Going Away For A Month... Suggestions?

[JoshB.]

I am going to be away from home for a month this summer and can't bring my 2 chinchillas. I have someone that will come and give them food, water, dust baths, clean their cage, etc. but can't give them playtime. So, my 2 chins will be going without playtime for a month.

I will probably be getting a chin spin for them. They have a huge cage (2 5 foot cages together). Will this be enough exercise for them? Thanks

 

[Rickman]

I think they'll be fine, but expect to get the old "stinkeye" for a while, and you might have to re-bond with them! Make sure you get the chin spin, too!

 

[AZChins]

Yes, they'll be fine. I wouldn't want someone else letting the chins out unless they are 100% trustworthy and have had chinchilla experience. It's much safer to just leave them in the cage than to have a stranger take them out because of the risk that the chins will get loose, get lost or get injured.

 

[Laurie]

For just a month I'm sure they will be fine Josh. I didn't allow Abigail playtime for nearly 2 months after she recovered from her URI because she was very sick and I didn't want her stressing herself. As long as they have a big cage with plenty of shelves and ledges to leap on they will be fine. The wheel would be even more excercise for them, but again for just a month they'll be okay. Make sure your friend keeps an eye on them when opening the cage to feed and dust bath because they are very sneaky little devils!

 

[InkedupTara]

IMO, and this is just my opinion, I would have to have a wheel in their cage to even consider leaving them for a week....

My chins are spoiled and have plenty of things in their cages, including wheels, and i would think they would need as much as they can have to keep them entertained, including plenty of chew toys etc

 

[JoshB.]

Thanks for all the comments! I hope I don't have to re-bond with them, but I will if I have to

 

[Sandi]

I'm sure they'll be fine but just a few things -
* Make sure that whoever is coming in to care for them that they know how to handle chins, especially if they're going to be putting them somewhere while they clean their cage.
** They should not bring anyone that will distract them, here's the reason why...
*** PLEASE tell them to triple check that the cage is locked when they leave. I was very lucky in my case, but my mom was distracted with my 2 year old niece, her granddaughter that she was babysitting and thought it would be cute for her to see my chins. The cage was left unlocked and 1 chin escaped and had free roam of my house for 18 hours! My playpen for my chins was still left out before we left on vacation and one door was left unzipped & opened when I had last taken them out (very lucky). There was a ton of hay in there as well as some wood chews but still there was no water. Very very lucky he is ok! Just want you to be aware.

 

[starleomach]

They will be fine. I went away for a month two summers ago and had a friend care for them daily. She only did the basics food water, clean shavings they were fine.

 

[peachydays]

When my mom takes care of my chinnie when I'm on business travel, I always make a care sheet explaining what she needs to do and when, also put some examples of what Ralph might look like or be doing if he wasn't feeling well so she knows to call me right away. I also put the number of the regular vet, emergency vet, and 2 chin knowledgable friends on there so that if something is wrong and she can't reach me (which is a big possibility when it's a business trip), she can hopefully get in touch with someone who could give her an idea of what might be going on.

 

[TillyChinchilla]

*** PLEASE tell them to triple check that the cage is locked when they leave

Absolutely. I flew back home for a week, and my fiance was in charge of the chins. He didn't lock the girl's cage when he went to work one morning. They went so far as to get on top of my kitchen counters and leave poops around the sink... by jumping from a recliner next to the bar, onto the bar. They chewed shoes, (thankfully no electric cords) and when we moved a couple weeks after, we found poops galore under the sofa.