New chinchilla owner, help!

[ashleyr1293]

I purchased my chinchilla about three days ago from PetsMart. Now I'm reading here that the people from PetsMart have no clue what they're talking about and I need some correct information! These are all of the supplies I currently have:
- All Living Things "Chinchilla Daily Diet"; blend of timothy hay, grains, seeds, fruits and vegetables
-Carefresh Pet Bedding
-Western Cut Timothy Hay
-Mineral Candy Chews for teeth trimming
-three level metal cage
-hay ball
-food cup
-plastic water bottle(attached outside cage)
-large plastic "house"
-fleece bed
-hanging wooden blocks
-wooden platform
-bath tub with bathing powder
If someone could basically give me the run through of need to know information about owning a chinchilla, if the supplies/food I currently have are acceptable, and if necessary what other supplies I need that would be greatly appreciated! Also if someone could educate me on feeding/diet and "treats" that would be great too!
His name is Kesey by the way!
Thank you!

 

[Amethyst]

Your best bet is to check the FAQ links http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=857 that is a good place to start.
But I would like to add that unfortunately most of what you bought there is not appropriate for chins. The food should be pellet only no extra junk, carefresh is dangerous and can lead to impaction, mineral chews are not needed and can do more harm then good, hay balls they can get legs caught in, plastic anything really is a no no since they will chew it (once again an impaction danger), so glass water bottle and wood house.

Your best off doing research around the forum, use the search engine near the top of the forum page and then asking questions you can't find the answers to later/ as they come up, most of the basic questions have been answered many times.

 

[Chinderella]

Don't panic

Well first off, I got my chinchilla, M.J, at Petco. The people there talked me into buying a ton of stuff that ended up being harmful to chinchillas, things like plastic shelves, plastic water dish, pellets that had dried fruit in them etc. I ended up returning most of it (some was opened).
but, as my title says, Don't panic.
The important thing to do is observe your chinchilla. Is Kesey chewing the plastic house? If so, i'm sorry, you have to get a new (wooden) one immediately. This goes pretty much for all plastic things, you might be able to get away with the plastic water bottle if you are in a money crunch, but if your chinny is a chewin, head to the petstore. Now.
If that didn't send you running for your car keys, here's the deal. You cannot feed your chinchilla a pellet mix laden with fruits, seeds, nuts, or anything other than regular pellets. This is crucial to your chinchilla's health, because chins can develop fatty liver disease because chins can't process sugar as well as we can. Dried fruits are rare treats. Pellets can be timothy hay or alfalfa. Why you have to do this immediately is because you have to assimilate your chins diet, you can't just shove a bowl of good stuff in his cage. Chances are, the pet store had been feeding him that sugared stuff before, so you have to start by mixing good pellets (M.J's favorite is Oxbow Chinchilla Deluxe- you may have to go to a "higher class" pet store to find these, I had to go to Centinela Feed, which may be just an L.A chain). A quarter teaspoon more of good pellets in the bad each couple of days will help balance his digestive system/digestive bacteria.
So what i did (in a similar situation, and a money crunch) was spend hours a week using a tweezer to pick out all of the dried fruits and nuts from M.Js original Fiesta mix. That was such a pain in the behind, but I couldn't waste that bag. I don't recommend this method.
Also what needs to go is the bedding. Carefresh is notorious for causing chinchilla digestion problems (because they eat it, and because bedding like that is supposed to absorb liquids and swell with how much they absorb, they eat it, it swells, it won't budge. Grande problemo). Seriously, if you even think Kesey is munching his litter, change it. I recommend (for the thrifty) store brand (gasp! no, but this time is okay) aspen wood bedding. Not soft cut. These are wood shavings that your chin is allowed to chew, but still shouldn't. Eh it's okay. No additives though.
Amethyst is really right when he/she said to do some research, both on chins&hedgies but also other forums, websites, and youtube videos. My personal favs are chinsnfriends.proboards.com, whimsys-menagerie.com, and the youtuber chinsNpigs. Also helpful are youtube chinchilla cage tours, these people generally have a good idea of what they're doing and will give you a broad idea of what you need.

These cute little fellas are adorable but fragile, and we need to take care of them. Don't worry, you made a common mistake but you took a big step in the right direction by coming here.

P.M me if you have any more questions!

*~*Chinderella*~*​

 

[Newt]

I got taken in by the pet store ppl when I got my first two chins as well! It sucks, but the good news is that you'll get really good info from this site.

