Questions from a Researching Wannabe Chin Owner

[yellnpsych]

Hey everyone! Bought the Ferret Nation 142 model yesterday! My family and friends look at me like I'm crazy for spending that much on one cage for one chin. And that's why they should not be chin owners :neener: I can't wait to spoil my new buddy.

Every chin owner should be required to register to this forum. The information here is far more reliable than any site I've come across. So I turn to you with a handful of tiny questions:

1) Will providing a playhouse and outside toys reduce the chance of natural instinct to nibble everything? Has anyone provided a play area and still had their baseboards torn apart?

2) Are there local markets/stores you buy your dried rosehips from? When shopping online it directs me to treated potpourri sales.

3) No treats before six months, no playtime before 9 months, but how long before it's appropriate to introduce the epic chin spin wheel?

4) Between 60-70 degrees? What temperature do you keep your chin's room? What is the ideal humidity?

5) Not making too much noise is understandable, but what about the loud scary noises they need to be acclimated to, such as the vacuum? Is it cruel to make them endure that sound? If you have to vacuum all the time,would it or would it not be part of their domesticated nature?

6) For conditioning and training purposes I was going to only provide the daily suggested feeding of pellets, but most people seem to free feed. What is the recommended daily intake?

7) I've seen popsicle toys, but most popsicle sticks are made of birch wood, which I read was toxic for chins. How do you know these types of toys are safe? Where do you buy your wood for toys and shelves? Pine must be kiln dried, but what about other types of wood? Do all woods have sap?

Sorry if these are repeat questions or silly. I have been wandering through this forum for weeks trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can.

 

[tunes]

1) Will providing a playhouse and outside toys reduce the chance of natural instinct to nibble everything? Has anyone provided a play area and still had their baseboards torn apart?

Chins are rodents. You can no more take away their natural urge to chew than you can a mouse to chew or a cat to hunt. If you have baseboards, and they want to chew them, they will.

2) Are there local markets/stores you buy your dried rosehips from? When shopping online it directs me to treated potpourri sales.

Health food stores have them. You can also buy them through the classifieds sections here on and off.

3) No treats before six months, no playtime before 9 months, but how long before it's appropriate to introduce the epic chin spin wheel?

I would not introduce a wheel to young/baby chins. I would wait until they are at least 10 months or older. There have been many chins who have run themselves almost to death because they just won't get off the wheel. People come on all the time asking why their chin is losing so much weight, only to find that when they remove the wheel, the weight loss stops. With young chins, they need their calories to grow.

4) Between 60-70 degrees? What temperature do you keep your chin's room? What is the ideal humidity?

My chin room is at 60 in the summer, 50'ish in the winter. I try to keep humidity at 35%.

5) Not making too much noise is understandable, but what about the loud scary noises they need to be acclimated to, such as the vacuum? Is it cruel to make them endure that sound? If you have to vacuum all the time,would it or would it not be part of their domesticated nature?

l vacuum, shop vac, and have a macaw - all nearby my chins. I listen to loudish music, and I have VERY loud teenagers. My chins couldn't care less.

6) For conditioning and training purposes I was going to only provide the daily suggested feeding of pellets, but most people seem to free feed. What is the recommended daily intake?

Conditioning and training for what? I free feed. Fill up the pellets and when they are empty or soiled, give them more. Chins don't have a set intake. Some eat more, some eat less.

7) I've seen popsicle toys, but most popsicle sticks are made of birch wood, which I read was toxic for chins. How do you know these types of toys are safe? Where do you buy your wood for toys and shelves? Pine must be kiln dried, but what about other types of wood? Do all woods have sap?

Birch is not toxic. I've used it for many years. There is a list of safe woods in the forum FAQ section. Take a read through it. You can buy wood from sellers on here, various sellers on-line, and I used to buy a ton of wood off of Ebay. General rule of thumb is, if it's safe for a bird, it's safe for chins.

 

[dayofhope]

1) Will providing a playhouse and outside toys reduce the chance of natural instinct to nibble everything? Has anyone provided a play area and still had their baseboards torn apart?

Nope, your chin will still want to chew. If possible, you can line the room your chins play in with new cardboard. I did that, and it helps a lot. Just make sure there's no tape they can get to.

 

[yellnpsych]

Great idea to line the room with cardboard!

