chinchilla tips?

[annabellauren]

hi, i am a new chinchilla owners to Theodore and Alvin, they are so adorable, i have only had them 2 weeks, they come up to the cage doors and jump on me and let me stroke them they are generally quite quite at night except Theodore likes to shake the cage door (i get them out everyday for play time i make sure they have plenty enrichment in their cage, they also get a dust bath everyday). what are some general tips for owning a chinchilla?

 

[mknoblich1]

Hi and welcome. There is SO much to know I couldn't possibly tell you in one message. The most important t is temperature. Anything above 75-80 degrees will cause heat stroke. Fans won't help as chins don't sweat. 2nd make sure you are feeding quality food such as oxbow, purina, traditional, etc. And 3rd, no plastic in the cage, not good for chins digestive system. My best recommendation for you would be to do lots of research on this site and ask question when you have them.

 

[annabellauren]

Ok thanks i have done lots of reasearch on them already

 

[mgonya]

:welcome4: hi, glad you joined us. I would only offer dust baths about 3 times per week unless it is very humid. Their skin can get dry. New chin owner FAQ site here is great for info.

 

[carmen holt]

I gave my chin a dustbath every night I thought I would be nice for him but his skin got so dry that some of the hair on lhis legs came off now I give him two or three a week and his hair is all grown back

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

Welcome to the forum You have two very cute boys and I look forward to hearing more about them. I agree that the new owner FAQ thread is great. Also, in addition to keeping the cage plastic free, also take care with the kinds of wood you have in the cage. Kiln dried pine and aspen are two of the most commonly used safe woods, and there is a safe wood thread that will list other ones as well. Plywood and woods that are not kiln dried are not safe because of the chemicals that are used in the drying and treatment process.