Red Feet + Fleece Questions

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CarrotCube

Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2018
Messages
11
Photos here
Sorry for the quality, I cannot get anything better.
(I usually cant get a good look at his feet. They look like tiny alien feet <3)

(PS. I cannot hold him by the base of the tail, he gets too squirmy and makes very very angry sounds. Tail is a No touchy zone)
(He is currently angry at me, hiding in his box. Didnt want scritches either
=,( )

They are usually redder after playtime. I assume because he is always jumping and popcorning and walljumping and going here and there etc, he is pretty active most days.

There is no blood, no sings of pain, a lil flakey on the outer side, but the soles are nice. The toes are all perfect, if with 1 or 2 small skin flakes.
One is better than the other.

Right foot (left on photos) is a little swollen? But i heard it could also be a deformity and that is just how they are.
He didnt grunt or anything when I touched it (except for that "Stop touching places I dont want to be touchen" tiny grunts), and he doesnt seem to be in pain at all.

The other is fine, not swollen and the less red of the two, there are two white spots on it (invisible on photos), but that may be the coloration of the foot itself. If whiteness on feet is something to be aware of, please let me know.

Now, He has ben living with plastic shelving... Id say his whole life? Or at least since my relatives bough him. I have no idea about his past =/

He gets his baths twice a week

I heard covering the shelving with fleece is best, but i cannot find any information about it on Spanish whatsoever.
(Cleaning, type, stores to buy it from, NOTHING at all. I believe Spanish people do not use fleece for any animal. I cannot find info for fleece with guinea pigs either. I can go blindly buy fleece from my nearest store but I'd rather be safe than sorry)

Would fleece make it easier on his feet?
Should I cover the bottom too or just the plastic shelvings?
 
The feet look fine to me, probably just red after playtime due to increased blood flow to his feet. Swelling of the heels can also be caused by sitting on flat surfaces all the time, flat surfaces are not natural. You can try adding some curved ledges like lava ledges as well as wood perches, like you would buy for a bird, or even some rocks. They have to balance on the perches an other uneven surfaces which helps blood circulation to the feet, think rolling foot massager.

Stores don't sell fleece specifically for animals (not counting online vendors like the banner ads and classifieds on here, who make cage liners), you just go to a fabric store and buy fleece or buy a fleece blanket to cut up. Ideally you want anti-pill fleece or polar/blizzard/arctic fleece (it goes by many names), basically the thick fleece not the micro fleece and fleece that doesn't pill when washed. For cleaning you just have to wash it in vinegar and water, no detergent and no fabric softener, and if peed on it needs changing a couple times a week.

The idea of covering plastic with fleece is to prevent the chin from chewing on the plastic, a better idea, if you can, is replace any shelves with wood. If the bottom is plastic I would cover that too, even if he hasn't chewed the plastic yet it's only a matter of time. Plastic is not digestible and is very likely to cause a blockage if swallowed. If however the chin chews the fleece then it's not safe to use either. Fleece is considered safe since most don't chew it and it doesn't unravel like other fabric.

Fleece can actually have a negative effect on the feet if they are standing on it all the time, a chin's feet should be allowed to form hard callus on the bottom, like a shoe sole, which protects their feet from injury just like your shoes. The feet wont toughen up if the chin is basically walking around on fleece carpet all the time.
 
@Amethyst

Oh wow, Thank you so much for all this info. Knowing he his feet are not bad is a relief, really <3

I'll try find some rocks and other perches for him! All he has are flat surfaces in his cage with the occasional cardboard rolls (He doesn't eat them)
I bet I can find something cheap around here


I will cover the shelves even tho he has never chewed on them. I know he chews on other kinds of plastic, but these an intact. Better safe than sorry, tho... I am living with my parents currently and I'll see if I can replace the "perfectly usable" shelves.

The next structures I may purchase for him will be wood, tho!

I will eventually cover the bottom aswell, he has ben living in this cage since my relatives bough him and has no signs of chewing but maybe some day he decides hed like to eat it... I Doubt it, but just in case.
I'd go for a bigger, better cage but my parents have told me this cage does not need to be changed as long as it is still viable for Chinchi.


I had no idea about the callouses thing! I will get a variety of surfaces ready for him to choose from.

Thank you for your advice <3 All these changes are going to make Chichi very happy!
 
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