A BUNCH of questions.

[CodySinatra]

So, as I've stated in a couple other posts, my girlfriend and I are new to Chinchillas, WE have a few questions, but being as this is my account on here, I am of course.. asking for her :laughitup:


For a starter chinchilla, would a male or female be better?
What kind of food is most recommended?
What kind of bedding would you recommend?
Would you buy from a Pet Store? Or would you go to a breeder?
I've read that they LOVE raisins, would they be an OKAY occasional treat?
Last but NOT LEAST, would wood or salt chewing blocks be better?

 

[Andrea]

For a starter chinchilla, would a male or female be better?
Each chinchilla is an individual in terms of personality. I personally prefer females because I do not like doing hair ring checks. A lot of owners prefer males because they don't like that females tend to spray! None of my girls spray so I guess I'm lucky

What kind of food is most recommended?
I personally prefer feeding Tradition. I have also fed Mazuri but I don't really like it nor do my chins. There was a lot of wasted pellets with Mazuri...almost none with Tradition. Oxbow is also highly recommended. Oxbow and Mazuri are probably the best, most accessible foods available on the market.

What kind of bedding would you recommend?
I use fleece liners with a litter pan. Kiln-dried pine and Aspen are the best traditional bedding options.

Would you buy from a Pet Store? Or would you go to a breeder?
I would not buy from a pet store personally, but I know many people have been very happy with their pet store chins. I bought my three from a breeder, but I would also love to rescue. If you check out the Classified section, you can look for both chins for sale and chins for rescue.

I've read that they LOVE raisins, would they be an OKAY occasional treat?
Some people swear that raisins are healthy, but I have heard many more bad things about raisins than good so I avoid them. I feed rose hips and my chins LOVE them. Chins cannot have too many "treats" as they have very sensitive digestive tracts. I only give one rosehip per day. I know it's tempting to give more because they look so darn cute eating a treat, but it's simply not good for them. I know other people who give a tiny bit of plain (no sugar!) shredded wheat and that seems to be a popular option as well!

Last but NOT LEAST, would wood or salt chewing blocks be better?
Chins do not need salt blocks. They DO need wood to chew on! I buy from several people on the forum...you can find out more about who sells what in the classified section that I linked you to earlier. I also buy lava ledges and blue cloud chew blocks that my chins LOVE. They need to constantly be grinding down their teeth as they are constantly growing!

I hope this helps

 

[CodySinatra]

This has been most helpful. Thank you very much!

 

[liewwan]

Deciding on a male/female.
Male- you have to extract their "thing" to check for hair ring
Female- make them mad, they will pee on you (they have very good aiming :hilarious:, wear a poncho and you'll be ok )

 

[Idgie]

I have had females. My first sprayed only a couple times in her 13 years when someone tried to grab her. My current chin has never sprayed or even stood up to try.

I rescued adult chins both times. Luckily, neither had major issues. Just had owners who couldn't care for them anymore.

Lots of wood to chew! Along with apple sticks (or something with bark), I also give her pieces of kiln dried pine or poplar. You can either buy or make/prepare your own. If you have a mitre saw, you can cut your own wood.

Idgie loves oat groats, rolled oats, and rose hips as treats. She even thinks that the flowers from fresh alfalfa hay is a treat.

I'd highly recommend buying things from people on this site--the pet stores just don't have everything that you might want/need. Also, I find oat groats and rosehips at Whole Foods.

 

[alpal]

In reference to where you could buy..

Just wanted to chime in on purchasing. I am actually going through a breeder from Eau Claire, WI (only about an hour and a half drive from the Twin Cities). I'm not sure where you live in MN, but the Breeder has been extremely helpful in answering all my questions as I am a first time owner. She also directed me to this site to gain more knowledge. I will be picking up my two male chins this week and I can't wait!

Just a thought though, I did go to Petsmart (twice) to just hold and play with the chin they had available to experience how they are and ask a few questions. Personally, they are over priced and Petsmart wasn't very knowledgable on where he came from and how old he was.

If you would like the email address of the breeder I'm going through, PM me!

 

[liewwan]

The OP is going through Bobbie, whom is the same person you're mentioning Alpal.
Bobbie also have a fb group that has some of the available chins. Either have her add you or I can add you on there.