Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => General Chat => Topic started by: love_my_chin on August 16, 2009, 10:41:36 PM
-
Something terrible almost happened tonight :::((( I walked into my room where I keep my chin. He is just about 4 months now and get into everything like any chin does :D I had one of those metal spheres that hangs in the cage for the hay(https://bunnyrabbit.com/equipmentpix/wa00713-hayball_small.jpg (https://bunnyrabbit.com/equipmentpix/wa00713-hayball_small.jpg)) and I came in to find my chin dangling from it :o I was so scared, poor thing, i had no clue how long he had been like that for. He had squeezed his body through one of the tiny openings and his hips and knees got caught. He was struggling a lot to get out and finally, after some manipulation of the wires, I was able to get him free ::clapp::.
I was wanted to let people know, especially newbies like myself, that these guys can get into anything and you really need to be careful..even with things that you leave in their cage :doh:
-
::silly:: So true!
If it is 1 square inch or more, OR if it is flexable enough a chinchilla, especially a young one, can get through (or into this case try to get through/into) it. If stuck, many can die of internal injuries (broken ribs, legs or damage to internal organs), complications (strangling, swelling, internal bleeding, surgery), or even shock.
You got there just in time!
Extras in a cage are nice to look at, but most are not necessary and can become a death trap for your chin.
Be sure to report this to the manufacturer of the hay ball.
Caution to all: Make sure you always have the wires back in the exact same place once the hayball has been filled. They can easily be bent when filling it with hay.
::wave:: Jo Ann
-
Thanks Jo Ann...He seems to be ok, just laying low today. I will definately be sending the manufacturer some sort of notice about their product! :flames:
-
This is so uncanny! I came here to report an incident with the same product...We had the same thing in our chins cage...and yesturday morning my husband woke me to say that Fluffy had his head caught in the darn thing. I go into the room where he's kept. And he actually had it off the cage chain still attached to the darn ball. And where the larger opening was...he had stuck his head inside. And gotten stuck. His entire head was inside this darn metal ball. I was able to free him. But thinking of the alternative and what could have occured. I have removed the thing from the cage. Just isn't worth the thought of it causing harm to my babies.
That someone else had an issue with the same product is just mind boggling! This needs to be on a sticky...since it's happened to two chins in such a close amount of time. This product IS NOT SAFE! I'm off to get ahold of the manufacture myself...
-
Here's contact information to inform them of anyone's experiances with this that might have harmed their beloved chins. Please make this toll free call.
Ware Manufacturing:
Hay Ball item #00713
Toll Free # 1 800 295 CAGE
I've called...they seemed rather nice...she wasn't aware of anyone having issues with this product. But planned on checking into it further...I also told her that I went to post my incident on the forum. Where I seen another person had their chin actually stuck in the same product. And was told to contact the manufacturer. My comment was...my chin could have strangled in the darn product had he not got the thing loose from the cage itself.
The person was concerned for the chin...asked how he was...he seems fine I stated...just was scared and hungry and attempting to eat from his pellets he couldn't reach with the cage ball over his head. Luckily it's wire that gives and I was able to get it off his head without harming him. But...it's tossed under his cage at the moment. I refuse to use it again.
Considering buying a bird suet cage holder and lock it with a small dog clasp from a leash. To hold their hay...I need something in there to hold it...But nothing that will put my fellas in danger.
-
Thanks for the contact info! They will definately be getting a call from me. These things are not safe!! ::tickedoff:: I ended up buying a rolling hay ball to put in there made by superpet. It has very small spaces between the wires so it is nearly impossible for my chin to get stuck in it. I reccomend either this or a hanging feeder to place the hay in.
-
Your welcome...
And thank you for mentioning the other options of hay holders...I'll check into this "rolling hay ball" you talk about. Thanks for mentioning it.
-
This is what the "rolling hay ball" looks like:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753304&lmdn=Small+Pet
-
::silly:: The "rolling hay ball" is very pretty, but, it has some plastic in it's design. Plastic is never good for a chinchilla.
Considering buying a bird suet cage holder and lock it with a small dog clasp from a leash. To hold their hay...I need something in there to hold it...But nothing that will put my fellas in danger.
A word of caution here ... please get the one that is not covered in a plastic/rubber coating ... the chins will often eat the coating which can cause health problems.
There are many other options. A hay bin, "J" feeder, there are hay holders made of many different shapes and sizes. I will post pictures of some that I have come across over the years that I, personally, think are safe.
