New chinchilla Owner questions!

[Milo10]

Ok, So I'm had Milo for about 3 weeks now. Is it normal for her to still be clumsy? Shes 9 weeks old.

Why can't chinchillas run in the balls? Petsmart said that it was ok, But last friday I stopped using it when I saw a Thread on here about it.

I bought some new Food for her, I had sunseed and switched it to Maruzi Is mixing it with the old food and the new food ok? Just so she doesn't get diarreha.

Also thursday she had just two seizures and hasn't had anymore since then, I was wondering if stress from to many people in the room can cause that?

Are ramps in cages really necissary?

I'm still learning about them, sorry for so many questions

 

[RDZCRanch]

Chins shouldn't really be clumsy. What is she doing that makes you think she's clumsy?

The balls are bad. A petstore employee will tell you they are awesome because they want to sell supplies and they've been told the store only carries good things for pets. The balls have very little ventilation and they restrict the natural movement of a chinchilla. Chinchillas are made to jump and hop, not run in a little ball. They also pee and poop in the ball as they run...would you want to run in your own excrement?

When switching foods, usually you do 3/4 old food to 1/4 new food, then 1/2 of each, then 1/4 old food to 3/4 new food over a 2 week period. Sunseed is crap though and I would do a cold turkey switch. There's no need to wean off that food, give extra hay to prevent diarrhea.

Seizures are not normal at all. She had two? What exactly happened that makes you think she seizured? A common reason seizures happen is overheating, what is the temperature in her room? What time of the day is she let out to play? How long is she let out to play? Was she in the ball before the seizures?

Ramps are not necessary. Most chinchillas don't use them since they can just hop from shelf to shelf. It's more fun for them to hop from each shelf as well.

 

[Milo10]

I know what a seizure is and how to recognize it I'm a CVA. The temp in my room is well below 70 and she had the cooling rocks that I change out everyday so she lay on it when she overheats or whenever she wants to lay on it. She was not in the ball before it happend. I got her out of the cage and put her on the floor to play and she started seizing. I have her on Maruzi food right now. When I let her out of her cage to play or to clean her cage she falls over and then she catches her balance and starts to run around!

 

[RDZCRanch]

Seizures in different animals do not look similar. What happened that makes you think she was seizing? It's entirely possible she was, but it's not normal for a chinchilla to seize. I would be concerned about an injury or other health problems causing the seizures. Seizures do not mean longevity for a chinchilla.

The loss of balance is odd as well. That usually points to some kind of neurological problems. What time of the day is she let out to play? How long is she let out for...one hour? Two hours? Half an Hour?

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I too would be very worried about the seizures. It is not normal with an adult (although a very few do have them) but for such a young chin to have them it is REALLY abnormal

 

[Milo10]

I let her on the ground and she laid down and got stiff and you could see her shake.. Thats how I know it was seizure! She gets let out for half hour to an hour.

 

[RDZCRanch]

How much does she weigh? Half an hour to an hour out for playtime is a lot for a 9 week old kit. Since they are still growing, they need all the calories they eat, so letting them out for runs at that early of an age is not in their best interest.

 

[Milo10]

Honestly,I don't know how much she weighs. I still have to go buy a scale for her! How much play time should she be getting??

 

[RDZCRanch]

Honestly, I don't think they should get any playtime before they weigh at least 450g and are close to four months old. It's just too easy for them to burn off all their calories.

If you really want to give playtime, I would do no more than about fifteen minutes or the short time it takes to change the cage. That could be why she is having seizures, just low blood sugar.

 

[Milo10]

Ok, Thanks

 

[BloopBloop]

hello i am a new owner i know that you have to let them get used to their new environment but how do you give your chinchilla good exercise if you can't hold them for the first few days? i was wondering if it too stressful for him.

 

[Rimbaum]

hello i am a new owner i know that you have to let them get used to their new environment but how do you give your chinchilla good exercise if you can't hold them for the first few days? i was wondering if it too stressful for him.

The first several times I let Freya out for playtime in the bathroom, I had a cardboard box with a cover. I opened up the door to her cage, let her crawl in, put the cover over the opening, and took her to the bathroom in that setup. It was far, far less stressful on her than it would have been if I'd tried to carry her in by hand.

Of course, she lets me carry her over now, but getting her back from playtime sometimes will still require the box