10 Responses for "CHINCHILLA questions?"

1. popperman September 24th, 2009 at 4:14 am 1

   9 hours…….. it would probably take a week or so
   but im no expert or anything…the house looks ok
   References :

2. <3 September 24th, 2009 at 4:47 am 2

   1. depends. i have 2 (unfortunately) and one hates me for no reason and the other likes me. but they are always really skittish. But it will take a while.

   2. i probably wouldnt do it, but it would probably be okay.

   3. yes and chew everything up and probably pee

   4. unless it gets soaked it should be fine

   5.yes, but they can easily escape from the balls and so you have to tape it shut and then they pee and the pee comes out of the hole and on the floor. for your sake i recommend just a wheel.

   6. wood stuff he can chew on, they have a ton of stuff at petco

   7. wood and stuff. they have a sensitive digestive track so only give them one treat a day. they love raisons but you dont want to give them too many because it can make them sick and die.

   8. its fine.

   to let him out you can let him loose in the bathroom and make sure you put tooth brushes and stuff out of his way. make sure you keep the door closed and stuff.
   References :
   i have 2 chinchillas

3. Bonsylar September 24th, 2009 at 5:36 am 3

   1) Chinchillas aren’t cuddly. Unless you have food, they generally don’t want to be near you. Each one is different, of course, but generally, they don’t like to be pet/stroked/held. Try bribing him with a raisin. (only 3 per day though)

   2) Why? They won’t "play" with it. Better to get chew toys, or "snugglies" for them to sleep in.

   3) Yes. They don’t have any control of bathrooming, and no desire to please you, so they’re pretty much impossible to potty train.

   4) Water is not good for the fur. It will ruin it. BUT, because it’s only been 9 hours, you will freak him out if you try to prevent him. Best to stick something in there where he can hide. A shoe box with a hole cut in the side, or specially made hides from a pet store. The "igloo" style is a favorite. More than one is also a good idea.

   5) DO NOT EVER put a chinchilla in a ball. It damages their spines, and gets them too hot. Heat alone can kill the little guys. Some will use the wheels, but they have to be the right size. ONLY get the one for chinchillas.

   6-7) Look here for toys and treats. It says guinea pigs, but it has great ideas for toys, treats, "hides", snugglies, and other equipment. http://www.guineapigcages.com.

   That’s a great choice.

   Bouncy time outside the cage, just means you need to do a little extra cleaning when he’s done. Watch for him to pee, and clean that up right away with a cleaner specially made for pet pee, and get a little broom and dust pan for the poop. They vacuum well too.
   You do realize he will be awake and LOUD all night, right? I hope you’re a deep sleeper.
   References :

4. Erica S September 24th, 2009 at 5:53 am 4

   1 – i answered this where you posted it elsewhere, but he should be alright with you petting and holding him after a few times of "playtime" with you
   2 – yes, stuffed animals are fine, as long as there are no small parts he can bite off to swallow (eyeballs, etc) and no plastic. i give my chinchilla old socks to snuggle with and she loves even that.
   3 – yeah, he’ll poop a lot, but chinchilla poop is incredibly easy to clean up, it’s a fairly firm little pellet you can just throw into the bottom of their cage or a toilet when you put him back in the cage. I perfer to let my chinchilla run in the bathroom because it makes cleaning up after her a lot easier.
   4 – it’s better to avoid it. I answered this question elsewhere for you too, but simply put you should just rasie the bottle to where he can drink from it but not rub it.
   5 – most balls and wheels can actually be very bad for chinchilla’s feet and backs. "flying saucer" wheels are good because the chinchilla doesn’t have to stoop at all to run. it’s better to just let your chinchilla run around in a bathroom or large closet or bedroom than to put him in a ball.
   6 – plastic cat toy balls are very cheap and your chin will love to carry them around. i got my chinchilla some that have bells inside, and she loves to hold them and jump to make them jingle.
   7 – the best and most prefered treat is a rasin. not mroe than 1 a day or they can have digestive issues, but rasisn and sunflower seeds are tastey for your pet and cheap for you.
   8 – that should be fine, but make sure he has plenty of wood chew sticks or chew toys to bite so he won’t chew all that plastic.
   References :

