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1

Health / OK HELP!?!?!?

« on: March 20, 2011, 09:16:50 PM »

I already posted this under another, calmer heading. But I am really worried about Cerberus! Little Sir is now about 9 months old, and very fat and sassy. He is sweet and hand tame, loving and healthy. We were very happy when we found a 2' x 3' x 4' cage for him today (brand new, still in the box). We assembled it, installed safe wood shelves, baskets for chewing - etc, and thought we were fine.
 Tonight, at play time, I saw a spot of blood on his right hind foot. Not dripping, no obvious wound. Just a bright red spot, between his center toe and farther right toe, towards the top of his foot. I looked very carefully, saw no wound, just this red. He doesn't favor it at all, leaps and climbs and plays just fine.
He was in his dust bath about three rolls when I saw the red, and took him out.
Any advice? He isn't chewing it, he seems oblivious to it completely. He is asleep now, on his ledge. I am afraid by not doing anything, I am screwing up somehow. Should I have washed his wound? Will the dust cause an infection? What should I do? This is our first chinny injury, and we are very very worried (read freaking out). Please share any advice, we could use it! 

2

Health / Our turn to be concerned

« on: March 20, 2011, 08:27:11 PM »

Little Sir is now about 9 months old, and very fat and sassy. He is sweet and hand tame, loving and healthy. We were very happy when we found a 2' x 3' x 4' cage for him today (brand new, still in the box). We assembled it, installed safe wood shelves, baskets for chewing - etc, and thought we were fine. Tonight, at play time, I saw a spot of blood on his right hind foot. Not dripping, no obvious wound. Just a bright red spot, between his center toe and farther right toe, towards the top of his foot. I looked very carefully, saw no wound, just this red. He doesn't favor it at all, leaps and climbs and plays just fine.
He was in his dust bath about three rolls when I saw the red, and took him out.
Any advice? He isn't chewing it, he seems oblivious to it completely. This is our first chinny injury, and we are very very worried (read freaking out). Please share any advice, we could use it! 

3

Q & A / Now it's acorns!

« on: November 13, 2010, 03:59:23 PM »

  My daughter is so in love with our chins! She is always on the hunt for new toys, treats, snacks.... Now she wants to know if they can have acorns?!?!?!? I am not sure they would even eat them. Cerberus plays soccer with his walnuts, and Persephone stows hers away in her house (it's her stash), but neither of them ever EAT any nuts! 
So, what is the general concensus? To acorn...or not to acorn? That is the question!
Thanks, Guys!

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know!

P.S. The acorns are from our trees, never used pesticide, never will!

4

Q & A / colorful wood knot toy

« on: September 20, 2010, 07:47:07 PM »

OK, newest thing to worry about  . I saw so many of those cute wooden knot balls in your chin pictures here, that I went out and bought one for each of our chins. They looked like so much fun!  It wasn't until our Little Mother started taking hers apart that I realized they come with a walnut in them  ! So my question is this, is it safe for them to eat the walnut  ? I know she will have it out by morning, she takes a willow wand bundle apart in about twenty minutes. So, can she have the "prize inside? or should I take it out? Either way is ok, I just want to know before I give it to her.


The more I know, the more I realize how little I know

5

Q & A / figuring temperature

« on: September 11, 2010, 05:02:59 PM »

I was given a formula for figuring the temperature which went something like:
Actual temperature + humidity divided by ? = the temperature our chinbabies are actually experiencing in their plush fur coats.
I need the ? number so I can decide when it is safe to open the windows and turn off the air conditioning. We are having nights in the sixties and with the air on, the house has been getting mighty chilly,lol.
Thanks for the help.
P.S. Yes, thanks to our hermit crabs, we have a humidity gauge.


The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know 

6

Q & A / Simple question, simple answer?

« on: August 03, 2010, 08:39:58 AM »

OK, I admit it, I have been surfing the net, trying to find the correct age for our little boy kit to be neutered. Every time I think I find the answer, it turns out to be a discussion on the merits of neutering, and not the actual answer.
 So, in consideration of this, I hope to keep this thread simple. How old should a little boy kit be before he is neutered? I don't want to miss the window of opportunity if he can grow past it, but I don't want to have this attempted too young.

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know 

7

Health / Persephone has a damp nose

« on: August 02, 2010, 10:46:56 AM »

Although she is eating,drinking, enjoying morning playtime, I am once again concerned for our little Mother.  Last night she was wiping her nose more than usual, and it seems damp but not runny. Her eyes are clear, and she is not wheezing. She slept well and had no alarms in the night. No other symptoms, and the little Sir is fine.
Her room has been extra cool lately, (58 - 60 degrees)in fear of the power going out on a 100 degree day (we have had many of those lately). I removed a new chew toy (a corn shuck construction) in hopes that she is just sensitive to it.
I don't want to got to the vet unless it is unavoidable, as the vet is quite a long ways away.
Any thoughts? 

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I  know. 

8

General Chat / recommend a chinchilla carrier

« on: July 19, 2010, 02:59:00 PM »

We are a few weeks from a well baby vet visit  , and I am not sure what to get for a chin carrier  . I don't want to use a soft sided puppy carrier, because of chewing and heat, (it is in the 90's here lately). And the hard sided (plastic) animal carriers look like they would hold the heat too. The car is very well air conditioned, but they get hot so fast.
 Any recommendations?


