Z10 just born yesterday!

[kathiva]

I am also allergic to the dust, hay and wood shavings. I try to minimize as much as possible but can relate. I recently switched to the blue cloud and love it. It can be a little hard on the lungs but Allie loved the switch. The first time she bathed in it she started popcorning afterwards. And of course, Jade and Pearl like it too.

Maybe try a closed container (large jar or fishbowl)? That seems to help keep the dust from flying as much.

Hi

Do you find the blue cloud is good?, I do like the limestone for my allergies but I find it doesn't have so much "fine dust" that is the one that dries out the coats and takes out all the grease in the fur, I might give it a try, and I do have the supet pet dust bath houses that are like the shape of a house, so it might help, my dad just got me that kind of dust for me and his chins because he doesn't like so much fine dust all over the house, but I could buy some for myself

 

[saphire]

Proudmom a young couple that I know showed me this and I was very impressed with the containment of the dust.
I believe their is a video for you to see how it works.

 

[kathiva]

That is super cool. Looks almost like a spaceship. LOL!

I will have to check it out. Thanks!

Yeah, I like it too, is a good idea, this is the one I use for my chins, I have about 5 I believe

And I have only one that is made of metal and has the shape of a box and I have one that it has the shape of a flower, this is the picture

 

[proudmom25]

I really like the blue cloud. I don't find it to be a very fine dust (compared to the first one I had). Actually, when they roll in it and it gets low in the container it is actually pretty gritty. The previous dust that I used was very fine. I find the fineness is what irritates my asthma more.

And as mentioned, Allie starting popcorning after her baths when I switched to blue cloud. So I will definitely stick with it.

Hi

Do you find the blue cloud is good?, I do like the limestone for my allergies but I find it doesn't have so much "fine dust" that is the one that dries out the coats and takes out all the grease in the fur, I might give it a try, and I do have the supet pet dust bath houses that are like the shape of a house, so it might help, my dad just got me that kind of dust for me and his chins because he doesn't like so much fine dust all over the house, but I could buy some for myself

 

[kathiva]

Thanks for the info, I will definitely give it a try, even though the thread went off topic, I still wanted to say, that I am glad that these babies were born healthy and without any complications which it's the most important thing, and they are so cuuuute! I love them very much...

 

[tunes]

Yeah, I like it too, is a good idea, this is the one I use for my chins, I have about 5 I believe

Did I read that right? You have FIVE dust baths for 50+ chins? Not a good plan at all. God forbid one of your chins gets sick and you start passing out the dust baths, causing an epidemic to spread through your herd. One dust bath per cage is the only way to do it.

 

[kathiva]

Hi

I've been saying all along that my parents have about 40 chins and that I have 15, so I have about 8 dust bath houses in total and I have the chins in pairs so I have one dust bath house for one cage, so no, I don't have 5 dust baths for 50 chins, my parents have dust bath houses for each cage in their place, and I do know about passing diseases through dust baths, so that's why I have enough for each cage and if I ever need extra because a chin is sick, then I would just go get another dust bath house at the pet store

 

[kathiva]

I just switched the number of chinchillas I own to 15 instead of 50, because 15 is what I actually own in my place and my parents own the other 40 in their place, so to avoid anymore confusions, I decided to get it changed,

 

[Spoof]

I found blue cloud to be the worst on me and I don't have allergies. Within a few seconds of it being airborn I start having chest pains.

Blue sparkle never did anything to me, though I didn't like how my chins looked on it.

Baking powder/soda/corn starch worked the best in both situations (breathing/chin cleanliness) but was too expensive.

Sweet PDZ starts to cause me issues if I'm in there more than a few minutes, it makes me hack a little but no pain like blue cloud.

You can experiment with dusts, find one that works for you. )

 

[kathiva]

Thanks, I know, so I guess it won't be so good for my allergies then, I thought in giving a try to it and see what happens, the blue cloud seems to be better than the crushed limestone that I am using, but I also thought in just giving the chins a daily dust bath and I might get good results like the blue cloud

By the way, a friend sent me a picture of one of her tan kits and it was light like mine and it turned darker when older, I also saw your website on the tan changes, and I thought it was very good, and informative.

byeee

 

[DramaMama]

I know this is kind of late for me to be replying.
I have mega mega allergies (to the point where I've had multiple surgeries to open up my nasal passages and airways more), but I'm more concerned about my chinchillas having the best quality of everything that I can give to them. If I'm worried about bothering my respiratory system (which is almost always, but it's worse during certian times of the year) I wear a surgical mask when I'm around the dust, when I'm cleaning the dust, when I'm replacing the dust. They prevent contaminants from getting into my airways and they're avalibale all over the place for super cheap.
I like blue cloud because it's easy on my allergies and its one of the best dusts that I've tried thus far. Out of all the baths I've tried, the superpet one that you have (pentagon) kicks out the least dust. I do not offer the dust to my chins in their cage because it just makes a mess in the cage making it harder to clean and too much of it floats into the air during bath time. Instead I've fashioned the dust bath sideways into the shelf of a cheap bookcase that provides a "cover" (the shelf above) and the side opposite the door also works to catch dust instead of allowing it to be released into the air. I wipe down the dust bath area once a week to prevent build up of dust and when it is not in use I cover the hole with a piece of plastic wrap which I hold in place with an elastic band.
For hay I'm lucky enough to not have skin allergies (you didn't specify but I'm assuming based on how you're speaking that you have respiratory allergies) but again, I get the best hay I possibly can. I can't remember the brand of it off of the top of my head but I know that it's prarie hay and it's fresh and my boys love it and it doesn't produce much dust. I keep all of the hay, shavings, and extra dust in resealable containers (rubbermaids that I bought at Wal-Mart) that keep all contaminants out of the air and also assist in keeping the freshness in.
I know it seems like a lot of extra effort, but really, you don't have to deal with allergies as much, your chinchillas get the best care possible. So the effort is way worth turning a crap situation into a definite win-win situation, yes?

