Introductions are in order!

[Magyk]

Hi there! My name is Amanda and I have a 5 year old chinchilla named Magyk!

Admittedly, Magyk was an impulse buy and I had no education about chinchilla's before getting her.

We happened by an Odd and Unusual animal auction, and as depressing as some of these events could be, we decided to go inside and have a look around.

This poor little girl was inside a tiny little plastic bug catcher like the ones you see in the dollar store in the middle of the afternoon in a barn, without food, water or even somewhere to hide from the people that were tapping the side trying to keep her awake, and although we didn't plan on getting anything, my parents and I knew we could not leave her in that situation. Especially with her looking so sad and tired (I may not have known chinchilla's, but I knew they slept during the day and the poor little girl kept trying to sleep only to have someone rock her carrier to keep her awake) So we paid the $90 and took home an animal that I was clueless on how to take care of and I have had her for around 4 years now.

So, perhaps a critique on how I am doing is in order?

She gets unlimited timothy hay and some Oxbow Alfalfa pellets every day, a raisin every few days (I know, I know, not good for them but she loves them and doesn't get them too much), plenty of safe wood to chew on, a wheel in her cage, some time out of the cage at night and plenty of cuddles. I've heard that most chinchilla's are not cuddly but Magyk loves to run over for cuddles and climbs all over me. Her cage also has three levels and a dust bath every few days (We live in Calgary so the climate here is very dry).

I often feel bad that we don't have a companion for her but I've heard that if they get plenty of attention from people and are socialised, they are alright. Is this true? Because Magyk has always seemed perfectly healthy, but I still feel bad. Hopefully I'm not depriving her of a better life, but I am trying very hard to make her happy.

Anyways, we are glad to meet you and hope that you won't get too frustrated by my endless questions!

 

[Laurie]

Welcome--you'll find through your reading here there are so many other treats she'll love just as much as raisins that are better for her.

 

[tunes]

Welcome to CnH.

 

[cindyv3737]

Welcome!

 

[Jenn]

Hi and welcome! Magyk is sure a cutie!!!

 

[momenteller]

:welcomewagon:

Looks like you are doing a great job-- Magyk is adorable!

 

[Chinmama]

Welcome to the forum! I have two chins, but they live in separate cages. I think they do fine without cage mates. My guys are both very social.

 

[Siany]

Welcome Magyk is lovely, i didnt know anything about chinchillas either when i had Lola

 

[ChinnyMom]

Welcome from a fellow Albertan! :wave3:

sounds like you are doing things right. most people here free feed unlimited pellets, instead of just giving a certain amount daily. in addition to timothy hay, you can switch it up with orchard grass too to give some variety, that's a hay liked by many chins, and it can be found in Petsmart (Oxbow brand).

maybe post a photo of the wheel you have for Magyk, just so we can ensure it is a safe one.

i noticed you have the wire ramps in her cage. they aren't safe. chins can get their feet and legs caught between the bars. and they don't need ramps really anyway, chins jump and hop, so jumping from one level to another is more natural to them than running up a ramp. if she does use her ramps quite a bit then you can cover them with polar fleece. just make sure any seams from sewing the ladder cover are hidden well, since chins can become ill from ingesting threads.

as mentioned, raisins are not a good treat choice. much better would be 1/2 a spoon sized shredded wheat, a rose hip, a plain cheerio, small piece of uncooked pasta (100% durham wheat only), or even a new wood stick to chew.

and just want to double check that you have air conditioning running in the room that your chin is in. we've been getting some pretty hot days lately here in the province, gotta make sure we protect our fuzzy babies from heat stroke.

chins do just fine being a single chin in the house. my Rhino is a lone chin and his spoiled self is pretty darn happy, lol.

Magyk sure is adorable!

 

[Brittany]

Welcome to CnH!

 

[Ratchilla]

Welcome. What a cutie!

 

[lauralynne]

Hello & Welcome!

 

[Magyk]

Thank you very much for the warm welcome!

sounds like you are doing things right. most people here free feed unlimited pellets, instead of just giving a certain amount daily. in addition to timothy hay, you can switch it up with orchard grass too to give some variety, that's a hay liked by many chins, and it can be found in Petsmart (Oxbow brand).

