Auto Feeders, Big Water Bottles, Ferret Nation Cages

[Stackie]

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.

I find it sad you would deny your chins proper care just to spite people on a forum who are trying to help them, but rubbed you the wrong way. I apologize you got a bad vibe, we are here to help the animals first and foremost. They are your animals, what you do is up to you. It's not us you're hurting..ultimately it is them. We are here for the well-being of the animals, not to make people feel fuzzy and good when we see something wrong going on. The "you guys are so mean" cliche is getting quite old- people on this forum have saved chins' lives. No one was mean to you nor unfriendly..simply speaking out on what we read.

I did not jump to a conclusion, I asked if it was permanent or temporary. But really- what I read was leaving helpless animals in a cage for 3-4 days. I simply stated that if permanent, it would not be fair to the chins at all. Just think about it. Leaving a caged, helpless animal alone for 4 days is not a good idea, no matter what the animal is. Fact of the matter is, Murphy's Law...if something can go wrong, it will. I would never dream of leaving my pets alone over a stretch of days..I would go crazy with stress and worry of something "might" going wrong and I can't show up to help them until long after they can be helped.

Spoof may have left her chins over 3 days before. Good for her. However, you are leaving your chins for 3-4 days alone over a long stretch of time, more than once. Not just a one time thing. That really doubles the chances of "something" happening.

I hope you get over the "spiteful-ness" and let a rescue watch them until you are able to care for them daily.

 

[Tagna]

Do you come home for a few days between these 3-4 day trips? Or is the only reason you are coming home is to check the chins? I bet there are many places that would chin sit. I just know how fast issues can pop up and the last thing you would want is a chin to be sitting around with bloat for a few days.

My chins go the longest without me when I'm at work. There's no way I could leave them that long and feel safe.

 

[mishellyshel]

i chin sit sometimes, usually in my own home. perhaps a friend or family member could help out, even if you have to drive them. they would probably be better in a smaller temporary cage with daily interaction then they would in a larger permanent cage with twice weekly visits.

since you are going to do this until the end of May and are already doing this I would recommend the following. (And I am in NO way advocating leaving your chins for 3 days. Personally I dont leave my chins longer than 24 hours)

Make sure there are 2 water bottles in every cage in case 1 gets clogged.
Make sure there are 2 food bowls in case one gets tipped
Make sure you have extra loose hay and some hay cubes for fiber
Make sure you put large apple or whatever chew blocks you use in there, double it so they have stuff to chew on.
Make sure you leave a radio on.
Make sure if you are in warmer temps that there is NO way the house could get above 75 degrees without warning you.
Make sure when you do come home you dont just top of water & food but you take them out, let them dust and interact with them.

And hopefully in the meantime you can find a friend of family to stop by OR you could bring them to their home just until May when you can provide them the care that they deserve

 

[brinfe]

My chins will not get the shaft or neglected because I got an unfriendly vibe here. That is not how my comments should be perceived. My point was that if you developed a bit of a rapport first that your advice would be more welcomed. I understand most of you have seen horrendous cases and have a lot of experience with chins. But automatically assuming the worse, is not the best course of action. This was a hypothetical situation that I was only considering.

We have owned our chinchillas for almost 5 years now. Our first was from a Petsmart so I've had my share of emergencies due to his bad breeding. They are all well cared for in every sense of the word. I will continue checking on them every 1-2 days and appreciate everyone's advice and suggestions. Thank you.

 

[cindyv3737]

My chins will not get the shaft or neglected because I got an unfriendly vibe here. That is not how my comments should be perceived. My point was that if you developed a bit of a rapport first that your advice would be more welcomed. I understand most of you have seen horrendous cases and have a lot of experience with chins. But automatically assuming the worse, is not the best course of action. This was a hypothetical situation that I was only considering.

We have owned our chinchillas for almost 5 years now. Our first was from a Petsmart so I've had my share of emergencies due to his bad breeding. They are all well cared for in every sense of the word. I will continue checking on them every 1-2 days and appreciate everyone's advice and suggestions. Thank you.

We see more bad than good. Building a rapport takes time. Keep in mind that we care about the animals well being more that we do their owners feelings.

