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31

General Chat / Squeaky chinchilla

« on: January 14, 2013, 11:25:40 AM »

My new chinchilla has always been very vocal especially in the early morning hours like 4-5am. Sometimes he'll squeak and squawk when he's running around and playing so I'll squeak back at him. Lately it seems he responds to my squeaking by squeaking back. If I do it in succession he'll imitate the pattern sometimes.

This is not the same as his barking and he does it when he seems content although he'll make similar sounds when he is annoyed. Although some nights he does bark for what seems like no other reason than to entertain himself.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

32

Health / Chinchilla gaining weight

« on: January 09, 2013, 01:10:57 PM »

My new chinchilla (K'ulu) is gaining a lot weight. I was curious about what the normal rate is for a less than 4 month old chin. He is gaining an average of 14g per week since I got him 3 weeks ago. He is on the Purina Rabbit Show diet and timothy hay. Compared to my first chin who was underweight from malocclusion he seems rather fat when I pick him up. There are noticeable changes in his shape and size from when I first got him and his adult whiskers are starting to grow in and his fur feels less cottony. I'm amazed he gains so quickly because at night he is constantly in motion.

He is acting very healthy, energetic, and gets tamer by the day. He is also very vocal and squeaks and squawks a lot especially at night when he gets bored and I'm trying to sleep. Fecal output is very high compared to my last chin but slightly soft and easily mushed. I'm thinking its the rabbit pellets and the fact I'm used to the other chin who was usually constipated. Anyone experience this with Purina?

I've attached some pictures. You can see differences in his fur and profile. They were taken about 3 weeks apart.

33

General Chat / Had to euthanize pet chinchilla

« on: December 17, 2012, 04:03:35 PM »

My chinchilla was diagnosed with a terminal case of malocclusion today by a licensed veterinarian. He was in very bad condition and had to be hand fed his entire diet. I opted for euthanasia to prevent the onset of morbid problems down the road associated with this disease. If you breed chinchillas please take care to remove maloccluders from your lines. Mine was from a large chain pet store but I took the gamble it would be healthy and lost. Although the risk of this disease will always be present it can be greatly reduced by purchasing from a reputable breeder.

Although I did have to put him down I am grateful for the experience gained from raising him. I learned a lot about how to tame and train a chinchilla and for you skeptics out there that think a chinchilla can't be trained I know it's possible because I've done it and it's really fun.

34

Health / Food suppliment suggestions wanted

« on: November 27, 2012, 07:50:59 PM »

My pet chinchilla's weight seems to be too low. I am guessing it is because of stress from moving to a new place although it's been a while now. His weight is somewhat steady but it is 15% lower than when I first got him about 6 weeks ago. Unfortunately there are a lot of variables including a change of diet from a "deluxe" chinchilla mix to Oxbow pellets in the first two weeks, the move itself, and the fact my chinchilla is probably about 7 months old and may be reaching sexual maturity. He was not well socialized before but he is beginning to act socialized now. He seems to be a very picky eater as well when it comes to hay.

I know yogurt is a good choice but my chinchilla won't tolerate it and I wasn't interested in syringe feeding since this is not an emergency.

I was contemplating supplementing his normal diet with critical care to see if I can get his weight back up and then see if he will keep it on on his own. Instead of critical care I decided to make my own mixture using 1/2 Oxbow pellets, and 1/2 Steel cut oats powdered and watered down. This was based on a recipe for chinchillas with tooth problems. At this time I'm not suspecting tooth problems but I will consider that if the weight loss approaches 30%. I discovered that he will eat the mixture if I make balls out of it but only if it is dried out. I am thinking of adding molasses to make it stick better when it is dried.

I am planning on providing 1/2 a tablespoon of this per day and continuing to monitor his weight. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on this.

35

Health / Chinchilla doesn't like yogurt

« on: November 21, 2012, 07:58:51 PM »

We recently moved to a new house with my new chinchilla (a single chin) and it has been horrendously more difficult than expected. It's been about 6 weeks now and my chinchilla's weight is down most likely due to the stress of relocation and my incredibly inconsistent schedule. My own weight is also down which is not a good thing either since I have a problem keeping weight on myself! His eating and drinking habits are consistent (I also measure his water level) and he doesn't otherwise show signs of any health problems.

