I feel so guilty tonight

[Jlieberman]

I work from home so all my critters get used to having mom here for them all day . our dog is crate trained but his mommy is home so he rarely has to use it ... BUT Saturday is my day to volunteer at our guinea pig rescue and by the time I get home I am beat tired ... I went into the guinea pig / chin room to do the nightly feeding and to check on everyone and both chin girls came running to the cage door wanting to play but tonight I am just so beat tired I feel so guilty not letting them have a little floor time

how do you make chins understand that some nights they can't have floor time ?

feel like such a bad mommy

 

[becky12883]

They've got you trained already! Just don't give in. They will be just fine not having out of the cage time. You may get the stink eye tomorrow, but some scritches behind the ear or on the forehead should take care of that. Try giving them an extra stick to chew on tonight and a couple scritches. They won't hate you forever.

 

[Jlieberman]

I went back in the room and gave them a little oatmeal mixed in with their nightly Oxbow pellets .. they seemed to like the oats it was the first time they had them so I think I got away with no floor time ( this time ) lol

all my animals have me well trained and they all know exactly how to work me and get what they want

 

[tunes]

First, they will survive just fine without getting out of their cage. Many people don't give out of cage time at all, preferring to keep their chins in large cages with wheels.

Second, it's never a good a idea to mix any supplement or treat in with a chinchilla's food. They start looking for the treat every time and start chucking the food away. Instead, offer it in a small bowl separate from the feed.

 

[Jlieberman]

I need to see if I can find a wheel or some type of spin that takes up very little room if possible for the nights I can't give them free time

good tip about the food / treat I will have to get them another little bowl for next time

 

[Jenn]

My chin loves her flying saucer. She is on it every night. She sounds like she is running for gold in a marathon!

And it doesn't matter how much time you give them out of the cage, they will still give you that look when playtime is over. It really does tug on the heart strings...but we have to stay tough! lol

 

[Jlieberman]

stay tough with something so soft and fluffy and innocent looking .... uggh that is going to be HARD LOL

I am going to head to the pet store later today / tomorrow and see what goodies I can find for these girls

 

[becky12883]

Just a heads up, there isn't much you will find at the pet store. Especially when it comes to wheels. You can get chew sticks, either apple or willow, from the pet store in small quantities. The treat bowl that I have I got from Chili's, it's the little dish they serve dipping sauces in. It fits about a tablespoon of stuff in it, and I fill it less than half full of oats for my boys when they get them (they always knock it over and eat the oats off the floor though). It's really hard to not spoil them completely! I have made chew sticks the go to treat, because they can have as many as they want of those, and they are always happy to get another one. Good luck finding some goodies for them

 

[Jlieberman]

I love to sew and have my own little company sewing / selling things I make for guinea pigs , rats , ferrets so I am looking into making a few more things for their cage I have already made a hammock and a bridge ( both out of fleece )

thanks for the heads up about the pet store .. I have never had to shop for chin things so this is all new to me

 

[AZChins]

Yes, be careful with petstore stuff. It's usually pretty expensive for what you get and a lot of it isn't very chin safe. Not to mention that there isn't much of a selection. There are several of us on the forum selling chinchilla toys and accessories.

 

[partygirlha]

regardless of how much play time they get they should still have a wheel.

as for play time, it doesn't have to be every night and they will "get over it" as soon as they get the next play time

 

[Daina91880]

My chins just went without playtime for quite a few days in a row due to my father in law's illness and then death. With the hospital visits the last few weeks, then the family get togethers and funeral planning, then the viewing, funeral, repass, post-repass (I swear, these people need a party after the party!) I could only get to the necessities like cleaning, feeding, watering. I felt bad, but sometimes life just gets in the way. They don't understand that, but they do get over it. They've gotten out the past two nights, and they're back to normal. Sure I got the stink eye and the escape attempts while they were banished to their cages, but they still love me

 

[Jlieberman]

tonight is a no playtime night because I must have slept wrong and my back has been killing me all day .. I have not even been able to sit at my sewing machine to get some orders filled

I did get the stink eye from Channel tonight when I went to feed them and check the water bottle but I promised her I will let them out tomorrow night and my hubby went shopping at costco so he has a nice box or 2 that will be great for a place to hide , jump play when they are out so hopefully that makes up for not having them out