I personally will not leave my chin alone for 3 - 4 days. If I have to leave town I look for a sitter. I did the same thing when I had a cat. He was NEVER left alone for more than a day, nor is my chin.

Have you considered calling vets to see if they board? Or you can see if there are members that are willing to sit for you. Those might be better options than leaving your chins alone for days at a time.

 

[Laurie]

I'm sorry you feel attacked brinfe but you do not take "really good care of your chins" if you leave them totally alone and don't check on them every 3-4 days if even temporarily. A chin could get sick and die in that time, power could go out in your house, several things could go wrong. So simply autofeeding and giving more water is not really good care. We do try to answer questions for people when asked and your question was answered it was answered with "please don't do this to your chins". Putting them at a yet's or perhaps a rescue to board is a much better solution to this problem. That way they have constant care and attention should something go wrong.

Often the forum is criticized for being brutal but I can't begin to tell you how many times members are urged to do something and they don't and then that member will come on the memorial thread saying their chin is dead and how bad they feel and how sorry they are and how much they loved them. And really what I want to say to those people is YOU WERE TOLD! YOU WERE WARNED! But instead everyone goes I'm sorry for your loss, when in fact if they would have listened their chin wouldn't be dead. Please just keep that in mind.

 

[Dewdrop]

I didn't see it answered. is there anyway you can bring them with you? Even if your staying in a hotel/motel. Sometimes their willing to work with people and their needs...

 

[Claire D]

Do they have licensed pet minders in your area? That might be an option even though you don't want strangers coming to your house.

 

[brinfe]

Yes, I am taking good care of my chins. The longest amount of time they've been alone is 1-2 days max. Please stop criticizing me for something I haven't even done. The 3-4 days situation was just an idea that's all. My last post was me accepting everyone's advice and suggestions. Yet I continue to get scolded even after I accept your advice. That's just amazing..I'm shocked.

 

[lauralynne]

Yes, I am taking good care of my chins. The longest amount of time they've been alone is 1-2 days max. Please stop criticizing me for something I haven't even done. The 3-4 days situation was just an idea that's all. My last post was me accepting everyone's advice and suggestions. Yet I continue to get scolded even after I accept your advice. That's just amazing..I'm shocked.

I think what should be done has been pointed out enough. You want us to build a rapport with you, but you need to be willing to do the same and insulting forum members who have only good intentions for your chinchillas isn't the way to go about it.

You are not being scolded. Yes, you hear many things numerous times...and as hard as it is to not take it personally, try to look past that to folks who genuinely want the best for your animals. Look at it this way, you were told by how many people NOT to leave the chins for 3-4 days? Yet, when ONE person said it'd be alright, you jumped right on that and started questioning everyone else. That made more people post their thoughts on why it shouldn't be done.

You've received very good advice, and it sounds like you're going to follow it. It can be left at that and I hope you'll stick around and get to know some of the wonderful people here.

 

[tunes]

I'm going to add to this thread, even though it's closed. Dawn is correct. If you have an issue with someone, use the (!) button. Do not self-police. We have staff here for a reason.

I also want to add, that much as I like Tara, I'm going to guarantee you that there are many things she does that I would never do, and I'm pretty sure Tara would agree with that. You got ONE answer that you wanted and that's the one you cling to because it's what you wanted to hear. All the other answers were very clear in that you should not leave animals unattended for 3-4 days at a time. Sorry, you're not going to hear anything else from me either. Unless you live in outer Mongolia, there has to be someone in your area who can check on chins. Tara has said many times in the past that chins can acclimate to 85 degrees. I wholeheartedly disagree with that, BUT, the point being made is "acclimate." I lived in Ohio for 34 years. April and May can be extremely hot. If your a/c goes out on day 1 and you come home on day 3 or 4 to check on your chins, odds are you are going to find dead chins. Most breeders and owners will tell you chins absolutely do NOT do well in high temps, so that's not something I will ever agree with.

I don't care if you've owned chins for 5 years or 20. There is always something to be learned from people with more experience than you. If you feel that's an unfriendly vibe, then you need to develop a thicker skin. Not everybody is going to be touchy feely when they are concerned about a potentially neglected animal or an animal that most people would would feel is potentially in danger.