We got our new baby today!! :)

[Caroline]

We are so excited! We went to Viking Chinchillas in Sammamish, Washington and brought home the newest member of our family. She is a beautiful little 12 week old hetero ebony. We have named her Hayley. Hayley was handraised and so is very calm and sociable.
Sue Irvin has been so helpful and informative on what we need to do to take good care of our new little lady.
She is also my little distraction, because my oldest daughter left this morning to move up to Edmonton Alberta to prepare to get married.
I am going to post a photo of her and not to worry, the plastic cage is temporary until I get a Quality cage in the near future.

 

[Caroline]

Sorry I can't figure out how to post a photo.

Hayley was so cute just now. We put her dust bath in her cage and instead of jumping right in and rolling she started rolling outside her bowl. Toooo funny!

 

[Caroline]

OH MY GOODNESS!! Cuteness factor just went through the roof!!
Little Hayley and one of our cats, Annie are checking each other out through the bars of the cage. Annie is not so sure, and keeps getting startled, but is still fascinated. Hayley, the baby chinchilla on the other hand is being very social and keeps coming back to say hi. They keep touching noses through the bars.

 

[Caroline]

This morning Annie the cat and Hayley were happily sharing a stick through the bars of the cage. Not only am I surprised that Hayley is so relaxed, but also that Annie is behaving the way that she is because we are always joking about how she tends to be a bit of a snob around other animals and has a stick up her butt. Apparently the stick came out and she is chewing on it. Lol

 

[Godofgods]

my chins will roll sometimes outside the sand house as well. Its funny to watch.
Id honestly be scared to have a chin and cat face to face, even through bars. I guess it depends on the type of chin your have, as well as the cat you have. Just hope it doesnt have claws. I no my chins panic if they even so much as see my ferrets.

As for a picture, best iv been able to figure out. Iv had to host the imiag on a seperate site of your chosing. Then copy the addy to that and click the Insert image box here, and enter that addy.

 

[mishellyshel]

looking forward to meeting hayley.

i second that cats & chins shouldnt be so close. you can do a search and see how many members have either had a chin die from cat scratch or severe injury which would require round the clock care.

 

[Jenn]

Hi and welcome! Your baby sounds like she is fitting in very nicely! I'm sure she is truly adorable! Congrats!

Again, as said, you really should keep your cat and chin separated. One accidental clawing can be deadly to your chin.

 

[Caroline]

Ok, first off, Annie is a very gentle cat who could not hunt to save her life. I totally trust her. I will be much more cautious with my other two. But then again they were very well behaved with our hedgehog. jThe most Annie ever brings home is leaves. Besides if I thought that this could potentially be dangerous, I would not be telling the world, but rather doing all I could to discourage it.

 

[mishalaa]

It's not just the threat of the cat injuring the chin, but also transmitting disease. Cats can carry bordetella - which if your cat is an outdoor cat (and sounds like she is if she is bringing home leaves) her chances of carrying it are higher. Bordetella can lead to pneumonia in chins which is very difficult to treat and can lead to their death. It is transmitted through fluids, so just touching noses could infect your chin. =/

Chins do not have defenses against many diseases that other animals carry naturally, they should not have contact with any other species for this reason.

 

[Caroline]

The strain of bordetella that chinchillas CAN get is environmental. It's due to VERY poor husbandry. From my understanding, that is the only strain of bordetella chins can indeed get. Chances are that chins that get it, most likely were in a very unkept environment. This type of bordetella can be the cause of pnemonia.

 

[Godofgods]

The strain of bordetella that chinchillas CAN get is environmental. It's due to VERY poor husbandry. From my understanding, that is the only strain of bordetella chins can indeed get. Chances are that chins that get it, most likely were in a very unkept environment. This type of bordetella can be the cause of pnemonia.

is it realy worth the chance?

