Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => General Chat => Topic started by: ChinnyGirl on July 01, 2006, 04:36:16 PM
-
i know that chins like anything wood, but do they enjoy anything else?
::silly::~steph
-
::silly::Hi Chinny Girl,
They like most anything they can sink their little teeth into, even those things that are not good for them. :(
Lava stones and hay are good for them and they like both of them. :::grins:: Dust baths are good for them and they love it! ::nod::
::nono:: They should not be given plastic or soft metals (like wire or aluminum), they will not only eat them, but also swallow the sharp pieces and they can mess up a chin's insides bad. :'(
::wave::
Jo Ann
-
We bought her some wood parrot toys and she chews on alfalfa cubes. She also has a wheel that we attached to the side of the cage its solid and plastic. So far she has not chewed on it but she runs on it A LOT. She did not have a wheel in her cage at the breeders so we didn't know if she would like it but she really does! I know they chew on stuff they shouldn't because she went after my flipflops!
-
::silly::Examine the toys carefully before you give them to your chin. Often parrot toys will have metal in or on them ... please remove any metal before you give your chin the parrot toys. :)
::wave::
Jo Ann
-
There is a small animals chew block that looks like a big chunk of chaulk. You can attach the whole thing to the cage, or break them up with a hammer and give them hand size peices to snatch and run with. They have calcium and minerals in them too.
Also try tums, a good chew with calcium.
Grape vines from the craft shop are fun, they come in so many sizes. I have a big grape vine wreath hung up for when they are out for their run. I buy small ones for in the cage.
Apple twigs, washed and dried and popsycle sticks are a favorite too.
As Jo ann has said always keep safty in mind, watch out for sharpies, plastics, soft metals, and finishes.
-
hi
thanks so much for all the ideas!!! ::nod:: i have some tums in my room so i will try them later!! :-[
~steph :chin: ::chinhappy:: ::wave:: :hugs: ::bouncyball:: ::fruit:: ::dancingspot:: ::banana:: ::balloon::
-
I got some willow balls a couple of weeks ago and AK really liked them. Of course he anihilated them in a few hours, so I'm not sure if I got $12 out of them. :-\
-
hi
haha! where did you get them? :o
~steph ::silly::
-
::silly::Toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls are great for chins to play with and chew-up ::nod:: ... just be careful if you have new kits ... cut the rolls into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices ... We had a kit get wedged inside a toilet paper roll :( ... looked every where for it because we thought it had escaped, then finally heard it chirping. :'( It could have easily gotten overheated (build-up of it's own body heat) stuck in the tube that way. OR Scared to death from not being able to get out.
::wave::
Jo Ann
-
hi
jo ann that's a little sad story! how did you get the chin out of the tube?
~steph
-
::silly::Hi Chinchilla Gurl,
We just un-pealed the roll (look at a toilet paper roll - how it's made - and I think you will see what I mean) ... the kit was just fine, ::nod:: but if she had stayed in much longer she might have not been. ???
::wave::
Jo Ann
-
awwww
poor chin! but that's good that you got her out in time. i don't think i would have that problem with Cheerio because she is tooooooooooooooooo big. :D
~steph ::silly::
-
::silly::It's only on small kits that you need to be concerned ... not on adult chins.
::wave::
Jo Ann
-
I have a terra cotta wine cooler in the top corner in my cage. It's like a tube but closed on one end (I think the original purpose of it was to chill it and then stick a bottle of wine in it). My chinnie crawls in and then spins around....it's a riot watching his tail flip around. He'll even sit upside down and just chills like that....it must be nice and dark and peaceful in there...until his pesky owner comes along and pokes his bum :)
-
hi leslie
is there dust in the cooler? if there isn't, your chin might think that there is dust and he is taking a bath.
