my chin is a picky chewer

[ahitchcox]

I've had my chin for about two months now and I'm starting to struggle to find him safe things to chew. He loves the lava ledges and lava bites along with the balls made out of willow twigs. But that's about the only wood he chews! I bought him one of those wooden houses and he doesn't try to chew it. He also doesn't really chew the apple twigs either, he just strips the bark off of it and that's about it. There's a few other wooden toys I've given him but he won't chew those either.

I have no problem giving him the lava bits and willow balls, but when I give they are almost completely gone in the morning. I expected the lava bites to last a little longer than one night.

Is it normal for him to be kind of picky about what type of wood he likes? When I let him out of the cage he tries to chew the wooden bed frame and wooden trim (obviously I don't let him though). Is it normal for a chin to chew almost an entire lava bite (triangle) overnight?

I saw some toys at Petco made out of China Fir that is a little thicker so hopefully it would last longer. Is China Fir safe for chins?

Also, are these grass tunnels (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12643) safe for chins to chew?

 

[Amethyst]

It's normal for some to be very picky as to the wood they like, your best bet would be to order a variety of wood samples, I know some vendors on here offer sampler packs or wood in small amounts so you can try each and see what your chin likes. It's also not uncommon for a chin to destroy those lava bites in one night, some people have even had a a chin chew up a lava ledge in a night.
I'm not too sure about the china fir, looking it up it's apparently an evergreen tree that is not actually a fir tree, just it's a common name for cunninghamia, which is in the cypress family, and cypress is on the not safe list. I'd go with not safe, just to be on the safe side, unless someone else can chime in.
Those woven grass things are safe, but some people say their chins just use them as toilets, or destroy it pretty quick, it's worth a try though, see if your chin likes it. I'd try out the ball first though, see if the chin is interested in chew it or not.
You should also check out the vendors on here, the classifieds as well as the banners at the top of the forum. You can find lots of chin safe toys to try out, and at a fraction of the price you find in petstores.

 

[Lillybabe]

I could be totally wrong. And I don't want to freak you out. However, the chinchilla I had originally was picky. He had malo. He destroyed lava ledges, ate bark off of apple wood, and sometimes would chew bits of pine. My girls on the other hand... chew everything in sight pretty much. I think lava is softer than most woods. I'd be concerned about teeth if you try several wood types and he shows no interest in any of them. Again, I could be paranoid. A malo chin will do that to a person.

 

[javachin]

Its normal for them to be picky with woods. I stick to fruit wood, namely apple, pear and kiwi. If he only likes the bark, try to get the thinner sticks so you don't waste as much.

 

[ticklechin]

Find what the chin likes and stick with it, its boring but chewing anything is better than chewing nothing.

 

[ChinChiq]

I have no problem giving him the lava bits and willow balls, but when I give they are almost completely gone in the morning. I expected the lava bites to last a little longer than one night.

Is it normal for a chin to chew almost an entire lava bite (triangle) overnight?

Luna can destroy one of those lava triangles in a matter of a couple of hours! I wish I could find a place to buy them in bulk instead of the 3 pack they come in. She love her lava ledges too, but the triangles seem to be her all-time favorite!

 

[AZChins]

This is going to sound very cruel to owners of spoiled chinnies.

I give the chins whatever I have here for toys, twigs and chew blocks and that's what they get. I don't give anyone anything special (well, new mamas will get fun things and sometimes rescue chinnies or chins that have had health issues will, too.) They have to like what I give them. It means that the chins don't get picky...and anything new is considered to be super awesome! It also means that anything I put in usually gets buzzed down in a couple of days and I don't have a lot of wood or toys that aren't touched. Scraps and ugly wood pieces are still appreciated.

Not that there is anything wrong with totally spoiling chins with fun toys and new things at all. It's just that the more you give the chins, the more picky they tend to get. Although, I have chins that chew so much more the more they are given.

