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[BellaBella]

Hello it's a long time since posted too and sadly my return to this forum was because my 10.5 year old chin frizzles sadly lost his battle with dental disease a month ago. Like you I had to feed him on and off since 2015 with critical care. The day he passed I got a random notification for this forum in my emails so even though it's hard this place has given me some comfort the past month. Sorry to drop in on your thread. Reading it brought back my memories of frizzles having dental and fighting with me over having to feed him critical care. He was a cheeky little guy

I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m lucky that I don’t have to fight Bella to eat, she willingly eats off a spoon, but I’m not happy that I have to feed her. I wish she could have lived her whole life eating her hay. I hope I didn’t do anything to cause or exacerbate this condition.

 

[Sophiaxfrizzx]

I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m lucky that I don’t have to fight Bella to eat, she willingly eats off a spoon, but I’m not happy that I have to feed her. I wish she could have lived her whole life eating her hay. I hope I didn’t do anything to cause or exacerbate this condition.

I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m lucky that I don’t have to fight Bella to eat, she willingly eats off a spoon, but I’m not happy that I have to feed her. I wish she could have lived her whole life eating her hay. I hope I didn’t do anything to cause or exacerbate this condition.

I blamed myself for a long time when frizzles was first diagnosed with dental issues. He was never on the right diet from the start. The pet shop I got him in were feeding him charlie chinchilla food which is basically dried nuts and I continued with it thinking I was doing right. It was only when he got issues with his teeth I learned he needed to eat hay but he refused to eat hay. I spend a fortune on him with different hay to try get him to eat it.
It's hard not too think you did something to cause it. Through my own research dental disease tends to be a big thing among chinchillas. Frizzles was so strong and it was such a shock to lose him because he went in for his dental in great shape.

 

[Sophiaxfrizzx]

Very sorry for your loss. I am a first time chin owner and had no idea how attached I could become to these little balls of fluff! My Maury is an 11 year old rescue so I know my time with him is limited. Bless you for taking such good care of Frizzles, I'm glad he had you in those final months. I'm glad you have lots of happy memories of him too. HERES TO FRIZZLES!

Frizzles was my first chinchilla too. He became my best friend for 10.5 years. I blamed myself for his dental issues due to wrong diet but the pet shop I bought him in had him on the wrong diet and I continued thinking it was the right thing. He had an amazing life and was a very happy chinchilla. Even in his last few days. I will say I feel afraid to get more chinchillas because of the hurt I experienced. Thank you for your kind message ❤

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

With the new software and lots of old members coming back, thought it might be fun to see what everyone has been up to.

Travels? New pets? What's new?

Roo is doing great! She has a chinnie buddie that she loves and some new toys. We recently got a another puppy (rescue like our dog and Roo) so most of my time has been dedicated to training her. She and Roo are getting along pretty well and Leia is much calmer around her. (I have trained Maximus to be calm around her even when she is chilling on my shoulder in case of emergencies and she needs to be pulled out.) Leia is working hard and Roo is warming up to her. I have a huge Christmas list for Roo and update her mansion.

 

[Maarvin]

With the new software and lots of old members coming back, thought it might be fun to see what everyone has been up to.

Travels? New pets? What's new?

New work, planning on adopting a hedgehog... It seems to me that I'm close to hating insects...

 

[hedgewitch]

You don’t have to feed your hedgie insects. In fact I’ve had a few over the years who refused them! The main part of diet for my herd is a good quality cat kibble and fresh bowl of water daily. Treats can include small amounts of scrambled or hard boiled egg, diced fruit (banana, strawberry, watermelon & cantaloupe - no seeds, baked or boiled sweet potato, fresh cooked meats (diced, no seasonings chicken, turkey, salmon), yogurt. Like us humans, hedgies have different like and dislikes so don’t get discouraged if a treat is ignored and don’t stop at just one attempt. Some days I like melon. Other days I pass. Just remember to keep amounts of treats small, 1/2 teaspoon of any new treat to avoid tummy upsets and green poo!
Teresa

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Frizzles was my first chinchilla too. He became my best friend for 10.5 years. I blamed myself for his dental issues due to wrong diet but the pet shop I bought him in had him on the wrong diet and I continued thinking it was the right thing. He had an amazing life and was a very happy chinchilla. Even in his last few days. I will say I feel afraid to get more chinchillas because of the hurt I experienced. Thank you for your kind message ❤

What diet was he on just out of curiosity?

 

[Sophiaxfrizzx]

What diet was he on just out of curiosity?

Hello. I'm from Ireland and chinchillas are not a very popular pet here. When I got frizzles 10.5 years ago the pet shop sent me away with charlie chinchilla feed. I honestly did not know better and gave him that which lead him to selective eating. He would not touch hay at all. I tried every type of hay and spent a lot of money but he was very picky. I know it was his diet that more than likely lead to his dental issues but I also was not informed enough when I first got him to know any better.

