Bedding

[emacdoug]

I just bought Kaytee small Granular Blend bedding for my chinchilla and he seems to be eating it. It says its non toxic, but I'm not sure if it is healthy for him to be eating it.
Is this normal? Or should I switch his bedding?

 

[EMSChins]

He should not be eating it as this can lead to an impaction. The best bedding materials for a chin are either fleece liners (anti-pill) or kiln dried pine shavings.

 

[Cuddlebug]

You can also use aspen shavings.

 

[liewwan]

Carefresh natural bedding, it's the brown one. It's soft and super absorbent. The other ones have coloring in it.
Pine shaving and Aspen shavings are great for getting rid of odor. The only downfall is some contains resin and it can harm your chin's digestive system. The softer the bedding the less chances they will hurt their little feet.

*chins normally chew on everything they can get their little hands on, but they may not swallow it. My chins actually chew on their bedding when I change it, but Carefresh is actually safer since there aren't much chemicals in there.*

 

[igotfatchins]

I agree on switching out the Kaytee bedding. I use fleece liner with aspen litterbox.

 

[Whimsy]

Carefresh natural bedding, it's the brown one. It's soft and super absorbent. The other ones have coloring in it.
Pine shaving and Aspen shavings are great for getting rid of odor. The only downfall is some contains resin and it can harm your chin's digestive system. The softer the bedding the less chances they will hurt their little feet.

*chins normally chew on everything they can get their little hands on, but they may not swallow it. My chins actually chew on their bedding when I change it, but Carefresh is actually safer since there aren't much chemicals in there.*

Carefresh has actually been known to cause impactions when ingested. It has nothing to do with chemicals, but with the composition.

Rule of thumb: stick to as close to "natural" as possible. Carefresh is recycled garbage. Pine (kiln dried and aspen) are good choices since gnawing on the occasional piece is similar to what they gnaw on in toy and shelf form.

 

[liewwan]

Carefresh has actually been known to cause impactions when ingested. It has nothing to do with chemicals, but with the composition.

Rule of thumb: stick to as close to "natural" as possible. Carefresh is recycled garbage. Pine (kiln dried and aspen) are good choices since gnawing on the occasional piece is similar to what they gnaw on in toy and shelf form.

*Thanks for the heads up on that Now I actually question the pine and aspen though, wont that hurt their little feet or get stuck on their fur? That's what I've been advised from a couple of private exotic pet stores. I would love to find something better than Carefresh. I'm reading so much about fleece bedding, but where do I buy them?

 

[Cuddlebug]

Pine and aspen shavings do not hurt their feet. The occasional piece can get stuck to their fur, but it brushes right off.

 

[Ash]

Most people make their own fleece liners or order them from members on here.