Noobie;) Would you get this chi?

[cosmo]

Hello,

I am diving into the chinchilla world with my 7 year old son. We've done our homework, have a huge cage, and about $300 worth of cage stuff, fleece lined rolls, hammocks, boxes, etc, water stuff, Oxford timothy hay, Oxford food, hide house, dust bath thing, parrot toys, and a $80 chin spin(that was sticker shock, lol) plus other stuff.

I got a 3'x2 1/2'x 5' high cage and am going to build ledges and ramps out of kiln dried pine.

Please let me know if I missed anything.

But, to the original title. I called a local ad in the paper for 3 chi's plus a huge cage for $250 and was intrigued. I called and immediately had alarms raised. The lady was really pushing to get rid of these and dropped her price $50 without me even asking. The cage was a huge parrot cage worth $400-600 easy, and came with all the toys, and a albino female chi, and 2 grey males. It came out that the albino mom was actually the mom with one of the males, and she wouldn't part them out. Well, I'm not really into the whole breeding thing, and especially with a mom and son. But I drove over to see them. When I got there, I turned around to go grab my gun(have a CC permit, not sure why i didn't have it with me), yes the area was BAD. So I got home to prepare and drop my son off as he wsan't going back with me and called back to ask a few more questions. Well a guy answered and stated that she really needed money so sold the white one and one of the males. He then stated that the other one was lying on the ground, on its side, breathing really heavy. I'm guessing seperation anxiety.

As much as I hate leaving the lil guy in a situation like that, I don't have enough personal experience to know what problem this chi may have. Will he be scarred for life? Is he going to ahve problems surviving? I'd rather not start this 15-20 year journey off on a bad foot, or start my son's pet responsibilities off with a chi thats gonna have issues. I volunteer at dog rescues, so I wanna grab this guy and save him, but i also want this to be fun for my son and not ALL work.

Thanks for the help, and sorry about the book

 

[tunes]

If you don't feel comfortable taking on a chin from this situation, but you have enough money to buy the chin, get it and turn it over to a rescue. I doubt it's got separation anxiety, more likely it's in distress. Breathing heavy and laying around would most likely be described as lethargy. Lethargy in a chin can be deadly if not dealt with immediately. Tell us where you are and we'll see if we can locate a rescue nearby, then you could turn the chin over to someone with more experience.

As far as scarred for life, I doubt that too. Chins are who they are. Yes, he may have had a bad experience, but that doesn't mean you can't change that with time and patience. It's not a bad thing for your son to learn that it IS work to take care of a pet. That sick goes along with healthy and that if you're going to have a pet you have to take all sides of the pet, not just the good ones.

 

[cosmo]

Thank you for your fast response. Near Parkersburg, WV

Yeah, I get what you're saying about my son learning a lesson, but trust me, we've been through enough problem/diseased dogs and birds, and he's seen his fair share of deaths and animals in misery, that, that isn't really a concern as far as life lessons go. But I want this to be his pet and his thing, and I'd like to at least try to start it off as positive as possible so he doesn't get frustrated and he sticks with it and learn. This is a reward for him for accomplishing goals.

We've just done alot of reading over the last few months, part of the process of him earning a pet, and we've read that they can be very timid and scared easily, so I was concerned as to how well they can be taught to trust humans again once scarred.

I'd love to take on another problem animal right now, but have a good chance of filling up in that department real soon. May be getting a 60 pound Great Dane that should weigh about 140 pounds.

I'll call tomorrow and see how the chin is doing, if he's still ok, I'll make some phone calls and find a temporary home for it if I don't keep it

 

[cosmo]

Borrowed a cage last night, and going to pick up this chin after I get it set up. I think I have a home for it. Also found a nearby male and female 3 month old baby, so going to pick one of them up as well and put it in another cage next to this one. If they get along, maybe we'll keep both, if not, I think I've found a good home for it, but if not, any help with a rescue would be appreciated.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Sounds shady. Especially since the story changed about selling them together to having sold the others. I am wondering if the other two died and weren't sold. By the time a chin was laying on its side breathing hard I would guess it was at a stage of illness/distress an immediate vet visit is in order. Heat stroke, pneumonia are a couple of things that could cause that - both fatal quickly. Hopefully they took it to a vet but I am not holding my breath given they needed money quickly. I would be surprised if the animal is living tomorrow to be honest.

 

[Anna35]

OMG! that poor baby I feel so bad for him...

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Borrowed a cage last night, and going to pick up this chin after I get it set up. I think I have a home for it. Also found a nearby male and female 3 month old baby, so going to pick one of them up as well and put it in another cage next to this one. If they get along, maybe we'll keep both, if not, I think I've found a good home for it, but if not, any help with a rescue would be appreciated.

