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16

Q & A / Re: Wheels

« on: December 28, 2007, 06:42:52 PM »

We can guess ages of cats and dogs based on their teeth, but it's always a guess.  In general, permanent teeth begin to erupt at 11 to 12 weeks of age for felines and canines.  By the time they are 4 months old, most felines and canines have all of their permanent teeth.  When a cat or dog is older, veterinarians look at the condition of the teeth to try to determine age.  But this is, as I said, a guess.  Just like people, some animals have a biological disposition to the formation of tartar and the development of gum disease.  By the same token, a dog or cat might have had a dental cleaning, making their teeth appear younger than they actually are.

With horses, you can actually judge age nearly perfectly based on the teeth and the pattern of wear that emerges as they age.

With chinchillas, their teeth grow continuously throughout their lifetimes.  This is why chewing is so important to them!  It helps keep them filed down. 

17

Q & A / Re: Chinchilla's & hair color?

« on: December 28, 2007, 06:35:26 PM »

I dye my hair (and have been since I was 15 years old)!  I don't dye my hair in the chinchilla room, but that's more about not wanting to get dye all over the place or chinchilla dust all in my dye.  I don't avoid being around them once it's rinsed out, though.  None of my chinchillas have had any ill affects from my hair dying. 

18

Q & A / Re: Chins and cats

« on: December 28, 2007, 06:31:47 PM »

I don't know if you were meaning to say this or not, but it sounded as though you were saying that, if a cat scratches another animal, it won't cause a problem if they are vaccinated.  This isn't correct.  Cats have a tremendous amount of bacteria in their saliva.  Since they clean themselves and lick their paws and nails, cat scratches can easily transmit this bacteria.  One of the most commonly known bacteria carried and transmitted by cats is Bartonella.  ("Cat scratch fever" isn't just an old wive's tale!)  This is why anyone who is scratched or bitten by a cat should go to the doctor and get antibiotics, whether or not the cat is vaccinated.  (The same is not necessarily true for dog bites and scratches unless the dog has not been vaccinated against rabies.) 

There are also many, MANY zoonotic diseases that cannot be vaccinated against that any animal has the potential of carrying and transmitting.

19

Q & A / Re: Wheels

« on: December 28, 2007, 06:19:42 PM »

Just so there isn't any confusion: The vet will not be able to tell you their age.

20

General Chat / Re: A moral dilema - I really need some advice.

« on: December 28, 2007, 06:14:14 PM »

Experimental Play nights before you buy the chin is great because it saves you and your chin stress!

But Experimental Play nights do leave your chinchilla exposed to potential illness.  A 30 day quarantine period should be observed between chinchillas and this would completely eliminate this quarantine.

21

Q & A / Re: Chins and cats

« on: December 26, 2007, 04:07:53 PM »

I own three cats and have had up to 30 chinchillas in my house at one time.  Although my cats have never shown any malice towards my chinchillas and have not harmed them when the chinchillas have escaped from the cages, I would NEVER let my cats and chinchillas out in the same room on purpose.  I do allow my cats into the chinchilla room when all of the cages are locked.  However, I do know what I am risking in doing this.  If one of the chinchillas got hurt or killed, I know that it would be my fault and not the animals.  Unfortunately, people allow their animals to be together and, when one of them dies, they blame the animal and often start neglecting it or get rid of it.  As animal owners, we all make decisions on what we think is best.

My advice is this:  Do what you want to do with your animals.  But know that it is NOT the animal's fault for behaving on their natural instincts.  If your cat kills your chinchilla, chalk it up to a lesson learned on your part and love your cat just as much as you did before the incident.

22

South West USA / Re: MANY Chinchillas for Sale (AZ/CA/NM/TX)

« on: December 24, 2007, 11:04:25 PM »

I don't know what chins in VA have to do with my post, but perhaps you guys could start another topic with that you're looking for and/or selling?    Thank you!


Kent is currently on hold along with T20 (Light Tan male), with whom he was recently paired.

I've added a few more chins for sale...

Harold and T21:

Harold - Heterozygous Beige male
Born October 2002 to a Heterozygous Beige sire and a Standard dam
Bred by Jodi Bowman (The Chinzoo)


T21 - Ebony White male
Born 11 November 2007 to a Second Place TOV Mosaic sire and a Medium Tan dam
Price: Harold and T21 are being offered only as a pair for $250

AND...


Avra - Black Velvet female
Born 15 November 2002 to a Black Velvet sire and a Standard dam
Price: $125

23

Q & A / Re: I still need help with my aggressive chin!