Many can be homemade.
Bending cage wire [1/2" x 1/2"] into an "L" shape and attaching it to the upper corner or a vertical corner of the cage and can be used as a hay holder.
OR Bending cage wire into a U shape can be attached to the side of the cage and used as a hay holder.
These two are best used with cube hay ... they get a little messy with loose hay. The least messy place to attach the "U" shaped holder is the very top of the cage ... but this can be a bit awkward to fill.
::wave:: Jo Ann
The "J" feeder is much like the regular pellet feeder, but does not have the solid side that fits next to the cage to prevent pellets from falling into the cage.
The one in the first photo is a cube shaped holder ... caution with this one is to always make sure the "lid" is securely attached each time you fill it.
The second picture/feeder is the safest I have found ... I use only this kind and the open "J" feeders.
The chin swing, the last one shown, could also be used as a hay holder.
-
Thanks for the advice Jo Ann...Yeah the sales person at PetSmart mentioned the "rolling hay ball" but I didn't get it due to it having plastic. But then the head of the department stated those ones she refuse to use. Due to having a chinchilla getting inside it as well...I was like... :o You gotta be kidding me...another one that isn't chin proof!
I will look for that outter one Jo Ann...I think I might like it better...since they "can't" get inside it.
-
I put my hay into all kinds of things, like heavy ceramic glazed pots I pick up at the thrift shops I find all kinds of useful items there for very cheap. I also like using a 3-4 inch slice of heavy cardboard tubing stood on end with the hay stood up in it, or screw a piece to the under side of a shelf and let them pull it out from below. They also chew & play with the tubes, witch is great entertainment for them.
-
::silly::
I also like using a 3-4 inch slice of heavy cardboard tubing stood on end with the hay stood up in it, or screw a piece to the under side of a shelf and let them pull it out from below.
::think:: As many cardboard tubes I have used for them to play on/in, sleep in, chew on, drag around the cage, play tug of war with ... I never thought of using them for hay holders. :doh:
Great idea, Debbie!
::wave:: Jo Ann
-
I am absolutely desperate for a solid metal 'outside' hay rack. With three (hopefully soon to be four) chinchillas in one cage they really chuck the hay around and it either goes all over the carpet or all over their bottom level, and subsequently get peed on and yucky. I just can't find one anywhere!
Chong kindly demonstrating how much mess they all make. ::silly::
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/jenovabug/Chinchillas/th_DSC_0085.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/jenovabug/Chinchillas/?action=view¤t=DSC_0085.jpg)
-
I have just read this post with interest, my chinnies also have a similar hay ball in their cage. :( I have now removed it and cleaned it to give to the rabbit instead, I figured he would be far too big to get caught in it! :)
Thanks for sharing this story with us, I am glad it had a happy ending, it could have been so different. :::(((
-
Thanks for posting this topic. I have marked it as sticky like you requested. Don't forget that we have a chinchilla product reviews area just for situations like this. You can find it here: http://www.chinchillaclub.com/reviews/ If you want to rate a product that is not already listed you will find a link at the bottom of the page to suggest a new product.
-
i'm glad he is okay.
-
I have one of these in Obi-Wan's cage but it's up high where he can only get to the bottom of it to pull down the hay and ring his bell. Should I remove it from the cage?
-
::silly:: Some chins can get into places we think they can not ... but ... that has to be your decision ...
Sorry, but there are some things that you have to decide on your own. Making an informed decision is the best decision. Just keep in mind what could happen if you are wrong. :)
::wave:: Jo Ann
-
I'll get him another hay rack this weekend. Better to be safe then sorry, even if it does tick him off (he seems to really like it, although it might just be the bell as he is always ringing it.) ::tickedoff:: Probably just take the bell off and hang if from the cage as he doesn't chew on it, just uses his paws to push it back and forth. It's cute. :blush2:
-
::silly:: Chinchillas do seem to like the sound of bells (soft, not loud). The first year I put up Christmas decorations in the chin room, it consisted of bells with lights that rang out softly the different Christmas songs ... the different lights would blink off and on to the music as each bell would ring. It seemed to calm the chins and the lights really kept their attionion. After Christmas, when I was taking them down ... the chins were about to riot. I was getting fussed at and sprayed. Bill, my husband, said maybe they were mad because I took the bells down ... so ... I put them back up and everyone was happy ... needless to say it was Christmas year round in the chin room for four years solid. But, that's OK ... it was the least I could do for all the love they gave me. :::grins::
::wave:: Jo Ann
-
Im so pleased your chin is ok
And lucky you were around
Its amazing what chinchillas can get up to
Years ago I had a chin who must have jumped funny and got stuck between mesh and house 1 toe she was 12 weeks old and was hanging in a rather stange way but her food dish saved her I reackon
She had to have the toe amputated but made a full recovery but if the food dish wasnt there she made have broken her leg trying to free herself.
