newish mummy needs answers

[furmum]

hi all. i got my beautiful chin, taj, in feb. i have some questions. if this is in the wrong place, mods feel free to move it.

1. i found some chewy toys for her. the main ingredient is crushed seashells. no sugar or anything, but what concerns me is something called "tapioca starch". is this safe for her?

2. could somebody please direct me to the site where they sell the plain white pumice with the holes drilled in it?

3. which type of water filter is more effective, brita or pur? i am looking for the pitcher-style, not the kind which attaches to your faucet.

4. and finally, i have a genetic question. tatjana is a gorgeous sapphire white. her mum is an albino. i did not notice her eyes until later. they are pink like an albino. but when light shines in them (such as from a flashlight or the sunshine), they seem to have inky blue splashy spots around the edges. this does not worry me, as taj seems fine. but i just wondered what this is called, as i have never seen eyes like this before.

thanx for all help and advice. i get online only about once a week, so don't worry if i don't answer immediately.

 

[threewingedfury]

Are you talking about calcium crunchies? Thats what I came up with when I searched for seashells and tapioca starch. It doesn't look very bad, but there are many other options that you could use just to be safe. There are tons of members on here who sell prepared wood for your chinnie to crunch on, and it's much safer and would probably last longer.

yummychinchillatoys.com and probably a few other members on here sell pumice and you could ask them to drill holes in them for you.

As for your chins mother being an albino, I seriously doubt it. There are no known albinos today. It's probably a pink white, as these are commonly mistaken for albinos since they have red eyes, they're just a mix of the white and beige gene.

 

[iayla]

Most red eyed chins have flecks of blue or purple in them, and as posted above, pink white chins are often mistaken for albino. (Pink white is short for pink-eared-white, as opposed to mosaics which are grey eared whites)

Pet Products by Nature sells drilled pumice for a decent price - look in their overstock section, I think she's got a decent sale on them right now.

Pur 3-stage filter works fine - check the packaging & make sure it says specifically that it filters giardia. Thats the most common thing in tap water to upset chinchilla digestive systems.

As for the chews - I'd offer boil/baked sticks & wood from members here. You can also find them on Pet Products by Nature, Nicks Animal Place, and several other chin-friendly webstores.
~Barb~

 

[alli713]

I would not use the mineral chews. Chins can get stones if they're given too much calcium, and I know many of those mineral chews have calcium in them. Stick to wood or natural pumice.

I also agree with the filter. Some filters don't get rid of giardia which is what you really need to worry about, so check and make sure it says it will get rid of that on the box. And you'll also need to replace them regularly or else it doesn't work.

And I agree with the genetics question. The mom was a pink white sapphire carrier, and the dad would have been a sapphire or a sapphire carrier. Or something to that extent. Either way, the eyes are fine, some chins also have a purple tint to their eyes.

 

[chinchillagirl]

I don't give my chinny Oscar mineral chews because they can get stones so i use natural woods instead. Wood lasts longer too.

R.I.P Yoshi you will be in our hearts forever