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1

General Chat / Joey and Kira

« on: August 08, 2016, 05:57:00 AM »

Some new pictures, taken yesterday!!

Another month to go before they get to come home!!

Tina

P.S.  Not sure what's the best way to share images so with this one, I did both inline and attachment!

2

Cages / It came, it came!!

« on: August 03, 2016, 09:35:07 PM »

Aloha!!

Guess what??  I'm so excited!  My CritterNation came today!!!!!!

The 2 add-ons are coming separately.  I was going to set up the bottom level first, but then it dawned on me, they like higher so I'm gonna set up the TOP level for them to start with. 

I may not sleep tonight, but just lay here and drool over my latest pictures of Joey & Kira and my CN box leaning against my dresser.  I'll have to really work to keep my OCD from ripping the box open and putting it together!!  Which the biggest problem with that is I haven't snitched a rubber mallet from my dads workshop yet, heh!

6 more weeks!  I can do this!!

Mahalo for letting me share my excitement with you!
Tina

3

Q & A / What mutation is this?

« on: August 03, 2016, 08:53:55 PM »

Aloha!

I was drooling over chinchilla images on google and ran across this one... It literally jumped out of the page at me!!  So very unique!  Can I get your opinion?  What mutation would this be?

Mahalo!
Tina

4

Cages / How far does your chin run?

« on: August 03, 2016, 08:13:07 AM »

Aloha!

Just curious if anyone has ever put a pedometer (or bicycle computer) on their wheel and tracking how far your furry friends have run overnight?

If yes, can you share which you used and how you set it up?  If no, would you be interested?  I'm a techie geek at heart so I am planning on doing this once my girls are old enough to have their wheel!

Mahalo!
Tina

5

Cages / Bath container?

« on: July 29, 2016, 07:57:31 PM »

Aloha!!

I've been looking to find something along the lines of this:

I've seen something very similar (different colors) used in several cage tours on YouTube, and found this picture "for sale" on a chinchilla website that doesn't appear to have been updated since like 2008!! 

I REALLY want something like this... The vase that appears to be stuck in the ground.  I know it's a long shot, but thought I'd ask here if any of you might know of a source??

Mahalo!
~ Tina

6

Health / Mahogany Pod?

« on: July 29, 2016, 08:43:04 AM »

Aloha!!

I got a basket of various chew things since I won't know what my girls prefer just yet.  I *think* it's all safe stuff, but am questioning 1 item (see attached).  It's a seed pod from a mahogany tree - the tree itself is on the NO list, but nothing about the pod.  It's nice and dry, feels almost like paper and has NO smell.

Any idea if it'll be ok?  Looks to be the perfect size for little chins to carry around, it has almost no weight to it.

Mahalo in advance!!
~ Tina

7

Cages / Cage Limitations by age?

« on: July 26, 2016, 03:13:46 AM »

Aloha!!

So my second chinchilla was born today (see attached).  When my girls come home, they will be 12 and 8 weeks respectively.  I'm thinking about how to layout their cage... I have a 16" wheel ordered, and will be setting up a 3-story CN.  I had planned to make sure a chin couldn't fall for more than about 8"-12".  Is this okay for the young ones??  Should I limit them to only 1 story until they are older (and if so, what age) or at least put shelves and hammocks no more than 6" apart?  Should I leave the wheel out or put a smaller one in until they get a bit bigger?

Any other suggestions I should be aware of with bringing home the young ones?  Mahalo in advance!!

~ Tina

8

Health / Salt block?

« on: July 25, 2016, 03:58:43 PM »

Aloha!

I keep seeing little salt blocks included with hay mangers and other stuff. No know we kept a huge salt block in the pasture for our horses and cows.  Is this something I should go ahead and put in their cage or just toss?

Mahalo!!
~ Tina

9

Cages / Cage Cleaning Schedule?

« on: July 21, 2016, 05:01:03 PM »

Aloha!!

Still researching and looking for answers.  So this is what I've gathered about cleaning.  Does this sound right??

