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1

Q & A / New chin owner, some questions!

« on: September 10, 2011, 09:47:12 PM »

Hey everyone!
So, I got my chinchilla last night, his name is Chester!  He's really sweet, but still nervous around me.  He's just under 4 months old - was born on May 17, 2011!

Here's a pic


Anyway, I have a couple questions...

1 - Of course, he poops A LOT.  I've had him for only 24hrs now, and he's already pooped everywhere in his cage.  Should I clean these poops out daily?

2 - I see a lot of people saying "give treats for X behavior, and treats of Y behavior" etc ... but how many treats can I realistically give him in a day?  So far, I've given him a shredded wheat (he ate half), a banana chip (he nibbled then discarded) and one raisin. 

3 - I've seen chinchilla drops in packages at the pet shop. Are they any good?  What else can I give him?

4 - Right now I can't really afford to buy chinchilla feed online, and so I purchased Living World Chinchilla Food.  Is that good enough?

So many questions I have! I really want to do this right...


Sheena

2

Guestbook / Hi from Montreal, Canada!

« on: September 06, 2011, 09:55:53 PM »

Hey everyone!
My name's Sheena, and I'm a Uni student from Montreal, Canada.  I've been considering getting a chinchilla for a little while now.  I've always been a pet owner, and had many rodents (rats, mice and hamsters mostly) when I was a teenager.  It's been a good 8-9 years since I've had any pets though, and I want to change that!

Recently I actually fostered a baby squirrel I rescued (he was 4 weeks old, and in bad shape when we found him), and the experience was just so incredibly rewarding, I can't even really explain it.  So much work, more than I ever could imagine.  We had feedings every 4 hours and he needed to be fed formula like a baby.  And it was so heartbreaking to give him to a rehabber to take care of and keep over the winter to be released next year...  But squirrels aren't pets, and don't make very good pets, so it HAD to be done.

Anyway the experience taught me that I really want something to love and care for as a pet that I won't have to give away! After a lot of research and back and forth, I finally committed to getting a chinchilla, and will probably be picking mine up on Friday  

But! I do have some questions about the kinds of supplies I should get before his arrival.
We bought a giant cage for the squirrel (to give him lots and lots of climbing room!) so I've got that... It has 4 levels (including the bottom), but the platforms are made of plastic.. I've heard conflicting info about it, and am willing to buy wood to replace them, but the way the cage is made there would be a little space between the planks of wood for each level...
Is that okay?
Or, if I give him lots to chew, would the plastic be a problem?

Otherwise what other things are fun? Hammocks? Exercise wheels?

Wow this has been a long post!  Thanks for reading!

Sheena