Identify me please

[ticklechin]

I know my girls went through CMS the chinchilla version of PMS!

 

[Slanginhard]

hahahaha so males dont urinate out the cage like females do? I mean I know that sounds impossible but just checking lol Just like some male chins never have hair rings is it the same with females, some never spray? The video was just really graphic and very informative also haha so it did put me off big time because i just dont want to take care of an animal that I have to wipe there ars im not a nurse hehe but thinking about it I have such a cheap vet if i find i have a problem with it I will just have her to do it monthly hehe My wifes a nurse and she said she aint doing it so its all up to me bwhaha!!! but I did have a female hamster that sprayed all over my carpet and my old cat { died of cancer right before thanksgiving RIP} sprayed me once when i was trying to catch it for the vet and i will never forget that so it is a hard choice hehe maybe i should just get a boy and neuter then when I get used to it i can get a female so i can have both pains lol ahhhhh the options for new chinchilla owners are alil overwhelming

Thanks for being there like no other site or book

 

[Airyn]

I have 2 males and 2 females. The males have never had a hair ring and the females have never sprayed me. *knocking on wood*

 

[Jenn]

Males have the hair ring check, females spray urine with deadly accuracy and distance, give me the hair ring over the spray any day!

ha ha, I'm glad my female doesn't know that as she has never sprayed! I'll count my blessings!

 

[LoveBug]

hahaha mine hasn't sprayed either.. but has thrown her poo at my husband hahaha

 

[AZChins]

The females spraying or the males having fur rings is a small price to pay for having such a wonderful little animal. No, not all females spray, but you have to anticipate that at some point they may do it. It isn't pleasant...and it really isn't spraying out of the cage, it's aiming at your eyes and letting you have it because the girl just doesn't want to be taken out of the cage. They can get moody, and the males can get moody. Males can spray, too. The difference is that when the males do it the urine goes straight down due to the limitation of their anatomy.

Chinchillas have personalities that are as different from chinchilla to chinchilla as they are from person to person.

 

[ticklechin]

If the chin gets sick or has dental problems, you will need to be a nurse, you will need to hand feed, clean the penis off every couple of days since dental chins cannot clean themselves if the chin gets dental problems, you will need to clean the chin off from the food and meds, no matter how cheap you think your vet is chinchilla vet care due to they types of treatments they get is expensive, there is a good chance that during the chins life it will need vet care and hand feeding, chins that are sick will not eat themselves, they will die shortly from stasis-the cessation of movement of the digestive tract from lack of food and the digetive tracts eventual death, they are not like cats and dogs that way, you feed and nurse, and if you are unlucky the chin gets malocclusion you feed 24/7/365 until the chin dies, there are no vacations for you.

 

[Slanginhard]

If the chin gets sick or has dental problems, you will need to be a nurse, you will need to hand feed, clean the penis off every couple of days since dental chins cannot clean themselves if the chin gets dental problems, you will need to clean the chin off from the food and meds, no matter how cheap you think your vet is chinchilla vet care due to they types of treatments they get is expensive, there is a good chance that during the chins life it will need vet care and hand feeding, chins that are sick will not eat themselves, they will die shortly from stasis-the cessation of movement of the digestive tract from lack of food and the digetive tracts eventual death, they are not like cats and dogs that way, you feed and nurse, and if you are unlucky the chin gets malocclusion you feed 24/7/365 until the chin dies, there are no vacations for you.

Thats exactly why I want to do everything I can not to get a chin with problems as it would take me awhile with the animal it self for me to fell comfortable in my own self knowing that I would be able to hand feed it and all that other nasty stuff but luckly I have a daughter and a registered nurse at the house that is alot better then me just incase something does happen in the FUTURE which I really hope I dont have to face... my family and i have handled sick dogs and cats and mice hehe and have put in weeks of hard work doing everything possible i mean staying with it 24-7 hand feeding and keeping warm and you have to be ready for the worst because its hard when u cant save them and they dont go down easy

 

[momenteller]

Thats exactly why I want to do everything I can not to get a chin with problems

I would look into getting an animal from a reputable breeder then, rather than a rescue. Your chances will be better as they eliminate any known health problems from their herd. Nothing is ever guaranteed, though.

 

[ticklechin]

I would look into getting an animal from a reputable breeder then, rather than a rescue. Your chances will be better as they eliminate any known health problems from their herd. Nothing is ever guaranteed, though.

