Greetings! I'm a new member.

[DoGooder]

Hi! I'm a new member and I've been trying to create a first post on other forums and couldn't find a link, but I've finally found a forum where I'm able to post a primary message. I recently got a female gray chinchilla from a woman who didn't want her anymore. Her name was Lulu but I'm going to change it.

She's gotten used to me the last few weeks. Her other companion got her from PetSmart and they don't track birth dates but I was told she was 2 months old in February at the time she left PetSmart, so I guess she's about 8 months old. I do give her a lot of treats and she's already 1 pound, so I hope that's okay. I'm glad I found this forum because people here seem friendly and I'm sure I will get good advice from folks who are more knowledgable about chinchillas than me.

DoGooder

 

[lauralynne]

Hello & Welcome!

What kind of treats are you giving her?

 

[DoGooder]

lauralynne, her favorite treats are whole grains (wheat and barley branches), but she also likes Cheerios and Alfalfa Cookies Heart Shaped Treats from F.M. Brown's Sons which she got at her previous home. I also give her apple twigs, pumice stones, and cuttlebones.

DoGooder

 

[Jenn]

Hi and welcome! Congrats! Treats are usually best in moderation, but it also depends on the types of treats you are giving her and whether they are safe or not.

 

[DoGooder]

Jenn, I try to limit my chinchilla to one treat per day (either food or twigs). She will eat a 10 inch piece of millet in half a day, so it's difficult for me to give her a small piece but I guess it's best for her health to eat mostly hay and Mazuri type food. I also use treats to get her used to being in her carry cage. Right now she can stand being in it for 15 minutes before climbing the walls and trying to destroy it.

DoGooder

 

[mydoublechins]

What a good idea! Treats to get her used to the carry cage so when you need it she is happy to go in! I am going to do that! How do you get her in it in the first place?

 

[DoGooder]

mydoublechins, sorry it took me so long to reply. I forgot about my introduction thread, but I saved it now so I can go back and check. As for how I get my chinchilla in the cage, I pick her up and carry her to the cage. She prefers to be carried with her paws and feet on my chest and I cup my hands around her body.

The small cage I use has a roof that opens at the top which enables me to gently place her in it. However, the moment she's inside she tries to find a way out. Her muzzle became injured and was bleeding a few days ago and I wonder if that's because she violently chews the cage to get out. She shakes the entire cage and I'm worried she might have broken a tooth, so I checked her mouth today and the front teeth are fine but I can't see to the back of her mouth because she kept sticking her tongue out at me.

I'm beginning to think she will never get used to the carry cage. I think she hates all small, hard-surfaced cages. She arrived at my home with one of those exercise balls where the chinchilla goes inside and rolls the ball around. The first time I let her use the ball for about 10 minutes and when I took her out she sat in her cage emanating the most negative, hateful energy she has ever sent towards me, so I immediately threw the ball in the garbage to avoid displeasing her.

DoGooder

 

[The1nOnlyMatty]

Good call on throwing the ball away. They are more commonly called death balls here. They don't allow for proper ventilation and chins over heat easily. I am sure the evil stare was due in part to being very uncomfortable coupled with a distaste for the feeling of entrapment. I know I'm rather late, but welcome to CnH!

 

[DoGooder]

The1nOnlyMatty, thanks for the welcome! I guess there isn't something like the FDA that regulates animal toy safety. Those exercise balls should be recalled.

Also, I'm claustrophobic so I understand my chinchilla's dislike of confinement in small wire and plastic cages. The more space she has the happier she is. The woman who owned her brought her in a medium-sized cage, about 15" x 20" so I put that cage next her her big cage while I was preparing it and she kept pacing in the medium cage and staring longingly at the big cage and shaking and being scared.

The moment I put her in the big cage she immediately calmed down and her attitude became brighter. I left and came back 10 minutes later and she had left her poop (about 100) on every shelf and floor, whereas even though she was in the other cage for at least 1 hour there were only 2 or 3 poops in it. She's much happier and healthier in the bigger cage.

Also, nothing makes her more active than spending time outside. If I take her outside for a few minutes and put her back in her cage she has a much more positive attitude and runs around more than if she had playtime in a room. I guess there are chinchillas that are happier indoors and those that are fine with being in a small cage, but mine overwhelmingly prefers big spaces. I can't wait till Autumn when I can take her on trips with me in her net mesh bag that she loves to be in and can walk around in.

DoGooder

p.s.: I've attached a picture I took of her in her medium cage the day she arrived.