Chinchilla=expensive

[chinchillin2005]

Ok, so I buy every thing for my chinchilla with my own money. Anyways, chinchillas are far the most expensive animal I've ever owned. My dog has her own toy box with a whole bunch of dog toys/stuffed animals. She gets treats once a month that last for months, a huge bag of rawhide bones that lasts months, and she eats freshpet food which lasts a little more than a week that's refrigerated. She's perfectly content with her stuffed animals. My chinchilla however is spoiled rotten and every time I feel like he has everything I see something else that I feel like I absolutely need. Like for instance, those corner metal litter pans! I spent over $550 on my chinchilla this year! A FN 182, a chinspin wheel, a haybox and 2 shelves, 5 more shelves, 2 lava ledges, a lava swing, customized toys, a customized bowl, a fleece tunnel, dust, pumice stones, sticks fleece set, hammock, calcium sticks, cuddle buddy, a huge bag of herbs, glass water bottle, aspen bedding, bass pans, etc. Not to mention having to buy his food and hay. Yesterday, my chinchilla just destroyed a huge ball of all kinds of wood and toys. Worst thing is everything I get, I can't find at the petstore! My chinchilla doesn't like any toys from there and they don't sell safe chinchilla stuff. (no i'm not willing to make my own wood or fleece materials cause i am clueless about that) The shipping is expensive :hair: so I always try and buy in bulk. Now I need those metal liter boxes, a customized house, a customized fleece den, a constant supply of wood, new herbs, food, the superpet cleaning spray which is obviously going to cost me more than a hundred with all the shipping fees. I'm already saving up and honestly every single thing he gets is expensive! (like it has to be safe wood, it has to be all fleece) Chinchillas themselves (are the most expensive rodents) and then there cage has to be huge and then they need to constantly chew and run around. they are seriously high maintenance! Yes it's far worth it and they live long and I think chinchillas are awesome and a whole bunch of fun with all their energy rather than a rabbit (my opinion). I'm just really hoping to decrease the amount of buying him stuff. Like I'm doing most of his supplies customized so it will last a long time rather than buying him a regular wooden house (his old house is falling apart; went through many). i'm worried right now of wood supplies. he started chewing like crazy and now i only have few sticks left. i am really not willing to spend any more on him with my own money because obviously i'm going to leave money for myself. my parents honestly have provided my chinchilla in the first few years like when we had to move (they paid 200$ for airplane fees just for one chinchilla bringing him with me) and food/hay and barely just may be a couple of wooden sticks when at the petstore (they dont know anything about chinchillas and dont care). Other than that, it's all up to me and they are really really expensive animals to take care of. esp. when you're still in high school and have to work for it all with a job. I mean they think I'm crazy that it's for one small little furry creature but everything I buy aren't even presents , they're necessities. i was so tired of his old wire cage (even though it was a 3 story cage) that i had to buy a FN because I didn't want him to spend the rest of his life in that cage he lived in for 6 years. so that was like a necessity for me. point is blank they are expensive if you're going to give it everything it needs and a good home because they require a lot. (lots of air conditioning also even though it feels freezing for me) And than plus on top of it, I am worrying so much about his possible hair ring I feel like I need to bring him to the vet.:hair: Is there any way to save money or any tips on buying supplies? I mean every month he gets and goes through so much stuff and if this is all for one chin i can sure imagine how much it would take for multiple chins!

 

[addictedtochins]

They don't have to cost that much. Good cage, food and vet care are must haves of course. I make my own house, shelves and fleece items. No they don't look as good as the stuff for sale. But I don't want him to become a financial burden for you...then you might want to re-home him.

 

[CTChin]

I think you are making things more difficult then they have to be. Chinchillas don't need all that fancy stuff. Good pellets, hay and some chew stuff and attention from you. Heck you can even use a large dog dish for the dust bath if necessary.

 

[Andrea]

Most of what you listed are luxury items. Chins don't need fleece items, custom wood items or toys. We buy them because it pleases us to spoil our pets. All you need is a chin-safe cage, chin-safe chew sticks, hay, feed, a water bottle, a food dish and air conditioning along with some sort of bedding (pine, aspen, etc). By sticking to essentials you can save money for an emergency vet fund. It seems like your chin is burdening you financially so I'd say cut back on the extras for awhile and let him enjoy what he already has . I have four chins and I also spend a lot on them but I consider my pets my "hobby" so I don't mind the added cost.