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Hello. I'm from Ireland and chinchillas are not a very popular pet here. When I got frizzles 10.5 years ago the pet shop sent me away with charlie chinchilla feed. I honestly did not know better and gave him that which lead him to selective eating. He would not touch hay at all. I tried every type of hay and spent a lot of money but he was very picky. I know it was his diet that more than likely lead to his dental issues but I also was not informed enough when I first got him to know any better.

Ahh I see. If in the future you get another look for oxbow essentials and oxbow western timothy hay. If you dont have it in ireland Amazon carries it.

 

[Sophiaxfrizzx]

Ahh I see. If in the future you get another look for oxbow essentials and oxbow western timothy hay. If you dont have it in ireland Amazon carries it.

Thank you for your advice. I'm actually getting two babies in the next month so I'm currently getting prepared for that. I have ordered oxbow essentials and Timothy hay.
Just have a question regarding the oxbow essentials. I read a thread here saying they are not good because they are high in calcium and can cause stones?

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Thank you for your advice. I'm actually getting two babies in the next month so I'm currently getting prepared for that. I have ordered oxbow essentials and Timothy hay.
Just have a question regarding the oxbow essentials. I read a thread here saying they are not good because they are high in calcium and can cause stones?

I have never heard that. From all the chin owners I've talked to they all recommend oxbow essentials. I can do some research into it but from my knowledge its the healthiest. I'll let u know if I find anything

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Thank you for your advice. I'm actually getting two babies in the next month so I'm currently getting prepared for that. I have ordered oxbow essentials and Timothy hay.
Just have a question regarding the oxbow essentials. I read a thread here saying they are not good because they are high in calcium and can cause stones?

also can you send me the to that thread? Very curious about that.

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Thank you for your advice. I'm actually getting two babies in the next month so I'm currently getting prepared for that. I have ordered oxbow essentials and Timothy hay.
Just have a question regarding the oxbow essentials. I read a thread here saying they are not good because they are high in calcium and can cause stones?

Ok just did a bunch of research, which I love doing so it was fun. Bladder stones are caused by a buildup of minerals in the bladder, that crystallizes. The only way for this buildup to happen is by urine not exiting the bladder. As long as urine isn't trapped in the bladder the mineral buildup wont happen. As for the high calcium causing bladder stones, this is actually just a theory. More research is being done on this. From what I've read, based on this theory being true oxbow essentials only effect rabbits and guinea pigs. The reason for this is rabbits and guinea pigs don't moderate their calcium. They absorb all of it. Human bodies get rid of the extra calcium that we receive. This true for chins as well. Chinchilla bodies extract the extra calcium, if even needed, and absorb that amount they do need. Their bodies self moderate their calcium intake, making hard for chinchillas to get bladder stones this way. If your chin has a medical issue in which they cannot self moderate this is where it can be concerning. Also, calcium is an essential for every living creature. They strengthen our bones and teeth. If you completely avoid the calcium in food, the chinchilla will have to pull calcium from its bones and teeth which weakness their bones and more injuries will arise.

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Thank you for your advice. I'm actually getting two babies in the next month so I'm currently getting prepared for that. I have ordered oxbow essentials and Timothy hay.
Just have a question regarding the oxbow essentials. I read a thread here saying they are not good because they are high in calcium and can cause stones?

As for kidney stones, sometimes its caused by an excess amount of calcium, but mainly and excess amount of oxalate. Too little calcium can cause kidney stones, more than too much. Hope this helps.

 

[Sophiaxfrizzx]

As for kidney stones, sometimes its caused by an excess amount of calcium, but mainly and excess amount of oxalate. Too little calcium can cause kidney stones, more than too much. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for all your research. I really appreciate it
I really want to get the diet right this time round and hopefully avoid dental issues.

https://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/threads/the-dangers-of-alfalfa.38319/
I have attached the thread for you to read

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Here is what the moderator says and I completely agree. If you want to be extra careful you can avoided giving alfalfa hay to them so it's high I'm sugar anyway, but essentials should be fine as long as the chin has a medical issue in which it's prone to stones or can't moderate their calcium intake. I'm actually studying to become a animal nutritionist so this was great for me to do research on

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Here is what the moderator says and I completely agree. If you want to be extra careful you can avoided giving alfalfa hay to them so it's high I'm sugar anyway, but essentials should be fine as long as the chin has a medical issue in which it's prone to stones or can't moderate their calcium intake. I'm actually studying to become a animal nutritionist so this was great for me to do research on

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

Thank you so much for all your research. I really appreciate it
I really want to get the diet right this time round and hopefully avoid dental issues.

https://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/threads/the-dangers-of-alfalfa.38319/
I have attached the thread for you to read

Also you must send me pics if your babies when you get them!

 

[Sophiaxfrizzx]

Also you must send me pics if your babies when you get them!

Well thank you for your help I really appreciate it
Another question for you in terms of hay. I have read that Timothy is the best but also read that they should be given a variety of hay.
Is oxbow orchard grass, botanical and oat hay good? Seeing a lot of different hays on Amazon but unsure about them

 

[Sophiaxfrizzx]

Also of course I will send pictures of them. I'm so excited I cannot wait to get them