The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know....

9

Breeding 101 / YOGHURT!!!!!!!

« on: July 19, 2010, 02:53:11 PM »

   Ok, how do I feed my chinchilla yoghurt? Do I freeze it in cubes? Or put it in a cup? I can't begin to imagine how this is done without a huge mess 
I have a young male kit about to be weaned, and I would like to make sure he is getting everything he could possibly need, nutritionally. Help please ? 


The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know 

10

Breeding 101 / Yoghurt and weaning

« on: July 15, 2010, 04:19:51 PM »

OK, just a few weeks to go before weaning    . And I am turning to my trusty chinchilla friends for advice  . Cerberus (yes my daughter named him, ) is already eating EVERYTHING and drinking from the water bottle like a big chin. He is also nursing. Although I have weaned a great many kinds of Babes (including my own) I would just bet this is gonna be different   
So tell me, how do you go about it  , and what do I need to add to his diet, and what is up with the yoghurt? Anyone who has read my posts knows by now I will do or get anything for our little furry Babes, so don't be shy. 
How do you think I should do this and how many have you weaned? 
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know......

11

Q & A / Now what?

« on: July 08, 2010, 12:53:44 PM »

OK, we made it past a frighteningly steep learning curve.    We survived our Daddy chinchilla passing away right after the new kit was born. We survived a surprise birth less than two weeks after the surprise arrival of the parents. After two seizures ( three weeks ago), new air conditioning, bad dreams, a Houdini babe, fur chewing and constant worry - now I have come up with a whole now concern.
Since her mate passed away, our little Mother will be alone in her cage when we have to wean the kit. Since it is a male, they will be separated until he is 'fixed' so as to be safe to be with Mom. That will put Mom alone in her habitat for months!   
 Now the little Sir is very, VERY tame. He leaps into our hands the moment the gate is open, calls us if he hears us in another room, takes naps in my lap 5 days out of 7. So I know he will get enough love and family attention. But the Mother is still shy, only climbing into my arms cautiously, to return quickly to her safe haven. I am not sure if having him at the other end of the room, in a separate habitat will be a good thing, or a bad thing. They won't be able to see each other's cages, but they will be able to hear and smell each other. They will both stay here, in our home, after he can return to her habitat (which will be a very large one, already ordered).
So my question is, is she going to be ok alone? When I separated her from her mate, after the kit was born, her mate just laid down, quit eating, drinking, didn't move again, except to crawl into our arms for cuddles. I can't bear to have another chinch grieve to death in my arms.
Please help me make this right. How do I make this temporary separation acceptable to the Mom?  I have a month left to get ready, and I am wide open to suggestions.
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

12

General Chat / Chin Music!

« on: July 05, 2010, 03:07:40 PM »

My Daughter SWEARS that our Chinchillas are happier when she plays music for them! She also is certain that they prefer one type of music over another! So I told her I would ask someone who knows, and that would be all of you!
Tell the truth, do you play music for your chinchillas? And if you do, what type do they prefer? Feel free to add another kind of music, I only had 5 option slots available.
So, what makes your chins hop?

13

Q & A / Bad dreams?

« on: July 02, 2010, 08:16:41 PM »

WE have a young MOther and her month old boy kit. Their cage has been in the same place the entire time, and their schedule is pretty much exactly the same daily. How ever, the Little Mother has been giving alarm barks at about 3 or 4 AM each night for four nights now. I always get up immediately and check on her, and she is usually sound asleep wrapped around her little Fellow . So my questions is, do Chinchillas dream? And if they do ( I am betting - yes) do they have bad dreams to the point of barking an alarm out? I was awake when it happened last night, and nothing had happened before, she just barked 8 times and went on sleeping.
I need to know how I can make her feel more safe, less needing to warn us. I don't mind her voice, but I don't want her to be afraid if I can help it.
Thanks for any help.

14

Q & A / 26 day old kit eating EVERYTHING!

« on: June 28, 2010, 08:06:32 AM »

Our young Sir is growing by leaps and bounds , and he is nursing just fine. But he also seems to be eating a lot of alfalfa and timothy hay (yes I give them both) and pellets, and he gnaws on the volcanic rock and alfalfa cubes almost as much as his Mommy! Is it normal for such a young kit to eat so much 'food' ? 

15

Q & A / Pine Shavings question

« on: June 27, 2010, 12:15:45 PM »

I have been spreading pine shavings across the entire floor of the habitat for my little Mother and her 25 day old son. They both urinate in one corner of the habby, but the floor is plastic and the shavings seems (to me anyway) to be a more comfortable medium for the floor. Now it seems from what I read that I only need to put them in a litter box? I change their shavings regularly, and clean out the corner even more frequently. The cage is the same age as the kit, and we bought it brand new.
Am I doing any harm covering the whole floor with shavings? 
Neither of my Chins eats the shavings, even the little boy focuses on Mom and hay. Mom does chew at her pine house, but not excessively. And neither chews on the metal cage, except the Mom, to get us to come play with them, if we are in the same room and make the mistake (Oh No!) of ignoring them,lol.
 So, all of the floor covered, or just the corner, and do we need a litter box? I mean, they poo everywhere, lol. Will they poo in the litter box also? I don't mind either way, I just wondered.