 

[Sandi]

Obviously your chin survived just fine without all of these extra's for over 6 years, yes? Why all the fuss all of a sudden?

The most important things are fresh hay, water and a good pellet and a/c in the summer. Half my chins don't have wheels in their cage. I give them a little more of out of cage playtime.

 

[chinchillin2005]

They don't have to cost that much. Good cage, food and vet care are must haves of course. I make my own house, shelves and fleece items. No they don't look as good as the stuff for sale. But I don't want him to become a financial burden for you...then you might want to re-home him.

No he's going to be with me forever. I am never re-homing him. I love him to death. It's just hard saving because he at least needs shelves, a good cage, a good water bottle, dust, hay, food, wood, right? I have done that for 6 years now, and it was fairly simple. Nothing fancy. But then after your chin gets older, you feel like you need to get him a wheel (a chin spin) so he wont hurt himself, and you start thinking his feet must hurt with being in a wire cage (the original cage that came when my uncle bought him at the ranch) and then it honestly led from there. after getting him a new cage, i felt i needed fleece, then fleece liners, then a tunnel, customized food bowl, better water bottle, a new house, etc...You just feel like you want the very best for your chinchilla and for him to have the best life possible. ( i honestly think it's because he is getting older) when he was like 2, i thought he had lots of years more and he was ok with the simple life but then after he turned 6 and after moving twice i feel the need to spend and buy as much as he needs.

 

[Andrea]

The number one thing he'll appreciate is care and attention from you. Most accessories are for our enjoyment...chins are perfectly happy with the essentials and some love!

 

[AZChins]

Sometimes chins are happier playing with a brown paper bag than the most expensive toys!

Here the chins are cared for simply without a lot of fancy extras. I spend a lot of money on the chins, but there are 250 of them. It's usually under $5 a month per chin to care for them. Keep the chins clean, give them good pellets and hay with fresh water, something to chew on to keep them busy and love them and they do well. They really don't care all that much about the expensive stuff. Chins can be very happy with just the basics.

 

[GorillaJTA]

Your whole list is making my head spin and my wallet hurt. Flea has in his cage right now:
Food bowl that hangs on the side of the cage and is easy to clean- $5.
Water bottle (I splurged and got a water buddy because it doesn't drip)- $15.
Shelves- 20 feet or so of KDP and mounting hardware- $25
A pyrex pee dish- $4
Pelleted litter- $5 for a several months' worth
Oxbow food- $10 for months
Hay- cheap
Sticks- bought 12 pounds a year ago for less than $100 and still have half a box.
KDP house- $15 (had it made)

$12 fleece hammock that he never sleeps in and generally just gives him security that the cage is covered.
Chin Spin- $50
QC Townhouse $140.

Cleaning solutions- Vinegar, water, rubbing alcohol, peroxide ($3 each thing besides water).

Notice that most of these costs are not repeating- the cage, chin spin, etc, and the ones that are last for months. Hay is my most frequent purchase. I make shelves and sand them down instead of replacing them immediately. I don't get complicated on my equipment. The chin can't read and really just wants some tight quarters to hide in sometimes. I dropped close to $1K dollars before I realized that the splurges were breaking me, he barely touched most of the stuff, and was just as happy without it.

 

[Luci]

I agree with the above posts...your list is making my head hurt.

I've had Gizmo for roughly 3.5 years. At first, I thought upkeep would be expensive but it honestly isn't. Buying products from users has helped tremendously. My biggest expenses were the FN and 3 vet bills. Those were all necessities, obviously.

You really don't need to get "customized" anything...just get safe and sturdy. I alternate between types of toys (wood, pumice, hay ball, etc) and alternate on treats as well. I recently bought 15lbs of blue cloud...for I think $25 (?), and I buy food every few months which is also cheap. Like you, OP, I rarely buy from pet stores.

Make a list of everything that you need and really decide if each item is an actual need or a "spoil" item. I know that I could not afford a chin if I got every one of those things. Upgrade slowly.

 

[Dragonflye]

It is wonderful that you spoil your chin, but these are things YOU feel he needs. Keep it simple, spend time with him and make sure he has the basics and he will be fine. If you are always worried about money and buying new stuff, it will ruin your pet experience.

 

[momenteller]

I agree that chinchillas are expensive, but because I make it so. I enjoy spoiling them, and most of what is in the cage is not a necessity. Like Andrea, I look at it as a hobby, so that helps me justify the expense.

I also have a dog, cat and hermit crabs. We spend far more on the chins than the rest.