 

[Tagna]

Hay needs to breath so you shouldn't keep it sealed in a container. I keep my hay in a cardboard box that has holes all over, and I turn the hay every couple of days.

 

[Pleiades]

Where is this website with the information about how tans change color? I'd like to see that.

My medium-dark tan was very light as a kit, and took about two years to darken to what he is. He was born with a white tail, though, and he still has that. Does the tail color ever indicate anything in tans?

 

[kathiva]

Where is this website with the information about how tans change color? I'd like to see that.

My medium-dark tan was very light as a kit, and took about two years to darken to what he is. He was born with a white tail, though, and he still has that. Does the tail color ever indicate anything in tans?

Oh, is the website from the girl from Sunset chinchillas, here is the link to her website, http://www.sunsetchinchillas.com/TanChange.shtml, hope that helps

 

[kathiva]

I know this is kind of late for me to be replying.
I have mega mega allergies (to the point where I've had multiple surgeries to open up my nasal passages and airways more), but I'm more concerned about my chinchillas having the best quality of everything that I can give to them. If I'm worried about bothering my respiratory system (which is almost always, but it's worse during certian times of the year) I wear a surgical mask when I'm around the dust, when I'm cleaning the dust, when I'm replacing the dust. They prevent contaminants from getting into my airways and they're avalibale all over the place for super cheap.
I like blue cloud because it's easy on my allergies and its one of the best dusts that I've tried thus far. Out of all the baths I've tried, the superpet one that you have (pentagon) kicks out the least dust. I do not offer the dust to my chins in their cage because it just makes a mess in the cage making it harder to clean and too much of it floats into the air during bath time. Instead I've fashioned the dust bath sideways into the shelf of a cheap bookcase that provides a "cover" (the shelf above) and the side opposite the door also works to catch dust instead of allowing it to be released into the air. I wipe down the dust bath area once a week to prevent build up of dust and when it is not in use I cover the hole with a piece of plastic wrap which I hold in place with an elastic band.
For hay I'm lucky enough to not have skin allergies (you didn't specify but I'm assuming based on how you're speaking that you have respiratory allergies) but again, I get the best hay I possibly can. I can't remember the brand of it off of the top of my head but I know that it's prarie hay and it's fresh and my boys love it and it doesn't produce much dust. I keep all of the hay, shavings, and extra dust in resealable containers (rubbermaids that I bought at Wal-Mart) that keep all contaminants out of the air and also assist in keeping the freshness in.
I know it seems like a lot of extra effort, but really, you don't have to deal with allergies as much, your chinchillas get the best care possible. So the effort is way worth turning a crap situation into a definite win-win situation, yes?

Yes, I agree, thanks so much for the advice, I will look into other options for the dust and take on the suggestions,

byeee

 

[saphire]

Where is this website with the information about how tans change color? I'd like to see that.

My medium-dark tan was very light as a kit, and took about two years to darken to what he is. He was born with a white tail, though, and he still has that. Does the tail color ever indicate anything in tans?

The white tail indicates he is a white tan. It takes up to 24 months for their full color shows if I recall correctly.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

Oh, is the website from the girl from Sunset chinchillas, here is the link to her website, http://www.sunsetchinchillas.com/TanChange.shtml, hope that helps

i think shes a little to old to be a girl , no offense not saying your old tara lmao...her name is spoof on here incase you all didnt know that was her. and i bought a tan male from her and he has darkened up alot since when i bought him..he was a creamy color now he is a dark tan, not DARK but hes very well toned with his color.

 

[tunes]

Yeah, we all pretty much knew it was Tara.

A lot of times with tans, you can tell how dark they are going to get by their heads and their tails, at least with mine. If I have a tan with a really dark head/tail, I watch for the body to catch up.

 

[Pleiades]

Yea, Max's head was always darker, like he was TOV almost, but he didn't have paw spats or anything. Now he's as dark as he's going to get I think. So is a "white tan" just WW/Mosaic + Tan? Max's parents were **** eb and hetero beige, I believe.

 

[Spoof]

i think shes a little to old to be a girl

So I got old and turned into a guy? )

If the parents were a **** eb and a hetero beige there is no white. Sometimes you get a tan that has whitish tail hair. If you look at the photos on my site you'll see that they as they reached adulthood, their tails became white.