 

[Caroline]

Well, since we have a large family and we don't have the luxury of having a special room for her, then the best I can do is keep my cats immunized against bordatella and other illnesses. I am not about to go and let them play together outside of her cage, I know the dangers of that. I can also not be there 24/7 to keep the cats away from her cage, I do need to sleep, go to work and go take care of my horses at the barn.
I had shared this story because I was so pleased with how excellent the temperaments of both my cat and my new chinchilla are, how well they get along and that Hayley was not in the least bit stressed by the presence of the cats.

 

[Caroline]

Sorry if I snapped and became defensive. I had posted this story because I was so pleased with how wonderfully they are getting along and how gentle my cat is with her and wanted to share it. I guess I had expected that others would be pleased that I was blessed with a new little friend with such a wonderful temperament, not that they would all express concern about her safety and express their opinions.
This little chinchilla has come into my life at a time when I am an emotional wreck because of my daughter moved back up to Canada from Washington yesterday to get married.
Hayley is bringing me such joy and is a wonderful distraction from the pain and is keeping me from crying all the time.
If I felt that my cats were going to be a danger to her I would never have gotten her. I have had enough experience with owning and breeding many different types of animals, including top quality show dogs, who have gone BIS, to know to be cautious and responsible. I have also worked in a veterinary hospital as well.

 

[Isabella Whateva]

Just wanted to let you know that nobody meant to spoil your good mood or excitement over your chin. It's just that on this forum, I can't even count how many posts just like yours we've seen here, only to be followed weeks later by a frenzied post about how the same cat slashed a giant hole in the side of the chin. We don't mean to say that this WILL happen to you, but frankly it is heartbreaking. I hope you'll understand why it upsets so many of us to hear this.

 

[ticklechin]

Pasteurella multocida is carried in the saliva and URT of 50-90% of cats, its deadly to chins and one of the main reasons cats are kept away from chins, no matter what the cats disposition. If the cat can get close enough to exchange those fluids to the chin you run the risk of the chin dying a horrid death.

 

[chinchatcomics]

Just wanted to let you know that nobody meant to spoil your good mood or excitement over your chin. It's just that on this forum, I can't even count how many posts just like yours we've seen here, only to be followed weeks later by a frenzied post about how the same cat slashed a giant hole in the side of the chin. We don't mean to say that this WILL happen to you, but frankly it is heartbreaking. I hope you'll understand why it upsets so many of us to hear this.

This forum has provided myself and several others with extremely helpful information and tips! We are all chin lovers and we would only want the best for you and your new chin =) :thumbsup:

 

[Caroline]

Sorry, but I am for obvious reasons feeling pretty fragile right now and very sensitive. My 21 year old daughter just left yesterday morning to move to Canada to get married. I am just a few seconds away from tears at any time. I got the chinchilla to help distract me from how much I miss her already. I did not expect when I shared my joy that I would be criticized.

I understand your concern but the timing, as my kids would say, "really sucked"

I know my cats and what their temperaments are like, if I had any concerns about them opening the cage door on their own and taking the chinchilla out and injuring it, then I would never have gotten one.
Annie the cat just lost her best friend yesterday and it is very tender to see how she has been drawn in such a tender way to Hayley. I know that she would not dream of hurting her.
At no time did anyone consider asking what the cat's temperament was like before jumping to conclusion that she could harm her, nor did anyone inquire if she were vaccinated. I am not about to let me cat and my chinchilla run around together or do anything to put her at risk.
I have bred top quality show dogs, owned cats, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, finch, canaries, parakeets, fish, horses, chickens and a hedgehog. I am not new to the world of owning animals.

 

[Andrea]

It would be wise to heed the advice here regarding your cat interacting with your chin. Why take the risk? No one was trying to burst your bubble...it's great that you are so excited about your new fur-kid Remember, chinchillas are a species of their own and even with loads of experience with other animals, you will still have a lot to learn and acclimate to as a chin owner. Stick around and you will become an expert in no time!

 

[ticklechin]

Looking at the schedule of vaccinations for cats, they are not vaccinated for pasturella.

 

[ticklechin]

Looking at the schedule of vaccinations for cats, they are not vaccinated for pasteurella, so regardless of your cats temper it needs to stay far enough away not to pass fluids. Its for your own chins good to make that effort.