New Chin Owner Mistakes

[laurensab]

Thanks everyone

This discussion has really incouraged me. When I bought my first chin last year I knew little about how the supplies, food, treats, and cage materials available at pet stores werent all safe. I mean... surely a pet store wouldn't sell things to harm a pet. How incredibly ignorant on my part to think that. For example, when I bought my boy, I was advised and incouraged by pet store associates and labels on merch to buy:

Mistake #1: A cage with plastic shelves. The cage its self is appropriate however, the shelves were plastic and had several ramps, slides, and curved tunnels. With a chin pictured right on the box, I was kicking my feet in a fit of joy when I got the cage. I had no idea that none of the tunnels, ramps, and slides weren't needed and in fact weren't good for him.

Mistake #2: Death ball. I was told they were fun and good excercise for the chins. Never owning one before, I didn't even think about urine and feces rolling around on them, how they hop and jump...NOT run, how there isnt a lot of air vents in it. I did not have Brinkley in it for long, but I am thankful I know better now.

Mistake #3: Crap food. Crap Snacks. I had kaytee food and dandilion drops. Brinkley loved loved loved the dandilion drops. It says on the package one to 2 a day. So again, I thought nothing of it.

So, since I have become a proud member, I have ditched the Kaytee food and started using a good pellet food, threw out the dandilion drops and stuck with cherrios and shredded wheat, Bought wooden ledges, and crushed my death ball into pieces

I just want to incourage new users to not feel discouraged if you are or were getting things wrong. Mistakes happen and I assume, from reading several posts, it is a pretty common tale. It does not mean you don't care about your chins. These things are easy to change and will make a world of difference. At first I cried and thought I was a terrible owner for not doing enough research... But I am proud that I did bring myself to check into these things and find out whats good for them. And thankfully nothing bad happend as a result of these things. I bought a new friend for my Brinkley yesterday. A 5 week old male named Fella. After keeping them apart for the suggested 30 days, I hope to succesfully introduce them. (which I wouldnt have done properly if it not for this site...) I think that this site will help owners, keep chins healthy and save many lives of chins. Its wonderful to be able to talk and discuss things about my chins with people who have experience... thanks again for the disscussion.

 

[greychins]

Thankfully, I found CnH maybe a year after I first had my chins. Tons of mistakes.

--death ball - thank god I only used it a few times, I was like "well hmm, they pee in it, then roll around...and get all wet? I don't think I'll continue this"
--raisins galore. Like a TON of them a day
--peanuts and other treats... if the pet store sold it, I probably tried it
--plastic shelves - I remember what my first chinchilla cage looked like (the shelves anyway). OMG.
--those tiny little wooden shelves for like $9 at petco - was so happy when I learned that Home Depot will cut wood and I can install hardware myself
--kaytee food - eventually (even before I found the forum) I used the Kaytee timothy complete (which doesn't have all the junk, just pellets), but I was so happy to find Mazuri locally and so much cheaper
--not chin-proofing stuff. My one chin (bless his heart, he is still alive) electrocuted/shocked himself by chewing on a wire shortly after I got him. I was so positive he couldn't reach it. Now, any wires are kept faaaaaaar away from the cages.
--first cage: 10 gallon tank. Obviously, bad. And I had TWO chinchillas in it (the pet store said it was ok!)
--couldn't tell apart the sexes, and believed the pet store that sold me a "male" hmm
--no introductions/quarantine whatsoever
--plastic water bottles - was so happy when I found the edstroms/shields... now I have those and the rest are Ryerson bottles, which I also couldn't be happier with
--no vet lined up for when the chins got sick

... but then I found the forum... and the thing is, I wasn't trying to be ignorant or stupid... I had researched online for quite some time (but just never ran across the forum until after I had my chins for awhile)... but what I had found said that nuts and raisins were ok and said other insane things like "if you hold a chinchilla too tight it's eyes will pop out".... it sounds insane now, but at the time, I believed it! I held them like they were going to break!

I've had chins since 2003 and I think in the last 8 years, so many more websites (good ones, from forum members) have popped up, that I think new chin owners have a better chance (at least, better than in the past) of finding some correct info out there...

 

[Newchinlovr!]

HELP!!

I am planning on getting a chin later this year because some of my friends have them and they are sooooo lovable!!! The only problem I have is that Im not sure if what i have is ok for chins.

I have:
a nice,iron cage
metal weel
building a hut
hay rack (plastic)
glass water bottle
some chew toys
and a ceramic bowl

The only problem is that these things where used by another chin that died of old age.

WHAT SHOULD I DO!!!:wacko:

 

[Newchinlovr!]

Ok so I want a chin really bad but dont know where to get one. Does anyone know any breeders in the Austin or Round Rock Texas area? Please help!!!

 

[GorillaJTA]

I am planning on getting a chin later this year because some of my friends have them and they are sooooo lovable!!! The only problem I have is that Im not sure if what i have is ok for chins.

I have:
a nice,iron cage
metal weel
building a hut
hay rack (plastic)
glass water bottle
some chew toys
and a ceramic bowl

The only problem is that these things where used by another chin that died of old age.

WHAT SHOULD I DO!!!:wacko:

I have:
a nice,iron cage- sounds ok, depending on the floor.
metal wheel- depends on the wheel- but most pet store wheels are too small or are wire mesh that can catch toes.
building a hut- as long as it is chin safe wood (use wood glue to hold it together)
hay rack (plastic)- ditch it. get a hay bag or something made of wood or metal. I use a ceramic parrot feeder.
glass water bottle- sounds good...
some chew toys- not sure what you have...
and a ceramic bowl- sounds good.

And I am not trying to be crass, but old is debatable.

