Is a basement OK for a chin home?

[Sharon69]

I have a sub basement that is cooler and dry but is unfinished (cement walls and floors). The sump pump is there but never any water (it is below ground in the corner with a lid that covers it).

My chin is currently in a guest bedroom that we will be needing. Not to mention that he has accidentally chewed on the baseboards before I learned to cover them up.

So the sub basement is quiet and dark. I would have to section off a part for him to run around when we take him out nightly. I'd probably get a carpet piece for the floor so I can hang out with him there. I'd probably build some half walls to section him off from the rest of the sub basement.

Based on this information, do you think this would be an OK set up? I worry that there is no light there and there are spiders on occasion. Of course I see spiders in the rest of the house, too. I could leave a lamp on during the day to simulate sunlight???? Or do they prefer darkness? I'd have him in the family room but I have 3 dogs, one of which is VERY curious about him and I don't want my chin to get stressed out by doggies.

Also, I keep the TV on for him during the night ( I read on Chincare sight that they like to watch TV) but there is no cable outlet down there but I could use the boxes you have to use with TV's without cable and hope it would work down there. Otherwise I could put in a DVD with a really long movie!

Thanks for your advice in advance

 

[Rickman]

I'd say the first thing to do is get one of those temp./humidity readers and see exactly what you have down there!
You could get a few pieces of "on sale" paneling, laid on its side to give a finished look, and eliminate places he shouldn't be! Maybe a door to keep him a certain area too.
Also a florescent fixture with daylight bulbs, on a timer for lighting!
Just make sure to leave room for more cages, in case you get "The Addiction!"

 

[3CsMommy]

Seconding Rickman's humidity guage. We had to keep our guys in the basement last summer thanks to some renovations and the AC occasionally getting shut off, and they ended up needing more dust baths than usual b/c the basement, while dry, is still somewhat more damp than the living room. I'd also invest in a radio/tv if you're going to keep them down there so there's more going on than just bare walls. They like music and sounds too.

 

[cintistatern2005]

Yes they love sounds and TV. I went to sleep the other night and which i usually leave the TV on I forgot and left it off. About an hour later i hear these squeals ive never heard my chin make those sounds before. I got up to see whats wrong and it appears to be nothing. I realized I forgot to turn the TV on and so i did, and 30 seconds later the squealing stopped. These are some smart guys im telling you!!

 

[Rickman]

Yeah - they train us well!!!

 

[Whimsy]

Let's see....the first thing that comes to mind other than the humidity is the half wall idea. Chins can jump right over them, do don't bother. I wouldn't worry about spiders unless they're the dangerous kind. Leaving the tv on during the night is up to you (and your chins). I'm a fan of full spectrum lighting. That would be helpful to have in your basement. At any rate, it seems like a pretty good potential set up for a playspace for you and your fuzzies. Should be fun as long as it's a "healthy" set up. How's the air circulation down there?

 

[tunes]

I personally would never keep an animal where there is no natural sunlight at all. Think about that for yourself. Living in a gloomy and dark atmosphere your entire life. How would you feel? Even will full spectrum lighting, it's canned light. I know there are many people who do it this way, but it is just not something I would want for my animals.

If you are going to move him into the basement, then absolutely do not leave him in the dark all the time. I would still maintain a day/night cycle because that's what he's used to. Also, if he's used to having a TV on, at the very least I would put a radio down there for him to listen to. Dark basement, no natural light, no noise too? I think that would be an awfully big adjustment for him.

I see no problem with people putting their chins in their basement (barring high humidity, obviously), because it's often times so much cooler than the upper levsl. But, and again it's just my opinion, I wouldn't do that to any animal if there was absolutely no natural light.

 

[CTChin]

I got lucky when my brother built my house . He put three full size windows on one side of the basement and the chins are near that. Plus I use flores. lighting and a dehumidifier. I'll never forget the day the power went out on a 100 degree day. The basement never got above 70 degrees. At the time I had over 40 chins.

