Worried Mommy-To-Be

[sarahrichardson]

Soooo..... I will hopefully be getting my first Chin in a couple days and I just want to make sure I got everything I need, and everything is safe to use.

Alrighty... So first is the cage; I have two options: the my first home for exotics, or the martins R-695. I haven't really heard too much about either for Chins... and I assume I would have to cover the floors of the martins(which isn't an issue... for my rats I have used linoleum in the past and fleece, but im not sure if either of those will be appropriate) I feel like such a N00b. haha.

Secondly... the food.. I can look at ingredients and such but i'm not sure what is fantastic and what is not. As far as I can tell the best I can easily acquire is Oxbow and Mazuri.... Which one of those would be best... and if both are bad- what is good and easily accessible? I've also bought the oxbow western timothy hay, dandelion treats, and a hanging herb treat.

Thirdly... the accessories.. I know chins shouldn't have plastic, but is a plastic dust house okay? If not I can get a ceramic one. I got Blue Cloud dust(is this okay?)... I got some pumice stones, apple wood chew blocks, ceramic food bowl and a glass water bottle. I got a wood house put together with wooden dowels....

Do chinchillas like hammocks?

And what are some examples of acceptable toys? I no there is to be nothing of rope strung things, but I am so terrified of buying the wrong ones.

Also.. the only wheels I can find with good ratings and no holes are the silent spinners and saucers... but they are plastic.. What is a good brand/type of an acceptable wheel?

Are Chinchillas super social animals.. I am planning on getting one, but if she will do better with a friend-a friend she will have.

And finally, what bedding do you guys prefer? I use fleece, recycled newspaper pellets, and aspen for my rats so I have that readily available all the time..

And just to ease worries the rats and chinchillas will never see each other and be in totally separate parts of the house.

I'm sorry for my novel, and thanks in advance for advice!

Sincerely,
A very nervous mommy to be

 

[tunes]

Alrighty... So first is the cage; I have two options: the my first home for exotics, or the martins R-695. I haven't really heard too much about either for Chins... and I assume I would have to cover the floors of the martins(which isn't an issue... for my rats I have used linoleum in the past and fleece, but im not sure if either of those will be appropriate) I feel like such a N00b. haha.

I wouldn't get either. I would buy a Ferret or Critter Nation.

Secondly... the food.. I can look at ingredients and such but i'm not sure what is fantastic and what is not. As far as I can tell the best I can easily acquire is Oxbow and Mazuri.... Which one of those would be best... and if both are bad- what is good and easily accessible? I've also bought the oxbow western timothy hay, dandelion treats, and a hanging herb treat.

I'm not a fan of Mazuri. If those were my 2 choices, I would go with Oxbow. Also, treats should be very limited. One or two a week is plenty. If you use the search function on here, you will find loads of threads about acceptable treats (and pretty much all your other questions).

Thirdly... the accessories.. I know chins shouldn't have plastic, but is a plastic dust house okay? If not I can get a ceramic one. I got Blue Cloud dust(is this okay?)... I got some pumice stones, apple wood chew blocks, ceramic food bowl and a glass water bottle. I got a wood house put together with wooden dowels....

A plastic dust bath house is fine. Since you won't leave it in with your chin anyway, there shouldn't be a problem.

Do chinchillas like hammocks?

Most do. Some do tend to eat them though, so something to be aware of.

And what are some examples of acceptable toys? I no there is to be nothing of rope strung things, but I am so terrified of buying the wrong ones.

Again, use the search button and check out toys. Pretty much everything sold through our classifieds is chinchilla safe and cheaper than pet store junk.

Also.. the only wheels I can find with good ratings and no holes are the silent spinners and saucers... but they are plastic.. What is a good brand/type of an acceptable wheel?

A plastic wheel is pointless. Go with a chin spin or a flying saucer. If you do a Google search, you should get hits on where you can buy them.

Are Chinchillas super social animals.. I am planning on getting one, but if she will do better with a friend-a friend she will have.

It depends on the chin. Some like cagemates, others don't. Some chins will live together peacefully their entire lives, others will live together for 10 years and then tear their cagemate apart. There is never any guarantee. If you have more than 1 chin, you need more than 1 cage.

And finally, what bedding do you guys prefer? I use fleece, recycled newspaper pellets, and aspen for my rats so I have that readily available all the time..

I use kiln dried pine. Other folks prefer fleece liners. Again, depends on if your chin will gnaw on them.

And just to ease worries the rats and chinchillas will never see each other and be in totally separate parts of the house.

My rats and chins lived for years in the same room.

 

[fbodgrl]

Soooo..... I will hopefully be getting my first Chin in a couple days and I just want to make sure I got everything I need, and everything is safe to use.

Alrighty... So first is the cage; I have two options: the my first home for exotics, or the martins R-695. I haven't really heard too much about either for Chins... and I assume I would have to cover the floors of the martins(which isn't an issue... for my rats I have used linoleum in the past and fleece, but im not sure if either of those will be appropriate) I feel like such a N00b. haha.