• Daily - vacuum/sweep up pooh, remove soiled hay/food, clean water bottle & replace, new hay & pellets
  
  
• Weekly - remove fleece liners, replace with clean ones and wash them for future use (no detergent or fabric softener, just some vinegar), wipe down bars with a vinegar/water solution
  
  

Those seem to be fairly standard across the board.  What I'm wondering (from growing up on a mranch with exotics) is what about a monthly deep cleaning. Like boil any lava ledges, toss any toys that have been soiled (I would glance at them during daily and weekly, but monthly I'd REALLY give them a good look), wipe down any ledges, shelves, houses and tunnels.  Maybe even re-arrange things a bit to give curious chins something new to explore.

Opinions?  Does this monthly plan work?  Or does the weekly cleaning keep it odor-free and germ-free?  Anything I should add to the cleaning chores?  Daily, weekly or monthly??

Mahalo in advance for your reply!!
~ Tina

P.S. Attached are new pictures of my Joey from the breeder!  September is just too damn far away!!

10

Cages / Making My Own Chews and Accessories

« on: July 17, 2016, 11:33:54 AM »

Aloha!!

Yep, it's me with more questions.  I'm pretty crafty so I'm looking to make my own toys, chews and accessories.  My question is about rope.  I've looked around at various rope types, looking for something that would be ok if my chins decided to chew on it.  So I've narrowed my choices down to these and I'm looking for comments:

• Coconut Rope: Coconut rope is a natural fiber rope made from coconut. It is completely untreated and for it's size, is VERY tough stuff!
   
• Paper Rope: Natural paper rope that is small for threading through small holes, but tough enough to stand up to the small and medium chewers. Can be flared at the end to make paper ribbon.
   
• Seagrass Rope: Natural fiber rope made from untreated seagrass.
   
• Hemp Rope: Natural fiber cord made from untreated hemp.
   

Of the 4 above, the top 2, coconut and paper, are the ones I'm leaning towards but I can't really come up with or find anything negative about the other 2 either.  I'd love to hear your feedback on each of them!!

As always, mahalo for your input!!
~Tina

11

Cages / Mirror?

« on: July 11, 2016, 12:10:30 AM »

Aloha!

Has anyone tried putting a mirror in their chins cage?  Would it freak him out more or would it be more of a curiousity thing?

Mahalo!
~Tina

12

Cages / Homemade ChinChiller?

« on: July 10, 2016, 11:24:09 PM »

Aloha!

Tired of me yet?  My OCD has kicked in and I want my cage to be PERFECT when little Joey comes home in September!!  I'm hoping she'll bring a companion with her.  Since I have a good 6-weeks to prepare her cage, I get to use my remodeling and crafty skills!

So I have 2 types of tile left over from when we tiled our house and bathroom last year.  The ChinChiller I see available says it's made of granite, the one kind I don't have!  One is ceramic and one is porcelain.  Do you think either of these would work?  I want to make a good-sized tiled shelf so they can stretch out!  I know when they get warm, both our dogs and our cats will move to the tile floor to chill out.  That tells me, it should work for Joey, but thought I'd ask here and see if anyone had a negative experience with ceramic or porcelain tiles.

Mahalo yet again,
~Tina

P.S. I really need to figure out how to put my picture of Joey as my avatar and create a signature as well!  Tomorrow is another day I guess!

13

Health / Fresh Lava Stone?

« on: July 10, 2016, 05:34:53 PM »

Aloha!

I'm looking at the attached and had a question:

My house is sitting on beautiful black fresh lava stone.  Well, in lava terms, it's fresh... I believe sometime during the last 500 years!!   

So. My question...  I don't have the year this lava field was formed, but I can tell its older than 100 years.  I'm wondering if I boil the crap outta it (crude too), if I could give it to my chins.  I have basically an acre of lava rock just 3/4's" down!, my parents have six acres!!  I could build my chins a cute little rock pile to run around on!!  Heck, I could build them a 10-foot tall one but boiling THAT many rocks doesn't seem very interesting!

If I need NEW lava, the active flow in Hawai'i right now is approx. 15 miles away, give or take 5 miles.  Might be a tad hot, but pele is surely being adamant about pushing lava out right now!

