New chinchilla and home question

[bonezsz90]

Hey everyone, im new to this site and have been studying up on chinchillas, and i think im ready to get my own im looking into getting a cage, i want to get a ferret nation cage, but for now since hes going to be smaller i was wondering if i could get the http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752703&cp=2767038.2769317 starter kit, and in about 2 weeks i'll upgrade his cage. Now i know the food it comes with isnt great, so im buying premium supplies. Or would i be better off buying just a cage and add the things i need. since the starter supplies arent the best? thanks in advance:hug2: suggestions are much appreciated

 

[tunes]

That's a lot of money to pay for a cage that isn't great, especially when you are going to upgrade in 2 weeks. I think I would either wait 2 weeks to get the chin, and get the good cage, or I would look on Craigslist for a used cage to hold you over.

Your other option would be as you stated, get the good cage and add the stuff you want to get slowly. I just hate to see people put all that money into a smaller, not great cage, then turn around and lay it all out again later.

 

[ChinCity]

Hi, I am new here and had my chins only for three weeks. After going on here and looking at the ferret nation posts... I looked for weeks and got a good deal on a FN 182. Why buy a cage just to have to upgrade and have more expenses for a new cage? There are plenty of toy's to spend money on to spoil them. If you can, get the biggest cage possible, because they love the jump. Would also start with quality food right from the beginning. Try to have everything ready before getting the chin so it's less stressful when you bring it home.

 

[bonezsz90]

i dont think i could wait much longer lol, i think im going to buy the fn cage, unless you know of some other options(cages) i can look into? and what about some cage placement suggestions?

 

[bonezsz90]

ahh, thanks guys. i guess im going buy me a FN then, anyone knows good sites or places that might have a deal on them? since it is christmas time

 

[Godofgods]

Fn are great, the only thing you relay have to worry about, is if it is a younger chin he might be able to fit through the bars. Which can lead to a lot of problems. Once their large enough where they cant do that, you should be fine with the FN cage.

The only other thing would be to replace those ladders they come with with perches/ledges to hop up and down with. Since they can get their legs cought in the ladders which can cause relay bad problem for your chin.

Those are relay the two biggest concerns. And their are things you can do with a FN cage to protect the little guy if he is indeed to small.

Do you already have a specific chin in mind, or are you going to search around?

 

[bonezsz90]

im going to search around but if i can't find a breeder nearby im going to test my luck at petsmart.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

where are you from?? Maybe the forum can help you find a chin

 

[bonezsz90]

Ok cool, I just drove an hour to Gett to petsmart and there closed/( ....I live in boothbille Louisiana. Its near new Orleans ,la. The only breeder I found was in Lafayette and I sent them a email and no reply maybe you guys CaN help and what's the best pellets n hay I'm undecided.

 

[Godofgods]

Hay is Western Timothy Hay. As for food, its debatable from persona to person. Mazzuri and oxbow are usaly accepted as healther for a chin. A select few rabbit foods are acceptable to. But you have to be carfull, not all are.
Some ppl here dont like it, but i personaly use a rabbit food Select Series Pro (A Manna Pro brand). It was recomended to me by a breeder that helped me out a lot several years back. My chins absolutly love it. Usaly switching a pet on foods is a hassel. But the very first time i gave them some (mixed with their old food) they ate every peice of the Select Series and wouldnt touch the food they were used to. 0.0
Only trouble is theirs only one store i no of that carrys it. Tractor Supply. A farming type store. (Not to big in new jersey) Its also ~$10 for a 25lbs bag. So with 5 chins, it helps.

 

[bonezsz90]

ahh, maybe i can find some around here. I think i'll start using oxbow since some say mazzuri makes them get damp poo. what about the bedding, i was leaning towards aspen but i think i will eventually switch to a fleece liner.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Aspen is fine, so is pine. I have not tried the fleece so I cannot tell you anything about it except that quite a few people on here do use it.

 

[Godofgods]

^^ what cuddlebug said. Aspen and kiln dried pine shaveings work well. Little messy if they throw it out of the cage, but it works well lol. You jsut have to avoid Ceder. That type of shaving is harmfull for them.

Carefresh bedding seems populare within the petsmarts iv been to.. unfortionitly. While a desent litter if a chin ingests it, it could cause very bad problems, maybe even fatal. I used it for a while untill i found out about its dangers, then i switched it immiditly. And now that i have 5 chins, im even more glad i did. It it very expencive for a much less quanity. Another good thing about the aspen im useing now. Large bag for $10-15. And both my chins and ferrets can use it.

I dont use fleece liners because i have no way to wash them as needed in this apt. But the thought is very appealing. Id suggest maybe giving the chin some other fleece products first tho. Iv heard of some chins that will even tear fleece apart. And if they do, it has to be removed. So better to test out a shelf liner or hammok first, before spending more money on pan liners.

 

[dragsil]

I use a combination of pine and fleece and I do more washing for the chins than for myself it seems but it´s worth it because they really enjoy their soft fleece sleeping cushions.

If you were worried about a younger chin escaping through the bars of the FN maybe you could consider buying an older chin from a rescue or maybe somebody who is no longer using him/her for breeding? One of mine was six years old when I got him and we have bonded so much and become incredibly close in the few months I´ve had him, babies are cute but nothing beats the feeling of giving an older chin a second chance at life in my opinion and frim now on any chin that joins the family will be an adult who is looking for a forever home

 

[naturegirl240]

ahh, thanks guys. i guess im going buy me a FN then, anyone knows good sites or places that might have a deal on them? since it is christmas time

http://www.ferret.com/item/ferret-nation-habitat-model-182-double-unit/650431/ -Ferret.com has reasonably priced ferret nations, and there are always some great deals on craigslist. I've seen people sell them for as low as $75.

Also an alternative very similar to a ferret nation is a feisty ferret cage. There are differences in dimensions, but they are cheaper. http://www.ferretdepot.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=485

 

[Woodrow724]

I have a Feisty Ferret and it works great. I did have to do a lot of modifying to make it chin safe. It's around 150 on Amazon, which is where I got mine. I use fleece liners and a litter pan with pine bedding. They have some accidents on the fleece here and there but it's still great, and I save money with only using a little bedding at a time.