Thanks tunes, that answered tons! I saw a few threads after posting this on the toxic/non-toxic debate of birch. Nice to have a rule to go by!

Conditioning and training...So I guess my plans (once the chin is old enough) is to associate going in/out of the cage through positive reinforcement. I'm sure some people think that would be impossible or nonsensical, but if I'm going to have him for years and years, whats the harm in trying to get them to perform a couple desired behaviors??? Food used as a positive reinforcement can shape almost any animals behavior (so long as it is a behavior the animal would do naturally.)

Anyhow, the safest form of food reinforcement is their normal diet, but a feeding schedule would make training more effective. I can just average his daily intake by logging it for several months and go from there.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Hi and welcome - You will need to free feed food (chins are grazers and to keep their guts functioning properly they need to have access to food at all times - stasis and bloat are NOT fun) but you could use wood chews, bites of tasty hays (like orchard grass or alfalfa) or safe treats in moderation to teach him "tricks."

 

[chinchatcomics]

Hey everyone! Bought the Ferret Nation 142 model yesterday! My family and friends look at me like I'm crazy for spending that much on one cage for one chin. And that's why they should not be chin owners :neener: I can't wait to spoil my new buddy.

Every chin owner should be required to register to this forum. The information here is far more reliable than any site I've come across. So I turn to you with a handful of tiny questions:

1) Will providing a playhouse and outside toys reduce the chance of natural instinct to nibble everything? Has anyone provided a play area and still had their baseboards torn apart?


Sorry if these are repeat questions or silly. I have been wandering through this forum for weeks trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can.

I think most of the other members have done a good job of answering your questions =) and welcome to CNH, I'm a newbie on this site as well... Keep a stock of electrical tape and prepare to tape up any of the wires that your chinchilla may get their teeth into.

Ideally of course, chinproof the room so no wires are in their way for them to chew, but in most homes this is hard to do...My chins often chew at my laptop charger wire, but I think after a few zaps to their noses from doing this has cured them. I still would recommend just keeping anything electrical outta their way!:hammer:

 

[liewwan]

1) Will providing a playhouse and outside toys reduce the chance of natural instinct to nibble everything? Has anyone provided a play area and still had their baseboards torn apart?
I let my 2 boys in my bed room (hide all wires & block all areas that you don't want to crawl into) everyday for 2 hours. They just run around jump on the bed like crazy and have a blast. They have not damaged anything at all. Sometimes they sit on my bed next to me or on my couch and just snuggle. Just let them come to you instead of trying to catch them (you'll only scare them). Just keep an eye on them for the first month, if you see them getting into something they shouldn't than go to them and say uh ah. Eventually they will learn that it's off limits. I also put some small boxes for them to jump on and off.


2) Are there local markets/stores you buy your dried rosehips from? When shopping online it directs me to treated potpourri sales.
Some may and some wont, the best is to call around around smaller pet stores and ask. There are some pet stores that specialize in exotic animals like chins.

3) No treats before six months, no playtime before 9 months, but how long before it's appropriate to introduce the epic chin spin wheel?
As for treats try more natural treats. I actually buy the timothy hay with marigolds, pick out the marigolds and put it in a air tight canister as their treats. Just remember chinchillas can't have too much sugar!!! There are also timothy hay round treats by kaytee available. Cheerios regular is ok too. It's ok to have playtime with your chins even if they are young. The more time you spend with them, the more they will come to you. As for the wheel I actually put the wheel in their cage for only 30 min a day since I let them out to play daily. Make sure it's a silent spinner and no spots where their tail will get caught on.

4) Between 60-70 degrees? What temperature do you keep your chin's room? What is the ideal humidity?
My chins room is between 55-72. As for humidity no more than 30% (it's hard to control than)

5) Not making too much noise is understandable, but what about the loud scary noises they need to be acclimated to, such as the vacuum? Is it cruel to make them endure that sound? If you have to vacuum all the time,would it or would it not be part of their domesticated nature?
Once they get used to the noise it doesn't even bother them. I their cage out daily for a faster clean up. They sometimes get curious and come up to the vacuum tube (careful you don't vacuum them up).

6) For conditioning and training purposes I was going to only provide the daily suggested feeding of pellets, but most people seem to free feed. What is the recommended daily intake?
I free feed my boys. Always fill it morning and night, if there are any left over from the previous feeding I throw the access food away. Since I have 2 in a cage about a little less than 1/4th of a cup during every filling (each chin is different on their intake though). Best suggestion is to have the food tray hang on the side of the cage (they like to carry their tray around and that spills the food).

