A Few Questions

[SeeleyAnne]

Ok, so last night I picked up Buddha, and for the first time, I noticed the fur on his belly (near his cone) was a little wet. It wasn't stained, it didn't really have a noticeable color. Is this normal? Do chins sometimes get pee on their fur on accident? I'm just not sure if I should be worried.
Next - How cold is too cold for a chinchilla? I live in Utah, and the winters are pretty cold and snowy here, and we live in a basement, which stays cooler than the rest of the house. Is there a certain temperature I need to keep him above?

 

[Cat75]

The wet spot might be he decide to pee and stay in one spot. As long it's not a kit I have heard they can down to around 50. We keep our guys at 60 during the winter time.

 

[ChinnyMom]

he could have just finished peeing moments before you picked him up, hence the wetness. nothing to worry about.

as for temperature, it is more important to not let them get too warm. chins are fine in temperatures much cooler than we would ever want to keep our houses at. i've had my chin room go down to 57-58 F one night recently when i left the window wide open and it got cold that night (frost on everything outdoors the next morning!). my boys were happy in the coolness, i heard them bouncing around their cage more than normal that night. from what i've read, you don't want to let it get cooler than 50-55 degrees.

 

[SeeleyAnne]

oh okay, that is good to know. This will be our first winter living in this basement, so I will have to watch the temperature. I'm sure it won't get under 50 degrees, but I just wanted to make sure! When I get home tonight I'll check his belly again and make sure it's not wet again!