« on: December 24, 2007, 12:18:36 PM »

That's wonderful progress!  Congratulations!   

24

Q & A / Re: Another question by an owner - sort of strange

« on: December 23, 2007, 07:47:52 AM »

There shouldn't be a direct draft that chinchillas cannot get away from.  Having a fan on doesn't actually help chinchillas to cool, since fans just circulate air and don't actually cool it, but having a fan on in the same room as the chinchilla is perfectly fine.  You just wouldn't want to aim a fan directly at the chinchilla so that he wasn't able to get away from it.

25

Q & A / Re: New chins with lots of questions!

« on: December 19, 2007, 07:46:21 PM »

I'm just reintegrating a fact.

HAHAHAHAHA!     I meant to say, "I'm just reiterating a fact."

Typos amuse me to no end!   

26

Health / Re: I think Roo maybe constipated...help!!

« on: December 18, 2007, 10:14:02 AM »

I would be careful with any Kaytee feed.  Kaytee feeds use ethoxyquin.  Ethoxyquin has been linked to cancer in small animals. Additionally, ethoxyquin is listed as a hazardous chemical by OSHA and as a pesticide by the USDA.

27

Q & A / Re: I still need help with my aggressive chin!

« on: December 18, 2007, 10:11:51 AM »

If she broke skin through the gloves, please get thicker gloves.  (Like gardening gloves or something that has some protection for you.)  If she's biting and running, continue to not react and don't "chase her" with blowing.  She may eventually get tired of the running off and start biting and not let go.  When you don't pull away, her game will be ruined.

You may want to try moving Kira to a carrier while M'noke is out running.  If possible, take her to another room where she can't see Kira out playing and have your husband supervise Kira's playtime.  While she's in the carrier and doesn't have as much room to get away, try talking to her calmly.  Do this every day for about a week and then slowly start to put your gloved fingers near the carrier door so that she can get used to this.  After about a week of talking to her calmly with your gloved fingers near the carrier door, try putting your gloved fingers inside the carrier.  Progressively but slowly work on getting your whole gloved hand in the carrier for her to explore.  Once this is working and she isn't behaving aggressively, start the whole thing over without the glove.

28

Q & A / Re: New chins with lots of questions!

« on: December 18, 2007, 10:00:04 AM »

When you're talking about a "time limit" on when you need to "give up," and people are saying 6 months or a year, I think we all need to keep in mind that even a SMALL amount of progress is progress!  This is why patience is SO important.  (I'm not saying you aren't patient.  I'm just reintegrating a fact.)  It's hard to see small progress when you're in the eye of the storm, so to speak.  The fact that you can put your hand and face near the cage and she isn't trying to bite you through the bars is actually progress!  The fact that she stops biting when you blow on her is actually progress!  There have been small victories here and I don't want you to lose sight of that!

I let people who buy chinchillas from me know that they really should not be taken out of the cage for up to two weeks after they get to their new home, as they need this time to settle in and adjust to their new environment.  You've had these girls for a good amount of time, but Kira may take a bit longer to adjust.  (After all, two weeks is a guideline and more of an average.  If some chins are adjusted and ready to go in 24 hours, clearly there are much longer periods of time to get a two week average.)  And this time is just to adjust to their new surroundings.  It says nothing about how long it will take them to adjust to you.  For that, I would say that the way that she will interact with you for the remainder of her life will probably be pretty solid after about two years.  After two years, she's unlikely to start acting much differently towards you.  But chinchillas do tend to "mellow" a little as they get older.  The way a chinchilla acts at 6 months to a year (when they're essentially going through puberty) isn't necessarily the same as they will act when they are a bit older.

IF you elect to separate them, you need to be prepared that they may never be able to be housed together again.  As long as you're aware of this and willing to accept having two cages with two chinchillas that need to be kept apart at all times, then you may want to try separating them.  I personally don't think that you need to do this, but it is an option you haven't tried.

29

Q & A / Re: Another question by an owner - sort of strange

« on: December 18, 2007, 09:38:38 AM »

I'm not sure how the blowing air would cause internal damage...   My concern with her being on top of the computer would be that, if something frightens her and she goes to run, the surface likely doesn't have much for her to grip onto (being that it's likely hard plastic) and she may loose her footing and injure herself that way.

I'd also be worried about the computer...  Computers aren't constructed to withstand urine and feces, not to mention the amount of hair that will likely get caught up in the fan blades.

30

Board Requests & questions / Re: "Interest"

« on: December 16, 2007, 10:08:18 AM »

I'm sorry to say that it still isn't working.