5. xlyndseyslaterx September 24th, 2009 at 6:05 am 5

   You chinchilla has just been removed from its mother ( if its a baby ) or previous owner ( if older) so it will need plenty of time which would be at least 1-2 wks & thts just for a start that wont make it tame enough for you to handle it properly , some chins just dont like alot of handling & if this is the case please dont handle them alot as it can cause other probs, Chins have no control over bowel movements so yes they will poo when they are out of the cage , They do need to be supervised whilst on free roam of roughly half hour to a max of an hour per day ….They will chew wires so watch them ….toys you can give yes a cuddly teddy if the chin is young it well help bring back the feeling of siblings , toys safe for birds are ok , & mirrors with bells are good . Make sure whilst in its cage the cage hasnt got drops for it to fall , You need to move the water dont let it get wet or drenched , Make sure you have a sand bath for you chin it NEEDS this ..basically sand in a tub & they roll around in it ….DO NOT use the wheels at all or hamster ball things …..3 raisins per day is to much , 1 a day ifs fine cut into half will let the chin think it has more , becareful what u give with sugar in & if poss dont ….
   References :

6. mca September 24th, 2009 at 6:11 am 6

   Bringing a new family member home is always an exciting time! People want to take them home, show them their new surroundings and love on them immediately.

   However, moving to a new environment is stressful, even on the most socialized chins. For this reason, time should be taken to allow the chin to get used to their new cage so that they feel that this is their safe haven no matter what. There are a lot of new sights and smells in their new home to get used to as well and this is best done from inside a safe cage.

   The biggest mistake we see new owners make is taking a chin home and immediately beginning to take them out for play time. Even if the chin seems to be calm, he/she needs time to settle into their own little safe world prior to exploring the big world of the new house. This is especially true of homes that have other species in them.

   Chinchillas are a prey species and as such may not show outward signs of stress until it is too late. Smells of other species, especially predatory species can be very frightening to a chinchilla. You may not think Fluffy, your cat is predatory, but the chin has no way of knowing this and will only go by what he/she smells.

   For this reason, we suggest that new owners give new chins a minimum of two weeks before taking them out for play time. This gives them time to feel comfortable and safe in their new cage. You can bond with them and interact with them from within their cage. Let them approach you however, do not reach in and "grab" them. If they climb onto your hand, then hold them. But, we do not suggest letting them run around their new home for a minimum of two weeks. This time can be longer, depending on the chin’s particular personality, but two weeks should be a minimum.

   We know this is hard for new owners, however, it would be much harder if the chin were to end up dying due to the stress of his/her new environment. So please, give your new family member time to settle in prior to letting them out for play time.

   A great place to find out about chinchillas and ask questions is http://www.pets-on-the-net.com/…...

   Here is a great place to buy a cage and wheel
   http://www.qualitycage.com/chinchilla.ht...

   Chinchillas need lots of exercise and they love to climb UP so the cage should be tall not wide. My chinchilla loves to run in her wheel " all night LONG "

   A high quality pellet is the staple to any chin diet. We used Mazuri Chinchilla Diet for many years with wonderful success.

   http://www.mazuri.com/

   A constant supply of hay should be kept in the chinchilla’s cage at all times. Hay is important for many reasons. It is a wonderful source of fiber, as well as calcium and protein. With chinchillas though, it is also important for helping them to keep their back teeth from overgrowing and causing health issues. Cube hay will not help back teeth nearly as much as loose hay does.

   Timothy, alfalfa and oat hay are all good for chins. Alfalfa is much higher in calcium and protein, which an be harsh on chin’s digestive systems, especially if the pellet portion of the diet is alfalfa based.

   Also make sure you always provide plenty of different sizes of chew sticks for thrie teeth as well

   A basic rule of thumb is that if your pellets are alfalfa based, as Mazuri is, you need to feed timothy hay. If the pellets are timothy based then feed a alfalfa hay

   The fear of any chin owner is a bacterial infection happening to his or her chinnies! Contamination of water is pretty easy to prevent and hard to fix. Bacteria is the most common of contaminants in chinchillas’ drinking water. It can come from a dirty waterbottle where it has cultured itself and grown to a concentration that is enough to affect the animals or it can come from the water source. The consequence of the bacterial infection is usually diarrhea and can be fatal if not treated promptly. There are several different types, some are worse than others, but all are parasites that chins are much better not having.

   Heavy metals, floride, arsenic, lead, and other chemicals either added intentionally or not can be harmful as well. This is why tap and well water can be dangerous. Even if the concentrations are not hight enough to make humans feel ill, the chinchillas can still cause problems. The consequences can be the poisoning of your chinchilla or even neurological problems that can affect a chin for the rest of his life. If you think that your chinchilla is suffering from parasites or poisoning, get him to the vet immediately!!

