Again, pulling up an old post for a new issue… apologies.
Just when all is going well, ringworm gone, toes all healed…. Fur chew. From what I have read online, this appears to be what it is. Dark short fur on both haunches this morning. She gets out of her cage nearly every day. She gets new apple sticks, hay and food daily. Cleaned cage daily. Dust baths two to three times a week, and the occasional new chew toy. She’s getting far more adventurous in her cage play, squeezing herself between the hay bag and cage wall behind it, that’s what I thought may have rubbed off the fur at first, but after reading, I believe it’s been chewed. I have to get her a wheel. She’s very energetic. Honestly, I believe she gets bored, even with all the goodies in her cage. To hubby’s dismay, I am thinking about getting a second floor to add to her cage so she has more space and getting some wall mounted wood furniture for her, along with the wheel.
Any other helpful suggestions? I don’t want this to become a go-to for her boredom relief.
One important thing to keep in mind with wheels is ones that are actually safe for chins are not what you find in pet stores, and not cheap. You need a wheel that is at the bare minimum 14" in diameter, assuming the chin is small, but for most a 15-16" wheel is much better. You also want one that is all metal, but not mesh or bars that can catch and break toes and feet.
Here is a list of chin safe wheels I compiled a little while ago (so sorry if any links are bad)
Drum style wheels (Ideally 15" or larger)
Chin spin
https://qualitycage.com/products/15-chin-spin
Pandamonium Pets wheels (various wheels for different prices)
https://www.pandamoniumpets.com/new-collectionhttps://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/PandamoniumPets
Chin sprint
https://www.exoticnutrition.com/Products/Chin-Sprint__ENC308.aspx
Silver surfer (14" so only for smaller chins, around 600g range)
https://www.chinchillas.com/estore/...EovfVxnnh85bw-YV7EGtM3Tz5X25nObVN4xoM_uapUjlw
Tic Tac Wheel (UK but ship worldwide)
https://www.tictacwheels.co.uk/
Saucer wheels (14" or larger)
Steel Flying Saucer (standard or large, they no longer make them so you can only find used now)
http://www.flyingsaucerwheels.com/?...APzjbo1oH8QXl4RFJk3OiCfH2c-r0nsd91mf-99NsBMBM
Treadmill wheel (14")
https://www.exoticnutrition.com/Pro...ariantId=5453cc7a-6529-42e0-b07e-70a22de00af3
As for the fur chewing, one cause can be boredom, but it can also be a sign of pain. Chins are very good at hiding pain so they act normally until they reach a point that they are in so much pain physically can't hid it anymore. So you say she gets chew sticks and new chew toys, but how much chew toys does she have in the cage? Chins are pretty smart, roughly the same as a small parrot, so they do need things to keep their minds occupied. Rotating toys like you would a dog is a good idea too, so every week or two take out the toys in the cage and put a new set in (can be toys you took out before that are still good), or with hanging toys sometimes just flipping them can be enough to make them "new" again. I would also make sure you have lots of variety, chins have preferences as to what they like to chew on, as well as toss toys and hanging toys. I wrote up a toy suggestion list on this post
Chinchilla chew toys Aside from toys make sure there are plenty of ledges and perches to hop around on, as well as things like tunnels, hammocks, hide outs, and stuff like that to play in.
Here is a pic of my chin's cage to give you an idea.