His behavior has changed since I've had him. When I first hot him two months ago he seemed to be oddly indifferent to me and everything else. He is responding well to being trained and is becoming tamer and more socialized each day. This week he has suddenly changed and has become much more sociable and way more physically active during play times where before he was pretty much indifferent to the world around him. I am not sure why it was so sudden. It's like having a different animal and I have to guard the cage door now to keep him in. This is all very positive.

I have been charting his weight although there's a big hole in the data from when the move got really hectic. I am observing a fairly constant weight but it is constantly low. At the start of the move there seemed to be a gradual increase but at the start of the move it plummeted about 20% in a week. He has not lost any since then but has not gained any back either. If my chin is (I think) around 7 months old I still expect there is supposed to be a gradual increase. Unfortunately for him there are more changes he has to get used to. My brother's family just moved in and his kids are just now starting to interact with him. He doesn't like either of them very much because I am very quiet and deliberate and they are quite the opposite. I'm getting them more involved in caring for him to help him adjust to them. Also I am now in the room more often which is noticeably changing his sleep patterns.

I have decided to supplement his diet with 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt a day to see if that helps the trend. Problem is he won't touch it. He seems frightened by it which is really strange because I've introduced him to a lot of things to play with and observe and he has never acted like this. He tries to get away from it and jumps from shelf to shelf. I put it on things he likes like raisins and chew sticks but I get the same reaction. It's not that he does not have a taste for it. He is averse to it being near him. Does anyone have any suggestions? I could syringe feed it but I'd much rather he took to liking it on his own.

36

General Chat / Leaky water bottles

« on: September 27, 2012, 02:01:08 PM »

I have tried three different water bottles for my chinchilla because they all drip from the nozzle around the ball. I tried three different brands but they are similarly designed. The hangars also don't work well with my cage that has 1" spaced horizontal bars and I'm afraid my chin can push the nozzle out of reach because it's so loose. I am very frustrated with this so I ordered parts from Edstrom to build a gravity fed watering system with a high quality valve made for guinea pigs. They used to manufacture a bottle that got good reviews but they've discontinued it due to increases in manufacturing costs. The parts weren't that expensive but the shipping about doubled the cost.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with these and if anyone has advice on how to stop the dripping on my regular vacuum type bottle until I get my parts in. I don't remember having these kinds of problems years ago when I had rabbits and hamsters. I have a feeling cheap manufacturing is partially to blame. At least the dripping has stopped for now. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it when it does drip and when it starts dripping about half the bottle empties out in about half a day.

37

Health / Greasy chinchilla

« on: September 24, 2012, 08:35:44 PM »

My chinchilla is becoming very tame. I have been handling him every day and seeing amazing progress in the short time I've had him. He enjoys being touched and rubbed and is starting to like being held. The problem is that I have naturally oily skin and his fur is really showing it. I'm someone who washes my hands obsessively and that doesn't help much. I give him a dust bath every other day because I understand dusting every day can be a problem for his skin. But I have to wonder should I be dusting more often? Should I start handling him less like every other day? If I do that I know he will not like that too much. His fur looked a lot nicer when I first got him.

I was wondering if others have had a similar experience.

38

Health / Feeling chinchilla bones

« on: September 22, 2012, 10:52:00 AM »

My new chinchilla (Blue) has recently started allowing me to pet him and get under his chest and has learned he likes to be massaged.

I was surprised how bony his chest was down there because I can really feel all his ribs when I rub against them. I don't notice this near as much on his back ribs. I was wondering if this is normal or if there's supposed to be more meat down there? He seems to be eating okay although his diet may not have been all that great when I first got him. I weaned him off of the deluxe chinchilla food recently and he is eating okay-quality chinchilla pellets now (for about 5 days) that he came home with. I'm thinking about putting him on Mazuri in a couple of days.