It's good to know that they should get unlimited, in the beginning I had to limit her pellets to get her to eat hay. To be honest, she seemed unsure of what it was and wouldn't eat it, like perhaps she had never had it before...? I'm not sure, but eventually she got the idea and now she goes through it like crazy. I just kept limiting it to keep her eating hay since I figured it was important too, but perhaps that wasn't a good idea?

maybe post a photo of the wheel you have for Magyk, just so we can ensure it is a safe one.

To be honest, it is one of the wire ones and I know that it is definitely not the best there is, this was originally one of the questions I was going to ask. What is the best route to go?

The original one I got her was the solid floor plastic, which she destroyed in three days. We got her one of the flat spinner things which lasted a bit longer, but she still managed to destroy it. What can I do for a safer wheel?

i noticed you have the wire ramps in her cage. they aren't safe. chins can get their feet and legs caught between the bars. and they don't need ramps really anyway, chins jump and hop, so jumping from one level to another is more natural to them than running up a ramp.

Oh, didn't know about that part! Isn't there a chance she could fall and hurt herself, or is this just me being overconcerned?

as mentioned, raisins are not a good treat choice. much better would be 1/2 a spoon sized shredded wheat, a rose hip, a plain cheerio, small piece of uncooked pasta (100% durham wheat only), or even a new wood stick to chew.

Ooh, that sounds great! Where could I find rose hips?

and just want to double check that you have air conditioning running in the room that your chin is in. we've been getting some pretty hot days lately here in the province, gotta make sure we protect our fuzzy babies from heat stroke.

Yup, air conditioning is accounted for

 

[Sandi]

Welcome to CnH!

 

[ChinnyMom]

responses in green

Thank you very much for the warm welcome!



It's good to know that they should get unlimited, in the beginning I had to limit her pellets to get her to eat hay. To be honest, she seemed unsure of what it was and wouldn't eat it, like perhaps she had never had it before...? I'm not sure, but eventually she got the idea and now she goes through it like crazy. I just kept limiting it to keep her eating hay since I figured it was important too, but perhaps that wasn't a good idea?

hay is important because it wears down their teeth much better than pellets do. if she is eating all her pellets every day you could try upping the amount a little bit. Rhino has one of those green 'ergonomic' food bowls from petsmart, the medium size one, and i fill it right to the top every couple/few days on average. he eats a good amount of hay as well.



To be honest, it is one of the wire ones and I know that it is definitely not the best there is, this was originally one of the questions I was going to ask. What is the best route to go?

The original one I got her was the solid floor plastic, which she destroyed in three days. We got her one of the flat spinner things which lasted a bit longer, but she still managed to destroy it. What can I do for a safer wheel?

i would go with a Chin Spin, Flying Saucer (metal one), or a Silver Surfer. far as i know, all three are available in the States, but sometimes you luck out and find one used on kijiji locally. the cost of the safe wheels does seem a little crazy high, but these wheels should last for a long long time and are well worth the money. Rhino doesn't have a wheel yet, but i'm saving up for one. just can't decide which one i want to get him, lol.

for now i would take out Magyk's wheel. better for her to not have one than potentially injure herself on an unsafe one.


Oh, didn't know about that part! Isn't there a chance she could fall and hurt herself, or is this just me being overconcerned?

as long as the shelves in her cage aren't too far apart, she'll be able to hop from one to the other with no problem. what you could do is add more shelves made of kiln dried pine boards in there, and space them about 6 inches apart. i buy my kd pine at home depot, in the moulding section. you'll also need two hanger bolts, 4 washers, and 2 wing nuts for each shelf. all of the hardware is at home depot too. there are tutuorials on here, if i recall, that show you how to install all the hardware. it's really easy!


Ooh, that sounds great! Where could I find rose hips?

health food stores may have them in Calgary, or you could order them from members on here. I've ordered from Camphor Chins (Alli is a member here), and from an online site based out of BC. i can pm you the site if you want. i'll also be making hanging toys here in the near future to sell, and shipping from up in Deadmonton, lol, would be fairly fast and not too expensive for ya.



Yup, air conditioning is accounted for

good good!