-
Hmm there is no dust in it....just the dust they transfer from the bath. It's a small tube though. like he fills the whole tube with his body. I think he just likes being upside down in the dark. 8)
-
I have an apple tree branch in mine for them to climb on and i also have some pvc pipe they come in dofferent sizes just make sure that they are big enough for them to beble to turn around in. and not to make it too long mine love hiding and playing and running in and out of it
-
hey FluffBall
did u attach the branch or is it just sitting in the cage?
~steph ::silly::
-
i just set it in there but the branch is farely large here is a pic of it the cage me and my brother made it
-
hey
awwww thats a cute picture. and yea you must have a REALLY BIG cage!!!! Cheerio would love to have a cage that big but i don't have the room in my room, haha
~steph ::silly::
-
I just saw this and had to say Dust Buster is such a stinker! We are constabtly trying to get him to use his chew toys, ( lava stones and some cardboard) but he just gets bored with it. A good idea is to but those toys that are made to hang from the cage and all the wood has holes in it and they slide on, but take off the wood, its icky and place the lava stones on it cause they have a hole to. we have one with a bell :)
-
::silly:: Hi Leslie,
like he fills the whole tube with his body. I think he just likes being upside down in the dark.
It's no so much wanting to be upside down, but wanting to feel safe when he is resting or sleeping. In the wild, chins would sleep in the crevices between the rocks. It protected them from their predators and the density of the rocks kept them out of the hot sun, so they could be cooler in the heat of the day.
They still carry many of the instincts their ansestors used to stay alive.
::wave::
Jo Ann [/i]
-
I wanted to add the my chinnies love to play with pinecones i get the small ones on the ground by my house cause i know that they were not sprayed with anything like at the craft stores and such (those could make you chinny really sick) i get the small ones cause they like to carry them around and on the different levels and even put them in their little house and drowp them to the bottom floor and carry thm back up they do chew on them too also any fruit tree banches that are not sprayed are good for them too they will chew and play on them
-
::silly::Apple tree branches (never been sprayed) are great. ::nod::
As far as some of the other fruit trees, I'm not sure about them. :-\ I know chins can not have fruit that is grown with a pit in it (like peaches) ... makes me wonder if the branches from a peach tree would also be toxic to a chin? :-\
I have been told many times the hard woods were not good for chinchillas. Cedar is definitely NOT SAFE for chinchillas.
Anyone out there have a list of the woods that are safe for chinchillas? And/OR a list of the woods that are NOT safe for chinchillas?
Come on, we need more participation!
But, please do not guess ... make sure of your source of information!
::wave::
Jo Ann
-
Jo Ann I just looked in my chin book "The Guide to Owning a Chinchilla" by Anmarie Barrie
and it says " make sure you use untreated, non toxic wood" the toxic woods are
CEDAR, PLUM, CHERRY, OLEANDER, AND REDWOOD
IT ALSO HAS IN THERE THAT YOU CAN TURN ORDINARY HOUSE OBJECTS INTO TOYS LIKE UNTREATED WICKER BASKETS IF YOU WON'T MIND THM GETTING DESTROYED WOODEN TOYS PAPERTOWL TUBES I HAVE ALSO seen tissue boxes for them to hide in and play in if you want to get creative you could try putting them to gether to make a little town to play hide and go seek with each other or you
it also has in here to not use cedar shavings sawdust or concob bedding for them and says that
those materials are not recommended for use with small animals
-
I know my chinnies love love love Pecan wood. Susan at AZ Chins sells Pecan wood toys. They are excellent. http://chinstore.azchins.com/List.htm
-
and it says " make sure you use untreated, non toxic wood" the non toxic woods are
CEDAR, PLUM, CHERRY, OLEANDER, AND REDWOOD
I think you have that backwards or I may be confused. I thought cedar was toxic not non toxic.
