Bringing Home My Baby Chin Tomorrow!!!

[SarahJo]

Good evening everyone!

I am bringing my ten week old girl baby chinchilla home tomorrow! Yay! I cannot wait, I've been waiting about six weeks for this, so I am SO excited the day is finally here! We will start our eight hour round trip drive tomorrow morning, so I really should have gone to bed about three hours ago, lol. Oh well...

So my question is do any of your have any tips or advice for bringing a new baby chinchilla home for the first time? Of course she will have plenty of food, hay, chew toys & water. There are also places in the cage she can hide away if she's initially scared. I also plan to give her space and only put my hand in the cage, talk to her & if she allows me pet her all while she is in the cage. Then after a couple days or when she seems to be comfortable with me I will let her out of her cage for no more than five minutes, since as far as I've been taught baby chinchillas can get too tired if given more than five minutes at a time while they're is so young.

I was also wondering if you all think a glass bowl like the one below would be okay for a dusting bowl? Or should a get something more like the second image? Both are about a gallon in size but I know that they need a pretty large flat surface, so maybe neither are ideal? The first I was thinking I could tip over for her to get inside, then tip it right side up. I figure the second one may be slightly better but I already have the first one. So I guess I will work on getting the second one but is the first okay for a little while? I just want to make sure all the choices are the safest for her.

Thank you!!

P.S. What do you all think of the name Chloe? She is a white mosaic. I promise many photos to come. I know I will have a better idea for a name once I have her. :hmm:

 

[Pepperpot]

Firstly, I hope you thoroughly enjoy being a chin parent and Chloe is a lovely name for a beautiful baby girl. Have you thought of using a bog standard Pyrex oven dish for your sand bath? Regarding letting your little girl out, I would leave her until she is at least a bit older. Kits can easily overheat and fit. That all said, simply enjoy her and ask any questions that come to mind.

 

[LYChinchillas]

Aw congrats! I agree with the above; chinchillas should be 6 months or older to enjoy playtimes. As far as the dust bath, I'd suggest something lower and flatter to prevent potential injuries. The biggest tip I can give is to give her time to adjust to her new environment. It may take her a week or two to get acclimatized to her new cage, although depending on personality, it may take much longer for her comfort level to return to normal (although sometimes it happens sooner, too). Perhaps play some soft classical music or put on a children's TV show or movie for her at low volume - those elements can help transitions.

 

[Mrs-Pigz]

Congrats!! I agree about the bowl, thinking it may fall over when entering and exiting. It could be dangerous.

 

[SarahJo]

Thanks for the advice! Everything went great today! Khloe is loving her new home and has already mastered her new cage. Its currently sectioned off so she doesn't try to go too high at first but I am excited to see how she does in the next couple weeks.

She's been eating, drinking & pooing regularly. She loves all of her chew toys and has been taking naps on and off all day. My husband and I are both thrilled! I will take some cute photos tomorrow & attach them soon. She is such a gorgeous white mosaic. We really love her markings & personality.

I agree that I will not let her run around because she may get too warm. And a pyrex dish is a good idea for a dust bath container. I will just have her roll around in the bathtub so the mess is contained.

I love your blog by the way LYChinchillas! There were a couple nights this last week I stayed up way to late reading everything I could lol. Your chins are adorable and you can really tell how loved they are .

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Sarah,

How is Cloe doing? Give her a big kiss from me. I know she is in good hands and you can call or email me with any questions or concerns. By the way, everyone, this little chin absolutely loves her new owner. She fell asleep in Sahara's arms after about 5 or ten minutes so things may happen a lot quicker than normal. Sarah is only having her out for 5 minutes at most and slowly increasing that over time. She is not going to be allowed to get overheated or overtired.

 

[Mrs-Pigz]

Very sweet!! Enjoy your new friend!!

 

[SarahJo]

Thanks Cornelia,

Khloe is doing great! She has already mastered her new home and loves all of the ledges and chew toys. She was sleeping soundly this morning on her cuddle ledge while I got ready for work, she seems already very comfortable. Which of course is awesome!

I will be using a Pyrex dish for her dust baths. I hope to give her her first one this evening if she seems up for it but she already seems very comfortable. And yes I am thinking I will let her run around a little before & after dust time but the room will be very cool and it won't be for more than five minutes. I'm excited to see how she acts when I come home from work. I think she was a little over crawling around on us after the four hour drive home yesterday. But don't worry she got plenty of rest on the way home too.

Aww thanks! I'm glad she trusted me so much to fall asleep in my arms. Hopefully that wasn't the last time . I can't wait to build a relationship with her. We are already enjoying her so much . I will send you photos tonight Cornellia and hopefully add some to this thread. Thanks for all of the kind words everyone!!

 

[Minccino]

Khloe is a great name! Congrats!
Would love to see pics. :heart5:

 

[LYChinchillas]

It's so great to hear she's settling in well! I'm sure you must be brimming with joy and excitement for having such a lovely lady on your hands! :hug4: :heart3: Thank you so much, I'm happy you were able to find it useful, and how great to hear such awesome feedback! Of course, update us with photos when you can - she sounds like a beauty!