Is it bad to take chin out?

[Evelyn]

I bought a carrier bag two days ago. It's a perfect size for him with a lot of windows. I took him out yesterday just to try how he's doing. It was a roadtrip about 15 mins. He seems to like it (even though I don't know he likes to go out or he likes his carrier). Is it bad to take him out like that? Is the carrier bag was meant to be used for only necessary transportation like go to vet and stuff only? Aside from the fact that temperature outside have to be in the range of comfortable 55 to 60 farenheit, is there anything out there that could harm a chinchilla?

 

[ticklechin]

Mine have been going to work with me for 10 years now, its a 20 min commute each way, they look forward to the ride and they get excited when they see their carriers. It depends on the personality of the chins if they like it, mine are all very tame and mellow.

 

[Evelyn]

Mine have been going to work with me for 10 years now, its a 20 min commute each way, they look forward to the ride and they get excited when they see their carriers. It depends on the personality of the chins if they like it, mine are all very tame and mellow.

That is exactly what mine is like he loves to get in the carrier as much as loves to get in to his dust bath tub!

 

[VolunteerChin22]

A carrier bag is fabric - he could chew his way out of that in a heartbeat, and get an impaction on the way out. Chins have been known to chew out of PLASTIC dog carriers so they would have no trouble with fabric. I would not recommend using that to transport your chin.

Biggest problems with being outside are temperature issues, possible escape, and access to food and water. Predators could be a problem depending on where you are. I just worry too much about escape...it would be very difficult to catch one outside.

 

[Laurie]

I would not go with a carrier bag as they as not as sturdy as a hard plastic carrier or actual small animal carriers that people use for the chinchilla shows. With it just being a bag it doesn't provide as much stability and support as a hard carrier. The downside to plastic cat kennel or small dog carriers is they can chew threw the plastic of the carrier, so make sure it isn't for long term and make sure you're checking to see if he's chewing a hole through it anywhere.

 

[AZChins]

I agree, use sturdy carriers when you take the chin out in the car or anywhere outside of the house. They can escape far too easily from anything fabric or flimsy plastic.

I carry chins around in little pouches in the house, but not outside or in the car. A chin escaping in the car is a bad thing. I will refrain from a story about escaped chins in the car that a rancher once told me...ick.

 

[Evelyn]

To give you guys more detail, this is the bag i'm using
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753524

I checked the bag everytime after travel to see if there is any damage but its still perfect. But eventually he probably chews it more aggressive I guess. When I take him out, he usually get all worked up at first and look around with excitment. Later on he will go to sleep. Its like being in the car tuck him to bed He doesn't want to get out when we get home either so I thought maybe he likes it. And if he does, i'm more than happy to take him with me on a short trip. But it sure not worth it if he run away...

What do you think about the bag anyway?

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Yah its nice but he could totally escape very quickly from that. I had a fabric type carrier that I toted a 3week old kit to school and back with me and he made mince meat out of the liner quickly and he was small. I didn't think he would be so destructive that little and I can't imagine how quickly an adult could escape.

 

[InkedupTara]

No, I would not continue using that either. I would get a hard shell carrier for a cat or dog. I dont know that I would take mine for a joy ride either, only because I would be totally crushed if I were in an accident and the animal got hurt.

 

[Jen and the Hooligans]

I used a carrier type bag like this for a while to get the chins from point A to point B in the house and for quite a while they were fine with that,..but one day Dexter decided to be a pain about it and it took him about 30 seconds to render it unusable!..

 

[ticklechin]

I use metal 3 hole carriers to transport mine, they are made by chins-to-go and are larger than the "normal" metal carriers. I used plastic cat carriers in the past and they could chew through those on a long trip if bored. Chins travel all the time to shows and such, long distances some times for days. They are not the fragile creatures some like to portray them as.

 

[Evelyn]

I use metal 3 hole carriers to transport mine, they are made by chins-to-go and are larger than the "normal" metal carriers. I used plastic cat carriers in the past and they could chew through those on a long trip if bored. Chins travel all the time to shows and such, long distances some times for days. They are not the fragile creatures some like to portray them as.

would it possible that you can give me the link or what your carrier look like? It sounds perfect! I would like to know where I can purchase it!

 

[Brittany]

I took him out yesterday just to try how he's doing. It was a roadtrip about 15 mins. He seems to like it (even though I don't know he likes to go out or he likes his carrier). Is it bad to take him out like that?

It seems like you've gotten a lot of great ideas about a more secure travel cage. As long as you chin isn't stressing out it's ok to travel with him. However he doesn't need to go places or be outside, like a dog might, just for the sake of enjoying a car ride. If I remember correctly, awhile ago someone wanted to take their chin on hikes. Those types of activities are un-necessary, and potentially unsafe for chins. Just thought I'd clarify.

 

[sublime5981]

I have a custom sized carrier from JP chinchillas that I love. It is 12x9x9.
I agree that chins travel pretty well as long as they have climate control. Some throw fits when first put in a carrier but, they settle down and usually sleep for most of the trip. That said, my chins only travel when we move, go to the vet, or rare trips to visit family(with reason).

 

[trg005]

I used a carrier type bag like this for a while to get the chins from point A to point B in the house and for quite a while they were fine with that,..but one day Dexter decided to be a pain about it and it took him about 30 seconds to render it unusable!..

I have a chin named Dexter too! Was yours named after Dexter Morgan??? (serial killer)

 

[trg005]

I bought my carriers from Quality Cages. They are metal and they sell single and double cages too.