Congrats on your new fur-baby....do you have any pics for us?

 

[Shooper]

I think its awesome that you are here trying to fix the things that you were mislead about! Sounds like you are gonna be a great chin parent! There is sooo much good info here, I suggest getting cozy and read, read, and read!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I agree totally with Ellie Mae. The important thing now is to ready and correct the mistakes the pet store lead you too. I commend you for trying to do the right thing - it will work out

 

[ChinChiq]

You have come to the right place for good information and advice! I did a bunch of research before I got my Luna, but still was doing things wrong. Once I found this site, I haven't gone anywhere else for information (unless it was a link posted here). I even ignored the vet's advice about feeding fresh veggies because I knew that the people here knew more about that than the vet.

 

[lilanniesmommy]

You might also want to check and make sure it is a boy! They get that wrong to sometimes!! Good luck, enjoy your new baby,they are awesome pets!!

 

[mdav]

Welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by a chin! So glad you have found this site.

First off, plastic isn't the best material for any of their supplies. They tend to chew plastic and it can be harmful to their digestive system. If you aren't sure of safe materials (for houses, shelves, chews), kiln-dried pine is a good option.

Rather than the food you purchased, you may want to consider Oxbow, Tradition, or Mazuri pellets. They provide more of the essentials in a chinchilla's diet and less of the junk.

Mixed reviews on the carefresh bedding. It can be harmful to chinchillas if they ingest it. Better to stick with kiln-dried pine bedding or no-pill fleece.

Timothy hay is fine. Although, you may want to avoid buying it from a pet store, as there is a chance it has sat in a warehouse for a long time and therefore lost some nutritional value. But it may be ok.

Mineral candy chews are unnecessary.

Wooden platform, wooden blocks, three level cage, all fine as long as the wood is a safe wood and properly treated. As far as the cage, just try to arrange his platforms/shelves/cage accessories in a way that he can't fall too far if he slips.

It's obvious you really want to care for your chin well and that is commendable. I've made many mistakes, but rectified them through this board. Stay a while, you'll learn a ton.

 

[kickster]

Everyone above have it right. Just do what you can and welcome!!

 

[lauralynne]

Hello & Welcome!

 

[caitlinlovesgus]

I work at a Petsmart in SC and reading that the employees who helped you had no idea what they were talking about really makes me cringe. I'll be honest, I didn't know much about chinchillas until I got one while working there, but every time people tell me they are interested in a chin I pretty much talk there ear off about things theyve probably already researched about, just to make sure its really what they want for a pet. They may be cute but they're not cuddly, dust baths, large cage, dietary needs, etc. Usually after I go through my lecture, most of them change their minds.
I used to use Carefresh bedding, I've heard as long as its the recycled paper bedding then its fine, just as long as its not aspen or pine shavings because those are dusty and can lead to respiratory issues. I switched from Carefresh to "Worlds best Pet bedding" (I think thats the name) because the Carefresh was too dusty.. I was developing wheezing issues in the middle of the night. (My chin stays in my bedroom.) The Worlds best pet bedding is so much less messy and not dusty at all so I can definitely tell the difference.
I feed my chin Oxbow Essentials chinchilla food which is probably the best food you can buy at a pet store. It has alfalfa hay in it which has protein, perfect for a young growing Chin. Now I know alfalfa in large increments is too much protein for a chin to process, but as a young one, it helps with growth because they need the protein. The food with all the different things in it is not something I recommend, because all he'll do is eat all the goodies and skimp out on the pellets; the stuff thats actually beneficial to him. Him doing that could cause him to drop weight fast.
I got a little mineral wheel and a salt wheel when I first got my Chin back in July, but he never touched them so I took them out..
And then also the Blue Cloud dust bath is ideal.

Again, so sorry about the unknowledgable employees! Every pet care department has a pet care manager, aside from a regular manager that manages the bird, fish, small animal and reptile departments so if you have any questions while your browsing, see if the pet care manager is working... He or she will probably know a lot more about chins than the average employee. (But I'm only recommending this if you're at the store and have a question.) Otherwise, I definitely recommend this forum if you have questions!

Good luck with your new baby!

 

[ashleynicol3]

I saw a beautiful mosaic chin at Petsmart a few weeks ago & I was thinking of getting it as a potential cage mate for my chin, but when I asked the person who worked there if the chin was male or female, he said he didn't know. It made me kind of mad because even if you don't know much about their care, you should at least be able tell me the sex of the animal!


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