Mahalo!!
~Tina & Joey

14

Breeding 101 / Keeping My Options Open

« on: July 10, 2016, 02:53:18 PM »

Is there a specific reason you want to breed? It can be very costly and your cages are not breeding appropriate. Are your females from a reputable breeder with pedigrees?

Yes...  My breeder is a member of the Empress Chinchilla Breeders Association.  She seems very knowledgeable, always has time to answer my questions and from what I see from her videos, website and Facebook, truly cares about her chins and breeding them. She has a beautiful line (or 10, heh) of Royal Persian Angora chinchillas!!  Show quality and pedigreed!!

I haven't really decided yet if I'm going to breed or not, but I do want to leave that option open.  I've been breeding my AKC red toy poodles for nearly 10 years now.  In that time, I've had 6 litters (2 of them on the same day).  I retired my papa at 6.5 years old and my momma dog at just over 5.  They both continue to sleep on our bed at night and pretty much get spoiled rotten.

It's been almost 6 years since we've had a litter.  We are selective about picking human parents and am still in contact with all of them (spread out from coast to coast).  We continue to be available 24/7/365 for any of them that have concerns and questions. Just trying to point out that overall, I'm not in it for the money. If it's like anything else I've helped raise, you prolly spend three times as much as you "earn" for the babies.  I grew up on a farm, was a 4-H member and am very interested in genetics and improving the breed.  For my toys, we bred for happy, healthy puppies in the red color.  None of our puppies have ever had any major health problems (*knock on wood*), and all but 1 still remain with their furever home (and the 1 that isn't is because her mama passed so one of the daughters has her now).  Our puppy parents have thanked us numerous times for raising such happy puppies.  We were/are extremely obsessive about the socialization of puppies, getting them used to everyday things at an early age (vacuum, clippers, water, other dogs, cats and other small animals, etc.).  Our puppies spent, at the minimum, of an hour three times a day with us.  This included getting their weight for my chart, a quick feel/look over to make sure nothing questionable was up that I needed to speak to my vet about and then lots and LOTS of play!!  I've spent numerous nights up with sick puppies... Dryer warmed towels, supplement feeding, weighing repeatedly, etc..  My main momma had to have a c-section ($800)... I wouldn't have bred her again after th first time BUT she throws spectacular red babies and my vet (who I have been gong to for years) said he wasn't concerned about it effecting her health.  We never bred 2 cycles back to back, but let her recover full strength before deciding if we would breed her next cycle.  I only share this to show that I do know about unexpected vet bills and will, if needed, run to my vet here on the island as fast as my large legs would carry me!  I also have a cousin who is a chin-owner AND a Veternarian!!  She's not local but she's available by phone and text 24/7/365.

I keep a "species"-specific first aid kit on hand... I started it 12 years ago with my toy dog stuff, but I've added to it.  Usually before that species arrives!  I've since added cat and chicken specific health items. I have already started adding more chin-specific stuff and Joey, my baby, won't be able to come home until September! It's amazing how many things are friendly to a wider kind of species.  I have always tried to go as natural as I can, and I think, because of the no chemical stuff, it's more friendly!

Sorry, didn't mean to go "off" like that, and while I haven't decided to breed or not, as I mentioned above, I do want to keep that option open.  It's not something I'd undertake willy nilly, nor expect to make any money.  I would only do it if I had a specific goal in mind, had done my research fully and felt I could be a positive influence rather than a negative for the breed.  I would only breed those animals that I knew their pedigree and backgrounds.  That being said, again, just leaving myself that option.

I'm starting out with a Critter Nation over the Ferret Nation, because it's much more kit friendly (bars are closer together for one).  If I decide to breed, I would set up a "whelping/birthing/baby" cage specifically for mama and her little kits to keep them safe - smaller spacing, no shelves and only "one" story.

15

Cages / Douglas Fir?

« on: July 10, 2016, 01:49:41 PM »

Aloha!!

I'm having some trouble finding "kiln dried white pine" on my island... I've looked at the big box stores (Home Depot and Ace), and even my local lumber company (HPM) with no luck.  However, I keep seeing kiln dried Douglas fir.  I did read somewhere that Douglas fir was chin-friendly... Can you guys agree with that??

Mahalo in advance for your time and responses!
Tina