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121

Conformation and Quality / Re: What makes a chinchilla "good quality"?

« on: July 03, 2006, 10:24:02 PM »

Hello Jamie

I feed them Oxbow pellets.  It's the same feed I've given to Ninja for years (and he is HUGE, he weighs at least twice what TBone weighs....I must get a scale!).  TBone is ridiculously hyper.  He runs on his wheel about 10 times the amount that Ninja runs on his.  He is never still...when you hold him he is always looking for an escape route (but he loves to be picked up and touched).  His mom didn't produce milk...it was a first time birth for her and TBone and his brother were hand-fed from birth.  Maybe that has something to do with it?

Actually, yes both his parents are beige as well.

I've just pulled him out of the cage and had a look at him from above  and he's quite square, his hips are a wee bit bigger than his shoulders.  His neck sticks out a bit more than Ninja's.   His fur is thick and I can't see his skin, it blows back to it's original position.

I just tried to post a picture and it didn't go so well....if I figure it out, I have a picture that really accentuates his....unique look 

122

Other Pets / Re: Sugar Gliders

« on: July 03, 2006, 10:18:56 PM »

Hey chinchillagrl06,

They are so cute they bring tears to my eyes!  My boyfriend just came in the room and said "you wouldn't think they were so cute if they were flying around the room and s%#@ting everywhere".  Is this true?  Do they do that?  Do you have a room devoted to them?

123

Conformation and Quality / What makes a chinchilla "good quality"?

« on: July 03, 2006, 02:23:37 PM »

I have two chinchillas, one is about 4 and the other is just over a year.  I have been noticing how different the two of them are, and I have a feeling that my one year old, TBone, is not very good quality    I don't have a problem with that, he is healthy and I don't plan on breeding him.  But he is quite skinny...I can feel his backbone and it's a bit curved (I don't think he's hunch backed at all, his cage is very big and he's very active).  I can feel his ribs as well.  His fur doesn't seem as "full" as my other guy's.  My 4 year old Ninja looks like a big puffy ball of fur sometimes.  When Ninja sits I can't really see his back feet, his fur covers them.  With TBone, his feet stick out all the time.  He almost looks like a mouse...his nose is a little pointed and his head isn't as round as Ninja's.  Also, TBone's feet and front paws (and genitals  :-[ ) are BIG!  They just seems gigantic compared to the rest of his body.  I got him from a breeder and saw his mom and dad and they are quite small as well.  Should this breeder not have bred chins from small parents?

I am not complaining about TBone, I love him no matter what  like I said he's so cute and happy and loving and gentle he can be as skinny and mousey as he wants...I'm just curious about quality.

124

Health / Re: New Owner Questions

« on: July 03, 2006, 02:10:38 PM »

Yes, be very careful about "chin-proofing" a room.  I don't understand how that's possible. The one time I tried to let my chin out in the spare bedroom he lodged himself in behind a dresser and scurried around, up and down and around like Spiderman, making his funny alarm call.  That was within the first few days of getting him...  I quickly learned that I would have to build a play area for him.  I use cardboard boxes - flattened out - to make walls with velcro to hold them together.

Also, in regards to food, I use Oxbow and I love it.  I've never had any problems.  I order it from chinchillas.com which is the same as Martin's Cages.  They always answer my email questions within a few hours, and the shipping is fast (I'm in Canada).  Even with the exchange rate and the shipping charges, it's much cheaper than anything I can buy here.

125

Health / Re: I got a few questions.

« on: July 03, 2006, 12:52:22 PM »

Can I ask where you bought the stuffed animals?  I have been looking for one that doesn't have any fluffy stuff on the outside or strings or things they can chew off and I have had no luck.

Any suggestions?

126

Q & A / Re: My chin bites !!!

« on: July 03, 2006, 10:41:49 AM »

"No loud or sudden noise, music or t.v. please ... this will make your chin a nervous wreck."

Jo Ann, do you mean no noise around the chinchilla ever?  I agree that you should not have loud music or a blaring TV, but if you keep the room too quiet, that will also make your chin a nervous wreck (unless you have keep the room quiet all the time).  My chins are in our living room and they are very accustomed to house noise.  I think they are such social animals, they need to have movement and chatter around them.   

127

Q & A / Re: Feeding your chin.

« on: July 03, 2006, 10:31:45 AM »

I think once a day is best.... Iam able to monitor how much they are eating this way.  I always put a measured amount in the bowl (1/8 cup).  It's also easiest this way because you can do everything all at once (food water hay oats) and you don't forget anything.

128

Q & A / Shedding

« on: June 14, 2006, 11:47:04 AM »

I have had my standard chinchilla for about 3 years and I've never noticed him shedding.  My new guy is beige and now there is chinchilla hair on EVERYTHING in our apartment!  Do chins shed during certain seasons or is this just an all-the-time thing?  Maybe it's just the colour of the fur that makes it stand out more?

Also...if I got a comb and groomed him, would that cut down on the loose fur?  I've never groomed my chins before, so I have no idea!

129

Q & A / Re: I need help...

« on: June 14, 2006, 11:43:36 AM »

Hello!

Listen to chinchillagrl06! throwing a towel or a blanet over them is the best idea.  Trust me, you chin will just stop dead in his tracks when you do that and you can just scoop him up.  I had some frustrating chasing experiences until I learned of this trick.  The first day I brought my chin home, he escaped and it took over 90 minutes to get him back in the cage....if only I'd known about the blanket.

Be careful with back-up bags of food....chinchilla's diets are sensitive and they could get sick if you change their type of food all at once.  You should have a back-up bag of the same food you feed him 

130

Q & A / Re: My chin bites !!!

« on: June 07, 2006, 07:42:53 AM »

I have a grumpy, nervous chin now and I know what you are talking about, mevachiu.  My guy bites hard....not just nibbling.  He has always been very scared of everything and impossible to pick up.  I have had him for 4 years and he is still that way but we found peace together by taking it slow.  I do not try to pick him up, I let him come out to me only.  I figure if he tries to bite me when I pick him up, why should I force him?  It makes me sad that I can't cuddle him but he is not that type of pet.  He loves to be scratched now but only after years of slowly getting to know my hands.  I just put them in the cage and let him explore them.  If he starts to bite me I just say "OUCH" loud and he learns what I don't like.  If I scratch him and he makes a noise like he doesn't like it, I stop and learn what he doesn't like.  It takes a lot of time and patience but you can be friends in the end...

131

Q & A / Re: My chin bites !!!

« on: June 05, 2006, 01:34:36 PM »

Also....chinchilla don't like to be hugged.  You might be able to hold them after they  trust you but not many like being squeezed.  If they bite so hard you are bleeding, they are probably scared of you and you need to give them more time.  Sometimes it can take weeks or months....even years before they trust you.