A whole new world :)

[B&E Chins]

Hello I'm Stephanie and I've recently adopted two chinchillas from a neighbour who wasn't able to care for them any longer. We've named them Benny and Enzo! I believe they are around 5 years old. I'm so happy to be a member here. I knew nothing about chinchillas before adopting them. Normally, I would research an animal but it was a dire situation for my fellas and I had to ge them outta there. Therefore... I'm learning as I go mmhmmm. Benny and Enzo have been thru a bit of a journey. They were in a much too small cage, no stimulation or run around time. They came from a home of a heavy smoker also.
I think the first difference they probably noticed was the fresh air and fresh water. We were waiting (impatiently) on the big cage to come in and in the meanwhile, we introduced them to run around time, sticks, treats, fresh bedding. Once the cage came, we brought in shelving, fleecing and hides and more sticks.

It's been a journey for us too, watching them grow into themselves!

I have a lot of questions and things I need to talk about with other chin folk!

We are so happy to be here!

 

[ChinsForLife]

I love your title! You are 100% correct, chins were a whole new world at first to me too!

Let me start out my saying that your chins are so adorable!!❤

I actually have 2 as well. (A boy and a girl but they're separated, lol) Chico, who just turned 2 and Ruby, who is about 4 months old now. This forum has been such a huge blessing to me throughout my journey of choosing, preparing for, and caring for my sweet boy and now my new baby girl. I can guarantee you will learn alot from here and everyone is so nice and helpful!

Just some basic information on them to help you out...
.1. First of all, chinchillas originated in the Andes mountains so they were created to thrive in cool, dry air conditions therefore, chins need to be kept in temperatures below 72° MAX at all times and humidity should be no higher than 60%. If it gets too hot, they can suffer and even die from a heatstroke and if the humidity stays too high for too long, they can develop respiratory issues and damp fur.(which I hear is a nightmare to fix.)
2. Chinchillas can't get wet because since their fur is so dense(up to 80 hairs per folicle) water can get trapped inside their fur and can cause issues. Because of this, they actually need to take dust baths.(which I'm sure you already know) sand or actual dirt is definitely not recommended nor is it good for them...you need to have blue cloud/blue beauty dust (or pumice as some call it) Kaytee chinchilla dust also is a terrible brand of dust so don't use that.(it actually made my older chinchilla sick and doesn't even look at all like the real deal) I personally use oxbow poof because it is easily accessible, high quality, and inexpensive but there are many other good brands such as chilldust, lixit blue beauty, and You&Me from Petco.(the petsmart brand is also good but is way overpriced for the size you get)
3. Chinchillas need a large cage(I think you have that covered from what i can see but just thought id mention it) The recommended size per chin is 2'x2'x3'.
4. I'm not sure which treats you use but dried fruit/veggies are no longer recommended as they are far too high in sugar. My older chinchilla gets a chin-safe treat ONCE a year on his birthday from a place called floppybinkery which contains a small amount of cranberry or parsley but even that is really pushing it. Shredded wheats also aren't recommended since they cause gas (2-3 rolled oats OR one regular, offbrand cherrio every week or two is ok though) here is a safe treat list for reference...

 

[B&E Chins]

I honestly appreciate everyone drilling this info into people's heads. It's so important! And, as you know, some of these are not known to some owners
I know about the dust bath! They came with Kaytee (which i hear is the worst, so ill be ordering Oxbow). We have a big Critter Nation. The only treats they get a couple times a week is dried rosehips. We give them an hour run-around-time every night. We spread out a fence that is covered by fleece blankets. It's time consuming so I'm in the process of attaching chicken wire to each fence panel. The area has been chin proofed but I sit with them each time. We use Oxbox Essentials for pellets and Oxbow mix hay (Timothy and meadow). We give them ample Applewood sticks that we buy.
We bought an indoor thermometer which is attached to their cage.

What else... that's all I can think to report now.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Wow, I'm honestly pleasant surprised! You seem to be doing everything right from what you've said. The only other thing I would say is one, make sure they aren't able to chew the thermometer and 2, I would get a digital humidity checker.(which would probably have temp on it too if you find that the thermometer may be hazardous) Humidity needs to stay low too.

 

[ChinsForLife]

If you want to mix it up, you could try different types of toys and treats but it's not a necessity. My chins love hibiscus and chamomile especially! And as for toys, they love willow balls, palm shredder toys, sola wood chews, and (Ruby likes) colored wood shapes.(on kabobs) I still want to try loofah and pumice stones as I hear those are really fun! I'm sure you know already but just incase you don't, NOOO plastic!

