Getting chins sooner than expected!

[Zahrii]

Alright, so I'll be getting two standard gray one year old twin brother chinchillas on the 20th this month. I found them on Craigslist. Their original owner was someone who worked at a vet, then they moved to a foster home. It's exciting, but I still have a few questions I'd like answered.

1. They are currently eating alfalfa hay, and I'd like to switch them to 2nd cutting timothy. What is the best method to do that?

2. The cage they come with is similar to a FN, but I would still like to get a FN in the future since it's better overall. I won't be switching them over instantly, since I have to save up for the FN. Is there any precautions I should be aware of when putting chins in a new cage and setup?

3. Are there any vitamins/probiotics that they would benefit from? I've heard of vitamin C tablets, but I haven't looked into it very much.

 

[Amethyst]

Hay can generally be switched over pretty quickly, you don't need to really slowly transition like you do with their pellets. If you want though just start with a 50/50 mix and then offer less and less alfalfa each time.

When switching cages it's best to try to take as much from the old cage as you can and move it into the new one so they still have stuff that smells familiar. If there are things that need replacing (assuming they aren't dangerous) do it slowly so they get used to the new cage as you remove/replace things. Some chins don't care, others freak out, so it's best to just go slow until you know how your chins react.

They don't really need any supplements, vitamin C is actually not advised for chins unless there is a reason, it can cause diarrhea if given too much. They should be getting all the vitamins and stuff they need from a good quality pellet only food, like Oxbow Essentials (NOT garden select) or Mazuri, and unlimited hay. Hay is actually their primary food, making up about 70-75% of their diet, the pellets are more a supplement to the hay, providing any vitamins and minerals the hay may be lacking. Some people do use probiotics like acidophilus sprinkled on the food, or give them oxbow digestive tablets, but I don't.
There are healthy treat you can give that have health benefits though, Fuzzies Kingdom sells several and even tells you the benefits of each, it can give you an idea of what you can get (a lot of that stuff is also sold in health food stores). They even sell natural supplement mixes, broad spectrum as wells as for specific issues.

 

[Zahrii]

I have one last question that I forgot to add in. Is distilled or spring water okay for chins to drink? Or can they drink strictly reverse osmosis?

 

[Amethyst]

Distilled no, it has the mineral removed and is not suitable for drinking, but spring water maybe. You want purified filtered water, so if your home water is drinkable you just need a filter that can remove microbial stuff, safe levels of things in public tap water deemed safe for humans may still be too high for chins. My chins drink reverse osmosis water because that is what I drink too, so I already have it.