Hay feeder ideas!?

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Cwatkinss

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
9
So I just got my two chins two weeks ago as a class pet for my grade 5 class. Things have been going pretty well! I had a wooden hay feeder for them but they’ve already chewed the entire front off of it! All the feeders at the pet stores around here (Manitoba, Canada) have either wooden ones or plastic ones, or once’s that say the material is plastic and wood mixed?

I don’t really know what to do as I don’t want to have to buy a new hay feeder every two weeks but I am nervous about getting a plastic one...
 
There are a few options, but most pet stores are pretty much no good for hay feeders, they sell cheap ones. Some chins are ok with using a big ceramic bowl or clay pots for hay, but most end up peeing in it. Another options is a metal feeder that goes on the outside of the cage, like those sold on Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/Ware-Manufacturing-Rack-Assorted-Colors/dp/B000HGDC70/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1538933703&sr=8-14&keywords=hay+feeder Or you could try something like hooded ceramic bird bowls https://www.amazon.ca/Prevue-Hendryx-Products-BPV1242-24-Ounce/dp/B004UK64KQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1538934795&sr=1-3&keywords=hooded+bird+feeder Or one of these ceramic houses, just make sure the hole is big so their heads don't get stuck. https://www.amazon.ca/Hideout-Ceram...164&sr=8-9&keywords=ceramic+critter+bath&th=1

Since they chewed through is so quick, make sure they have enough other toys. Toss toys, chew toys, hanging toys, shredding toys, a whole variety, so they don't get bored.
 
Thanks!

I’ll order one of those bowls!

They had a hanging toy but they broke that in one day, and then I got them some carrot chew toys, a lava triangle and the some other sticks. Today I bought a metal hanging toy so I can just refil the chews on it and one of those puzzle balls.
 
Chinchillas are about as intelligent as a small parrot, or a toddler, so they do need a lot to keep their minds busy. Just to give you an idea, this is my two boy's cage setup. (I got the wooden hay feeders from someone in the US)

Just out of curiosity, because I know others have had issues with trying to have chins in class rooms, how are you able to keep the environment at the right temp and humidity for chinchillas in the class room? They need the temp to stay below 20C and the humidity to stay ideally below 40%. Temperatures above 20C the chins can suffer heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and if the humidity is too high their fur can get moldy or get a fungal infection. I'm not trying to be a pain, it's just pretty much every situation with chins in class rooms I've read ends badly for the chins. Most schools don't have ac and tend to crank the heat in the winter, and the stress and noise can be pretty bad for the chins if the kids aren't quiet. Also, do they come home with you at night and on the weekends and vacations?
 
No you’re not being a pain at all!

I live in a very dry climate so humidity isn’t much of an issue:.: honestly ever since moving here my nose bleeds all the time because of the dry air haha. My classroom is on the north side of the building so it is notorious for being very cold. It’s all my EA’s complain about. I do have a couple chinchillers on hand in case it does get toasty.

As for noise my classroom is quite a quiet class, my students have had class pets in the past so they are aware of how they need to be treated. There is also a private room connected to mine which the chinchillas cage can be rolled over to easily if we are doing a loud activity.
 
I just looked at your cage! Those are actually the pictures I had gave to the woodshop teacher to model off of for my cage. Like I said before, the previous owner did not know what she was doing and had them on a barred bottom. I am waiting for him to build the ledges still but they should be ready this week I imagine. I put fleece blankets over large sections of the bars for now to give their feet’s a break.
 
If you can't find a quality and safe feeder in a local pet store, you might as well try to go to Amazon wherein you can find an extensive list of the said product.
 
Back
Top