in need of new bedding and worried shes lonely. help?!

[aliciaa75]

My first question is about bedding. I've been using carefresh ultra for almost a year now and i like it bc its not too dusty..but I've been reading that since its recycled paper and it expands if wet..well I just realized that my chin (pheobe) does chew on it here and there. I sony want her getting sick from it. What could be a better bedding for me to use? Any suggestions?? Thanks so much!

My other question is that I think pheobe is lonely. She sits on her ledge and stares..she doesn't seem really happy. I talk to her every day and pet her and she seems to get happy when I come in the room but then after I leave she seems to get sad. Is she lonely? What should i do??
Any suggestions??
Thanks so much!!!!

 

[Chinmama]

Some people use fleece bedding, others use shavings or pellet litter made of pine or aspen. I like the pine pellet bedding personally.

I have two single chins, and I can't say that either of them have ever seemed lonely. Of course, they are in the living area so they are constantly having the dogs, us and the tv noise going on around them. And they have big cages with a lot of things to chew. If you can't spend a lot of time with your chinchilla, I would suggest making sure she has plenty of toys to occupy her and keep her busy while you are away. And a good wheel too.

 

[Lirana]

It's awesome that you're researching how to take better care of Pheobe. :cute:

Like Chinmama said, shavings of pine and aspen are the most popular for those that don't use fleece. We use aspen because we have other rodents (rats and hamsters) that can't use pine. We go to our Petsmart and pick up each bag of bedding. If you're lucky, one bag will be significantly heavier than the rest, and will last up to twice as long.

If you decide to use fleece liners, they need to be changed out/washed every few days. I think most people do this 2 or 3 times a week. We only have coin operated washers and dryers, so unless we're going to hand wash them, fleece isn't as convenient an option for us as the shavings.

Do you have any chew sticks for her? Mochi sleeps a lot, but when she's not sleeping, she loves chewing on sticks. A lot of people on here sell them. Check out the supplies for sale in the classifieds section.

Do you give her out of the cage playtime? We do an hour or more of play time 3-4 times a week around 9 pm (that's cleaning/feeding/play time for our house). We do it in our hallway since we can close the doors to other rooms and there's nothing that we need to chin-proof like wires and such.

You could always try getting her a cuddle buddy as well. Obviously, it's not the same as having another chinchilla, but a lot of people's chins seem to like them. You can also make your own (it doesn't need to be chin shaped) if you're crafty.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Aspen or pine shavings are what most people use. Just make sure that you don't get cedar. It could cause respiratory problems.

When she appears to be staring into space, she is probably sound asleep. Chinchillas can sleep with their eyes open. This is because they are prey animals and it is safer for them.

 

[spaceclearer]

I would recommend klin dried pine pellets over carefresh bedding because my chins loves chewing on them. I pee pan train both my single chins to do their business within a large pyrex dish and it works well for me.
You could leave your radio on when you are not with them so it provides them with little music and noises around. That works for me.

 

[Zoaea]

I used care fresh for a long time, my girl wouldn't eat it and she only peed in on corner so the cost wasn't too bad. This last cage changing i had to try something else cause my new chin pees all over and thinks paper is a delicacy. -_-; I tried pine shavings and they love to sleep in it and eat it, but its terribly messy and sticks in the carpet. Next supply run Im going to try the pine pellets.

After four years my girl was getting noticeably lonely so I picked up a friend for her when I went to a local chin show. She now uses her companion as a pillow and popcorns again like a young chin at play time. I think she did fine for a few years alone, I gave her lots of human attention and things to chew on/ toss around the cage. Some chins do better alone than others too. The staring off into space at the bars is sleeping, they are propped up and being watchful. When mine started getting lonely she got moody with me, and would make a crying bark often through the night.

If you have I boy (I can't remember what your post said) you don't have to be afraid of getting a second boy as they can get along just as well as any other two chins. There is always a chance of rejection, but chins arn't one of the types of animals were males always fight.

 

[deliamaj]

If you decide to go with fleece make sure to check for chewing there too. My chins don't eat the care fresh at all but they will put holes in fleece if they feel like it.

Lirana thank you for your mention of playtime in the hallway! I have been wandering from room to room trying to see what would be easiest to chin proof. Up and down the hallway and it never occurred to me to use it! I must be having an episode of dumb.

Danielle

 

[mknoblich1]

I use aspen bedding but will soon be trying to make the switch over to fleece liners. I think aspen is better for allergies which is why I chose it over pine. Don't quote me on that one though. The cuddle buddy is a good idea if you don't want to purchase another chin (who wouldn't want another? )

 

[Jazicat]

I have three boys and to be honest they prefer being only chinchillas. Mine really like having a TV to watch so maybe that's a solution for being bored. I'd also add a few more toys or give sticks since they are healthy and fun. My boys will sit and stare off into space and it's not out of boredom but usually a cat nap or they are watching TV.

I would also only get another chinchilla if you want one. There is no guarantee a friend would make her happier and they may not get along. We have tried to introduce our boys but never too seriously since they seem to prefer being alone. So we do everything three times daily which might be too much for some but we are happy. We wanted each of our boys and love them so we consider it fun.

 

[tiffyskaar]

I made my own fleece liners and also bought some from someone on here, I like them a LOT more than the bedding! They are a lot easier to clean and you just throw them in your washer and call it good. I would be sure to dust them off before you wash them and wash them thoroughly (with the bedding setting, depending on your washer) because they can get icky sometimes with all of the hay and whatnot.
Sometimes you can potty train them to go in a certain area in a glass pyrex dish also!

 

[Sovay]

In regards to bedding, I hated the dust and mess of aspen litter so I tried fleece liners for awhile. They were cute, but they were kind of a pain. The boys peed all over it and had no interest in using a litter box. So the liners needed to be changed every other day minimum or they smelled terrible. Gave up on that idea and went back to the paper bedding, but my boys don't chew on it.

My personal preference is to keep caged animals, chinchillas, rats, gps, whatever, in duos rather than alone. I give my chinchillas daily affection, but there's something to be said about enrichment from your own species. It's different from a dog or cat that considers the human family to be a part of its 'pack'. That said, having two chins is a LOT more work than one. One chinchilla takes up a little bit of space in your house/life, two chinchillas starts to overcome it! :laughitup: I went from a small reasonable cage, to a large ferret mansion. Two chinchillas means more hay, more bedding, more pellets, more mess. There's more noise because they talk to each other, and play, and sometimes have bickers over whos turn it is to run on the wheel. Two chinchillas is more responsibility, and more $$ if health issues happen. Ideally, it's nice to have two, but they will do just fine alone with enough toys and enrichment. If you decide to get another make sure you are ready for the commitment.