What kind of rocks are safe to eat?

[grrrayson]

We were moving some stuff around one day and among is was one of those rocks with sparkly stuff in the middle of it, like this quartz. Gulliver was quite fascinated with chewing on the outside of it.

Knowing that he'll chew on any such thing I put in his cage: What kind of rocks are safe?

It'd be nice for more interesting "terrain" inside of his cage and probably good for him to chew on too. For some reason he finds absolutely no interest in pumice!

 

[addictedtochins]

Get it out of there, he's going to get a blockage or prolapse

 

[3CsMommy]

Pumice is safe. Flagstone is used for perches (Crash loves his). Granite and marble are used for cooling tiles. Other than that, I've never heard of rock used in cages, though I've never heard a specific reason why. I would say, though, that anything sparkly (like mica, etc.) would be a bad idea. Silicate dust is known to cause lung damage in lots of animals, including humans, which is part of why I choose not to use Blue Sparkle bath dust.

 

[eroomlorac]

Your chinchilla does not need some 'interesting terrain' inside his cage. If he's not interested in pumice, then that's okay. Maybe he's taking a nibble or two now and then. There area two kinds of pomice,

Mine prefer the white ones over the coarser greyish ones. Also, I know my chins nibble down some of the Blue Cloud dust while they're rolling in it. If you worried about dietary needs, they'll nibble on what they need. If you're worried about decorating their cage, DON'T!

 

[Whimsy]

If you want to go with a more natural looking enclosure, that could be really neat. I'm sure the chins would enjoy the environmental stimulation, as long as it's safe.
With that in mind, I sell some WONDERFUL pumice.

 

[AZChins]

I don't know if he would eat it BUT don't take that chance. Some of those points can come off the geode so easily that a smaller one may be able to make it's way to being swallowed. If you want to use stones, you probably want to go with something that is a lot plainer. I've seen people use rocks in their cages. The only thing with rocks is that you want to clean them up really well and you may want to bake anything that is more porous to make sure that everything inside of that rock is dead. I have a cage with a piece of white quartz in it, but it's a solid rock with nothing crumbling off...

 

[ticklechin]

I have used smooth flat river rocks in the cage before-just scrubbed and boiled them before installation.

 

[PetoftheDay]

Just curious, why do they eat pumice? Never heard of that!

 

[grrrayson]

Get it out of there, he's going to get a blockage or prolapse

It wasn't in his cage; it was on the floor of the living room and I took it away as soon as he discovered and became fascinated with it during freetime one day.

Pumice is safe. Flagstone is used for perches (Crash loves his). Granite and marble are used for cooling tiles. Other than that, I've never heard of rock used in cages, though I've never heard a specific reason why. I would say, though, that anything sparkly (like mica, etc.) would be a bad idea. Silicate dust is known to cause lung damage in lots of animals, including humans, which is part of why I choose not to use Blue Sparkle bath dust.

Good info, thanks.

Your chinchilla does not need some 'interesting terrain' inside his cage. If he's not interested in pumice, then that's okay. Maybe he's taking a nibble or two now and then. There area two kinds of pomice,

Mine prefer the white ones over the coarser greyish ones. Also, I know my chins nibble down some of the Blue Cloud dust while they're rolling in it. If you worried about dietary needs, they'll nibble on what they need. If you're worried about decorating their cage, DON'T!

No offense, but how do you know how content or restless he is? My whole living room/dining room/staircase combined isn't enough "interesting terrain" for him! He's always fascinated with the door to the hallway so he can go explore some more... he's a lively one.

He seems equally disinterested in both kids of pumice. C'est la vie! Thanks for the response.

I did read in my search one person saying that they put some rocks in the cage because they heard it was good for their feet not to be on a flat surface all the time. Thoughts on that, anyone?

Just curious, why do they eat pumice? Never heard of that!

I've only had him for a couple of months and am no expert, but my understanding is that pumice is volcanic rock similar to what's in their native habitat and the dust from which they bathe in in the wild. And of course them chewing on hard things is good for their teeth.

 

[3CsMommy]

Like bunnies, chins teeth continue to grow as long as they're healthy. The pumice gives them something very hard to chew to keep their front teeth from growing too long and causing problems. Their back teeth are (usually) worn down by grinding their food unless there's an alignment issue.

A chin with a calcium deficiency (white teeth instead of yellowy/orange) is sometimes given a cuttle fish bone to gnaw to supplement their diet w/ extra minerals while wearing their front teeth as well.

 

[lauralynne]

http://chinontherocks.com/ is a site where many people here have gotten their flagstone perches/ledges.