He looks pretty healthy to me. His fur is changing and getting darker since I've got him and is in really good condition. I have weighed him fairly regularly now and his weight seems to be very stable. His eating habits also seem very consistent. It was more variable at first but lately if he has a downward or upward trend one day it's always offset the next by the same amount. I've had him for about 2 weeks now.

39

South East USA / Looking for chinchilla in Atlanta

« on: August 21, 2012, 11:24:14 AM »

It looks like I will be able to adopt a chinchilla in mid to late October. Is anyone here a breeder or know of any good breeders in the Atlanta, GA area that are still active?
I'll drive within a 100 mile radius of Austell. I will also consider getting a rescue chinchilla as long as it's initially healthy and doesn't have any serious behavioral issues. I'd prefer to avoid the pet store because you pay the same price as a breeder and they are typically lower quality.

I would prefer to have a male standard gray kit that has a calm disposition but will consider any color, gender, or age. I prefer to have one but I'll settle for two if they are a bonded same-sex pair. They will be well cared for and socialized in their new home.

Thanks.

40

Health / Can a Chinchilla Drink Too Much and Get Sick?

« on: June 14, 2012, 04:27:16 PM »

This thread is a split from the topic "Separation Anxiety" which can be found http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,3764.msg28735.html#msg28735 about a chinchilla, Toki, who presented with what appears to be stress induced diarrhea with the stress being caused by leaving the chin by herself all day.

Although I think the consensus will be that giardia infection is the most likely cause I threw out the idea that the chin could be bored and drinking too much water that might explain the diarrhea.
This highly speculative idea caused some debate so I would like to start a new thread so the experts can have the floor in the original thread on things less speculative. I do hope I've made it clear this was speculative from the start.

This new post is pointed at Xterms:
It appears I did offend you which is not intentional and I do apologize. This is where you left off:

Go ahead, just let me know somehow where to search for the new thread!
And secondly, our little debate here was intended to clear out a possible cause of the illness of the chin. I hope Toki also sees it that way, since we didn't want to destroy.

Off ended.

I totally agree with you here. And also the statement you responded to from me looks accusative in retrospect and I apologize for the bad wording of it.

The reason I wanted to split this off is because I don't want to see back and forth conversation going on in that particular thread now that chinclub, who is an expert, has asked a very important question to Toki's owner. I really don't want to see expert exchange get lost between our jabber on my speculation that might be completely irrelevant.

I know it's not my job to control the flow of threads. I am not a moderator and my intention is certainly not to mislead. I hope you can understand my logic. That is all that was meant so please don't take it personally.

I do disagree with you on the basis of the logic of your argument. I understand your argument to say it is not possible for a chin to drink to the point of getting diarrhea because the natural balance of the chinchilla is maintained by its design.

I know you appeal to evolution but I take this to mean that evolution has brought into existence a good functional design that always maintains the proper water balance through behavioral and physiological means. I do agree that normally it's not a problem because the system is good. I do believe that God designed the system but that's a different topic.

I think functionally we can both see good design in the system and both agree the system is designed for survival in the wild as opposed to existing in captivity.

The logic of the appeal to the system's design to prevent behavioral and fluid balance problems breaks down when we presuppose that and look to the fact that these are domesticated chinchillas living in captivity. There are differences between wild and domestic chinchillas genetically, and also differences in behavior because their environments are so different. We might even say they are living outside of their original design parameters.

I think it is safe to conclude that we might see disorders that result from this that may throw off these kinds of balances and feedback mechanisms. I think the separation anxiety correlating to diarrhea is not a coincidence but a case in point even if it has to do with the physiology of acid and enzyme balances getting thrown off by stress hormones that cause pathogenic bacteria to become a problem.

Having lived around domesticated animals all my life I've seen some pretty strange things which is why I threw that out there. Whether or not chins can drink too much is another matter. A simple Google search will bring you reports of it happening. However in those reports diarrhea is not a symptom but excessive urination. I think that could mean it's absorbed quickly and the fluid balance in the guts stays maintained, at least to prevent diarrhea. So that is evidence against the idea that chinchillas drinking too much can cause diarrhea.

