New Chins have a few questions

[ike66]

Hey all i got my 2 chins about a week ago and just had a few concerns. The first question i had was about their food/hay. Should i always have food and hay available to them to eat? Like should i fill up their bowl every morning or should i only allow them to eat a certain amount? Currently they are eating the kaytee forti diet food and seem to be only picking out certain pieces of it, but i have some mazuri pellets on the way so i wont have to use the kaytee anymore. Second question i had was that i have a chube and wodden hide box in their cage and they dont really seem to sleep in either of those. There is also a hammock and i have seen puma (my white chin) sleeping in the hammock once. Zuma (my beige chin) i have only seen hop in the hammock one time and immediately hop back out. I have seen both go in the wodden house and the chube but they never seem to be hiding out in the....instead the seem to sit under the bottom level of the cage in the corner together when they arent hopping around. The house is currently on the to level of the cage and the chube is on the bottom, should i maybe move the widden house to the bottom or would it be best to just leave things the way they are. Third, i have seen both of them use the water bottle but they dont seem to be drinking alot of water at all, my hedgehog in one night drinks probably drinks as much as both chins.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

Changing foods is a great idea ). I always make sure the chins have feed and hay available. As for their sleeping preferences, that is up to you. My girls like to be high but it sounds like your chins do not. One thing that might make them more willing to sleep high is if the top of the cage isn't completely open (not sure what type you have). You can set a piece of cardboard or something safe that will make the cage seem more private for them. They are prey animals so they tend to want to hide to feel safe. If that doesn't get them to the top hidey house then you could try rearranging. It is really up to you ). Some chins do not drink a lot of water. I have a cage that does and a cage that doesn't. As long as the bottle is working properly and you aren't mixing anything in it and their poo looks "normal" for them then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Jovi]

Just a question.. is the hidey house big enough for the both of them ? When i first got my two i had the hidey box on the bottom and noticed my guys always slept on the top shelf huddled together. Then i moved the box to where they preferred to sleep and they started using it. I also custom made one so they plenty of space in it. When i got my new chin recently i noticed he wasn't drinking but i think he was used to a different type of water bottle so i switched to what he was used to. He definately drinks less than my other chin drinks but i would say just make sure the bottle is working properly and thye know how to use it. Good luck with your new little guys.

 

[alli713]

Your chins should always have food and hay available to them, so free feed their food and hay, you don't need to limit it as they won't overeat.
Chins also don't drink much water. They're naturally desert animals and in the wild they wouldn't be drinking a ton. It's normal for them not to drink a ton. They should be drinking some water though. If you're worried about it you can mark on the side of the waterbottle with a washable marker or tape and see if it's going down any.

As far as where they sleep, all of mine like to be up high in their fleece tube. The tops of my cages are open (not covered with cardboard or another solid surface) and I haven't had an issue with that. Perhaps they would like a hanging house or fleece tube to sleep in so that they feel more secure towards the top of their cage.

Some chins like hammocks, some don't. One of mine, MuShu, loves her hammock, she's always in it. The other ones who have a hammock, I know use them because I always find evidence that they've been in it over night (poop) so if you see poop in it, chances are they're sleeping in it when you're not watching.

 

[ike66]

The little hide house i have is probably kind of small for the both of them to fit in, i might have to maybe build a bigger one so they can cuddle up when they sleep. Also the top of their cage is covered becasue my hedgie's cage is on top of theirs. I dont have anything to hold hay at the moment so ill probably have to run out and get something for now i have just been setting it beside the food dish.

 

[alli713]

I don't own hedgehogs so I could be wrong, but don't they have different temperature requirements? I know hedgies can hibernate if they get too cold, and chins need it cool to be comfortable.

 

[ike66]

Well since owning my hedgehog he seems to do fine around 70-75 degrees and the breeder said that should be fine for the chins.If it would need to be cooler i can just move the hedgies cage elsewhere in my room and put a heating element on the cage to keep ot the right temp.

 

[Bethany]

Put bolts in the chube and hang it like a tube and they may use it more. I have some chins that stay in their tube, some in their house, some in a hammock, and some on pillows. They all have their favorites.

Also wanted to say that Alli makes a comforter that almost all mine like.

 

[Isabella Whateva]

My girl took a really long time to get used to her hammock. We had it for almost a month before she would even go near it.
To get her used to it, I used to make her jump into her hammock to get her treats (hold her treat in the middle of the hammock so she has to get in it to get the treat.) Now she sleeps in it every night.
She did the same thing with her chube at first, except it took her even longer to get used to it.

Don't forget to mix the two foods together when you are transitioning your chin to the Mazuri. First do the bowl 3/4 the old food for a couple days, then half and half for a few days, then 3/4 the Mazuri.

Also, my chin doesn't drink much water. I used to be very concerned when I first got her, but she's still happy and healthy.