A couple short questions!

[inkling]

1. At what age is suitable for a chinchilla to have a wheel? Mine will be around 2 months when I get him, and I'm thinking of getting a saucer. Is that too young? Should I save it until he gets bigger? Or are they safe regardless?

2. I have read that chinchillas can eat dried tea bags as occasional treats, after removing the string and staples. Is this true? If so, do any of you have any recommendations for a specific, safe tea? I drink a lot of tea and if there's a way I could reuse my tea bags as a treat/bonding with my chinchilla, that would be so wonderful! Something tells me this might not be true, however.

3. I also knit a lot -- is there anything out there that I could knit that would actually be safe for a chin? I'm guessing not!


Thanks.

 

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1) I personally wouldn't give a wheel until around six months. I prefer to have my chins get most of their growing out of the way. There are chins who have been known to become emaciated because of their wheel, to the point where the owners had to remove it. I would want my chin to at least be grown before worrying about it.

2) I can't say as I've ever read that chins can have (or would need) dry tea bags. Give your chin a rosehip instead.

3) As far as knitting, I doubt it. I don't know that you could get a tight enough weave that you wouldn't have to worry about delicate legs getting stuck and broken, plus there is the ingestion issue to worry about. If you're crafty, you can make some pretty neat cage accessories from fleece though.

 

[inkling]

1. Okay, wonderful. I was wondering if that was a possibility -- very good to know. Thank you!

2. I just thought it was an interesting suggestion for a treat, but I was rather suspicious. If I can find rosehips here, I certainly will, otherwise I'm sticking to the other mild treat suggestions, like plain Cheerios.

3. I figured as much! I need to learn how to sew again.