Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

   Thanks Faken!  You probably tried when we were making the corrections to the site.  I kept a tech on the line for over 2 hours .... you should be able to get to the site now.     All connections to all links should be working at this time.  If you ever see one that is not or if you have trouble getting to it, please let me know!  Thanks!

Jo Ann
www.luvnchins.com/
and the URL to the first of 3 pages about Gidget and her quads are here: http://www.luvnchins.com/GigetKitsDay1.html  Go to the very bottom of the page to get to page 2 and the same for page 3.  I think you'll like the videos. 

Hi Jo Ann,

I actually get a quicktime error when I visit your main page, are you trying to load a quicktime plugin or video on the main page?  If you would like my suggestion, I would recommend that for any videos you ned to host, simply create yourself a Youtube account and embed all your videos.  It's all free plus you know that Youtube vids will work on all platforms and on all mobile devices as the player is HTML 5.  If you ever need any help with your site or whatnot, don't be shy...

Hi Faken. Glad to see someone from Canada. I don't really suggest the oxbow, as I've heard of issues with chins going off feed while on it from other pet owners who used it, or having tummy troubles/weight loss since they changed to a new formula in 2011. I do sell supplies in Canada, and the feed I sell is locally milled in BC. I don't know where you are located, but I do ship, as well as offer delivery in the area and I welcome customers to pick up locally too. 

The diet I sell is Alderpark pellets, it is only $0.54 a lb, milled right here on the island, and always fresh. The diet is one that has been used privately by breeders and ranchers in BC, since the 1960's, when it was first formulated by a nutritionist named Dr Koch.

Dr Koch had studied both chinchillas in the wild and as well on fur ranches, back in the 60's, to determine what chinchillas need for a complete diet. While it is complete, you still need to feed hay for roughage, if you did decide to use it. I personally love the diet. I had used mazuri back in the late 90's and found while it is an okay diet for pet chinchillas; for breeding chinchillas, it left a lot to be desired. I've been using these pellets for a number of years now, and haven't had any issues. The chins tend to be rounder and have more muscle mass on their bodies with this diet.
My store link is: http://chinchillaparkplace.ca/chinstuffstore//

I don't know if Purina Rabbit show is available in Canada, and have never heard of it being used in Canada, but it is used often in the US and I have heard good things about it from the pet owners and breeders in the States.

   How precious!  Beautiful little kit!  They grow quickly.

I have lots of information for new chin owners on my website. 

There are videos of little ones from day one to adults. 

I set my site up for newbies because of the trouble I had finding good information on the internet when I started out many years ago. 

My site is a large one, but it's 20+ years of research and breeding and raising chinchillas.  It's at www.luvnchins.com/

Here's one link to one of the short videos that is working properly: http://www.luvnchins.com/VideoChinchillaAntics.html

I just noticed a couple of my other links are not working ... I will repair a.s.a.p.  because the one to "Giget & Her Quads" is a special one to see ... it is several videos over 3 pages of a momma chin and her quads during the the first two weeks of the kit's lives.  I'll post the url to that one as soon as I get it fixed.

You have lots to learn and a short time to do it!  You want to make sure everything is set up and ready for your little one when it is time to bring him home!

  Jo Ann

URL: http://www.luvnchins.com/GigetKitsDay1.html  There are 3 pages ... go all the way to the bottom of each page to reach the next page. 

   You and your vet can find a world of information at the California Chins website.  It is a research group in California for Chinchillas.  They often do do consults with vets.  You can find them at: http://www.cachins.org/  They also have information and several recipes for chinchilla supplements you may find very helpful.

   A chinchilla's health is often directly related to the health of it's teeth and it's digestive system.  The teeth are the instruments for the ability to start the digestive system.  When they are not able to be used normally, for whatever reason, your help, as their chin parent, and your vet's experience and help will probably be needed for him to survive.  Tooth problems may be what is called malocclusion, or something stuck between his teeth or even a cracked tooth or spur on the tooth.  An X-ray should tell you this if the exam cannot.  If he can not chew his own food, it's up to you! 

Here's a recipe I have used many times for my little ones:
 
Homemade Critical Care

1/2 cup ground Alfalfa Hay
      (Timothy or Meadow Hay is OK, but Alfalfa is the richest ... whatever you can find that is fresh and crisp)
1/8 cup rolled oats
      (Not the kind with the Quaker on the box ... the natural ones that came from a field
       ... they can be found in a feed store usually or from someone that raises horses)
 1   capsule acidophilus (found in most health food stores)  Keep bottle in refrigerator once it has been opened!
 5 or 6 drops Pedialyte
      (I use Gerber baby food apple flavored individual size bottle because pedialyte
      is only good for 24 hours after opening.) The rest of the bottle I use in the water
       bottle 2 ounces at a time. Empty, wash and rinse between filling.
 2   small air-tight containers

Instructions:
(1) Grind the alfalfa hay and the rolled oats in the blender or coffee grinder (Wait for dust in container to settle before removing the top or you will have a green dust cloud floating in the room.)
(2) Allow powder to cool in refrigerator for about 15 minutes before adding acidophilus!
(3) Empty one capsule of Acidophilus into the powder mix.
(4) Use a table spoon of mixture with a few drops of the pedialyte to moisten it.
(5) Form little 'foot balls' about the size of a raisin. 
(6) Give your chin 2 or 3 at a time at least 4 times a day. More often, if he will eat them.
(7) Store extra 'footballs' in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
( Store left over powder mix in another air-tight container in the refrigerator.
(9) Store Acidophilus in Refrigerator at all times after you open the bottle!

The necessity to store in the refrigerator is because the acidophilus contains the flora needed to keep the digestive system working properly in order to keep it working as needed.  Acidophilus must be kept refrigerated to remain viable.

