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1

Q & A / Re: New chin owner, some questions!

« on: September 13, 2011, 12:53:04 PM »

lol @ shop vac!  I've been using a dust buster to clean all the poop that ends up flinging across my room, but I think I might need something better... 

I have noticed that he tends to eat all the colored bits of food first, and then moves on to the other stuff...

I did some research, and Mazuri is available in Canada, but the dealers are in Ontario, Alberta and I think BC ... I found one Montreal Oxbow distributor though, and called my local exotic vet (it's huge and awesome) and they carry it, for cheaper than the Living World one I got!  Yay!  I'll be going there tomorrow   That's also the vet I'll be taking him to if he needs it, so it's all sorts of perfect.

Otherwise I think I'm going to get him one of those balls so he can run around the house.  Does anyone use those?  I'm a bit nervous to leave him free, even in the bathroom, and I figure this way he'll get plenty of exercise and I won't have to worry.

2

Q & A / Re: New chin owner, some questions!

« on: September 11, 2011, 12:51:48 PM »

Oh wow, thanks for all the info!

The person I got him from (found on kijiji.ca) was feeding them Great Value brand rabbit food, and gave me a small sample, so I'm mixing it with the stuff I got.  I mean, I suppose that his chinchillas were living just fine off the crappy WalMart stuff, but I'm not so certain it's a good choice.
In any case, right now Chester is happy and seemingly healthy, and his parents seemed very healthy also.  And, I'll cut down on the treats.

The issue I have with food is two-fold.
- First, I live in Canada, and shipping charges are astronomical.  Combine that with duties, import taxes and brokerage fees, and I'll likely be paying something like $30/kilo.  I simply can't afford that.
- Second, I live in Montreal QC, where there are two chinchilla breeders that I could find, both of which have dead websites.  I'm not sure how to contact them, or if they sell food at all.  I'd need to again have it shipped because they both are located at least 2hrs away by car (according to Google Maps), and I don't drive.

I don't wanna sound complain-y or anything, this is just the reality of being Canadian.  If anyone knows any reputable Canadian chinchilla supply stores, I'd gladly look into them!  At the moment I'm kind of stuck with Nature Pet stores (www.naturepet.com).  If nothing else, I'm going to see if I can get the pet shop to order some proper food for me...  Mazuri I read was good?

I'm using kiln-dried pine for bedding, and I made absolutely certain it has no chemicals or additives.

He's been warming up to me much more quickly than I imagined! Late last night he actually came right up to me when I opened the cage door, and then he climbed onto my lap.  From there he proceeded to try to escape    but I think we made some progress (either that, or his desire to escape was greater than his fear for me!)

3

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

4

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