-
::silly::
Jo Ann I just looked in my chin book "The Guide to Owning a Chinchilla" by Anmarie Barrie
and it says " make sure you use untreated, non toxic wood" the non toxic woods are
CEDAR, PLUM, CHERRY, OLEANDER, AND REDWOOD
I think there is a very good chance that is a miss-print that was not caught
especially since, in the same post you quote the same book as saying:
it also has in here to not use cedar shavings sawdust or concob bedding for them and says that
those materials are not recommended for use with small animals
Here's what my info says concerning cedar:
DO NOT USE CEDAR
this is from the California Chinchilla Research Center on their web site at CA Chins at: http://www.cachins.org/
I have seen many books that have incorrect information in them. I have seen books written for chinchillas by people that have never owned a chinchilla. Just because you see it in print, does not mean it is true.
"After Forty Years" by A. Kline and "The Joy of Chinchillas" by Lani Ritchey
(check out CA Chins for this one) are the two best reference books for any breeder or chinchilla owner. These are people that have worked with a large number of chinchillas for many years ... in normal and research atmospheres.
::wave::
Jo Ann[/i]
-
I get so angry with chinchilla books. 95% of them are wrong. What happens is a freelance writer decides to write a book about chinchillas (which they know nothing about) so they then hunt for sources. They take interviews and then use the info to compile their book. Sometimes it is quoted right and sometimes it is not. I was a source for one of the new chinchilla books and they didn't even get my information correct in the acknowledgment! After seeing that I didn't even bother to read the book. :noway: Now I only recommend books written by known authors in the chinchilla world.
I did a little research on the wood thing because I know cedar is a bad wood since that lovely smell it gives off causes respiratory problems in chinchillas and I know the oleander is poisonous.
In my Joy of Chinchillas book which was written by chinchilla breeders (one of whom is a vet). on page 12 it says Never use cedar, plum, cherry, oleander or redwood.
Non-toxic woods include peach, apple, birch, aspen, maple, willow, manzanita, and hazelnut. ::nod::
-
Thnks Jo Ann that is wrong I was excited again and wasn't paying attention to what I was typing and they are TOXIC
THE WOODS THAT ARE TOXIC ARE:
CEDAR, PLUM, CHERRY, OLEANDER, AND REDWOOD
sorry if i confused anyone
-
::thumbsup:: No problem! I'm so glad to hear that there isn't a book out there telling people that. And with some of the crazy chinchilla books out there I wouldn't doubt it!! :doh:
;)
-
::silly::Hi FluffBall,
Thanks for correcting it on your post ... so many new owners or soon-to-be-owners could have read that and ended up killing their chin.
It is VERY easy to add or leave out a word and change the meaning completely ... don't worry ... we've all done it at one time or another ... that's why we are always glad someone catches it and lets us know. ::nod::
We're all human ... ::glare:: Is that a glare I'm getting? Hmmm that smiley must not like humans. :D
::wave::
Jo Ann
-
guess we will be seeing Jo Ann at some garage sales!!!!!!!!
the lincoln logs are all non toxic they are made with waterbase dyes and the would is either pine or birch so happy buildint to you all
just don't use glue to hold them together screws or nails are best but screws are the best cause they hold longer and don't rip out as easily
::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly::
I love getting new toys and stuff for my shins and building them new stuff
happy playing
-
hey everyone.....
i know what you mean by the books being confusing. i have a book and read that CEDAR, PLUM, CHERRY, OLEANDER, AND REDWOOD are toxic, but then i was in PetsMart the other day and in another book it said that ceadar was o.k to use. but i think that i will go with the book that i had before becasue now on the board that's what everyone is saying. :D :-[
::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly:: ::silly::
~steph
hahaha i love smilys!
-
do you remember what book said that it was ok to use cedar?
I am always reading books on chins that i see in pet stores well glancing through them to see if the book I have has the same info or different and so far all the books have the same thing basically
-
hey
no i don't remember what book said that.........sorry :::(((
~steph ::silly::
-
that's ok I just wanted to see what other conflicting stuff it had in it
-
hey
o ok! ;)
~steph ::silly::