7) I've seen popsicle toys, but most popsicle sticks are made of birch wood, which I read was toxic for chins. How do you know these types of toys are safe? Where do you buy your wood for toys and shelves? Pine must be kiln dried, but what about other types of wood? Do all woods have sap?
Never gave them popsicle toys. I only have unprocessed pine for furniture and shelves.

It's nice to hear a soon to be chin owner ask all the questions. Just a heads up though, although you are willing to spend the money on their cage (good cage you got by the way) and they new toys, the expense on chins on a monthly basis is costly. I've seen alot of people selling their chins after 1 years old due to the cost or lack of time to spend with them. It's always good to have 2 chins (same sex unless you want kits). Their diet should mainly be natural food pellets and timothy hay, treats are not really required. Don't give them too much alpha products after 6 months old. Good luck on your new chins. They are such wonderful pets to have

I think most of the other members have done a good job of answering your questions =) and welcome to CNH, I'm a newbie on this site as well... Keep a stock of electrical tape and prepare to tape up any of the wires that your chinchilla may get their teeth into.

Ideally of course, chinproof the room so no wires are in their way for them to chew, but in most homes this is hard to do...My chins often chew at my laptop charger wire, but I think after a few zaps to their noses from doing this has cured them. I still would recommend just keeping anything electrical outta their way!:hammer:

I ended up getting 3 rolls of electrical tape when I first got my chins :laughitup:needless to say I became really good at rewiring things lmfao

 

[partygirlha]

cardboard for making a playpan can be gottne many places, but many people use http://www.uline.com/BL_1851/Large-Corrugated-Pads. I started with 48" and had to upgrade to taller - so I say start tall. Many of us make playpens out of these panels by taping them together acordian style with reinforced packing tape.

as for wheels - many many people disagree with me but my boys needed a wheel early on as they were starting to act like the Monkeys they are and I was afraid of them getting hurt by doing crazy things (like wall surfing in a wire cage). I should say that I was weighing my boys and made sure they were gaining and growing. So I think the idea of a wheel for a limited time each day maybe a good one - you could mmount it on the outside of the cage so it's only avalible during play time. I also think play time is fine as long as it's limited in space and duration. I did used a smaller area for play time when my boys were young and they were limited in how long they were allowed to run around each day. but it's good for bonding with them

 

[yellnpsych]

News: I put an ebony male on hold today from a breeder! arty:

Added a dehumidifier to my list of things to buy. Kinda having a hard time finding a good vacuum for the cage though. I was thinking a mini shop vac, but I'm not sure how much the bags would cost or it's portability. A handheld vac may only clean so many poopies before it fails. Have you had problems with vacuuming poopies??? Strange question, but there it is...

To avoid rumbustious accidents like cage wall surfing, I plan on making a fleece liner that will go on the sides of the cage (chin baby bumpers), also to help keep the poopies inside the cage.

So I have the FN 142 model, but the chin will only be between 10-14 weeks old when I get him. Should I only use one half of the cage until he is older?

I definitely plan on handling him after he adjusts to his new home, but I want him to be as comfortable as possible. Also, he will be sharing my bed room, which means plenty of hours daily with me playing the ukulele, watching tv, watching youtube silliness, talking and reading to him.

 

[RDZCRanch]

The poop is firm and small and vacuums up very easily. Loose hay is what will clog the vacuum.

Cage wall surfing is perfectly normal behavior and can't be stopped unless you have them in a solid cage. A solid cage is unhealthy for the chinchilla because it will prevent proper airflow. There is no way to prevent the mess that comes along with owning a chinchilla. They poop...a lot and everywhere. There's no containing it.

I agree with the others that you need to free feed. If you want to know how to "train" your chinchilla to go in and out of the cage, you should talk to Dawn (ticklechin) on here. She has all of her chins trained to go in a carrier for safe transport between their cages and her playroom. Some even know how to get back to their cages from the play room with simple commands. Chinchillas are very smart and can be easy to train. When I had less chins, my first chinchilla was trained to come when I called and sit on my shoulder. I could move in any position and she'd move with me instead of getting scared and trying to jump off. Use wood chews or hay in place of their regular food for training. My chins believe that wood chews are crack and they will do just about anything for them.