food/food bowl issues

[fluffybut]

so, I have my only chinchilla who I have had for almost a year and he always uses the bathroom in his food bowl! its weird because he still eats the food and I don't want anything to happen to him because he is eating it. anyways just recently I got another food bowl for him and I thought hopefully it might just be how the other food bowl looked. he ate out the other one but then he tipped it over because he is a bit heavy. Then I put bedding in his other food bowl (the original) and sure enough he used the bathroom! but then it was in the middle of the night and I checked on him and the was eating the bedding! so I took out the bedding and put in food. the cycle just keeps going! I'm not sure if he is trying to tell me that he doesn't like it but this is the same food the pet store I bought him from is feeding him and I don't think he did that there...... any ideas what I should do or anything thing else?

 

[Essentia]

Lots of chins eat their bedding, so I wouldn't worry too much (as long as it's safe bedding like aspen or pine) about that (they generally just eat the unpeed on pieces). I would continue to put bedding in that bowl since he uses it as a litter box, and get something different for the food. I would recommend this: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-Scatter-less-Ceramic-Feeder/dp/B0002DJJ6G or something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Produc...ed/dp/B0002AXGOK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_petsupplies_3

Just be sure you get one large enough for their head to not get stuck.

 

[fluffybut]

the bedding if fluffy I forget what it is called, I will definitely try your suggestions

 

[Essentia]

If its made from paper (most common is care fresh) I would switch to either pine or aspen. People have had issues with their chins getting an impaction from eating care fresh.

 

[hazel_sweet]

Get one of those hanging food bowl. Put it where they cant climb up on it but yet they can reach it.

 

[Pookinaround]

Recently one of mine started peeing in his food bowl. What I did was tuck it between two shelves so that they have enough room to get to it but not comfortably sit in it...I arranged it so that they can't knock it off...you kinda have to get creative with shelf placement but it worked...

 

[Sailor_Orbit]

I use a coop cup to mend the tipping problem. They just love standing on the edge of the food bowl

 

[ashleynicol3]

Also, I have a heavy ceramic food dish I got at PetSmart. It's meant for small dogs. He stands on it & in it & hasn't tipped it yet, so maybe get something heavier.

 

[cberg]

I used a heavy ceramic dish like ashleynicol3 mentioned for some time. My chins have never tipped it over. I recently switched because of all the poop they would get in the dish and the huge mess they were making with their hay. I got a hanging food/hay dish and its worked out great so far.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005FU4Z8I/ref=ya_aw_oh_pit

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

You might try putting it near the top of the cage. One of my boys peed in his food bowl and hay box... I put both near the top of the cage so that he has to stand to get food from the bowl but he can't sit on the bowl.
Hay box I put high enough I could fill it from the top but he couldn't sit on it.