So its okay to quit kaytee cold turkey for them? And what does normal poop look like? I know it is pellets, but sometiems the pellets are bigger or longer than normal( not by much, but still different), and i have heard of warnings of diarrhea( does this look like mushy throw up? beause they have had kind of wet poop pellets, but not super mushy)
And the wood, I recently hung the wood hangings closer to where they like to hide and they have been chewing( i think eating too because i dont see them spit it out), is it okay for them to eat the wood then too?
Treats: what do u recommend? I have seen wheat squares(unfrosted), i have fed them a few dry cheerios, and what else can i give them?
Also i have heard various answers, but how many times should i give them a dust bath? i had given them once a week before and it was fine, but now i am giving them 3-4 a week, but i dont know if it is good for them. I remember when I didnt give them one for about 8 days and i saw their fur started to look oily so i immediately gave them one( should i just wait until its noticeable?) BTW THANK U ALL FOR UR ADVICE!
Most of the rescues we get in do a cold-turkey switch from whatever food they were on.. and usually it's some sort of Kaytee food that the owner "ran out of" right before bringing the chin to the rescue. Uh... right. *rolls eyes*. They typically do fine with a cold turkey switch, just watch the poos. Normal poos should not be squishy. I mean, they shouldn't be hard as a rock either, but they should not smoosh and blend together. They should have some form and consistency. In doing the cold turkey switch, we always make sure to give plenty of hay, that will help.
Normal poo can be different for different chins. I have one chin that poos what I consider long poos, another one has shorter, and some have in between. That's all normal... for each individual chin. The key is that as long as they're not super-tiny and as long as they're not mushy, you're probably fine. If the poo was puke-consistency, you would really have a problem on your hands. Soft poo, as in the type you might get on a food switch, would be more like if you squeezed it in your fingers it would be mushy. Even mushy, it would still retain it's shape (before mushing), it would just be more "wet" than normal.
The wood is fine for them to chew/eat. I don't see ours ever spitting out wood (that would be a sight!) - the wood is good for them, wears down the teeth and gives them something to do.
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As for treats, you're good on the unfrosted shredded wheat and cheerios. Those are favorites around here. We also give our chins rosehips, dried rosebuds, dried rosepetals, oats (*the old fashioned slow cook kind), pumice stones... you can really make anything into a treat. We go around and refill our chins' hanging toys when needed, like when they chew down several pieces and there's room to add more - they go nuts! And all we add is new pieces of wood and stuff to chew on, but since they don't get it everyday, it's like a "treat." Ours love chewing on wood stick too.
As for dust baths, we typically do once a week here, because I have bad asthma and even with the air purifier on, once a week is enough. Except for show season, but that's a different story. I wouldn't do everyday - you could dry out their skin that way. Typically, people dust twice a week. You don't have to wait for them to look greasy, you can just say, ok, I'm going to dust every Monday and Thursday, and do so, regardless of how they look on those days. Now, if it's like summer and higher humidity, they may look greasier quicker, and then you can dust more... but I still wouldn't do it everyday.
If you buy them a wheel, buy them a good wheel. Not the pet store ones. some good ones are the 15" chin spin from Quality Cage -
http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1802 - the Flying Saucer from Quality Cage -
http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1803 - or the Silver Surfer from chinchillas.com -
http://www.chinchillas.com/estore/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=63. The wheels at the pet stores are all too small (biggest is 12" - chins need at least 14" so it doesn't curve their spine). All the rescues we've ever gotten in have run on a Chin Spin. It's like they "know" how. We haven't had a lot of chins figure out the saucers though... but our chins like the chin spins!
Throw out the ball. They're nicknamed death balls on here. Just not good for the chins.
The salty rock - I think I know what you're talking about - I was in there the other day and saw something like that, like a himalayan salt lick I think it was called? Anyway, they don't need it. I know rabbits sometimes need salt licks, something about when they're out in their hutches in the sun they need the salt to prevent dehydration? Something like that (I don't have rabbits). And chins are often likened to rabbits, but since they can't sweat, they don't need a salt lick. They should be getting all of their vitamins and minerals from their food anyway.
No problem, that's what this forum is for - so people can learn the right way to care for their pets. Whatever questions you have, feel free to ask, someone on here will be able to help you.
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