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1

Web site Reviews / Re: Chinchilla Supplies

« on: December 10, 2009, 03:30:28 AM »

I just took a quick look around your page and it looks good.  The layout is simple, but very clean (as you said you didn't want it to look to busy), navigation is simple and the menus are clearly labeled. There are some problems with overlapping areas, but that is already noted on your site as a browser issue.
I do have 2 suggestions though.
If you're trying to promote your supplies store, you should have that be more of a highlight of your website.  Let everyone know why they want to purchase stuff from your store.
The menus in the store are only a tiny bit confusing.  When you click on a section, it disappears from the menu area (Vine items, wood toys, etc.).  It didn't take me long to realize what was going on but it makes navigation a bit clunky to have the menu change between such closely related pages. I see what you were doing though.
(I hope I'm not sounding like I'm being to nit-picky. I'm making a website myself and am just trying to give you helpful feedback, which is what I will be looking for soon   )

All-in-all you have a very nice website.  I wish you luck with your store, especially if you've already invested a lot into it.

2

General Chat / Re: Toys and Chews for my "special needs" Chinchilla

« on: December 09, 2009, 01:34:38 PM »

Boxer is very beautiful.    Black velvet has always been one of my favorite colors. I just posted a reply to your question about Boxer wedging between the wheel and cage and now that I know she's got special needs I'm really impressed! Anyway, it seems like everyone has given you some really good ideas for chew toys but I wanted to make one suggestion. 

Your cage has bars for the floor, right?  One of my chinchillas was a rescue who was brought to me in a cage with metals bars for the floor (instead of a solid floor with bedding). He's a bit older, but sometimes his feet would fall between the bars and I always thought he looked uncomfortable hopping around, so I bought him a new cage.  Since Boxer has special needs, and you were saying her chew toys sometimes fall through the floor to where she can't reach them, perhaps you should consider getting her a cage with a solid floor and some soft bedding.  It will probably make her more comfortable and it will certainly stop the toys from falling out of reach.

3

General Chat / Re: Just out of curiosity - Do anyone else's chins have these quirks?

« on: December 09, 2009, 01:15:01 PM »

Haha, I'm not sure if this behavior is common, but I have 3 male chinchillas and one of them does exactly as you described - wedging between the wheel and the cage with his back to the wheel and his feet against the cage bars.   

As far as the vocalizations go, chinchillas make a few sound that could be described as evil laughter, haha.  But it's most likely some sort of mating call. All of my chinchillas make noises but the one who wedges himself against his wheel makes the most diverse sounds, and does it most often.  It's odd, isn't it?

4

General Chat / ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT to VOTE!!!

« on: September 12, 2008, 01:41:03 AM »

Well, the end of the voting is finally just around the corner.   I know it's been a long haul, so thanks for sticking with us

There are only 2 days left to vote so be sure you do!!!   The card with the most votes will be sold in stores for a whole year, so if you've always wanted to have chinchillas on merchandise, don't miss your chance to make it happen!!   

http://www.hallmarkcontests.com/vote/index.cfm?step=1&perpage=1&showsingle=yes&card_id=6806

5

Web site Reviews / Re: Softie's Chin-torium

« on: July 25, 2008, 08:07:55 PM »

thank you! 

6

General Chat / Re: Chinchillas on a Hallmark card?!?!?!

« on: July 14, 2008, 01:26:40 PM »

thank you! 

7

Web site Reviews / Softie's Chin-torium

« on: July 09, 2008, 03:37:48 AM »

I'm in the process of building a chinchilla informational website - here is the URL, I'd love to hear some feedback  http://eden.rutgers.edu/~mwolff/abc.html

If anyone has photos of their chins for the color chart, I would definitely use them.  Also, if anyone would like to contribute anything (a page, a section, additional info) I will gladly put it on my site with proper credits. 

8

General Chat / Re: Chinchillas on a Hallmark card?!?!?!

« on: July 09, 2008, 03:30:53 AM »

the chinchilla birthday card is now available in most Hallmark stores across the US!! 