 

[ChinsForLife]

Treat sampler: Chinchilla Organic Treat Assortment 10 Treats - Etsy
Toy sampler: (Chico loved this)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/584283...1-4&organic_search_click=1&bes=1&from_search=Again, not as necessary as wood sticks but it makes it fun!!

 

[ChinsForLife]

Oh, and I would be careful with chicken wire. Many chins climb so they COULD potentially cut themselves. (They could even cut their tongue trying to chew it) Many people get a playpen such as the JESPET playpen, which is enclosed, or one like the Ware small animal playpen. I actually chin proofed my hard floor, walk-in closet so if you have a room you could chin proof completely, that might work better than the wire.

 

[Jawramik]

Welcome! I was in a similar boat as you about 18 months ago. Knew nothing about chins, but heard about a chin in dire need of a new home (dire as in she was going to be euthanized if we didn't come pick her up in a matter of hours), so I can definitely relate to having to learn as you go!

It sounds like you're doing great so far! Only thing is that I would caution against only using one type of treat or chewing material with them....not because the rose hips or apple sticks are bad (they're not), but just because chins have a tendency to get bored of the same old thing every day. There are some great shops in Etsy that sell all kinds of toys and accessories for chins. One of my favourites is Pandamonium Pets. Pandamonium pets - Etsy

You'll find all kinds of things you never knew you needed.

 

[B&E Chins]

Thank you! Not knowing anything about them when I got them, I've been reading and watching videos as much as I can. The thermometer does have humidity too! Check!

Welcome! I was in a similar boat as you about 18 months ago. Knew nothing about chins, but heard about a chin in dire need of a new home (dire as in she was going to be euthanized if we didn't come pick her up in a matter of hours), so I can definitely relate to having to learn as you go!

It sounds like you're doing great so far! Only thing is that I would caution against only using one type of treat or chewing material with them....not because the rose hips or apple sticks are bad (they're not), but just because chins have a tendency to get bored of the same old thing every day. There are some great shops in Etsy that sell all kinds of toys and accessories for chins. One of my favourites is Pandamonium Pets. Pandamonium pets - Etsy

You'll find all kinds of things you never knew you needed.

 

[B&E Chins]

Welcome! I was in a similar boat as you about 18 months ago. Knew nothing about chins, but heard about a chin in dire need of a new home (dire as in she was going to be euthanized if we didn't come pick her up in a matter of hours), so I can definitely relate to having to learn as you go!

It sounds like you're doing great so far! Only thing is that I would caution against only using one type of treat or chewing material with them....not because the rose hips or apple sticks are bad (they're not), but just because chins have a tendency to get bored of the same old thing every day. There are some great shops in Etsy that sell all kinds of toys and accessories for chins. One of my favourites is Pandamonium Pets. Pandamonium pets - Etsy

You'll find all kinds of things you never knew you needed.

Thank you so much! what a great tip!

 

[B&E Chins]

If you want to mix it up, you could try different types of toys and treats but it's not a necessity. My chins love hibiscus and chamomile especially! And as for toys, they love willow balls, palm shredder toys, sola wood chews, and (Ruby likes) colored wood shapes.(on kabobs) I still want to try loofah and pumice stones as I hear those are really fun! I'm sure you know already but just incase you don't, NOOO plastic!

My chins love the pumice stones! Most opinions i've read on the loofah are good, but I saw one person saying they shouldn't eat the loofah and i haven't bought one because of that. But i want to because it seems like an inexpensive treat. What have you heard about the loofah? (natural loofah, of course)

 

[Amethyst]

My chins love the pumice stones! Most opinions i've read on the loofah are good, but I saw one person saying they shouldn't eat the loofah and i haven't bought one because of that. But i want to because it seems like an inexpensive treat. What have you heard about the loofah? (natural loofah, of course)

Loofah is fine, they are more of a shred/chew toy then a treat though. You just want to make sure it's 100% organic loofah not the kind they sell for humans to use for bathing, those ones tend to be bleached which makes them unsafe to eat. The Zoey and Lilo's Toy Box store I linked in another post sells natural ones for example.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Yes! And another great shop is chinvilla!

 

[ChinsForLife]

My chins love the pumice stones! Most opinions i've read on the loofah are good, but I saw one person saying they shouldn't eat the loofah and i haven't bought one because of that. But i want to because it seems like an inexpensive treat. What have you heard about the loofah? (natural loofah, of course)

I tried loofah once with Chico when he was still a kit and he wasn't super interested in it but I'm hoping Ruby will be because I've heard they are good for them. I haven't ever heard otherwise?? which source did you get that information from?(just out of mere curiosity)

 

[Jawramik]

My chin LOVES loofah. I get her natural, unbleached loofah slices from various Etsy shops, she goes wild for it. It's also easy to string on wire or toy kabobs to make hanging toys, which is nice.