Accidents seem to happen no matter how careful you are chinchillas just do crazy things!
I also had a baby get its head stuck in a toilet roll came in to see it running round the cage in a panic was a real sight now I cut all toilet rolls so noone gets stuck
-
wow..I am taking my "hay ball" out asap! You reminded me though of a case I read not long after my first boy, Roo, came to share his life with us....I read about a case where a chinchilla had gotten his foot caught in a small space and after feverishly struggling to get free...chewed his own foot off!! I was devastated. At the time, I had a "chinchilla starter cage" and the shelves have like small grates...(for lack of a better decription) ..I went by his room to find him swinging from the shelf upside down and trying to get free...I FREAKED :doh: and within a day...went and spent $300.00 on a super pet cage with many levels and shelves that are solid!!! Now, when I brought the girls home...they have a huge cage with the same thing and I have bought them granite, grass rugs etc...wonder if the girls may be more coordinated than the boys??? ::shrug:: I still worry but thankfully have had no problems...My fiancee is home all day and I am home all night...so we have the basis covered! But, to be homest, I HAVE been looking for solid shelves to fit their cage but it is BIG and I have been unsuccessful at finding ones that fit the width...darn it!!! ::silly::
-
Thanks for posting this, we all need to know about this. Im just so happy you got there in time, poor baby. I had one of those but they just pulled all the hay out of it anyway.
-
Here's contact information to inform them of anyone's experiances with this that might have harmed their beloved chins. Please make this toll free call.
Ware Manufacturing:
Hay Ball item #00713
Toll Free # 1 800 295 CAGE
I've called...they seemed rather nice...she wasn't aware of anyone having issues with this product. But planned on checking into it further...I also told her that I went to post my incident on the forum. Where I seen another person had their chin actually stuck in the same product. And was told to contact the manufacturer. My comment was...my chin could have strangled in the darn product had he not got the thing loose from the cage itself.
The person was concerned for the chin...asked how he was...he seems fine I stated...just was scared and hungry and attempting to eat from his pellets he couldn't reach with the cage ball over his head. Luckily it's wire that gives and I was able to get it off his head without harming him. But...it's tossed under his cage at the moment. I refuse to use it again.
Considering buying a bird suet cage holder and lock it with a small dog clasp from a leash. To hold their hay...I need something in there to hold it...But nothing that will put my fellas in danger.
have you considered a hay feeder from dr foster smith
they hang on the inside of your cage and are known to be safer
-
My one chin died because he got caught under his food dish bar that attached to the cage. :(
-
glad your baby was ok!
the owner i got my chin from also had a mishap with that. she was at work, the chin found himself dangling from his hay holder but by one of his hind feet. she came home to find he had broken his leg off in order to escape, hes fine now, walking and jumping again, but lost his leg. she reported it to the manufacturer but i dont believe they have done anything to fit it. I have been boycotting those since. my chin eats out of a glass doggy bowl made for chihuahuas and its been working just as well
.
NOBODY NEEDS THOSE DEATHTRAPS! anything simpler for a chin is always better. they also will feel more comfortable knowing he has space to run and jump and play without feeling so cluttered
so for new owners, please be aware of shape and size of anything u get for your chins.
- Andi
-
Oh no! Are you sure it can't be more than an inch wide? I was just looking into a child gate for my hallway so my chins have a larger running space. It's actually extra tall (42"), but it has 2 1/4 inch of space between the bars. Also, even if they couldn't squeeze through it could they jump over it? My older chinnie can jump onto the counter in my bathroom which is maybe 3 1/2 feet tall.
-
my last chinchilla had a hay wire rack sort of thing... i never really like it but it works
but seeing the replies of other people my last chinchilla i believe mine died most likely getting his foot caught in the shelves (was wire flooring) most likely fell down struggling and broke a rib... i came home from school in time to say good bye.... anything with wires especially bendable wires.. are super dangerous
..8 yrs later i bought one with wooden shelves~!
this time around i've been searching and found this cute little number
http://www.chincessories.com/cageaccessories.htm
if you scroll down mid way you'll see a nice and pretty hay box
provided if your chin doesn't like eating cage furniture (mine doesn't seem to have interest in his own stuff) could last you for sometime ^_^!