My worst case of malo and heart defect came from a award winning rancher, one of the top in the USA, my oldest chin at 17 years old was a rescue with 3legs, no matter how hard you try to get a healthy chin, buy from the right place you can still be unlucky and have one that developes issues, hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.

 

[Slanginhard]

" hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst." thanks sometimes I need to be reminded that

 

[Slanginhard]

ok i decided im going to go buy the little guy for 75 bucks wish me luck guys because talking to the owner on the phone she is doing EVERYTHING wrong!!! feeding him half rabbit food and human food!!! and its been scared of of its wits its whole life living with mean cats living in a small plastic cage and they seem like they just dont care about it so looks like im going to have my hand full and going to need yall to be there for me and all my stupid questions lol

 

[momenteller]

My worst case of malo and heart defect came from a award winning rancher, one of the top in the USA, my oldest chin at 17 years old was a rescue with 3legs, no matter how hard you try to get a healthy chin, buy from the right place you can still be unlucky and have one that developes issues, hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.

I hear you, Dawn. But I said "your chances are better when you buy from a breeder" and I stand by that, as at least that way you have some knowledge of their background. But cases like yours are why I also said there are no guarantees.

The OP does not seem to take anyones advice into account anyway, so not sure why I spend the time!

 

[AZChins]

At least with a good breeder more information can be passed on. Most Craig's list deals are just handing the animal over with very little concern for its care after it gets to the new home. Most petstores have a care sheet, which is just plain awful but it has some information...I guess.

 

[Slanginhard]

OK so let me get this straight... Your mad at me because I rescued an animal instead of adding to the problem and breeding, buying from a pet store, or buying from a breeder!? I dont understand whats wrong with my choice? I take peoples advice that I choose is correct and explain there point. I have got a lot of good advice on here that I have followed but just like with my children I take the advice and options that sound best for my family! so please give me educational advice, so i can make a smart decision and please dont get mad when someone doesnt agree with you just try to explain your point.

So I am adopting the little guy he is supposed 4 months old and coming with a bad diet and stressful living arrangement if you can give me any kid of warnings or stuff I should be prepared to handle other then the ordinary stuff like being shy from me ... like can I just start off giving him good food or should I mix it with the rabbit food?

 

[AZChins]

I don't think anyone is mad at you. We were just talking about something, mostly about something we have been talking about for months if not years. No one said that anything was wrong with your choice. I like seeing chins go to good homes regardless of where they are from and they deserve to be loved no matter what.

You said something about not wanting to take care of a special needs chinchilla or one that had an issue. Just understand that occasionally chins will require vet care or special care because they develop a problem with age. Tooth issues, heart murmurs, among other issues can pop up. Chins with unknown backgrounds from petstores can have problems, chins from breeders can have problems. It isn't guaranteed that any animal you adopt from anywhere will be 100% sure to live to be 15 to 20 years old...

I'd probably do a complete switch to the new food if the chin were coming here. You can mix the food half and half until the old stuff is gone.

 

[Slanginhard]

Ok, then thanks for explaining that to me. I can get defensive at time; being a stay at home Dad will do that to you. I fully understand yalls concern over the special needs comment. Like i said it would take me some time to feel more comfortable with a Chinchilla to give it the proper special care that it could need in the future. In a freak chance that it does get a handicap right after housing it. I have my wife that is a RN and a very loving daughter that is much better then me with special care {we use to take care of kittens and pups without there Moms} and they would be able to teach me the loving touch. Vet care is the BEST I like to think of my vet as one of my close friends and I see her on average once a month or once every 2 months at the least.

 

[Slanginhard]

Should I bring anything with the carrier cage to pic her up? It will be a 20 min ride and I was just going to bring a fleece blanket for the bottom of the cage.

 

[cindyv3737]

Should I bring anything with the carrier cage to pic her up? It will be a 20 min ride and I was just going to bring a fleece blanket for the bottom of the cage.

Yes. A carrier is a must.

 

[AZChins]

It definitely is good that you have a vet you can depend on when you need one. Does she see chins? If she's a little iffy on the subject of chins, we can always put her in contact with one of the vets someone here uses for their chins often enough. That way she can get some opinions if need be.

It really is best to not get defensive about things or read into things. It's text on a screen and usually the thoughts and motives behind what people say are because they want to be helpful and maybe allow you to learn from their mistakes. We've all been through a lot of chin problems and know what can and will happen in certain situations.