Advice for New Chinchilla Owners
No Plastics Please! Plastic will be chewed and eaten by the chin and will not dissolve in it's system. This can prove to be a serious problem.
~Jo Ann
A piece of advise for "Chin Parents To Be". Always be aware of the Chinchillas diet. Watch them daily and monitor their food intake and the feces left behind. You can always tell if they like or dislike something, and if you are giving them too many treats....the diarrhea you see will be the huge clue.
When starting a Chin out on new food always do it gradually and small amounts. Slack off the treats if they get diarrhea and stick to a hay and water diet for 3 days and see if it gets better. If it doesn't continue the diet until you see a definite improvement and limit treats to a 1-2 times a week at best. Give a treat in moderation, example half a peanut and half a papaya cube to start. When their health has improved and they are stable you can experiment with other things.
Our Chinchilla has developed cataracts at the age of 4 months and we have to monitor her constantly so that she doesn't progress into blindness or pain. But we were told that most cases found with cataracts in kits were juvenile diabetes/or could be genetic. Vet bills are expensive for Chinchillas in areas where there are no exotic vets around. So make sure that you are aware of local vets that can meet or exceed the needs of your "wonderful and expensive" family member before you bring them home. Because bad judgment for such a sensitive animal could bring you heartache and extensive medical bills later.
~Bridgett
Be ready for more because it is so hard to stop at just one :-))
~chinchillas@telus.net
I would have to say the one piece of advice I would give a new
chinchilla owner would be - BE PATIENT! When I got Mousse, about a year
ago, she would struggle everytime I held her. I thought I was doing
something wrong, and it broke my heart because I just loved her so
much. As she got older, I learned her little signals. She now will go
to one particular Leapin' Ledge and I can pick her up without any
struggle. We are still working on having her relax on my shoulder when
I sit. I think now she actually ENJOYS the attention. This experience
is helping me with her son, Baby Moo, a special surprise we received 2
months after we got Mousse, and Pepe, my new 10 week old Mosaic, who is
a bundle of energy and Baby Moo's new friend.
So patience is the most important thing I can think of. It pays off one
thousand times over!!!
~Lisa
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