-
I had this exact hay ball in my bird cage and even my poor zebra finch got caught in it once. For sure I wouldn't never use it for any of my babies.
-
I have seen several guinea pigs die in both the hanging balls and those hay wheels. There's a pet store near us that likes to use those hay wheels on a stand. We've pulled out 2 live stuck guinea pigs and pointed out 2 dead ones to the staff over about 6 months. They took them out for awhile but with a new manager I see the hay wheels are back in the cages just with the door open for the pigs to eat out of now making it less likely they will bend the wires to shove in for hay. I still wouldn't call them safe.
We have one of these
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12282678&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo
It is plastic but very hard plastic and we are inspecting it daily to see if any chewing has happened.
I can't find where we got them but we have several wooden hay racks that are solid bottom, solid back, and wooden dowels across the front. They don't hold a lot of hay and the dowels get chewed on but they are working well enough. If you search for chinchilla wooden hay rack you can find lots of variations.
-
I have found this one works great expecialy since it does not go into the cage.
http://www.petco.com/assets/product_images/8/800443127995D.jpg
-
I am glad you were able to save him! I have had a couple scary moments like that myself!
They are tricky little things. My baby girl was about 4months old and she was SCREAMING! I jumped outta bed, to find her little toe caught in the cage door! To this day I have no real clue how she did it. But I was up all night just trying to calm her and make her feel better and safe. The next day we went to the vet, she cut her skin and broke her toe but was in great health other than that, and the vet said I spoil my chinchillas to much. (silly vet...no such thing as over-spoiling)
The real thing with them I find, is that they just have to be watched and caged checked everyday!
I hope he is doing well and growing up good! :)
-
Not meaning to hijack the thread but what kind of cage are you using?
-
Oh wow, how scary it must have been to find him like that!! :( I'm glad he is ok...
Thank you for sharing this, it is an eye opener. We expect Chinchilla made things to be safe for them. I am going to be really careful about what I put in my future Chin's cage.
-
Sadly I've heard a LOT of chins have tragically died with these hay balls,I used them myself until I discovered this,we are lucky nothing bad happened to ours but even so it's just not worth the risk,plus our chins wasn't eating much hay with them and as hay is their main food source (not pellets as I previously believed) they need as much as poss,our chins have a chin IBS so if they don't eat enough hay they get a mucousy jelly with bubbles in all around their poops so weve desperately tried many different kinds of hay holders but I've found ours eat more hay when I just put a loose pile of hay onto a shelf for them,they slap the hay all round the cage while sorting out the best bits to eat lol but I don't mind as we do daily cleans.
I'm shocked though that with all the reports of these hay balls causing many fatalities to chins that there isn't a warning printed on the packaging to warn pet owners that they are unsafe for chins.
Thank God that you got to your fur baby just in time hun,many haven't been so lucky
Merry Christmas everyone 🎉🎅🎉
-
I always am really careful what I put in Moxie's cage. One time I had this chew tunnel for her, and she got it wedged in between two levels of her cage, and I didn't know how long it had been stuck there and she had no access to her food or water. I had to completely throw it away because If I had been gone a while she could have dehydrated.
-
I have decided to use a pine wood rack that hangs on the side of cage, the gaps are quite small but my only worry is that they'd jump on the top opening.
http://www.mycreaturecomforts.co.uk/product.php/6683793/
-
I tried one that looked almost identical to that one. Sadly, my chinchilla destroyed it in less than a week and reduced it to splinters.
Hay dispensing has always been a topic of interest here because it's hard to find a good design and I've yet to find one at a local store. I just put my hay on the floor. A lot of it gets wasted though.
-
Yeah those hay balls suck. You can get a wooden hay feeder or can get the one I have. Its the only kaytee product i trust and it works perfectly. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwit89WTyIziAhUTx58KHaUAAU4QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FKaytee-Rollin-Dispenser-Colors-Vary%2Fdp%2FB0006G7TCU&psig=AOvVaw2YUPq_3GIRBvqI3R7QP8am&ust=1557426542157291
Ive never had issues with it. It does have plastic on it but Roo has never chewed on it and she chews on everything. This one can hang, stand, and roll depending on your chinchillas intrest.