TeaEarlGreyHot
Member
I am newer to owning a chinchilla- I'm not new to learning how to properly and fully care for a small animal and I catch on very quickly and research everything fully. I've searched these forums and either not found any information or I've found info that's 3 years old and wondered if there's been any more experience since then.
1. My chin when left to a bare floor and litter area, will always use the litter area where there is absorbency. I bought a FN last week and have lined the bass pan and shelf with fleece and it STINKS so bad after 24 hours. Never smelled with a bare solid bottom and litter area. Do the benefits of fleece bottom vs. just bass pan metal outweigh the stinkies? It takes a long time to clean the cage and I'd hate to have to fully change and launder the fleece every other day! Is a bare bass pan loud when your chin is jumping around? His cage is next to my computer in my office area and I spend A LOT of time next to him every day.
2. Do most people keep the shelf in their FN? This morning I checked on him only to find his shelf had tipped to one side in the night. It wasn't fully down but one side was sagging and I guess the post came up out of the peg hole slightly? Nibbler is crazy-go-nuts and clumsy at the same time so I imagine he either lept and hit the edge wrong or jumped up from underneath and hit it hard enough to knock it wonky? Should I remove this all together?
3. Is there too much playtime for chins? He comes out for at least 25 minutes a day. Is it okay if he came out twice a day? I do notice he gets a little overheated even though we play on our cold tile floor. He gets to popcorning pretty hard all over the place during playtime. A/C always set at 72, usually cooler in here though.
Sorry for all the questions. I've had him for only 2 weeks or so and his last owner really could not afford a chin (college student that worked full time as well). He is loving the new (safe!) cage and toys and playtime and HAY (I don't know how often he got hay before but she didn't have any when I picked him up, nor did he have any signs of having any in his cage).
1. My chin when left to a bare floor and litter area, will always use the litter area where there is absorbency. I bought a FN last week and have lined the bass pan and shelf with fleece and it STINKS so bad after 24 hours. Never smelled with a bare solid bottom and litter area. Do the benefits of fleece bottom vs. just bass pan metal outweigh the stinkies? It takes a long time to clean the cage and I'd hate to have to fully change and launder the fleece every other day! Is a bare bass pan loud when your chin is jumping around? His cage is next to my computer in my office area and I spend A LOT of time next to him every day.
2. Do most people keep the shelf in their FN? This morning I checked on him only to find his shelf had tipped to one side in the night. It wasn't fully down but one side was sagging and I guess the post came up out of the peg hole slightly? Nibbler is crazy-go-nuts and clumsy at the same time so I imagine he either lept and hit the edge wrong or jumped up from underneath and hit it hard enough to knock it wonky? Should I remove this all together?
3. Is there too much playtime for chins? He comes out for at least 25 minutes a day. Is it okay if he came out twice a day? I do notice he gets a little overheated even though we play on our cold tile floor. He gets to popcorning pretty hard all over the place during playtime. A/C always set at 72, usually cooler in here though.
Sorry for all the questions. I've had him for only 2 weeks or so and his last owner really could not afford a chin (college student that worked full time as well). He is loving the new (safe!) cage and toys and playtime and HAY (I don't know how often he got hay before but she didn't have any when I picked him up, nor did he have any signs of having any in his cage).
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