A few questions that NEED answers!!!

[oliviaritota]

Hello, my boyfriend and I are new chin owners to a beautiful little 10 week old Marley. Before getting her we did a lot of research on chins, but then when we picked Marley up the woman that ran the foster place said that any questions I have I should ask here to double check the information I'm finding is correct. So here are the questions and I really hope you can help me find the answers!

1. What is the ideal temperature for Miss Marley?

I have read that chins can tolerate up to 75 degrees. We currently are keeping the apartment at 73 degrees. Is this alright? Should we go lower? Can we go a little warmer?

2. How much food should we feed her a day?

We have been feeding her 1/2 table spoon of food in the morning with 2 little oats and a table spoon at night with 3 little oats.

3. How many treats should she be allowed to have a day?

We have given her 2 cheerios today, a little dehydrated strawberry, along with the oats with her food.

4. How often should she have her dust baths?

We have given her one yesterday, once we got her home and into her new home. On some of the sites I was looking at I was informed that they should get them for 10 minutes a day or less if their fur starts to get too dry.

5. How will we know if her coat is too dry?

6. How long should we give her play time?

We try to give her 10 minutes of play time a day.

7. How do we get Marley back into her cage after play time?

She has been very difficult to get back into her cage after we let her have play time. Today it took us 2 hours to get her back into her cage.

10. What are some ideal treats for our little girl?


Thank you so much for your time!!!

 

[Tagna]

No treats for chins under 6 months of age. When they do have treats, 1 per day and NO fruit, NO veggies, NO seeds and NO Nuts. I give rosehips and I rarely give treats anymore. Try apple twigs instead and she can have lots of those.

I free feed my chins and the rescues. They always have pellets available and yes, you throw out some but they should always have food available. I usually fill the dish half way as they chuck pellets around, eat half, throw the other half away etc. As well she should have hay available all the time.

I keep my chin room at 68 in the summer and it gets cooler than that in the winter.

Dust baths depend where you live. I give more in the summer and less in the winter.

I don't give playtime to young chins as they can overdo it. If you do give playtime keep it short. You can use the dust bath to get her back in the cage.

You can find tons of info through the FAQs here and just read the threads. That is where you will find tons of great info.

 

[oliviaritota]

thank you so much you've helped a lot!

 

[tunes]

All of the questions that you asked have been asked and answered many times over on this forum. I always suggest to new owners that they read the forum, take notes, and then ask questions. I often find that if I do the research myself, that it tends to stick better in my mind. Plus, I can do a pros and cons type of approach.

 

[landrk11]

She is still very little and from what I understand (more experienced chin folks can chime in) that she should not be having out of cage time until 6 months old and then limit it to short periods of no more than 30 minutes.

Food.....Timothy hay as much as needed (should always have a supply). I put a small plam of pellets in the food dish and clean and replace when low. They will eat what they need.

Not sure about dust baths for a chin that young but Lola gets on every day (about 5 minutes) You can use the dust bath container to get her back in the cage if she is out and won't go back in.

Cheerios, mini shredded wheat, oats, herbs (Fuzzies Kingdom has a Broadspectrum mix that Lola loves). My little one thinks the herbs are a treat and they are actually good for her. Rosehip and hybiscus flowers are another great treat. Wooden toys / twigs are really a treat too. My little one loves dogwood, pear and apple twigs. Willow balls are fun for them and they love to chew them up.

If she is scratching is may be because her skin is dry.

 

[mrsmitchell]

Just out of curiosity why no out of cage time for chins under 6 months? Is it a low blood sugar thing?

 

[greychins]

The reason for no playtime under 6 months is the same reason for no wheel -- the food and nutrients they are taking in need to be used so they can develop and grow. If they expend to much energy, like they could while running around or in a wheel, the calories go towards that, rather than towards them developing correctly. And we want them to develop and grow correctly and have the nutrients they need, so no playtime or wheel before 6 months. *thumbs up*

 

[mrsmitchell]

The reason for no playtime under 6 months is the same reason for no wheel -- the food and nutrients they are taking in need to be used so they can develop and grow. If they expend to much energy, like they could while running around or in a wheel, the calories go towards that, rather than towards them developing correctly. And we want them to develop and grow correctly and have the nutrients they need, so no playtime or wheel before 6 months. *thumbs up*

Thank you! That makes sense

 

[Gnoller]

Not quite answering everything, but my thoughts below!

2. How much food should we feed her a day?

I give unlimited hay, a couple tablespoons of pellets and a tiny bit of chaff. If she's growing, I'd err on the side of caution and give her more so that she doesn't go underfed and have her growth stunted

3. How many treats should she be allowed to have a day? We have given her 2 cheerios today, a little dehydrated strawberry, along with the oats with her food.

That's alot (my opinion only) - I used to give a single raisin or cranberry each day when I first got mine to help with socialisation, now she gets 1 per week. Too much sugar can lead to diabetes

4. How often should she have her dust baths?

Every couple of days, depending on season and humidity

5. How will we know if her coat is too dry?

I noticed flaky ears on mine when she was being overbathed last summer

7. How do we get Marley back into her cage after play time?

Dust baths are a good bribe to get them in their cage! Eventually they'll know how long their playtime is and return on thier own (usually)

 

[Godofgods]

That's alot (my opinion only) - I used to give a single raisin or cranberry each day when I first got mine to help with socialisation, now she gets 1 per week. Too much sugar can lead to diabetes

i don't no about 'diabetes', but things like raisin or any dried fruit (or anything with a sugar content like that) can cause serious problems in a chinchilla. I would avoid any such food as a treat at all.

 

[caitlinlovesgus]

Not saying what I do is correct, but

I make sure my chin has fresh food available at all times. I give mine a couple unsugared cheerios a day, along with a rose hip or timothy biscuit treat; (a reward for going back into his cage after playtime.) I give him a dried banana once a week, just cause it's kind of fattening.

As far as play time goes, at least an hour a day. But just like every one else said, since yours is so young, you dont want too give him too much exercise. And I give him a dust bath every 3 days or so, for about 15-20 min. Too many baths in close proximity can cause their skin to get too dry. And I agree with the room temp that was mentioned above, anything over 75 can get uncomfortable for chins. Unfortunately when I first got mine my family kept the house at 78 for a couple months in the summer to save money, and I was so paranoid that I was going to come home one day to him having a heat stroke, but he was fine. But like i said, under 75 is ideal.

Good luck with your new baby!

 

[jessd]

i don't no about 'diabetes', but things like raisin or any dried fruit (or anything with a sugar content like that) can cause serious problems in a chinchilla. I would avoid any such food as a treat at all.

What do you suggest as to use as treats? Just Cheerios?