Litter box

[tacoandbell]

What does everyone prefer to put in the chin liter box wood pellets or corn cob or something else?

 

[EternallyCynical]

I use aspen shavings. I love the look of Oxbow Eco Straw, too, but that stuff looks so much like food, I expect my lil' fuzzball would just eat it! ^^;; I wouldn't use corn cob.... I've heard warnings about that stuff for a lot of different small animals.... wood PELLETS would probably be too hard/not as absorbent. Some people use Carefresh, but some chins eat it and that's no good. I would just recommend aspen shavings. Even though they're a little pricier than other types of shavings, they're guaranteed safe and I haven't even gotten through half the small bag I bought when I got my chin even though I used a bunch in my guinea pig's cage!

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

kiln dried aspen or pine shavings or fleece are the only safe substances to put in a chins litter box (if it chooses to use it)

 

[ninjaturtletayy]

I use aspen too.

 

[akane]

Corn cob is not a good bedding for any animal. Corn grows toxic molds easily when wet and they like to eat it. There are a few other health problems it can cause in some animals but I don't know if they apply to chins. Pine pellets should be fine. Paper pellets and paper based beddings might work but I would watch for chewing on too much of it since some like to eat paper and cardboard.

We had great luck with oxbow's pelleted bedding and guinea pigs. Unlike pine pellets instead of crumbling in to sawdust it kind of clumps as it dries (if kept moist like in a stomach it would not clump but simply be a fiber source) and is easy to scoop out the soiled sections. Price was prohibitive though because we had to have it shipped to us. They never ate any of it. In fact the only animals I've had eat pelleted bedding types are horses who will grab a mouthful of anything that comes out of a bag expecting grain and then slobber it all over the stall or down the aisle while leaving the barn. One time my mare grabbed a mouthful of a certain fertilizer used as cheap ice melt substitute.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

I use pine shavings and sometimes pine pelleted bedding when my local TSC has them in stock. They always seem sold out when I'm there. :/

 

[Godofgods]

i use aspen shavings. Things like corn products and carefresh are not safe.

 

[tacoandbell]

Thanks everyoen I have used the pellets that turned to sawdust and it worked fine, but the store didnt have any this time. I read that pine was not good for chins, Is this wrong info

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

KD Pine is fine for chins. Cedar is not good for chins, or most small animals.

 

[akane]

Plain pine is not good. Kiln dried shavings are controversial but probably the most popular bedding choice for most animals. Pellets are so heat treated and compressed they do not have the harmful oils left in them. Try a feed store if you have them around. They sell it dirt cheap as horse bedding.

 

[Godofgods]

Plain pine is not good. Kiln dried shavings are controversial but probably the most popular bedding choice for most animals.

Ive always wondered about that actually. Would love to hear a little in-depth information on it.

The only 'pine' shavings ive even seen are regular pine. Like this:

I was never sure if that was good enough for a chin to use since it was pine not kiln dried pine. As a result, i always just grabbed aspen.

 

[akane]

I don't have the link but there was a study done by a group of rat breeders which showed increased liver enzymes that might cause organ damage while on kiln dried pine. The house rabbit groups quote it often. Since there haven't been too many further studies or with other animals that are known about at least it's not taken as enough proof against kiln dried pine by a lot of people.

 

[Godofgods]

Ive always wondered about that actually. Would love to hear a little in-depth information on it.

The only 'pine' shavings ive even seen are regular pine. Like this:

I was never sure if that was good enough for a chin to use since it was pine not kiln dried pine. As a result, i always just grabbed aspen.

Guess the wrong link was put in.

 

[becky12883]

If you look on that package it says "All natural, kiln dried and biodegradable pet bedding", it's the second line under Pine Wood Shavings.

 

[Godofgods]

If you look on that package it says "All natural, kiln dried and biodegradable pet bedding", it's the second line under Pine Wood Shavings.

/grin

That was the closest pic i could find on there web site. I don't ever recall seeing that second line on them inside the actual pet store tho. Ill have to take a closer look at it the next time im there.

 

[ticklechin]

If kiln dried pine shavings killed chins, there would be ALOT and I mean ALOT of dead ranch chins, dead pet chins, dead hobby breeder chins, we would be overwhelmed with dead chins. Chinchillas are chinchillas, not other animals!

 

[tunes]

Yeah, I've been using kiln dried pine for about 13 or 14 years now - my chins are fine. I would expect them to be dropping like flies if what akane stated was true, so would all the ranchers in the US who use kiln dried pine as well (that would be thousands and thousands of chins, BTW).

I agree. Chins are not other animals. Sometimes it's like comparing apples and oranges.