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1

Q & A / Wire shelf

« on: October 10, 2009, 04:37:54 AM »

I'm thinking about building my own cage for Po. I want to build him a MANSION. However, I was thinking about the many hundred shelves that I would have to put and how much I might struggle to clean every shelf. Do you think some of those wooden shelves could be replaced with wire shelves, to make things a bit easier to clean? I was thinking maybe 50/50 wire to wood or 75/25 wire to wood, or 25/75 with maybe one or two ceramic shelves throw in to keep them cool during the hot hours. Do you think this owuld be an okay idea? Which ratio do you think is best and do you think I hear so many opinions on wire shelves. People say chinchillas can break their feet on them while others say otherwise.

2

Health / Pumice types

« on: October 02, 2009, 09:55:56 PM »

I can't help but notice the pumice at my local feeder store is different than the pumice I get on ebay. The one at the feeder store is gray...it seems harder and less powdery while the one on ebay is white but softer, seems powdery. Are they both okay, or would it be better if we give them both for variation? Pumice is pretty much the same thing as lava stones you buy at Petsmart and Petco right? Just not colored.

3

Health / Only eats the soft hay

« on: September 27, 2009, 05:50:03 PM »

I'm a bit concerned. I know that Timothy Hay is good for chinchillas because of the nutrients AND because of the dental benefits. Po only seems to pick up the soft pieces. He will throw away any of the hard parts of the hay, and shouldn't the hard parts of the hay be the most helpful? I can't pictyure the little tiny leaves being of any use to his teeth. Should I be concerned? Would shredding the hay even more, like putting it in a food processor, work better? I'm also tired of wasting hay. At least half of the hay I get is thrown out because of his picky eating and refusal to eat those hard pieces.

4

General Chat / Do you boycott pet stores?

« on: September 24, 2009, 11:50:11 PM »

This topic has always been interesting to me. I know many people advise against buying chinchillas at pet stores because the chinchillas there are generally not tamed and you don't know much about the family history. Then there are people who don't want to buy chinchillas there because they don't like the way Petco treats their animals and how everything is ran by a business. For those people, do you still buy things at Petco, like animal toys and food? For example, I personally don't support any organizations or businesses that support fur trade or things I'm against. I imagine that the good business at Petco, the money they receive from people when they are buying lava stones, foods...EVERYTHING is all a *business* and as long as that *business* keeps going, they will continue to sell chinchillas in less than optimal settings. Would you rather pour your money at a feed store or something that cares more about the animals than the business?

5

Board Requests & questions / Jo Ann and Debbie

« on: September 24, 2009, 06:25:54 PM »

I just want to tell you two that you two are just amazing and make a great "dynamic duo" when it comes to chinchilla information. Without you guys I would be SO lost with how to take care of Po. I am sure Po appreciates it as well. I can't thank you enough every time you guys help amateurs like me out with chinchilla care.

6

General Chat / Second chinchilla

« on: September 24, 2009, 06:23:01 PM »

I got a second chinchilla. I was always planning on getting another one for Po but not this early. This deal was just too good to pass up and this was their lasty guy. It was from a nice couple on Craigslist, they were selling babies, a 8 week old beige baby. I brought it home today, it was a rough, hot drive and I think the baby might be under some stress from it. They said he is very tamed and will shoulder ride but I still imagine that he is under a lot of stress. I put him in Po's old cage and I'm going to do a bit of research before I start slowly introducing them to each other but for now I will keep them completely separate. Even though he is supposedly really tamed, I will leave him alone for a day or two, maybe stick my hand in every once in a while so he can get my scent, before actually trying to carry him completey because I'm sure he's just really scared right now. I really want him to ease up to me though and be very comfortable with handling. I love Po a lot but he hates being carried and cuddled around, so hopefully I can teach this new chinchilla to do so. Do you think this is a good idea? Should I also let him have his play time out of the cage so soon?

First thing I noticed is his stool is very soft. I think this might be the stressful ride or maybe he was fed too much alfalfa hay. I will give him Timothy hay though with no pellets until I see that his stools are firmer. If this still doesn't work I will give him some burnt toast.

7

Health / Hay brand

« on: September 19, 2009, 02:37:19 AM »

I know that it's best to feed chincillas certain pellet brands, like the Mazuri, Tradition, Oxbow, etc. but what about hay? Do certain brands have more nutritious hay than others? Today I went to Walmart and saw they were selling KAYTEE TIMOTHY HAY. I know the KAYTEE PELLET isn't too good because they mix some other tsuff in it, but is the Timothy Hay good?

8

Q & A / How do you hang the chew toys up?

« on: September 16, 2009, 08:39:17 PM »

Hi guys, recently I bought Po a lot of chew toys. Drilled a few holes in them, but I'm trying to figure out some good ways to hang them up. I know they sell the bell chain thingies at the Pet Stores, but those are a little more expensive and they ALWAYS coem with other chew toys that I don't need. I already have enough chew toys for Po, I just need something that can hold them up. I tried using just a normal key chain thingy but that started to rust really bad! What are cheaper ways to hang them up that you find most affective?

