Anybody Here Have a Chinchillas?
- Thread starter jacknjill
- Start date
jacknjill
Active Member
Thanks!
Im pretty sure he will chew the wood on the house, but thats one of the reasons that i got it. I figure he will have several ways to keep his teeth down and if he completely destroys the house, I'll get an igloo. No big deal lol
I was afraid that the wheel wouldnt fit in the cage, but it fits perfectly! I wanted him to be able to run all of the time instead of just when i had him out. And i made sure to get a wheel especially made for chinchillas. He may chew through it though since its plastic :thinking: oh well it was cheap lol
I put some bedding underneath the water bottle because i know those things like to drip, i felt pretty clever. I bet the chin will just spread the bedding everywhere and make a mess lol!
That vanilla bean dust smells REALLY good! Its like an air freshener lol
Im looking forward to your pictures!
Now, all thats missing is the chin! I can barely wait!
Im pretty sure he will chew the wood on the house, but thats one of the reasons that i got it. I figure he will have several ways to keep his teeth down and if he completely destroys the house, I'll get an igloo. No big deal lol
I was afraid that the wheel wouldnt fit in the cage, but it fits perfectly! I wanted him to be able to run all of the time instead of just when i had him out. And i made sure to get a wheel especially made for chinchillas. He may chew through it though since its plastic :thinking: oh well it was cheap lol
I put some bedding underneath the water bottle because i know those things like to drip, i felt pretty clever. I bet the chin will just spread the bedding everywhere and make a mess lol!
That vanilla bean dust smells REALLY good! Its like an air freshener lol
Im looking forward to your pictures!
Now, all thats missing is the chin! I can barely wait!
jacknjill
Active Member
Well, I GOT HIM I GOT HIM I GOT HIM!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOOO excited!!!!!
I ended up getting a black velvet, male chin, born in November for $99. So far, his name is Harley, but its open for discussion lol. My family keeps having new ideas lol.
Within an hour, he had trashed the cage lol, sand everywhere
He bit me when i was holding him at the store, and then when he was running around the hall and we had to put him in the cage, he bit me twice!!!! Do you think he will get used to me eventually and not freak out when i pick him up? Hes not scared of me at all, he will run up to me and climb all over my legs when im sitting on the floor. He even ate a raisin out of my hand within 5 minutes of him being in the cage! Did any of your guys chins bite you at first?
So far he has used everything in the cage, water, sand bath, bark sticks, hay, food, and hut. Everything except for the wheel, which im hoping he will use later
The store also gave me a coupon for a free vet check up!
He is just adorable, and my cats are going crazy watching him! Its so funny
I ended up getting a black velvet, male chin, born in November for $99. So far, his name is Harley, but its open for discussion lol. My family keeps having new ideas lol.
Within an hour, he had trashed the cage lol, sand everywhere
He bit me when i was holding him at the store, and then when he was running around the hall and we had to put him in the cage, he bit me twice!!!! Do you think he will get used to me eventually and not freak out when i pick him up? Hes not scared of me at all, he will run up to me and climb all over my legs when im sitting on the floor. He even ate a raisin out of my hand within 5 minutes of him being in the cage! Did any of your guys chins bite you at first?
So far he has used everything in the cage, water, sand bath, bark sticks, hay, food, and hut. Everything except for the wheel, which im hoping he will use later
The store also gave me a coupon for a free vet check up!
He is just adorable, and my cats are going crazy watching him! Its so funny
keleighr
Active Member
I LOVE HIM!!!!!
Sooooo cute!! You are totally going to make me want to go out and adopt one!!!!
Charlotte bit all the time. Give him time. I mean it was his first night home! Keep us updated on his progress.
Yeah Charlotte was the messy one. As soon as she would get in the clean cage, everything went flying. She set it up the way she liked it.
Sooooo cute!! You are totally going to make me want to go out and adopt one!!!!
Charlotte bit all the time. Give him time. I mean it was his first night home! Keep us updated on his progress.
Yeah Charlotte was the messy one. As soon as she would get in the clean cage, everything went flying. She set it up the way she liked it.
danedodger
Member
You did such a great job getting this lil guy!!!! I wish all my customers took this kind of time to find out about the animals and get their cages and such set up so wonderfully before buying!!! And he's a beautiful chin! I'm sure you'll just love him to pieces!
Gotta say, I agree all the way with everything that's been said so far! I use carefresh myself. I didn't see mentioned to be very careful about temps, chins absolutely can't handle heat at all, and handling, they're actualy more delicate than your average guinea pig or similar sized animal.
How's he doing now a few days later?
Gotta say, I agree all the way with everything that's been said so far! I use carefresh myself. I didn't see mentioned to be very careful about temps, chins absolutely can't handle heat at all, and handling, they're actualy more delicate than your average guinea pig or similar sized animal.
