I´ve been browsing through the forums and have found the answers to a lot of questions but had a few things I would love clarified:
Treats and Food:
*I´ve been giving my chins half an organic rosehip per week as well as some organic oats, I´ve read that some of you guys give them a teaspoon or so of oats per week, would it be better for me to give each chin one oat per day?
*Sticks. Is there a limit to how many I can offer and should they be limited to one a week? At the moment I am breaking them down into smaller pieces so they have something to chew on as a reward for going back into their cage after playtime and to keep them entertained.
Playtime:
*What would be the maximum reccomended amount of out of cage time be? I let my boys out for an hour in the early evening and then 30-45 mins later on at night.... I study so I would like to have my chins out in the (supervised!) playroom for longer but it seems like after about an hour when they go back to their cage they are both pretty thirsty. Dragon is only 6 months old and jumps around a LOT when he is out so I´m a bit worried about him getting dehydrated since he doesnt seem to know when to stop and only drinks when he is back in the cage which is why I´ve been encouraging him to go back in after an hour
*My boys get along fantastic when they are in their cage (sleeping together, on top of eachother and wedged into a corner into a little chinnie mash) but sometimes when they are out playing Silver (the older of the two) chases Dragon a bit and, well, tries to get `frisky`with him. This makes Dragon either run away or turn around to bat Silver away, sometimes both of them making noises. I´ve been watching them very carefully and it never, ever happens in the cage.........in fact, once they are back home Dragon is the more dominant of the two and gets first dibs on the food and sleeping area and pushes Silver out of the way for pats. Could it just be an out of cage dominance thing? I am reluctant to seperate them since there has been no actual biting and they both obviously enjoy eachother´s company, if it doesnt settle down do you think that seperate playtimes could help? I´m also looking waiting on a big order of chinnie toys, hoping that plenty of distractions will keep them busy during their play. I should mention that they have been paired up together for about three months with no issues from their previous owner either.
*And finally...... cardboard boxes! I´ve done a pretty darn good job of chin proofing the study to protect the wallpaper by lining cardboard boxes around the periphery, however they have taken to standing on their toes to grab the cardboard and shred pieces off. I manage to take most of the pieces away but they have managed to sneak the occasional shred of cardboard, is this a bad thing?
Advice would be lovley, I think that I´m doing a pretty decent job raising them so far but anything I can do to make them happier would be fantastic
Treats and Food:
*I´ve been giving my chins half an organic rosehip per week as well as some organic oats, I´ve read that some of you guys give them a teaspoon or so of oats per week, would it be better for me to give each chin one oat per day?
*Sticks. Is there a limit to how many I can offer and should they be limited to one a week? At the moment I am breaking them down into smaller pieces so they have something to chew on as a reward for going back into their cage after playtime and to keep them entertained.
Playtime:
*What would be the maximum reccomended amount of out of cage time be? I let my boys out for an hour in the early evening and then 30-45 mins later on at night.... I study so I would like to have my chins out in the (supervised!) playroom for longer but it seems like after about an hour when they go back to their cage they are both pretty thirsty. Dragon is only 6 months old and jumps around a LOT when he is out so I´m a bit worried about him getting dehydrated since he doesnt seem to know when to stop and only drinks when he is back in the cage which is why I´ve been encouraging him to go back in after an hour
*My boys get along fantastic when they are in their cage (sleeping together, on top of eachother and wedged into a corner into a little chinnie mash) but sometimes when they are out playing Silver (the older of the two) chases Dragon a bit and, well, tries to get `frisky`with him. This makes Dragon either run away or turn around to bat Silver away, sometimes both of them making noises. I´ve been watching them very carefully and it never, ever happens in the cage.........in fact, once they are back home Dragon is the more dominant of the two and gets first dibs on the food and sleeping area and pushes Silver out of the way for pats. Could it just be an out of cage dominance thing? I am reluctant to seperate them since there has been no actual biting and they both obviously enjoy eachother´s company, if it doesnt settle down do you think that seperate playtimes could help? I´m also looking waiting on a big order of chinnie toys, hoping that plenty of distractions will keep them busy during their play. I should mention that they have been paired up together for about three months with no issues from their previous owner either.
*And finally...... cardboard boxes! I´ve done a pretty darn good job of chin proofing the study to protect the wallpaper by lining cardboard boxes around the periphery, however they have taken to standing on their toes to grab the cardboard and shred pieces off. I manage to take most of the pieces away but they have managed to sneak the occasional shred of cardboard, is this a bad thing?
Advice would be lovley, I think that I´m doing a pretty decent job raising them so far but anything I can do to make them happier would be fantastic
