Auto Feeders, Big Water Bottles, Ferret Nation Cages

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brinfe

brinfe

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Joined
Feb 12, 2009
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30
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Me and my husband are traveling a lot lately because of our new jobs. Considering the prices of gas, we cannot continue to drive home everyday or every two days anymore to feed/water chins. My idea was to get them some automatic feeders and bigger water bottles. :hmm: That way one of us would only have to check on them every 3-4 days instead of every 1-2 days. I have the glass water bottles Lixit they are called I think. Any suggestions on where to buy automatic feeders and bigger glass water bottles for my chins?

Also, we are thinking about transitioning over to Ferret Nation cages. Typically if you have a pair you buy the 142 and a single chin the 141, right? I know you have to buy a pan separately from Bass Equipment I think. Who is the best priced shelf, accessories, etc chin supplier for these type of cages?

Thanks!
 
I think the bigger issue is no one checking on them for 3-4 days. What if one of them gets sick or injured, the a/c goes out, there are so many things that "could" go wrong. Do you not have anyone that can check in on them daily (while topping off their food and water?)

It really doesn't seem fair to the chins if they are only getting "checked" on every 3-4 days and that's it. What's the point, really, of having any animal if all you do is "check in" on it. Not meaning to sound harsh here, but really...is this going to be an ongoing thing, or just temporary?
 
Yes, this is definitely just temporary only until the end of May. I would appreciate positive feedback here. We take really good care of our chins.
 
We had to relocate to a different city, for our jobs, where we do not know anyone. And no one we do not is within driving distance. As stated before this is only a temporary situation until end of May, we are trying our best. I really would appreciate less criticism. My questions have still not been addressed.
 
I have to agree with Stackie here. I'm sure you do take good care of your chins and I understand that this is only a temporary thing, but try to find someone willing to check on them daily. Better to be safe than sorry!
 
I've been pretty blessed with getting my non-chin neighbor to check on my guys while we are gone overnight,two nights at most.I make sure to have double everything in the cages,I have a backup temperature alarm system that calls me for temps out of range( that I set) or power outages.Basically all they do is come in check on everyone(give them each a treat through the cage bars) and just make sure no one is in trouble.They are not to open the cages or anything(unless obvious emergency) unless they call me first.I do all of this just for 1 overnite trip and wouldn't dream of not having someone chin knowledgeable to stay with them for anything more than 2 nights.
 
There will be no positive feed back to a owner who will check on chinchillas well being every 3-4 days. Get a sitter and forget the question.
 
Where have you relocated? Perhaps there is a chin person close to you that would be willing to "chin-sit" until you can check on them more often.
 
I leave mine for chunks of time frequently, but I do have someone check them every 2-3 days. IMO if you are only driving back to check on them and are not living there I would not go past the three day mark.

You can use bigger feed hoppers (rabbit feeders) and an extra bottle or two, they' should be fine.

If you have problems with them destroying water bottles, escaping, or a/c issues in your house you may come home to dead chins after three days.
 
You guys are intense. I'm not going to have a complete stranger come into our apartment. Thank you Spoof for at least answering my questions. Yes, three days would be my limit too. Maybe put yourself in the other person's shoes before you start telling them how to care for their chins.

This is supposed to be a forum where people ask questions and learn. Your responses are making me not want to post anything on here anymore. I urge you to be more friendly when posting your responses and do not answer questions that we not asked. It's responses like yours, that just criticize, that have people doubting themselves to post anything here.
 
Sorry, but if anyone here sees someone putting their chins in potential danger, be it a "maybe" or what if, we are going to say something. I don't see anyone being rude to you, we are taking your chin's best interest into consideration and leaving them completely alone for 3 to 4 days is not safe and is not okay. We are offering alternatives so that they CAN be safe.

I wasn't suggesting having a complete stranger come into your apartment. I was suggesting leaving them in someone else's care until you can check on them more often, or maybe if you had a friend that could come check on them Leaving them alone for that amount of time is not good for them. Many people have found other chin people and left their chins there when they had to go out of town, etc.
 
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You may also want to check with rescues and breeders in your area. I chin sit for people town all the time. I know many other breeders and rescues who do as well.
 