 

[Sharon69]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Some of you mentioned about using TVs. I already do that from about 4pm-8 am and I believe I mentioned that in my earlier post. I turn it off when he is supposed to be sleeping. I actually read that on Chincare site. I was worried about him being bored so I put a TV for him when I first adopted him. He loves the TV!!!! He is a TV junkie! I'd have to get the cable guy out to somehow put a line down there. Not sure how when all the walls are concrete!

I do keep a thermometer in his room and it is never above 75. I read they like temps between 55-75 degrees F.

Another option, tell me what you think.... There is a storage space on the other side of this bedroom. I could simply put a hole in the wall and run the cable to that space instead of having it in the room. Again, I'd have to build up walls to section him off. The walls in there are 1/2 concrete so I'd have to cover the top 1/2 with drywall then put pine around edges.

Do you think 6 ft. partion walls would be high enough to section off from the rest of the space?

Also, the water heater and heater for the house is there. Do you think this is OK? The house is only 4 years old. I actually sew in there so I am not grossed out in there. There are no funny smells in there and a little ventilation escapes from above vents for some fresh air.

As for the daylight bulbs, would that be on during the day (I'm guessing to simulate day time)?

I want him to have the same comforts as the other room but to be safe, that is my number 1 concern. He is my first chin and he is sooo AWESOME! What a personality! I like to think he's bonded with me, if that is possible.....?????

Thanks again!

 

[Siylvat]

I have my chins in my basement. They are in my room. It is a finished basement though, with windows, and I have a dehumidifier, and even an air conditioner (just in case-though we do actually use it cuz my fiancee likes it crispy cold.)

They do great there. I really don't know how I would feel if they were in the unfinished half of our basement though...I don't think I would ever do that, even though it gets nearly full sunlight because the windows are bigger. Just too much weird stuff in unfinished basements.

 

[cherylslittleangels]

I have mine in a basement but there are two large doors that open into the room that they use. Since it is close to the door, I have to use an airconditioner. There is no natural light in mine, but I keep the lights on during the day and turn them off at night. Also, I clean a certain number of cages each day so the doors are wide open where they get fresh air and some natural light.

 

[jenjenn2005]

My very first chin started out living in the basement. At the time I was in high school and I went down to check on her every few hours but while I was at school my mom would sometimes check on her. There were small windows in my basement which allowed for natural lighting but other than that she had no sound or lighting unless i was down there with the tv on or something. It worked for awhile but then I got another chin and after they were put together the other chin got hurt (she got her foot wegdged in the bars) sometime between when I had gone down around 7am and when I got home around 4pm... So it's hard telling how long she had been there hanging upside down with her foot caught. From then on they have always been upstairs where I am constantly and they love the attention and sounds and just seeing me all the time. So long story short... if you do move them to a basement make sure someone is checking on them constantly, that they have some sort of interaction and play time multiple times because they can and will get lonely if they're used to having attention. I just don't want you to have to learn the hard way like I did.

 

[Blarklark]

Well, personally I dont see anything wrong with having your chin in your basement. The major threat would be the mold. Aslong as there is no mold that is growing and aslong as the humidity is between 40%-50% and the temp is between 60-75 ish. You should be fine. They make light bulbs these days that use "true light"

I myself wanted to put my chin in my basement as well. But, there was a mold problem. Not very safe at all. I ended up getting an AC unit and keeping him in my room

 

[Sharon69]

Thanks for all the suggestions! For now he will stay in his room until we figure out a better solution. I may put him in the family room (same level as the bedroom he is in so same cool temps) but just put his cage on a shelf so the dogs can't even see him and he can see us all the time. I think this will be better......but we'll see.

 

[blue_soda025]

I keep my chins in my basement. So it's a good idea to keep the lights on in the daytime, correct? I don't really have a better spot for their cage in my house. Our main level has no space for it and I thought the basement would be ideal since the temperature's a few degrees cooler down there and we don't have mold or humidity problems.. I'm also down there a lot.