Bedding questions

[jesseandjessica]

So I just got my first chin, Alfred, two weeks ago. When we got him, we had gotten the All Living Things chinchilla starter kit, which after spending a lot of time on this forum, I found out that everything that came with it was quite dangerous.

Last night, on a whim, we went out and bought a Critter Nation double unit for him, and he seemed to love running and jumping around in it. Because his carefresh bedding was still pretty clean, we put that in his cage so it would have a familiar scent. In his old cage, he never chewed or ate it, but after putting him in his new cage, I caught him nibbling on it several times. I am about to go get some fleece from Joann's, but it was too late for us to get any last night.

Today he just seems really tired, and doesn't want to come out of his hut, which is strange since normally every time I walk by his cage he comes out to greet me. I am just wondering if this is a sign of an impaction, or maybe he is just really tired from jumping around in his new cage last night? Also, since I am for sure getting fleece for him today, I was just wondering how to wick it, and if you guys have any advice on fleece lining. I am not the craftiest person, so I was just going to wrap the fleece around a towel and use binder clips to secure it to his tray. Does that sound like the right thing to do?

 

[javachin]

Did you give him the whole CN to run in? If so, that's a much larger cage than he's ever been used to and is probably tired from running around. Just keep an eye on him that he's eating/drinking/pooping etc in the next day or so.

What do you mean by wicking? Fleece doesn't fray so you don't have to worry about that. I would use double layers of fleece and ditch the towel since that is dangerous for chins. If you can find someone to sew it for you, terry cloth in the middle of a liner is fine as long as it secured inside.

 

[jesseandjessica]

Yeah I think he is just tired from all the running around he is doing, because as soon as I posted that he all of a sudden decided to spring to life and do laps around his cage and eat and drink, so I think he is fine. As far as wicking goes, I really have no idea what it means, which is why I asked. When I was looking up how to make directions, the website I read just said something about wicking the fleece before sewing it, so I thought someone might have some insight on that. I will trying to has a sewing machine, however, I am the only one of my friends that don't live in college dorms so it might be difficult.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

Maybe they mean washing it and putting it through the dryer before sewing it? Also, be sure not to use fabric softener as that will impair absorbency