How's he doing now a few days later?
jacknjill
Active Member
Well, thinks for the compliments!
Harley is doing very good. He LOVES raisins, not so crazy about carrots, and im trying apples later today. What are some foods NOT safe to feed him?
At first i had him in a kind of busy area in my house. But later i realized the sun is on him during the day through the window. Also my cats like to stick their paws in to try and touch him. So ive moved him into our finished basement. It is always very cool temp wise, dark during the day, and wont be disturbed by us during the day. Hes actually right next to the fish tank. Another bonus is that he is up high on some real old speakers we dont use anymore vs being on the floor like he was before, and the cats cant get to him. I read in the book i bought that they like to be up high. I think it will be much better for him.
I took the dust bath out of his cage, because that is where he slept instead of the hutch i bought him. It got a lot of poops in it. But now he just sleeps in the corner, so i may put it back in. Or i might try one of those igloos :thinking:
hes just SO cute!
He loves to run around, and yesterday when i was sitting on the floor with him he kept hopping onto my legs and even onto my shoulder once! He is getting used to being petted, but he still freaks out when i try to pick him up. Thats when he starts to bite and it hurts! lol. I ve tried different ways of holding him, by the base of the tail with support, standing on all 4's on my hand in my arms, just holding him around his belly, but he hates them all. i guess it will just take time so that he will get used to me.
He has totally trashed his cage lol, but thats ok, it looks used! lol I have a problem with him running his wheel right off the cage wall! its just not tight enough so i may have to try to figure out some other way to hold it on.
In my book, it said to feed chins up to 3 months old (which Harley is) 1/2 a teaspoon of pellets twice a day. That doesnt seem like very much. Is this correct?
So far im very glad that i got him! I carefully introduced him to my 2 cats when he was exercising out of his cage. They seemed very interested in him, but not aggressive. They are actually more scared of him than Harley is of them! I think they will be ok with a close watch
Harley is doing very good. He LOVES raisins, not so crazy about carrots, and im trying apples later today. What are some foods NOT safe to feed him?
At first i had him in a kind of busy area in my house. But later i realized the sun is on him during the day through the window. Also my cats like to stick their paws in to try and touch him. So ive moved him into our finished basement. It is always very cool temp wise, dark during the day, and wont be disturbed by us during the day. Hes actually right next to the fish tank. Another bonus is that he is up high on some real old speakers we dont use anymore vs being on the floor like he was before, and the cats cant get to him. I read in the book i bought that they like to be up high. I think it will be much better for him.
I took the dust bath out of his cage, because that is where he slept instead of the hutch i bought him. It got a lot of poops in it. But now he just sleeps in the corner, so i may put it back in. Or i might try one of those igloos :thinking:
hes just SO cute!
He loves to run around, and yesterday when i was sitting on the floor with him he kept hopping onto my legs and even onto my shoulder once! He is getting used to being petted, but he still freaks out when i try to pick him up. Thats when he starts to bite and it hurts! lol. I ve tried different ways of holding him, by the base of the tail with support, standing on all 4's on my hand in my arms, just holding him around his belly, but he hates them all. i guess it will just take time so that he will get used to me.
He has totally trashed his cage lol, but thats ok, it looks used! lol I have a problem with him running his wheel right off the cage wall! its just not tight enough so i may have to try to figure out some other way to hold it on.
In my book, it said to feed chins up to 3 months old (which Harley is) 1/2 a teaspoon of pellets twice a day. That doesnt seem like very much. Is this correct?
So far im very glad that i got him! I carefully introduced him to my 2 cats when he was exercising out of his cage. They seemed very interested in him, but not aggressive. They are actually more scared of him than Harley is of them! I think they will be ok with a close watch
suzi1780
Member
CONGRATZ!!! He is soooooooooooooooo cute!!! With the dust bath good thing you took it out. You don't want to leave it in all the time, chins will just poop and pee in it and then take a bath in it.... ummm yuck. I use the dust bath to make my chin come back in after she has been outside of her cage. I let her run around for maybe 30mins and then put the bath down on the floor and she will jump in the bath then I put the bath inside her cage and give her maybe 5mins in it and then remove it. I had one of those wheels and it wasn't that great, I also had one of these (pic below) plastic wheels from ***** that fell apart when Maddie ran it in and I was afriad it was going to hurt her so I returned it. I ended up with a wire wheel that is cross wired like the pic. I got it on some website that I can't find at the moment
you want one with cross wire so your chin's foot can't get stuck. But the metal one for the earlier post looks really cool!
