trying to learn

[wallacethechin]

I keep seeing a lot on here about fb cages and I was wondering if someone could give me some info/advice about them. Right now I have a kaytee two shelved cage.

I was also wondering what kind of food everyone uses and if anyone has had any problems with specific types of food?

And I was thinking of switching from bedding to fleece and i just wanted some opinions.

Lastly, where does everyone like/trust to buy their stuff from? (Toys, food, cages, fleece etc)

 

[ninjaturtletayy]

I just ordered a FN myself so I can't say much for that... But I have been feeding Stanley Oxbow pellets and Timothy hay with no problems at all. I'm making the switch to fleece bedding myself. Stanley either tries to eat the shavings or care fresh when he has it. I'm hoping to eliminate that problem.

As for where I get my toys and fleece stuff, I order from forum members. Annie at ChinChic and Shelly aka Shooper at Fleece for Furries make wonderful fleece stuff for chins. I've ordered toys from AZ Chins that my little boy loves too. But I've just started my chin parenthood, so these are the only vendors I've really done business with so far. Everyone on this forum is so helpful and kind, I plan on getting as much as I can from all of them. I just ordered my FN off of ferret.com, but I suggest checking out Craigslist for one in your area first.

 

[Lanette001]

I have an FN! They are good cages, sturdy and large enough for the chinchilla They do come with plastic shelves so either wrap those in fleece or replace them with wood. I did a bit of both.

I have been using fleece for a few months and it was worked out very well! I love that I can use the different patterns to customize the cage and I imagine that it is much softer on his little feet. It just has to be washed about once a week/week and a half. Maybe even two weeks if you have a large FN with only one chin. Just depends. Throughout the week, though, I vacuum the fleece to pick up poops and loose hay. I couldn't be happier with my FN and the fleece situation. I started in a cage very similar to what yours sounds like.

I also use Oxbow pellets. It is highly recommended among many people. Some will also use Mazuri and a few other types.

To get stuff: When I visit pet stores I look over the items to see if they are chin safe. I also visit the bird section because sometimes the perches and toys are made of safe wood that I can't find in the small animal section. But, those toys have to have no rope, no plastic, and you have to be careful about the wood. A google search will help you determine which woods are safe along with this website: http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/safewoods.htm

There are also several vendors on this forum. I believe there is a thread for that somewhere.... TJ's Chinchillas is where I get stuff. Also http://www.petchinchillatoys.com/INDEX.html and there are many other places. From the vendors and rescues you know that the stuff they sell is safe (sometimes pet store stuff isn't) and you are supporting a great cause!

Good luck!

 

[alooper19]

I have 2 CN's but, I have heard GREAT things about the FN as well.

We feed our four chins Mazuri! That's the only food they have ever been fed. They also get Timothy Hay.

As for the fleece, we switched our chins to fleece about a month ago. It's much easier to clean. Sometimes it gets a little stinky but, that just means it's cleaning time! We have 3 sets of fleece for each cage. We bought two sets from "Fleece for Furries". As mentioned above everything was great from there. They also sell wood chews/ledges.

For toys and food, you can most likely find some people on here. If you go to the bottom of the Chin forum there is a "classified" section. You'll find all kinds of items for sale there. As for the cage, we bought out CN's from PetSmart If you can find them somewhere else that would probably be better. Try to avoid buying anything from pet stores for the chins, a lot of items they sell aren't really "chin safe".

I hope this helps

 

[wallacethechin]

Thank you guys that so helpful. I've been devouring information on here and I'm really enjoying how helpful everyone has been. I'm so nervous about it all so I truly appreciate it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[Godofgods]

I have two ferret Nation cages, and i just got two more. They are good cages. But not perfect for a chin.

The ramps need to be taken out because a chin can get there legs caught in them and break them, which can lead to even worse things. They are generally replaced with wooden ledges. Not only do they allow a chin to hop around, which is more natural for them, but they double as a chew block object. - They are simple enough to make or you can order them from vendors on here.

Second is the plastic trays. They don't have high lips, and more importantly, chins can chew and ingest plastic which is not good. They are often replaced with Metal pans from Bass Pans. However i would recommend a single sheet of fleece between the metal tray and the metal cage bars. That way when they jump around there is no metal on metal clanging sound.

Those are the big two. Considering it was designed as a ferret cage, id say that's still really good. The only other thing to mention is they are not good (as is) for kits. Since the bar spacing is one inch, a baby kit (for the first few months) will be able to fit through those bars like they are not even there. If you wanted a kit in there, you would have to take special precautions.

That being said, petsmart is still having there sale on FN cages right now (much to my surprise.) Link to item. They are usually anywhere from $220-250 that ive seen. They are on sale for about $105. But its an online only sale, so add $40 for shipping. But that's still a good price. They also have a promotion discount right now of 10 off purchases 60 or more. So Estimated Total: $135.46 plus any sales tax (according to there site.)

Just a thought if your interested.

 

[Godofgods]

i don't know why i just thought of this now, and not a month or so ago when i bought two more online, maybe because i was just in shock at the 105 number instead of 220-250. But the site has 125 (the normal price generally) crossed out. So maybe they have them at 125 in store. If they did, it would save you the shipping. $20 saving in total. But i will add, that those boxes the come in, are pretty heavy'

 

[akane]

We have 1 newer double stack FN, 2 old style double stack FN, an old style triple stack FN, and a double stack CN. I like the old bolt together style better than the slide together style. They are better quality and fit together easier. I suggest the FN over a CN because the bars are flimsy on the CN and the newest ones don't go together as well. We had to do a bunch of filing and banging.

We were using nutrena rabbit pellets with no problems but we decided to switch to a locally made pellet. We had minor weight issues with the females who have babies but we were feeding the timothy version and just picked up the alfalfa version instead. We use a local organic clover/alfalfa hay in small amounts and then lots of bluegrass from kmshayloft. My husband is allergic to timothy.

We get fleece from joanns. Pretty much any plain fleece will work except the really cheap stuff at places like walmart or anything that is cut to be fluffy like berber fleece. I have huntingdon and another brand I ordered online in a heavier weight (in stores you generally only find 100 weight and these are 300 weight) which I used for guinea pigs and then repurposed them as dog blankets because they are so durable. A little more expensive though.