If I have misunderstood your argument please let me know.

41

Other Pets / Diatomacious earth for fleas

« on: May 07, 2012, 04:52:36 PM »

I have a friend with a very old cat who has fleas and is having a very hard time controlling them. One of the problems is that she cannot use harsh poisons because the cat is so very old. I read that using diatomacious earth (DE) is very effective when used to treat the carpet. I heard it's not good to use it directly on the animals as it dries out their skin and is a mechanical irritant. Has anyone had any experience with DE or other less toxic flea control products?

42

General Chat / Are chinchillas smarter than rats?

« on: March 19, 2012, 04:40:00 PM »

My family was talking about what is the world's smartest animal. There are popular published lists that put rats in the top 10. I've owned rats and it seems that chinchillas display more complex social behaviors. I was wondering if anyone has come across any studies comparing rats to chins in problem solving tests.

43

General Chat / Chinchilla 3d art - does it look accurate?

« on: February 27, 2012, 07:59:07 PM »

I am making a 3-d model of a chinchilla and aiming for accuracy. Right now I am concentrating on the just the shape. I hope to texture it and make it a standard grey color. I would like to see what you think about these test renders of its head. Any critiques are appreciated.

Thank you

44

Q & A / Air conditioning and safety

« on: January 26, 2012, 08:14:42 PM »

I am contemplating keeping a chinchilla as a pet later this year. We will likely be moving to Huntsville, AL in late spring and I'm not sure how well the central air conditioning is going to work in the hottest part of the summer. Apparently it gets up into the high 90s a couple months out of the year. It may be fine but it may be less than ideal. We're looking at some nice houses so it's not like it's going to be a poor system. It just may not be able to maintain 70 degrees, and may be closer to 80 inside for a few hours a day.

I ran into this in the last house I was at, but it was also a much warmer climate (100-105 in the summer). It was also bad because the windows faced the sun in the evenings. So for the purpose of planning I will assume the worst. (This is a thought experiment in progress)

To provide an added safety margin I was thinking of buying a portable air conditioner that would be kept inside. Has anyone had any experience with portable air conditioners? This would be the kind you don't put in the window but sit on the floor. The exhaust duct runs out the window or into the attic and it also works as a dehumidifier. I know I can find a used one cheap before they are in season for an extra margin of safety. I would find a unit that could produce a 20 degree drop in the room, at least, according to spec. This would also be a nice thing for me since I sleep better when it is cooler at night.

Does anyone do this? If so would it be safe? Or should I be looking to keep a different pet?
Your opinions are appreciated.

45

Cages / Converting a large parrot cage

« on: January 25, 2012, 02:15:33 PM »

I have a tall (around 3'x3'x5') parrot cage that I am contemplating converting into a chinchilla cage. It is big enough to put two levels of shelving into it (making it 3 levels). The bars are very sturdy (for large parrots), but they are powder coated and scuffed from moving and storing. I suppose it is possible to paint it with something, not sure with what, though.

The floor is probably not good (same bar spacing) so I was thinking of covering it with 1/2"x1/2" galvanized steel mesh. I would wrap the mesh onto a wooden frame and elevate it slightly above the original floor to prevent it rubbing against the coated floor bars (using 1x2 firring strips)

For shelves I would use unfinished pine and screw them to the side of the cage with washers and steel screw-in studs and angle them down slightly to prevent accumulation of droppings on the shelves (maybe 3 degrees).

I was thinking of making a wide shelf with a wood box built on to it (bolted) for a hiding place and to have a solid floor to rest on.

I would also have a litter pan in one corner for getting the chinchilla in the habit of urinating in one area. (It will eventually go under the floor)

For cooling (if the air conditioning is not sufficient in the summer) I was thinking of using a small galvanized bucket (with lid) that can hold frozen water bottles that would be kept on the bottom of the cage. It will probably be wired to the side of the cage so it can't get knocked over.

If this is not a good idea I can build something from scratch.