suzi1780
Member
it will just take time, don't worry
try putting your arm into his cage with a treat in the palm of your hand with your palm flat so that he has to come into your hand to get the treat let him climb on your arm and get used to it, and speak very softly to him. Try just that for a few days then start to try and touch him when he comes for a treat, for example when he comes for a treat touch his back of his ear, repeat that a couple of times then see if he will let you pet him behind his ear. He needs to associate you with good things like treats, rubbing. As far as treats I think I might not give him banana unless it has been dryed and unsweetned, I found this info to be helpful:
TREATS- Nothing is cuter than a chin begging for a treat. You can give your chin dry oatmeal, grapes, blueberries, cranberries, apple slices (dried and fresh), banana chips (dried), raw pumpkin seeds, unsalted sunflower seeds, (sunflower seeds are not only a treat, they also add sheen to the fur), rose hips, unfrosted shredded wheat, and of course raisins (which they just love). Apple tree branches(if unsprayed) are an occasional food source. This is good because it gives them something to gnaw on. This trims the teeth. Small pieces of carrots, and celery can be given once in awhile, as well as dried apricots, and dried prunes. (not on a daily basis) Treats should always be limited. Remember to remove fruit with in a day if they have not eaten it. You don't want them to have access to anything moldy.
TREATS- Nothing is cuter than a chin begging for a treat. You can give your chin dry oatmeal, grapes, blueberries, cranberries, apple slices (dried and fresh), banana chips (dried), raw pumpkin seeds, unsalted sunflower seeds, (sunflower seeds are not only a treat, they also add sheen to the fur), rose hips, unfrosted shredded wheat, and of course raisins (which they just love). Apple tree branches(if unsprayed) are an occasional food source. This is good because it gives them something to gnaw on. This trims the teeth. Small pieces of carrots, and celery can be given once in awhile, as well as dried apricots, and dried prunes. (not on a daily basis) Treats should always be limited. Remember to remove fruit with in a day if they have not eaten it. You don't want them to have access to anything moldy.
rubberduck
Active Member
Nice is that you holding the chin.....Nice cage and stuff. Great home.
yeah my brother bought the flying squirrels and they are crazy.
cool looks great
travis
yeah my brother bought the flying squirrels and they are crazy.
cool looks great
travis
jacknjill
Active Member
Sometimes when i am holding Harley, he will do this kind of vibratish thing, kind of like a purr or he is shaking? Can chinchillas purr or is he just like scared or mad when he does this?
Man, it is easy to spend money on this thing! I went to Petsmart the other day originally just for some bedding. I ended up getting a can of mixed treats, a salt and mineral wheel with a clip, and a pack of fruit flavored wood things for him to chew on! So far he has used everything but the salt wheel, which i am little disappointed about. Too badi cant take him with me! I had to restrain myself from some drops that you put in their water for like, supplements on calcium and other things? It looked pretty cool. Also these cool little treats shaped like ice cream.
And i am going to have to buy a little igloo for him eventually because he chews on his house a lot, but thats ok.
One more question, almost every night he pulls the little metal wire thing off the holds the water bottle onto the cage and it falls to the floor. Is there anything i can do to prevent this?
Ok, last question i swear. Ok, you know how i got that free coupon for a vet checkup when i bought him? Well, i still havent used it. Im afraid that if i take him it will freak him out completely and then he will lose all his trust in me and i will have to start over from square one. Should i just go ahead and take him or what? He appears to be very healthy, eats, drinks, poops, thick fur, no bald spots, clear eyes. i havent looked at his teeth though....he bites lol
Im still glad that i bought him! He is so fun to watch, and it still cracks me up how they hop like a rabbit!
Man, it is easy to spend money on this thing! I went to Petsmart the other day originally just for some bedding. I ended up getting a can of mixed treats, a salt and mineral wheel with a clip, and a pack of fruit flavored wood things for him to chew on! So far he has used everything but the salt wheel, which i am little disappointed about. Too badi cant take him with me! I had to restrain myself from some drops that you put in their water for like, supplements on calcium and other things? It looked pretty cool. Also these cool little treats shaped like ice cream.
And i am going to have to buy a little igloo for him eventually because he chews on his house a lot, but thats ok.
One more question, almost every night he pulls the little metal wire thing off the holds the water bottle onto the cage and it falls to the floor. Is there anything i can do to prevent this?
Ok, last question i swear. Ok, you know how i got that free coupon for a vet checkup when i bought him? Well, i still havent used it. Im afraid that if i take him it will freak him out completely and then he will lose all his trust in me and i will have to start over from square one. Should i just go ahead and take him or what? He appears to be very healthy, eats, drinks, poops, thick fur, no bald spots, clear eyes. i havent looked at his teeth though....he bites lol
Im still glad that i bought him! He is so fun to watch, and it still cracks me up how they hop like a rabbit!