Potty Training with Fleece

[MyzarandGemma]

Hello all:

So I have seen lots of threads about using old litter to attract the chins to your litter pan to pee there... but what if I am starting with fleece? Should I do one round of litter and then move to fleece once I've got some peed on litter?

I just don't know where to start

 

[Pyronymph]

Usually people who use fleece just line the bottom of the cage with it. That pretty much takes away the whole bother of pan training

 

[mlwarren]

I started with fleece, I put a litter box where I wanted it to go, but quickly realized that they wanted to pee elsewhere. So I just moved the pan to where they pee and all is good!! Occasionally I will find pee elsewhere, but not that often.

So just find out where they pee and but a pan there.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I answered this in my email but I will put it here too, in case others want to know. Take some soiled litter with you from the breeder and put it in the potty pan when you get home. The smell of the dirty litter will help them to know what the potty is for.

 

[Beena]

What do you put in the pan? Scraps of fleece? Some bedding maybe? What about those "volcanic ash/clay" litter training balls?
I'm in the same situation.

 

[Cuddlebug]

You put the pan in one of the corners. If they are already using a certain corner to pee, some do, some don't, put it there. As for inside the pan, you can put pine or aspen shavings or carefresh. Do not use any clay based litters. They are bad news if the chinchilla decides to eat some of it.

 

[kagome716]

Im on day 1 of trying to train my boys to use a pan instead of making their fleece all icky. So far no luck, they're just eating the bedding instead. I took a small piece of the soiled fleece akd put it under the shavings, heres hoping they pick up on it!

 

[Shooper]

I lucked out with all 3 of my boys! They are all in separate cages, but each one seemed to know what the glass dish was for when I switched them to fleece. I just use Kiln Dried Pine shavings in a glass baking dish and put it in a corner.

 

[Beena]

I have a Pyrex dish, with carefresh in there at their usual spot...
The baby chin is currently sitting in it and nibbling on the bedding. We'll see how it works out tonight. I don't want to keep it in there if she's gonna munch on the bedding. I don't want to risk her actually eating it.
I'm not a fan of how quick the fleece gets smelly, but I'm thinking I'll just have to deal with it lol
Laundry all of the days Haha.

 

[hownowbrowncow]

Hey Beena,
I would take the carefresh out and swap it for shavings. It can cause stasis and serious tummy problems in chins. It's pretty great for a lot of rodents (my sisters hamsters love it!) but it can be bad news if it's ingested.

 

[Dominica]

I have a few questions.

Potty training is just for pee?
My chinchilla has a cage with levels, at the bottom there is bedding, but he only poops on the levels, never on the bedding but he does pee there and never on the levels.
Every morning there's poo and some bedding pretty much on all the floor.
So I was just wondering if I will have to have a broom next to his cage for the rest of his life or if there was a way he could be potty trained so he goes on the cage's floor.

Also, would you recommend to keep the floor without the bedding?

Thanks!

 

[Beena]

It looks as if the baby got bored with chewing the carefresh. They both pee in the potty now. I haven't seen any chewing, but throwing on the other hand, that's fun apparently lol
I have a giant bag of the carefresh, so as long as they aren't eating it I'm gonna use the bag up. That stuff ain't cheap! After that I'm going to change to pine bedding. I hear it smells nicer?

I have a few questions.

Potty training is just for pee?
My chinchilla has a cage with levels, at the bottom there is bedding, but he only poops on the levels, never on the bedding but he does pee there and never on the levels.
Every morning there's poo and some bedding pretty much on all the floor.
So I was just wondering if I will have to have a broom next to his cage for the rest of his life or if there was a way he could be potty trained so he goes on the cage's floor.

Also, would you recommend to keep the floor without the bedding?

Thanks!

As far as I know potty training is only for pee. Chinchillas have no control over where or when they poop.
Keeping a broom by the cage is a good idea. I do, everyday I just sweep up all the poops after I clean the cage.
I don't use bedding, I have fleece covers on my shelves, and a potty. If my chins pee on the floor, I just clean it up with some vinegar and water solution. I find lots of poops on my floor in the morning lol )

 

[Dominica]

Thank you Beena!
Oh well, broom it is! lol it's funny that he won't poo on the bedding.
I think I'll clean his cage and leave it without the bedding, that way I will only have to clean the poo on the floor the next morning and not both! lol

Thanks

 

[Chinmama]

Dominica,

Yes, litter training is for pee only. They poo constantly and that'll never be under control.

Depending on what kind of cage you have, you may be able to find someone who sells "poop guards" for the shelves and if not, you may be able to make your own. The guards are basically like a back splash that runs the length of the shelves and the exposed sides too. I don't think it cuts down 100%, but it may make it a little better.

Personally, I just bought a big brown rug and put it under my cages. You can still see any bedding that gets kicked out but the poo is pretty well hidden until I can vacuum it up.

 

[Dominica]

Thanks Chinmama!
I will look for the poop guards thingy, I hope I can either find one or make one. The rug sounds like a great idea, I don't have a vacuum but I might as well put something else underneath so it "collects" the poo and makes it easier to dispose

 

[MyzarandGemma]

Oh well, broom it is!

Dominica- You might want to invest in a Dust Buster. They're currently $16 at Target! They are perfect for sucking up the poo. You never have to touch it and you never have to worry about pieces of the broom being left behind for your chin to chew! Plus, brooms tend to carry a wee bit of dirt, dust, and microbes with them. If you sanitise your Dust Buster with an unscented wet wipe before use you can cut down on exposure for your chin

 

[Beena]

Dust busters are great.
I used to use one, but it scared the crap outta my Chin.

 

[Dominica]

Thanks for the recommendation! That might do the trick, but I think it's easier with a broom. Mi chinchilla is in the living room since it is the most quiet room in the apartment. Both my room and my roommate's have a big window that leads to the apartment complex patio, so it gets very noisy.

Playtime on the other hand is not in the living room, I do it in my room because I have fewer things to move so I can make it chinchilla safe.

But I do think the Dust Buster will help me clean the mess after my chin's dust bath!

 

[MyzarandGemma]

Beena- I totally understand! I think we'll try to get ours used to one early If that doesn't work, cuddles with Daddy it is!

 

[Aridan]

I have had a glass baking dish with pine shavings in the cage for the last five months. At first she peed everywhere on the fleece, and the cage would get smelly rather quickly, but now that she's getting older, 7 months, it seems that she uses the pan more and the fleece doesn't need changing as often. I'm very pleased that she got better with it over time, and it was a very gradual thing.