   Regular bottled, purified water is just fine for chinchillas as is reverse osmosis or distilled water. They don’t need the expensive bottled mineral waters and shouldn’t be given carbonated water (this could really cause problems..use only flat water!) However, if you are sure that the water you are giving them is clean and contaminant free, then it’s probably going to be just fine. Our chinchillas are given reverse osmosis water since our household water comes directly from a well. There are just too many possibilities of contaminants in the well water so I would never risk giving it to my chinnies.

   As a last resort (or maybe a first), the water may be boiled to kill any bacteria. This is pretty highly effective at making water safe for chinchillas and humans alike. Personally I just buy regular bottled water

   Of course you can give them treats, such as rasins , rose hips, dried papaya but be careful " not too many sweets " give them a bad tummy ache.

   If there is anything else you need please feel free to email me
   References :

7. Love.Pink.Peace.Spirit. September 24th, 2009 at 6:26 am 7

   1. It really depends on how much human interaction he had before you. Whatever you do, don’t force yourself on him! It will just scare him and will then take longer for him to trust you. Move slowly and speak softly around him. Start giving him treats through the cage (a raisin will work best). Over time, open the cage door and let him come to you to get the treat. Then, over the next few days, start putting the raisin higher and higher up your arm, so that he has to come out and up your arm to get it. Again, speak softly as he comes out and don’t make any sudden moves that might scare him. You can try petting him, but move slowly and don’t force him to let you pet him. He will eventually come to trust you, usually in about a week, maybe longer. This is how I tamed my chins. Also, don’t force him to come out of his cage. He’ll probably want to stay in it – his safe place – for awhile. You can leave the cage door open and, if he wants to, he’ll come out on his own, but when he does (if he does), just let him nose around. Try to ignore him and let him explore his new surroundings without interfering.

   2. I wouldn’t, he’ll probably chew on it and it’s not good for him to eat the fabric, it could possibly block him up.

   3. Yes, but they’re like little, uncooked rice pellets, nothing a dust buster can’t pick up.

   4. Chinchillas not being able to get wet is a myth. It’s not going to hurt them to get wet, they can even be given a water bath (but ONLY when absolutely necessary). They just need to be dried thoroughly and don’t let them catch a chill while wet. Their fur will NOT fall out, and it will NOT lead to fungus, pneumonia, or death. Try raising the water bottle so he can’t rub his body against it. It should be high enough that he has to stand on his hind legs to reach it, but without stretching or straining to reach it (probably about 6 to 7 inches, depending on how tall he is, from the bottom of the cage floor).

   5. Yes, they like the wheels. Something 15 to 18 inches in diameter is best and preferably something not plastic. http://www.chinchillas.com/estore/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=wheel
   http://www.chinworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CW030010&Category_Code=CW03
   NO, they CANNOT have those balls!! The balls are usually too small and they can overheat in them. Do NOT use the balls!

   6. Things for them to climb on and/or chew are best.

   7. They love raisins, papaya, carrots, celery, fresh and dried fruits (especially apples), dried rosehip, and sunflower seeds to name a few things. Just go easy on the treats – they can become junk food junkies and won’t eat their ‘real food’ if given too many treats.

   8. In my opinion, no. Chinchillas chew on everything and the plastic is not good for them. It can, over time, be fatal to them. A wooden one would be best. You can make (or have someone make) one out of pine or buy one already made at a pet shop.
   References :

8. Top Chinchilla Charm Info in Sep - Chinchilla Charm October 5th, 2009 at 7:46 pm 8

   [...] CHINCHILLA questions? Posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 in Safe Chinchilla Toys – Comments: (7) 1.) When will my chinchilla get used to me and let me pick him up? I have had him for about 9 hours. He squeaks and runs when I try to tuch him. 2.) Is it safe to put a stuffed animal in the cage with him?3.) If I let it loose in my room, is it going to poop all over my room?4.)It keeps sitting next to the water bottle and getting himself wet. Is this ok? I heard water makes their hair fall out?5.) Do they like those wheels that they run in inside the cage and those balls that they run in on the floor?6.) What kind of toys should I buy him?7.) What kind of treats should I buy him?8.) Is this sleep house ok? http://i7.tinypic.com/2sblxqp.jpgSo how do I let him have "outside of cage" play time without him peeing and pooping all over my room? Which post was the most informative or interesting for you? Let us know below! [...]

9. expekt May 10th, 2010 at 2:18 pm 9

   I think you are good writer, keep us posting

10. Alivia August 17th, 2011 at 5:22 pm 10

    My chinchilla has been pulling his fur out& he had these scab lik welps on his body..ive changed everything about his cage. But I’ve gone to the vet and they said he has mange. But since then it’s gotten worse. Please help me& piglet