Secondly... the food.. I can look at ingredients and such but i'm not sure what is fantastic and what is not. As far as I can tell the best I can easily acquire is Oxbow and Mazuri.... Which one of those would be best... and if both are bad- what is good and easily accessible? I've also bought the oxbow western timothy hay, dandelion treats, and a hanging herb treat.

Thirdly... the accessories.. I know chins shouldn't have plastic, but is a plastic dust house okay? If not I can get a ceramic one. I got Blue Cloud dust(is this okay?)... I got some pumice stones, apple wood chew blocks, ceramic food bowl and a glass water bottle. I got a wood house put together with wooden dowels....

Do chinchillas like hammocks?

And what are some examples of acceptable toys? I no there is to be nothing of rope strung things, but I am so terrified of buying the wrong ones.

Also.. the only wheels I can find with good ratings and no holes are the silent spinners and saucers... but they are plastic.. What is a good brand/type of an acceptable wheel?

Are Chinchillas super social animals.. I am planning on getting one, but if she will do better with a friend-a friend she will have.

And finally, what bedding do you guys prefer? I use fleece, recycled newspaper pellets, and aspen for my rats so I have that readily available all the time..

And just to ease worries the rats and chinchillas will never see each other and be in totally separate parts of the house.

I'm sorry for my novel, and thanks in advance for advice!

Sincerely,
A very nervous mommy to be

My first suggestion would be to do your research and get prepared with what you need before you get your chin. If this means you can't get your chin in a few days hold off. I researched and prepared for my Chin Maci for nearly a year. She came home at the end of May.

Pretty much all the questions on cages and supplies you asked are answered in the housing section. There you will also see quite a few threads with pictures of peoples cages to give you ideas.

As far as food goes you should continue to feed your chin whatever they are currently being fed and slowly transition to a new food if you wanted to feed something else. I feed tradition because that is what my breeder fed and my girl does good on it. You can pretty much find a supplier for any of the foods and have it shipped to you if some where local doesn't sell it.

I use fleece liners and have a litter pan with aspen shavings. My chin is litter trained and aside from an issue lately of peeing in her food, she uses her litter pan and never goes on the liners. I still change them every 2 or 3 days.

As far as hay I use timothy and orchard grass.

 

[Ash]

I have a few Martin's cages, however, when I ordered my cages, I requested larger doors, and no wire shelves and made my own shelves. I also requested the pan be pull out, but to have no wire grid (the chins needed to have access to the shavings). They readily made the cage to my modifications and adjusted the price accordingly. Many people don't like the Martin's due to the wire floor/shelves, but you can easily work around them.

 

[sarahrichardson]

Thanks for every bodies responses. Ill try to address everything that was re-mentioned.
As for research- I haven't been researching only a couple days-this has been months in the making. I am just ensuring all the information I have gathered is correct and hear actual reviews and opinions on these things.
As for cages- I have 2 double tier FN's, and 2 single tier FN's that are currently occupied by my rats. It wouldn't be the end of the world to buy another one, but I'm trying to use up my purchased and never used cages before dropping 2-3 hundred on another FN or CN.
Food- The little girl is currently on a kaytee subscription or some other nonsense; it might be fiesta... So I am planning on doing a cold switch since she is still semi-young(4 months) and needs good nutrition to grow up big and strong.
Toys- I have looked around and have been storing toilet rolls and paper towel rolls, but i'm very worried about if the wood on bird toys is a correct type of wood.

 

[Godofgods]

I feel like such a N00b. haha.

The n00bs are the screw ups that willing go get a chin without doing any research or checking on info'

Alrighty... So first is the cage; I have two options: the my first home for exotics, or the martins R-695. I haven't really heard too much about either for Chins... and I assume I would have to cover the floors of the martins(which isn't an issue... for my rats I have used linoleum in the past and fleece, but im not sure if either of those will be appropriate) I feel like such a N00b. haha.

Im not frimilar with either of those two you listed. I use, an im sure msot will recomend as stated, the Ferret nation cages. Since you said you two already youll already be frimilar with them.

While iv never heard much about chins and linoleum, i would imagin, if they can get their teeth into it, its not a good option. Fleece however is a good option if you chin doesnt tear it to shreads. (rare, but iv heard of a few that do. My 5 love it however)

Secondly... the food.. I can look at ingredients and such but i'm not sure what is fantastic and what is not. As far as I can tell the best I can easily acquire is Oxbow and Mazuri.... Which one of those would be best... and if both are bad- what is good and easily accessible? I've also bought the oxbow western timothy hay, dandelion treats, and a hanging herb treat.

Oxbow and mazuri seem to accepted food types around here. The oxbow hay is good as well. And make sure to keep treats to a minamume.

Thirdly... the accessories.. I know chins shouldn't have plastic, but is a plastic dust house okay? If not I can get a ceramic one. I got Blue Cloud dust(is this okay?)... I got some pumice stones, apple wood chew blocks, ceramic food bowl and a glass water bottle. I got a wood house put together with wooden dowels....