To the OP, I can understand your frustration but the people that are giving you advice are long time members and chin owners. We have seen a lot of situations where bad things can happen in an instant, so please understand that we have your chins best interest at heart. One more thing that you need to know if any of your chins are housed together as cagemates, that they can turn on each other in an instant, it's not common but it can happen. Usually, if you are home you can see if a squabble is happening or someone is getting picked on and can separate them immediately, but if you're gone for a long period of time, you will definitely come home to a tragedy.
 
brinfe said:
You guys are intense. I'm not going to have a complete stranger come into our apartment. Thank you Spoof for at least answering my questions. Yes, three days would be my limit too. Maybe put yourself in the other person's shoes before you start telling them how to care for their chins.

This is supposed to be a forum where people ask questions and learn. Your responses are making me not want to post anything on here anymore. I urge you to be more friendly when posting your responses and do not answer questions that we not asked. It's responses like yours, that just criticize, that have people doubting themselves to post anything here.
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Self policing is not allowed on the forum, if you have a problem with my post, use the warn button. What you want to do is wrong to do to loving pets, sure if they are treated like farm animals leave them for days on end and if they die oh well. You can come home to dead chins, no matter if you stick a gallon water bottle and a bucket of food in the cage, a power outage, a chin who breaks a tooth and stops eating and dies from stasis, a broken leg, a URI, etc can happen at any time and the need for vet care ASAP. I don't care if it is harsh, chins are living creatures and deserve to be treated with respect and love.
 
I understand where you are coming from Stackie. However, jumping to conclusions right from the start doesn't give me a good feeling about this forum. I asked questions and those should have been answered first. It is called developing a good rapport and some of you seriously need to consider doing that going forward. Typically, that makes people more accepting and trusting of your advice.

Spoof said they'd left their chins alone for 3 days before. Let me reiterate, no friends no family, and that this situation will only be until end of May. I did not accuse anyone of being rude. I said intense. If I would have gotten a friendly vibe from the get-go, then I might have considered leaving them temporarily with a rescue but that didn't happen. A good motto for this forum would be to develop a good rapport then attack...GOSH people this is ridiculous!
 
Is there a way you can bring your chins to wherever you are going? Or are you traveling to all different places?

My suggestion would be to call rescues and breeders around you or see if there is a reputable chin sitter anywhere near you.

FN 141 can hold two chins, a lot of people have one chin in each section (so two in a 142). All depends on what you can afford and how your chins like it. I would suggest you change their cages maybe when you can be home for a bit so you make sure there aren't problems with it.

I make all my wood shelves. It's easy if you just go to a home improvement store and they can cut it to size if you don't have a saw or want to spend the time cutting it. As for accessories, there is a list of online retailers in the "Chin supplies for sale" section on the top of the list of posts.
 
brinfe said:
If I would have gotten a friendly vibe from the get-go, then I might have considered leaving them temporarily with a rescue but that didn't happen.QUOTE]

What? You might have considered doing the right thing for your chins if we were "nicer"? That doesn't even make sense. If you love your chins, you will do what is best for them no matter what.

No one here wants to be mean or unfair. All of us here love our chins very much and we want to help people make the right choices for their chins too!
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brinfe said:
I understand where you are coming from Stackie. However, jumping to conclusions right from the start doesn't give me a good feeling about this forum. I asked questions and those should have been answered first. It is called developing a good rapport and some of you seriously need to consider doing that going forward. Typically, that makes people more accepting and trusting of your advice.

Spoof said they'd left their chins alone for 3 days before. Let me reiterate, no friends no family, and that this situation will only be until end of May. I did not accuse anyone of being rude. I said intense. If I would have gotten a friendly vibe from the get-go, then I might have considered leaving them temporarily with a rescue but that didn't happen. A good motto for this forum would be to develop a good rapport then attack...GOSH people this is ridiculous!
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Spoof claims chinchillas can acclimate to 85+ degree temps, that is not safe but she does it and most disagree, so just because one person agrees with you and gives you the high five does not make the advice correct. Friendly vibe? So because you did not get it your chins get the shaft?
 
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