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Author Topic: Pet Blog: Feedback Wanted  (Read 2314 times)

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PAG

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Pet Blog: Feedback Wanted
« on: December 07, 2017, 01:04:52 PM »

I have a fairly new blog – PetAnimalGuide.com – where I write about pets and how to best take care of them.

I have only published a couple of posts about chinchillas so far, but more will come.

Please give me some feedback on what I can improve to make it more valuable to the readers. I would really appreciate it!
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GrayRodent

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Re: Pet Blog: Feedback Wanted
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2017, 10:24:54 AM »

About chinchilla kits: Seems to be mostly accurate to me.

The chinchilla club discourages attempts to breed pet chinchillas for a couple of reasons. First is that there is a standard of quality that the chinchilla industry would like to maintain. Low quality animals are much smaller, have muddy or dull colors, and tend to have congenital defects and are prone to heart problems, seizures, and malocclusion, which is where the teeth and jaws are not aligned properly. Malocclusion is a big killer of chinchillas that are a few months old. It's incurable and terminal. So the experience of people who receive these kits is oftentimes very bad, and heartbreaking.

The parents of the kits must be compatible with each other as well. There are genetic and size differences that can result in miscarriages, and can result with a kit too large to pass. Sometimes the mother (dam) will die as a direct result of improper breeding and dietary practices, and sometimes they can die through the normal course of breeding. There are also additional cage and dietary requirements, and other things that must be considered with breeding.

Perhaps you should add that chinchillas should never be intentionally bred without extensive knowledge of proper breeding practices. To increase chance of survival it may be best to recommend getting advice from experienced breeders. There are many unusual circumstances that can emerge that must be dealt with quickly. I can recommend some groups if you would like.

CAGES:
Larger isn't always better for chinchillas, although I didn't always think this. They can climb and jump onto high ledges and fall and seriously injure themselves. The FN182 (The one I use) is a good sized cage. If both levels are connected there should be some barrier that prevents them from easily falling the height of both levels. I think you've mentioned this. Good job on presenting different opinions.

There are also aftermarket metal pans for the FN182 available that make it usable. Do not use the wire ramps it comes with, even with the fleece covers. The covers come off/ get dislodged to easily.

Wire mesh floors are good if the correct bar spacing (no larger than 1/2" x 1/2") is used. If they have wood shelving (always recommended) they will spend more time on the shelf than the floor. Wire mesh ramps or shelves are very dangerous and should never be used. Please present this fact. Wire ramps are extremely destructive and I see cases every year from preventable accidents with them. They are not needed. Chins can jump several feet straight up.

Other than that from a quick glance it looks good.
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I'm a programmer not a chinchilla breeder. I learn by asking questions just like you.

PAG

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Re: Pet Blog: Feedback Wanted
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2017, 09:50:11 AM »

Wow, thank you so much GrayRodent! Excellent feedback!  ::clapp::

I will definitely include the things you mentioned, and link back to Chinchilla Club for people that want more information.
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PAG

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Re: Pet Blog: Feedback Wanted
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2017, 10:29:14 AM »

I took the liberty of quoting you in regards to breeding in the post about chinchilla kits (with a link back to The Chinchilla Club):

https://petanimalguide.com/how-many-babies-do-chinchillas-have/

Please let me know if you object to it, or if you think I should change anything.

I also added your comment about the dangers of wire mesh ramps and shelves (in the post about cages).

Again, thanks a lot for your knowledgeable and valuable feedback!  :)
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GrayRodent

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Re: Pet Blog: Feedback Wanted
« Reply #4 on: December 10, 2017, 08:54:30 AM »

That's great. Thanks for the citation.
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Flint

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Re: Pet Blog: Feedback Wanted
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2017, 10:17:55 AM »

Chinchillas should not be given paper based bedding of any type. If ingested, it can swell, subsequently causing blockages and fatality.
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