How long is YOUR playtime?

[Anna]

I take out Furby every night, and play with him a lot, but I was wondering how frequently you all play with your chins and what you do with them? Furby bites his fur and I know if he's not getting out enough it can contribute to this. Please let me know, because if I'm not doing playing with him enough, it'd be a good thing to know!
Thanks all

 

[grace]

Hello Anna,
I am a new person to this forum myself, and have found out MUCH info here !
My questions are these: How long have you had "Furby" ?, and what is his diet ? Cage Size ? What circumstances did he come from ? Troubled ? You mentioned fur chewing ...
Sincerely, Grace

 

[Carol~Anne]

I have four chinchillas: two White Boys and two Grey Boys. I let them out every evening (in pairs) for about an hour and a bit each. I basically let them loose in a chin proof area and they run around the room, jump about, popcorn and sidekick everything in sight. They also get a dust bath when they're out. When they get put back in, they get a little pinch of rolled oats and rose hips and then I put the night light and the radio on quietly and they are happy campers.

 

[Brittany]

Our chins have the option of out of cage play time for about 2 hours a night. We open the doors to their cages and if they choose to come out play time happens in the room that their cages are in. We always make sure that they have access to food, water, and the safety of their cages to take a break in so that they don't overexert themselves and get a seizure. All of our chins are very good about taking breaks and regulating their activity. We also keep the temperature of the room in the 60s so they don't over heat. Aside from play time we talk to them and give the scritches when they're in their cages. I'll sit next to the cage and read my book out loud or turn the TV on for them to watch. Tonight I tried something new. I sat next to the cages and folded laundry. Everyone was VERY interested in what I was doing and I had a little audience. Variety is the best thing to fight boredom.

 

[Anna]

I have four chinchillas: two White Boys and two Grey Boys. I let them out every evening (in pairs) for about an hour and a bit each. I basically let them loose in a chin proof area and they run around the room, jump about, popcorn and sidekick everything in sight. They also get a dust bath when they're out. When they get put back in, they get a little pinch of rolled oats and rose hips and then I put the night light and the radio on quietly and they are happy campers.

I usually let Furby run around in a chin-proofed room or the bathroom and I feed him little treats and give him things to chew on. He runs around freely for up to an hour a day, usually at least 30 minutes. I don't know why he does this

 

[Megan]

Anna- It could be genetic, or possibly stress.

Do you have him in a highly active area of the house? If so, try moving him to a quiet area. Do you have anything in the cage for him to chew on? If not, try adding some. Another thing I've been told, and they swore it works--if your cage has a WIRE bottom and they can't access the bedding, switch to a cage where they CAN access the bedding.

My chins do not get let out for playtime. I just do not have the time to play with everyone (I'm in school full time + working part time). Doesn't hurt them--and most of mine comes from homes where they are not left out anyway, so what they don't know won't hurt them.

 

[3CsMommy]

As long as he wants when there aren't other critters in the room. Right now I have a cat in isolation for tummy troubles, so he's down to about an hour every other night while she chills out (more like "has a hissy fit") in the bathroom. When she's not confined, though, I try to leave his cage open for as long as I'm in the room and he can come and go in it as he pleases.