 

[Burnt Offering]

I put these dry birch branches in my Chins cage about a month ago. Got them right out of my back yard. To say they love them would be an understatement. They chew on them all the time. In addition the pine ledges in the cage can be chewed on. Since I did the branches chewing on anything outside the cage such as baseboard or chair legs has all but stopped. In fact I am trying to remember if they have chewed on anything outside the cage since I put the branches in there and I am having a hard time. Before I had to watch them very closely.

 

[AZChins]

That's really interesting that they aren't chewing on things outside of the cage now! It's great that they love their branches....it will cut down on them ruining their shelves and perches.

 

[Amethyst]

Burnt Offering, how did you process branches that big? You must have a big oven, or did you just put them in straight from outside without cleaning and cooking/baking them?

 

[Burnt Offering]

We don't have a lot of the problems up here the lower 48 has. I know where you are headed with that question. So to answer it let me say this. We don't have pesticides up here. We don't have parasites, or at least not near the scale the lower 48 has. We don't have fleas, ticks, etc. These things simply cannot survive the cold. I have two Pomeranian's and never have had a flea collar on either one of them. It is also why wild furs up here in the form of fox, wolf, etc are so beautiful. No fleas or ticks. After doing my research on what woods are safe for Chins, one of them being birch, I simply went out into my back yard, found these branches, made sure they were completely dry and stuck them in the cage. The result was instantaneous chewing and they love it. Also, it is a blast to watch them run up and down those branches. When out for playtime I find it interesting that my Chins can kinda be klutzy. But I have also watched them tear around in their cage at the speed of light bouncing from branch to branch and running up and down with marked precision. Regardless its the best thing I ever did as it give them lots of different ways to navigate their cage and have a lot to chew on. What I have tried to do is overwhelm them with things to chew on so they aren't so inclined to chew on things when they are out for playtime. And it seems to be working really well.

My name is Kevin by the way.

 

[ticklechin]

I want some of those for my cages, they are really cool branches!

 

[AZChins]

Not to pick, but you should scrub down wood that you find outside. This is just because you don't know if birds landed on them and got bacteria on them from droppings or if other animals urinated on them or if they came into contact with feces somehow. You would be amazed at what can on wood outside! If the wood is dry and clean, there's no reason not to use it, of course. Chins are very sensitive to e.coli and other species of bacteria. A quick scrubbing and rinsing will remove most of this, baking is best because it completely kills off the bacteria on the surface and inside the wood. (It's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to chinnies...)

 

[Burnt Offering]

I am sure you are right Susan. I am still learning this whole Chin world thing. I would feel horrible if I did something dumb and it hurt my Chins. I did look the branches over very closely made sure that they were cracking dry. They have been in the cage now for about a month and so far so good. I appreciate the advice.

 

[AZChins]

It should be okay...but in the future...scrub the branches! (Give in to the OCD that owning chins will inevitably force you to endure...)

 

[Burnt Offering]

LOL! I am starting to realize that! I bought a tiny shop vac and pretty much follow my Chins around and vacuum up after them every day. My wife has had a good laugh at me. Mr. all Alaskan, who loves to hunt and fish, had his own IT business and now had two pet Chinchillas!

 

[ticklechin]

Chin room and cages cleaned first, humans sleep in dirty sheets until then, LOL.

But do you cook too???

 

[Burnt Offering]

I can top that! Last night we had company. Me...as in I....was freaking out thinking OMG! I need to vacuum every inch of the upstairs and living room where my Chins have their playtime. I was scared to death someone might see a rouge Chin poop behind the toilet or under the kitchen table.

 

[Lillybabe]

Is there a way to bake large pieces of wood.... not in an oven? Could you go old fashioned and hang them over one of those fire pit thingers? Or hang them over your grill? Could you like... stuff them in a see through but air tight container, and let the sun do the baking? I just would think there's got to be some way to safely keep such nice fun big pieces of wood. And why in the world would your chinnies want to chew outside their cage when it's so much fun inside their cage?! Baseboard is not nearly as much fun.

 

[Burnt Offering]

I know Susan's advice is right and I want to make sure everyone knows that.. Had I lived anywhere but Alaska I would have worked way harder at cleaning up my sticks. But we just don't have the hazards here the way the lower 48 has.