Chewing on CS (and excessive chewing)

[danakscully64]

My girl Twilight has recently been chewing up a storm. She turns her chew sticks into saw dust and has recently started chewing on her Chin Spin. She was never much of a chewer, my boys were worse, but she is suddenly destroying things. She has chew toys hanging in her cage and I give her lots of stick. Any idea why she suddenly feels like chewing a ton? Think it's boredom, her teeth are growing, or something else? Also, is it safe for her to chew on her Chin Spin? Seems like it should be safe, but I'm not so certain. Thank You!

(I'll try to get a picture of the wheel soon)

 

[danakscully64]

 

[TheNobleFight]

Most Powder coats are epoxy based, and become indigestible safe after baked and cooled. I would worry about the Iron Oxide content though (5% to 10%), I do not know whether they can absorb it.
But one thing is for sure.... This could definitely cause gut inflammation and possibly stasis, as baked powder coat does not break down easily.

They claim this is powder coated, but it should not chip like that unless the metal was not etched before application. Powder coating is designed to have excellent coverage and surface bond. Most cases, you need to sand blast to remove it. Watch your chins eating habbits, make sure poop is ok. You might call Quality Cage and ask for the MSDS on their paint/powder application, they are required by law to furnish that information. The reason for this is, paint can be far more toxic than baked powder. And would dictate a possible visit to the Vet.
It is also possible that she may have something stuck in her teeth, spurs, or malocclusion. I have not experienced this yet, so another members advice would be more helpful in that area.

Side note: Ferret Nation cages are powder coated, if your chin is like mine they will run their teeth up and down the bars. It takes a long time for them to wear through the powder coat to bare metal. See if there are chips of bare metal in your cage.

 

[Sesame]

Sesame had a similar episode once and we watched her like a hawk to make sure she was doing fine health-wise. I think it was because she was going through adolescence and had some teenage angst she needed to release (just couldn't chew her hanging toys, sheesh).

I don't believe that chewing on the wheel is a sign that there is something wrong with their teeth. If she did have teeth problems, you would she her having problems chewing hay/pellets/sticks/toys, drooling, constant pawing at the mouth, and maybe some sort of pain like wincing.

Do watch that your girl is pooing well, eating well, acting normal.

 

[danakscully64]

Most Powder coats are epoxy based, and become indigestible safe after baked and cooled. I would worry about the Iron Oxide content though (5% to 10%), I do not know whether they can absorb it.
But one thing is for sure.... This could definitely cause gut inflammation and possibly stasis, as baked powder coat does not break down easily.

They claim this is powder coated, but it should not chip like that unless the metal was not etched before application. Powder coating is designed to have excellent coverage and surface bond. Most cases, you need to sand blast to remove it. Watch your chins eating habbits, make sure poop is ok. You might call Quality Cage and ask for the MSDS on their paint/powder application, they are required by law to furnish that information. The reason for this is, paint can be far more toxic than baked powder. And would dictate a possible visit to the Vet.
It is also possible that she may have something stuck in her teeth, spurs, or malocclusion. I have not experienced this yet, so another members advice would be more helpful in that area.

Side note: Ferret Nation cages are powder coated, if your chin is like mine they will run their teeth up and down the bars. It takes a long time for them to wear through the powder coat to bare metal. See if there are chips of bare metal in your cage.

I'll contact QC now, thanks! She's eating, drinking, and pooping normal.

Twilight doesn't chew on the cage, but my boys do. They have barely marked it though, they haven't done nearly the damage she's done on her wheel.

Sesame had a similar episode once and we watched her like a hawk to make sure she was doing fine health-wise. I think it was because she was going through adolescence and had some teenage angst she needed to release (just couldn't chew her hanging toys, sheesh).

I don't believe that chewing on the wheel is a sign that there is something wrong with their teeth. If she did have teeth problems, you would she her having problems chewing hay/pellets/sticks/toys, drooling, constant pawing at the mouth, and maybe some sort of pain like wincing.

Do watch that your girl is pooing well, eating well, acting normal.

Twilight is older, about 4 or 5 years old. I got her 3 years ago, she was adopted by a Petco worker who took the chinchilla home after she was dropped off at her store. The girl didn't have time for Twilight, so I took her off her hands. Twilight was sexed wrong, I was told she was a boy. I knew that wasn't right when she made the boys go nuts and sprayed me.

She seems to be doing just fine, nothing out of the ordinary. I'm always in the animal room playing with them, I typically notice a lot of changes. I did notice about a month ago that her pee is darker than normal, so I cut back on her fruit. I don't think that has anything to do with it, but it's a possibility.

 

[shubbles]

I hope its ok to eat that, my chin chews the bars of the cage, which is coated. Maybe someday i'll see a big spot of mended metal and see my chin snackin' on a bunch of rosehips.

 

[Sierra]

I would just watch her carefully and see if anything is abnormal.

Phoenix sometimes gets into chewing spurts. Most of the time it is when its starting to be bedtime or if I upset her and she starts really chewing on her hidey house instead of peeing on me.