hay, Orchard Grass Hay, Alfalfa Hay, and Hay Blends. I know Alfalfa Hay is only meant to be given as a treat, but I don’t know about the others, which should I be giving unlimited amounts of?

Chin testicle larger than the other.

While I was socializing with my chins, I noticed that one of them had a pretty obvious size difference when it comes to his testicles. One of them was small/normal, pretty much the same size as his brother's. But the other was around double the size. It was hard to get a good look as he is the skittish one and he's not used to being handled AT ALL, so it's almost impossible to hold him in a safe angle to check. It hasn't seemed to get any larger over the past couple weeks, but it does look...

Chin testicle larger than the other.

Rehoming Mosaic Female Chinchilla-FL Panhandle

Hello all! I am looking to rehome my ~1.5/2 year old female mosaic chinchilla at this time, as I have 4 chinchillas total but the other 3 are males and share a space, so she is currently living alone, and I just do not have the time for her that I feel she deserves as a single chinchilla.

She is a super sweet lady with some very unique markings. I am not asking for any $ for her, just want to be sure she is going to a good, responsible home. If needed I would be happy to send her off with...

Rehoming Mosaic Female Chinchilla-FL Panhandle

Question on Litter

Hello all!

I am a new hedgie owner and have found this forum so helpful in helping my Millie get used to her new environment. I had a question regarding teaching her to use a litter box (if possible at all really). Generally, I wanted to see if anyone had trained their hedgie or what I could do to help the situation. I had just put a little dish with litter in and she also tried to eat it so I immediately took it out. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Tail Chew

So my Chinchilla has started to chew the tip of her tail. How do I get her to stop? She chews that she's making her tail bleed and using the hairs as bristles. I keep coming home to find a new bloody masterpiece on her wood shelf.

I rubbed neosporin on it.

Loose stool?

Hi guys! Writing about my chin chowder. For a few weeks now his cage has been developing a strong odor which I refer to as “petting zoo” odor & im not sure if he’s got a loose stool. His poop is getting on his hut and the fleece as if he’s stepping in it and tracking it. He’s mosaic so his fur stains easily and was never perfect as he was a rescue. But does he have diarrhea? I’ve never experienced this before. My other chin is in the level above him (they’re separated, not friends lol) and...

Loose stool?

Are peppermint candles safe for chinchillas?

Hello,
As winter nears, the ladybug population in my area are increasing rapidly. Now there's an infestation on the chinchilla room! I want to use peppermint candles to repel them, but I first want to know-- is it safe for my two chinchillas? What other safe options do I have?
Thanks!

Chinchilla untrained himself?

So my chinchilla litter trained himself basically, but in the last few weeks he has just been peeing around it and not in it, is there anything I can do?

Large Lump on Leg (might be cancer)

Hey guys. So I am technically a new member but have been following posts on this site for years as I raised my chinchillas and had questions here and there. My first girl that I got, Mochi, just recently developed a large lump on her back leg right around the knee joint. It happened over night. Now, she had hurt herself once before on her front leg, and was so lethargic and refused to come out of the cage for even her favorite treats or dust baths (she is my most active chin and is very good...

Large Lump on Leg (might be cancer)

Chinchilla Tumor / Cancer - Please, read!!!

Hello,

I am new here - and hope that I am posting this in the proper place.
Also, in advance - please forgive me for the length of this...

I checked my chins on Thursday morning at 6:00 AM, and found a large chunk of fur on the ledge where they sleep. I removed it, and saw that there were small bits of bloody flesh attached to it. I had only been in there a half hour earlier, so whatever caused this had just happened. Meanwhile, both chins (a very bonded female pair of sisters) were...

Chinchilla Tumor / Cancer - Please, read!!!

The Ferret Nation Club

We can all post our FN's here, to give people ideas on how to set up the interiors!!
Here's my Rodent Room:

Both cages are laid out basically the same, here's the top:

and bottom:

So, what did you do with YOUR Ferret Nation?

Chinchilla Fur Problem

Hi All,

We've come home from work today to find our young (adopted)chinchilla with fur that looks wet but doesnt feel wet and no wetness to be seen in their cage. I've attached a photo. I've given them a sand bath but it doesn't seem to have improved. Does anyone have an idea what it could be?

They have been a little stressed as it's around Bonfire Night and they dont like the fireworks. Could it be related?

Thanks!

Chinchi scoots on wet towels

So, this isn’t an issue really, more of a query as far as behavior.
My chinchi, Chinchi, will scoot her butt on wet towels. Any wet fabric really... and when my mom was chinchi-sitting for me, she twice shot piss after encountering a Diet Coke and then a glass of wine sitting on the floor with my mom. It’s like she is a weirdo with liquids... is this a thing for anyone else?
Thanks!
Sincerely, Chinchi

New Chinchilla Owner please help!

Hello!
I purchased a chinchilla about a month ago who I named Houdini. I got him from a high school kid who kept him in basically a hamster cage. His fur was matted and since I got him he's in (what I call) a palace, an enclosure taller than me with multiple jump platforms and such... He gets dust baths every two or three days, I'm giving him everything to the book according to Google. I'm being very patient and I'm attempting to making one of those chin spin wheels without paying $100...

New Chinchilla Owner please help!

Chin Names

Does anyone have any cute name ideas for a male beige chin? Thanks!

Bumblefoot

Adult male chinchilla has mild bumblefoot. Are there any home remedies that have been helpful? He gets out everyday and runs and doesn't seem uncomfortable. I've heard soaking in Epsom salt can help. Anyone know how much salt and how often and duration? Thank you I appreciate all of your help