9

Q & A / Good TIMOTHY HAY based chinchilla pellets?

« on: August 23, 2009, 10:15:38 PM »

I notice all the great brands most recommend such as Mazuri, Tradition, Oxbow are all ALFALFA based. Does anyone know any great TIMOTHY HAY based pellets?

How come these are some unknown, or not usually talked about when people speak of great pellets? Is it because these are somehow superior to the state of the art, Mazuri/Tradition/Oxbow? 

10

General Chat / Hay cubes are a mess!

« on: August 10, 2009, 02:01:33 AM »

  Anyone else have this problem as well? I'm thinking about getting Po a hay feeder with loose hay in it instead of the cubes. I notice Po will only chew like half of the hay and he spills the rest on his shelves or half of it ends up in the bottom. He is a very messy eater. 

11

Q & A / Milk carton

« on: July 29, 2009, 04:45:30 PM »

Milk cartons like this one are made out of cardboard.

I know cardboard is generally okay for chins but I just wanted to make sure, because it seems to have some sort of coating on the outside that makes it slick. Is this type of cardboard okay for chins? I have a few empty milk cartons that I washed of course, and I wanted to know if Po could have some.

12

Q & A / Few questions

« on: July 25, 2009, 12:25:05 AM »

 

So Po got pretty dirty the other day, I didn't seal off an area enough so he's pretty filthy now. I tried to give him a dust bath but it didn't seem to take everything off. I don't think a water bath would be necessary, plus i don't want to risk anything, but I do have some unscented baby wipes, could I possibly use this and wipe him down a bit with it?

Lately I've been having a hard time bonding with Po. He will let me pet him in his cage but as soon as I let him out he doesn't come near me at all. He will just do his own thing, hide under the bed, under the shelves, like he doesn't know me. If I try to pet him he will just scurry away. I have tried treats but he won't ever chase the treats, for example, i'll stick a raisin in his face and he'll only try to grab it in front of his face, when I even put it 6 inches in front of him or on my arm, or somewhere closer on my body, then he won't pursue it and will just lose interest in it. Basically, I am not able to get him to come to me at all! I also since changed him to a smaller cage, because in his bigger cage when I tried to pet him he will just run up to the higher levels, but in the smaller cage he doesn't really have anywhere to go...lol...I will change him back in his cage when I get him to be more friendly and familiar with him though, that's if I can. 
He has no problem taking treats from my hands, and touching me, but he does not like to be held and he will rarely crawl on me, even if I set treats on on top of my back, shoulder, etc.. I have tried to hold him before, but he just tries to squirm out. I've been trying this exercise though that I hope will let me hold him more often. Basically, instead of letting him jump out of his cage for playtime, I will try to HOLD him and carry him out, I hope that doing this routinely will lead him to believe that every time I carry him I am just taking him out for playtime, which he LOVES, so he will be enthusiastic when I carry him. Tell me what you guys think, because it's been really frustrating me. 

13

Health / Chopstick

« on: July 22, 2009, 03:05:46 AM »

Is it okay to give chinchillas chopsticks to chew on?

14

Health / Glass, ceramics, terracotta, metal(stainless steel), and wood question

« on: July 17, 2009, 03:22:52 AM »

I think with glazed ceramics, glass it is easy to disinfect and clean weekly with either bleach or vinegar. Disinfecting metal requires vinegar, wood requires sandpaper, because wood is porous. What about terracotta? I have some terracotta pots I want to give my chinchilla and I wanted to know an effective way to disinfect? Will vinegar also be okay for this?

Also, I know it helps chinchillas teeth when they chew on pumice, wood and paper based materials(cardboard, paper towel rolls) but what about ceramics, glass, metal, terracotta? Do they chew these too, and do they also help with their teething? The reason I ask is that I want to make sure my chinchilla has enough chew toys in his cage, and there are many metal, ceramic, terracotta items in there so I want to know if these count into Po's(my chinchilla!) collection of chew toys. After all, I only want the best for him.

Lastly, is it possible for Po to eat TOO much wood? I give him a paper towel roll but I see that he eats a lot of it, and he also ate a lot of his wooden pine house. I know eating too much PLASTIC will hurt but why is this not the case for wood and cardboard?

15

Health / What type of Pumice?

« on: July 17, 2009, 01:20:23 AM »

Hi everyone, I wanted to know if the pumice for chinchillas is some sort of specially enhanced formula. Today I was in CVS and I noticed they had plain pumice for the foot. Would this be okay for my chinchilla to have as long as of course, I separate any metal or plastic that might be attached to the rock? In addition to that, I looked into another thread talking about lava rocks for chinchillas and someone stated you could buy lava rocks at a supply or hardware store, which I would love to do if it were possible. Of course it was stated that you just need to clean them. How do you suggest I can clean them for my little guy? Will vinegar or bleach work just fine?