Your chin's poop/feces should always be oval shaped, moist and firm ... and allot of it ... not small, not hard or dry, and not mushy wet either.  When a chin is sick or having problems, I keep a layer of white paper towels or butcher paper as a lining in the cage ... check it to see any changes in the poop and change the paper daily.  This can be a constant check on the digestive system.  When the poop/feces changes, your chin's health is changing.  There should be lots of poop ... a decrease in the number, size and/or texture of the poop usually means there is a problem.  Poop can be one of the first signs of illness in a chinchilla.  This will be obvious long before you may notice any other sign in time to help him get well a.s.a.p.

If a chinchilla's digestive system is not working properly, he can get stopped-up or constipated.  For humans, this is uncomfortable and can cause pain ... for a chinchilla it can kill.  When a chinchilla gets stopped up, his system makes him feel full ... because he is ... full of not digested food.  He thinks he is not hungry because his tummy feels full, so he does not eat ... when he does not eat he gets weaker and weaker.  A chinchilla's digestive system or "gut" must remain properly active or it can kill him.

I am not a vet, but I have been raising and breeding chinchillas for over 20 years and have had over 200 at any given time during many of these years.  I still have several that are living from the original 10 that I started with.  They are in their 20s and are in their senior years.

Your love and dedication to your chin is needed for them to survive.  The rewards they give you are multiplied many times over ... they can make you smile and laugh at the end of even the worst of bad days for you.  This is called chinchilla love!  Keep your little one happy and healthy and he will do the same for you!

Hope this helps!  Keep us posted!
Jo Ann
Luv 'N Chins 

We have a pair of chins, one male (Earl), one female (Pearl) who bred and had 2 babies (both boys, Bo and Fro). They are now weaned but still in the cage with Pearl. We have tried to introduce Earl back into the same cage as Pearl after putting the boys in a separate cage. Pearl snaps and attacks Earl the entire time we had him in there. He sticks up for himself by growling and 'fighting back', but it's a constant battle.
I have read in other places that putting Pearl in Earl's cage (identical cages next to each other), might be helpful since this might be a territorial issue and that we may have to trim Pearl's whiskers to make her less dominant.
Earl was neutered (successfully) because we wanted to make sure he could live with her again, plus we didn't want there to be problems when she goes back into heat. We will also get the babies neutered when they are of age to make sure they are healthy/strong enough for the surgery and that there will be no problems with them when she goes into heat.
I have a two-fold question:
Will Pearl and Earl ever be able to be in the same cage again? We want them to be in the same cage and the boys in their own cage. Earl has been depressed since the day the boys were born because we had to separate them. Pearl has been his only companion since he was weaned.
And, if she doesn't accept him, am I better off putting the boys in with Earl or leaving them with Pearl?

Hello, my name is Bonnie. I have a chinchillas that I took in as a rescue who is now 8 who has the same issues it seems as your chinchilla does. We have 3 chinnies, 2 years old, 8 1/2 and my oldest is 15 1/2!!! Two years ago my 8 1/2 year old started to have issues with his teeth. Spurs, teeth growing out of alignment getting sharp points and a few cavities if you can believe it. The vet has taken out loose teeth with cavities which have grown back in. When I say taken out, she just gave them a little push and they fall out. He goes evey month like clock work to have his teeth looked at and have any issues taken care of under light anistetic. As this is going to continue for the rest of his life I spoke with our vet and owners of the clinic to reduce that amount that I pay each time. My bill went from $400.00 a month to between $150-200 depending on how severe the teeth were each time. It's pretty much $100 for anistetic and $50 for the trim. Now that being said we are able to manage it for him. I weight him twice a week and monitor his food and stool to know when it's time to go back in. We give all our chinnies lots to chew on. They only get Chinnie pellets and alfalfa pellets (mine don't like the loose hay, go figure) plus a mixture of grains suited for humans, 8 grain bulk cereal I buy at the grocery store with extra rolled oats, flax seed and quinoa added in. We cut out treats 5 years ago, no more raisins. They get apple branches, pine cubes we cut up from untreated wood and dried cactus wood instead. I can tell you that for the most part like posted above it can be a genetic thing and most likely it will need to be a long term treatment plan. It is manageable, don't give up. Our little guy is healthier and happy as always now that we have it in check but you need a good vet who knows what they are doing. Please e-mail me at Bonnie-c@telus.net if you have any questions. We have had chinnies for 15 1/5 years as my oldest is 15 1/2. I am by far an expert but can offer advise or any help that I can. I hope all goes well. Keep us posted, the chin community is a wealth of knowledge and experience. I like to think we're a great bunch who just love our fuzzies !!!!

Getting two chinchillas together takes time, lots of it.  And, since there is such a size difference between your two you need to wait a long while.  I always prefer that chinchillas be about the same size before a real introduction.  Otherwise, if there is a fight, the little one would be seriously hurt or killed.  Just keep letting them get to know each other in side by side cages for awhile.  Its enough that your new chinchilla is trying to get used to you and a new house.  He can worry about a new cage mate later.

I have a 2 year old male chinchilla named Cheeba. yesterday, i got a 2 month old male chinchilla named Rillo. I have their cages next to eachother, about 2 inches apart. i let my older male, Cheeba, free run and sniff Rillos cage. He got very 'excited' and started scratching at the bars of Rillos cage, and when Rillo appeared he made this angry sounding squeak/sneeze. I guess the noise scared Rillo so he started squeaking and ran into the corner to hide ( is this a bad sign? did i ruin both of them forever?

I am literally losing sleep over this matter!!! please help with any tips or advice you may have!

hmm okay, thank you!