Chinnie myths?

[Stackie]

I was reading a website over "chin care" the other day and it said: Be sure to keep your chin in a room with absolutely no windows. Exposure to sunlight can be deadly to a chinchilla. :clap1:

 

[Sandi]

How about if they get wet it will kill them. :thinking:

That is exactly what I was told. :hair:

 

[Twilight_Tails]

Chins are best kept outdoors in hutches similar to rabbits, and need to be allowed to graze in the yard daily.

Chins are very social animals that love to be taken for walks outdoors.

 

[moon]

Chins are cuddly and love to snuggle with their people.

 

[RainOverVegas]

A 5 year old chin is considered really really old.

 

[kittysae]

They don't have toe nails.

Ohhh they have toenails! I have the scratches to prove it! Trying to hold your chin when they are not used to being handled to put Bag Balm on their dry tootsies.....yea....no toenails there.............(they are getting used to it now tho )

I've got one! "Raisins, apples, and leafy greens are really good for your chinchillas"

 

[iayla]

the large ears dont make any sense in that conversation. lol anyways he must be a real piece of work

The reasoning was the large ears are to cool them off - and so I stated "oh yeah, cuz that will certainly cancel out their heavy dense coats" It was an interesting conversation to say the least.


Another favorite - they need vitamins added to their water. (or did someone say that already?)
~Barb~

 

[Nezhka]

I think the conversation was, "Well, why can't we just *shave* the chinchillas, and make the fur into yarn...." :hilarious:
And someone said that if you cut their fur, they go blind...... :thinking:

 

[Mystic]

My favorite that I saw on yahoo answers the other day.

"chinchillas can't run on wheels, it will break their spine!!"

 

[3CsMommy]

"Chinchillas are great pets for kids. They're really snuggly."

Heh. I'd like to see any child under 12 try to *catch* mine, let alone keep hold of either of them when they don't feel like it!

"Chinchillas are just really fuzzy rabbits."

Except for that part where fresh foods cause them to get the runs, and they can't eat hardwoods, and need to climb up things not run around/under them, and really shouldn't live outdoors in a hutch (not that I think that's great for most rabbits either)...

 

[SunshineChins]

I just heard this one the other day:

"Chinchillas from ranchers are often not very social are usually mean and make horrible pets."

I have two that are from a big rancher..sweetest chinnies. The one that is nasty is from a hobby breeder and has been held since he was young. Go Figure..:hmmm:

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

I was once told that they use their whiskers to "see" because they are very close to being blind-kind of like the bat way...


also, I was told that if you cut one side of whiskers that they will walk in circles:yuck:

 

[JennyBug]

I love the ads I see for chins on CL:
"He/She is SO sweet... will make a great pet for a child... LOVES to be held... NEVER bites... etc."

Everytime I see the biting thing, I crack up. The others just kind of make me cry inside...

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I have not heard any of these...getting them wet after midnight made me lol

 

[Cuddlebug]

How about the ultimate one, "Chinchillas should have raisins every day."

 

[SunshineChins]

I just had someone email me today asking if it was true that "chinchillas traveling in a car will stress them out so bad they will die". A "breeder" in her area told her this is why a chin she bought 2 weeks ago died on her. :confused3:

 

[Riven]

Originally Posted by iayla View Post
My recent favorite - "Well since chinchillas are desert animals, you have to keep them warm or they'll go into hibernation." (The guy even argued their large ears prove they are warm-climate animals)
~Barb~
the large ears dont make any sense in that conversation. lol anyways he must be a real piece of work

Large ears are used to cool animals that live in hot weather.

Did you tell him that they live in a COLD desert?

 

[iayla]

Yeah I explained the whole "Andes Mountains = Cold climate", and their thick fur obviously doesnt say desert to me. I also stated that reasoning may be true for some animals, such as jackrabbits, but look at my rats with their tiny ears. That doesnt automatically mean they have to be kept in a cold climate.

I kept my cool tho and bit my tongue a few times, and by the end of the conversation he was actually paying attention to what I was saying about chin care. I did mention CnQ (this was a lil over a year ago) but I dont think he ever signed up.*shrug*
~Barb~

 

[TillyChinchilla]

How about if they get wet it will kill them.

First thing I thought of when I read the title of the thread.

I think what irks me the most is the belief that everything a pet store says "must" be true. Seems like people are sometimes more swayed by what a 17 year old Petsmart employee who's only animal experience is their parent's dog and cat - rather than a reputable breeder.

 

[gella]

I was terrified when I first got Spooky cause I was under the impression that they were supersensitive if you scare them they will remember forever and be scarred for life.