Plastic dust bath houses are fine. Generaly most people dont leave the houses in their 24/7. Only when their actuly getting a bath. And their generaly far to excited to get their dust to care about shwewing the house much lol. BUt if its a concern, i beleive some site have the same version but in metal.

Blue cloud is a good dust type. Just recently did my local pet stores actuly start carrying it. But youll find much better deals online.

Al the rest mentioned thehir is fine.

Do chinchillas like hammocks?

Some do, some dont. My older chins that i took in seem to ignore them for the most part. My younger chins seem to use them tho. So if yours is 4 months, theirs a good chance shell get used to it. Just make sure shes not trying to eat it.

One things iv found out tho, that they seem to like even more then a traditional hammok, is their make shift hammoks. I had a fleece liner that covered the shelf of a FN cage. Well they like to get in it from underneather and use it as a hammok lol.

Check these pics out to see what i mean lol
Houdini

Ameena and Sophia
^^ That one seems to stretch a lot more.

Also.. the only wheels I can find with good ratings and no holes are the silent spinners and saucers... but they are plastic.. What is a good brand/type of an acceptable wheel?

Some will recomend the chin spin. I personaly use a metal flying saucer. It works great to. A new one is expencive. Up to ~$100 new. But the good thing is it will last forever. And IF something catastrophic did happen to it where it didnt spin anymore, you jsut need to replace the barring. Which is like $2. (Iv had mine for a few years, and never had to)

Are Chinchillas super social animals.. I am planning on getting one, but if she will do better with a friend-a friend she will have.

This is the worry that got me into some trouble lol. Chins can be alone, but i hate to see it. And my guy was lonely. So i ended up getting him a playmate. Which he absolutly loved. In more ways then one.... They have 3 kids now.
So if you desided to get a playmate, i would suggest a female. Of course, as anyone here will tell you, their is no gaurentee they will get along. (jsut liek any other animal/person) So if they dont, you have to be preparred to house them seperatly. However, at a younger age, i beleive it should be easier to introduce.

And finally, what bedding do you guys prefer? I use fleece, recycled newspaper pellets, and aspen for my rats so I have that readily available all the time..

Klin dried pine and Aspen shaving work. Im currently useing aspen and i can tell you, the stuff will get everywhere. And i mean everyyyywhere. However its one of the few main types that are safe for them.

Fleece liners work well to if your chin doesnt chew em up. (liek all other fleece products) If you have them available, and a washer to wash em in, id suggest getting em used to that. Itll save you a lot of time and money.

 

[mishellyshel]

if your going to get an FN eventually than start out with the biggest easiest cage to access that you have. i use fleece with a pine shaving litter pan in all my FN's.
oxbow & mazuri are both good foods, if you can afford go for the oxbow. my chins love the oxbow timothy hay, orchard grass and alfalfa (limited).

i a pretty sure the dandelion treats and herb hanging toy are filled with sugar. you would be better off returning them and ordering some good quality apple wood or other varieties of wood from vendors here. it is not really cost effective to buy the small packages in the pet store plus the wood is not that great.

most of my chins love thier hammocks. they also LOVE their fleece covered tubes.

and only 1 or 2 of mine have wheels. they are not 100% necessary. they are nice to have. but only having one chin you will have plenty of time for out of cage play. since she is still young you need to limit their exercise anyway while they are growing.

so glad you are researching! it makes for such a better pet owner. and dont worry if you make some mistakes in the beginning....everyone does. enjoy your chinnie. they really are interesting and sweet pets with a touch of attitude! looking forward to seeing pics an hearing stories.

 

[tunes]

As a general rule with wood, if it's okay for a bird, it's okay for a chin. If you check the forum FAQ section, there is a list of chin safe wood. You can buy lots of loose wood on Ebay for toy making, and though there isn't nearly as much as there used to be, check the classifieds here. Ronda sells lots of different types of what on a regular basis and others sell it hit and miss.

 

[sarahrichardson]

As a general rule with wood, if it's okay for a bird, it's okay for a chin. If you check the forum FAQ section, there is a list of chin safe wood. You can buy lots of loose wood on Ebay for toy making, and though there isn't nearly as much as there used to be, check the classifieds here. Ronda sells lots of different types of what on a regular basis and others sell it hit and miss.

I've basically memorized the wood list- the only problem is that only 1/20 bird toys are labeled with what wood they are made with. So i will probably just end up ordering them all on line.

What precise colour is she?

 

[Godofgods]

id say beige. looks jsut like three of mine'

 

[VolunteerChin22]

She looks tan to me...is her belly the same color as the rest of her?

 

[Isabella Whateva]

Generaly most people dont leave the houses in their 24/7.

Actually, you shouldn't ever leave the bath in there 24/7. One of my chins' old owner kept the bath in there all the time and it dried out her skin so bad her feet bled in the winter It also made her totally lose the excitement of bath time and get completely bored of it. Not to mention she chewed the front of the bath house down to nothing. A fifteen minute bath every three or four days or so is just fine. Usually they can go longer without one. Eventually you'll be able to tell by looking at them when they do or don't need it.