 

[ChinchillaSweetie]

My Mistakes

I found this forum shortly after my Fiance brought me a chinchilla.
( His family had chinchillas while they were growing up )
However, items that they believed were okay were really not. His was thankful I read up on stuff and made the following adjustments:

Kaytee Food - is now Oxbow
Kaytee Hay - is now Oxbow Botanical Hay ( I use Alfalfa as a treat now and then )
Kaytee Dust Bath - is now Blue Cloud
Treats ( Bananas ) - Now she receives rosehips

That's about it. I am still saving up for a FN 142 cage. :dance3:

 

[Newchinlovr!]

My 12 year old daughter wants a chin and we dont know weither she is commited or not. she REALLY wants one and she promises she will commit to it, but I just want your feed back on if she is to young and if she will really like it.

:help:lease:

 

[3CsMommy]

If you as the adult are willing to see to it that the chins needs are met whether your daughter does the work or not, there's no reason they can't be a good family pet. But generally, if the kid isn't teenaged or very responsible for a younger child, I don't feel it's right for a kid to have a pet that's only their responsibility at all (fish tank in his/her room, etc.). There are some kids who are amazing about animals at a young age, but more often than not, once the coolness wears off, the pet gets neglected. You know your daughter better than we do obviously, so I guess it would depend on 1) whether you think she's serious about doing the work and 2) you're willing and ready to do it in her place.

 

[Newchinlovr!]

thanks for the reply. I know its a big commitment but I'm just worried about when she goes to collage!:hmm:

Thanks again!

 

[3CsMommy]

Np. We have a number of members here who got chinchillas as older children and chose their college based on how close they were to home so they could keep taking care of their chins. Not a lot of college apartments allow pets, though, so that's definitely a concern, esp. since the chin's lifespan is usually as long as a dog or cat's.

 

[Newchinlovr!]

Np. We have a number of members here who got chinchillas as older children and chose their college based on how close they were to home so they could keep taking care of their chins. Not a lot of college apartments allow pets, though, so that's definitely a concern, esp. since the chin's lifespan is usually as long as a dog or cat's.

she wants to go to A&M, but she also wants to rent a house just to keep the chin. I just want to know if anyone thinks I should get her one? Is there a nother small animal I could get her?:hmm:

 

[Awesome Kristin]

she wants to go to A&M, but she also wants to rent a house just to keep the chin. I just want to know if anyone thinks I should get her one? Is there a nother small animal I could get her?:hmm:

Gerbils live a couple years longer than other small rodents and if you do it right do well in an aquarium with lots of stuff to climb on and chew. You can get a couple males or females together and they're fun to watch. They can also be tamed really well and can be very sweet.

 

[Chin_Up_Sunshine]

she wants to go to A&M, but she also wants to rent a house just to keep the chin. I just want to know if anyone thinks I should get her one? Is there a nother small animal I could get her?:hmm:

If she knows she plans on attending A&M (which I don't know of any colleges that allow pets in the dorms) are you prepared to care for the chin while she's gone? It seems the real question is: do YOU want to care for a chin? I was very young when I first wanted a chinchilla, but I knew that it was an expensive, long lived animal that would require my responsibility for a decade. I chose to wait until I was capable of giving my chin-children all the things they'd need. If she's very small then it will be YOU paying for vet visits and it will likely be YOU hand-feeding. I'm so glad I waited until I lived on my own because even though I did tons of research, being a chin-parent is more work than most of the pets I've owned and I learn something new everyday. I'd personally recommend trying out a much simpler pet first: rats are very intelligent and bond well, guinea pigs live a little longer, mice or gerbils or maybe even a rabbit, all of these are animals that will give her the ability to learn about temperature regulations of the animal, feeding, care, etc and won't be as expensive and easier for you to care for if she gets bored.

 

[3CsMommy]

It sounds like waiting on a chin would be a better choice. I'll second the gerbils or rabbit suggestion to see if she's serious about a pet. But, as I said the first time, whatever pet "she" gets, you are the adult bringing another life into your house. Ultimately, it's up to you to make sure the animal is taken care of, whatever kind it is.

 

[Newchinlovr!]

will a rabbit fit into a chin cage?

 

[tunes]

No one can answer that without seeing the chin cage and the size of the rabbit you plan to put in it. Some chin cages are relatively small and some rabbits are relatively large. What kind of cage do you have and what kind of rabbit do you want?

 

[midgemidge2000]

what is wrong with run about balls? i have one for my chins and they luv it.

 

[ChinnyMom]

death balls get way too hot inside and a chin is at a very high risk for heat stroke, resulting in death (hence the term 'death ball'). plus, they tend to poop and pee in them and you don't want your chin caked in urine and feces after.

also, a chin hops more than runs, and a death ball does not allow for their natural movement. if the ball is too small (just like if a wheel is too small), it can cause issues with their spines.

please throw away your death ball! they are very dangerous for the above reasons!

 

[GuinChin]

I cant believe my chinchilla survived the first 3 years before i found this forum. I did everything wrong.

Plastic cage
death ball
raisins everyday
salt wheels
yogurt covered raisins
Kaytee fiesta food
small plastic wheel
small one level cage
house was 80 degrees

I could probably go on and on but everything is fixed now. Although i still do give him a couple raisins a month...he just loves them so much.

 

[GorillaJTA]

I could probably go on and on but everything is fixed now. Although i still do give him a couple raisins a month...he just loves them so much.

There is a reason that some sources say that the lifespan of a chin is 5-8 years- with lots of sugary treats and less than optimal care, that might be the max lifespan.

Have you tried unfrosted shredded wheats instead of the occasional raisin? I took my boys off raisins and they took to the shredded wheats just as quickly. It takes them a little longer to eat and is a good fiber source.