You absolutely need to quarantine these animals separate from each other - meaning separate rooms no interaction. If the chin that was lethargic has a URI that will spread to the other two. Are you only picking up the male? If not, if this male and 3mo female have been in the same cage together, the 3mo could be pregnant and at risk for complications from delivery so young. They must be separated also. So you need three cages, two different rooms if you take all three. If not two cages, two rooms.

 

[cosmo]

OK, long story short, kinda, I have 1 chinchilla.

The lady with the shady story won't return a call so I'm assuming the worst. So we went to the other place and came home with a super tame 9 week old baby, which I feel is too young but given the situation, was not going to allow it to stay. police are called and here is why. 2 elderly ladies about 75 pounds each, little clothing, no teeth, and in a prob 1200 sf home had 25-35 dogs, about 40 birds, who knows how many cats, and as assortment of other animals. As well as the pests that go with them, my clothes and my sons are laying in the driveway and my car is getting ready to get sprayed with flea spray.

But on a positive note, we have an albinoish/tan chin that is really tame, very curious, hungry, and thirsty, but alert as all heck, and lively. Have the smaller cage set up for the night, gonna put the big cage together tomorrow when all the goodies come and I can build all the ramps and different levels.

My son is super excited

 

[cosmo]

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I am glad you called the authorities. On the bright side, chin looks relatively ok just really really stained. There isn't such a thing as an albino chin - that is a pink white. He's very badly stained so I would give him a dust bath an extra couple of times a week to help with the staining.

The other issue is 9 weeks is very young but he'll be ok. Just limit the shelves in his cage as kits are very clumsy and don't need high shelves right now. I would save the big cage for him when gets bigger as the cage you have pictured looks fine. You dont want to be sorry with a broken leg or worse because he is just a baby! No wheels pr long playtimes now either. You don't want him hurting himself and he needs all the calories he can get to grow properly.

 

[cosmo]

I am glad you called the authorities. On the bright side, chin looks relatively ok just really really stained. There isn't such a thing as an albino chin - that is a pink white. He's very badly stained so I would give him a dust bath an extra couple of times a week to help with the staining.

The other issue is 9 weeks is very young but he'll be ok. Just limit the shelves in his cage as kits are very clumsy and don't need high shelves right now. I would save the big cage for him when gets bigger as the cage you have pictured looks fine. You dont want to be sorry with a broken leg or worse because he is just a baby! No wheels pr long playtimes now either. You don't want him hurting himself and he needs all the calories he can get to grow properly.

Awesome info, thanks alot. I'll keep the chin low for now, until he gets bigger. He seems to be eating hay and pellets ok so I'm hoping he'll be ok. Judging by the house, I'm surprised it isnt solid brown;(

I'll do the dustbaths. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Put some cornstarch in the dust bath. It will help remove the staining. 9 weeks is not too young to be on his own. Most people wean kits at 8 weeks and keep them for a week or two before selling them.

 

[cosmo]

Only issue I see now is she is reluctant to eat the pellets! The ladies I got her from said she loved carrots and raisins so I'm afraid she is used to that but she is eating a few and loves the timothy hay! Ordered 40 ounces and guessing that was way too much! Prob go bad before she eats it all!

Any thoughts on the food? Should I chop some carrots up fine and mix with the pellets?

 

[Riven]

It might be pink white or **** beige, really hard to say. But good for you for calling them in. Hope the animals get help.

 

[mistywaterwoman]

NO to the raisins and carrots. If she/he is eating the hay and a little pellets, it's probably transitioning it's own stomach to the new pellets. Let him/her eat on her own and it will start to eat more pellets on it's own.

And wowser, I have never EVER seen a dirtier chin. So glad the baby is in your hands now!

 

[cosmo]

NO to the raisins and carrots. If she/he is eating the hay and a little pellets, it's probably transitioning it's own stomach to the new pellets. Let him/her eat on her own and it will start to eat more pellets on it's own.

And wowser, I have never EVER seen a dirtier chin. So glad the baby is in your hands now!

lol, that dirty huh, and here I was excited I got some kind of new chin, turns out she was just paying pig pen

Mistywater, just saw your from NOLA, love it down there, I make it down twice a year to see my friend. He owns the Blue Nile on Frenchmen. Love NOLA!

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Yah could be **** beige and washed out with flash. PW was my first guess. No to the carrots and raisins - nothing but good pellets, hay and filtered water. No treats until 6mo old. What kind of food are you feeding?

Is this a girl or a boy chin? If you aren't sure you can post pics...

 

[cosmo]

Yah could be **** beige and washed out with flash. PW was my first guess. No to the carrots and raisins - nothing but good pellets, hay and filtered water. No treats until 6mo old. What kind of food are you feeding?

Is this a girl or a boy chin? If you aren't sure you can post pics...

Its a girl chin, and I'm now curious about color too. When I look at her close, she's def pretty dirty, but is loving her dust baths, so hopefully in a few weeks we'll know what color she is

I have oxford pellets and timothy hay.

 

[cosmo]

Sorry oxbow

 

[cosmo]

Sorry double post