Also, we're #1 in the voting right now!  Help keep it there by voting  at http://www.hallmarkcontests.com/vote/index.cfm?step=1&perpage=1&showsingle=yes&card_id=6806

9

General Chat / Re: Pumice stone versus lava rock

« on: June 23, 2008, 11:45:35 PM »

I don't know which is the one they are SUPPOSED to chew on, but my chins prefer lava rocks. 

10

General Chat / Re: Is it Unusual???

« on: June 23, 2008, 11:43:45 PM »

my silver mosaic has blue eyes as well

11

General Chat / Re: Chinchillas on a Hallmark card?!?!?!

« on: May 30, 2008, 04:14:49 PM »

P.S.  The link is in my signature (it's very small at the bottom)

12

General Chat / Re: Chinchillas on a Hallmark card?!?!?!

« on: May 30, 2008, 04:14:04 PM »

keep voting everyone!!  also, just so you know the card will be hitting stores in a little over two weeks, however it will only be available for 3 months.  With all of your votes, the card should win, but only then will it be available for a year.

So please keep voting!!   

13

General Chat / Re: When a chinchilla misbehaves

« on: May 30, 2008, 04:08:38 PM »

I read about clicker training yesterday!  too funny, must be a sign.  I"m going to find a clicker and see what I can do.  Anyone ever trained an animal like this? 

The lady I bought my used cage from told me how to litter train them.  She even gave me a pan.  It's a litter box for ferrets, that hooks on the cage so it doesn't slide.  It's plastic, but my girls don't chew on plastic, so I feel ok about it.  When they peed, I scooped the pee into the litter pan until they always went there. 

ooooooh, when you said litter train I thought you meant that you taught your chin to poop in a litter box.  Now THAT would have been impressive, lol.  Although urine training is useful as well.

As far as "clicker training", don't even waste your money on a device!  You can use anything that makes a distinct sound - a treat container, your mouth, snapping fingers, whatever. The sound should be unique though, and very distinguishable.   You just have to pair that sound with something REALLY rewarding (their favorite treat) but you must be consistent with it while your chin is learning the association.  During training, the sound MUST ALWAYS signal that the treat is coming in the next few seconds.  They'll catch on to it quickly, most likely within a week.  Also, during training you must not give the treat without the sound preceeding it.  Once they've learned the association of treat and sound however, they should continue to respond to the sound, even if a treat does not follow. (Sort of like how gamblers keep pulling on the slot machine lever, even though they don't win every time)   I work in a laboratory that does behavioral experiments on rats and mice so I use what I learned there on my chinchillas, lol.

Here is just an example of how your chin has probably already been conditioned:  When you pull out the treats to give to your chin, I bet they know whats coming, right?  The treats probably make a distinct noise and then soon after they get a treat.  Now when they hear the noise they get all excited because they know a treat is coming.  Same goes for dustbaths - when my chins hear me tapping on the dustbath, they make a mad dash for it because they know they'll be rewarded if they come.

And Brazilnut is absolutely right, do not use punishment for bad behavior - it will just make your chin jumpy, nervous and stressed. 

14

General Chat / Re: Fav Chin TV shows

« on: May 30, 2008, 03:24:24 PM »

  Glad to see someone else's chins like to watch t.v.!

I have two that will lean side-ways into the front of their cages to see the t.v. (it's at an odd angle from their cage) ... as long as it is NOT loud or sudden noises in the program they will spend hours watching t.v. ... once it gets sudden or loud noises, then, they hide in their huts.

   Jo Ann

hehe, thats so funny!!!  so they only lean into their cages when the TV is on? 

15

General Chat / Re: Soon!

« on: May 17, 2008, 09:16:30 PM »

two people have already cautioned her about breeding (which isn't a bad thing, so don't get me wrong), but she said in her first post that they are "so old they are prob sterile, they have never had a litter" and they're a lifelong pair.

Anyway, Congrats on Rafael and Kayla, Addie!!!  Chinchillas are awesome pets.  Take good care of them   

<<<<<<<<<<<<   see ho much fun they can be??   for more silly photos of my chinchillas wearing hats, see their website at http://eden.rutgers.edu/~mwolff/Chinchilla.html