Hello, I am new and have been looking to purchase a hammock or sling thing. My question is : some have metal grommets, some have fabric loops, are there unsafe metals or fabrics for chinchilla's? I have seen brass grommets and unspecified metal
Hammock question
- Thread starter lambchop
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kmonty0726
Well-known member
I just use metal grommets like from the camping section and my girl doesn't mess with them. I think they wouldn't be used by some of the most chin experienced people I know if they were unsafe for chins. I don't think their teeth is strong enough to chew them anyways.
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Godofgods
Well-known member
anything with zinc i think is hazardous to chins.
As for riveted vs looped;
Looped are nice because it add an extra inch of hang room. But loops are an easy target for a chin to chew. If they chew them much then you have to take them out which is no good.
Rivites are nice in that there is no loop for them to chew. However some rivites can have sharp metal underneath which could be dangerous.
If you have a 14 inch square hammock the loop is there on the outside of that. A rivet is on the inside. So there is about an inch or so difference when you hang them.
Personally i would use the rivets if you can get them without any sharp metals as its less risk of being chewed. But i just recently had ordered new riveted hammocks and they arrived with sharp metal edges so i couldn't use them. The maker had to make new ones and send them out again. Those ones arrived good enough to use but it took a bit longer.
I have both types myself. Its up to you and your chin to decide which one might work better for you.
As for riveted vs looped;
Looped are nice because it add an extra inch of hang room. But loops are an easy target for a chin to chew. If they chew them much then you have to take them out which is no good.
Rivites are nice in that there is no loop for them to chew. However some rivites can have sharp metal underneath which could be dangerous.
If you have a 14 inch square hammock the loop is there on the outside of that. A rivet is on the inside. So there is about an inch or so difference when you hang them.
Personally i would use the rivets if you can get them without any sharp metals as its less risk of being chewed. But i just recently had ordered new riveted hammocks and they arrived with sharp metal edges so i couldn't use them. The maker had to make new ones and send them out again. Those ones arrived good enough to use but it took a bit longer.
I have both types myself. Its up to you and your chin to decide which one might work better for you.
The only chin safe fabric is fleece (polar, blizzard, or whatever it goes by in your area, and anti-pill) and even then if your chin chews pieces off it you need to remove it. The reason it's the only safe one is because it doesn't unravel in strings like most other fabric, so they can't eat big pieces or swallow strings.
Sue
Well-known member
Strings are dangerous in another way too. They can unravel them enough and then possibly tangle themselves up in it, including getting it around their necks. I had one customer who found her boy had a thread which was still attached to each end of the fabric but he had wound himself up in it so tight she had to use toe nail clippers to free him. It wouldn't have been too much longer until he had wound himself up enough to strangle himself. Something to be aware of.
Sue
Well-known member
Oh, and just to note, the thread did not exist until they had been in the carrier for a couple of hours while she cleaned their cages.
eastcoastchins
Well-known member
There are a lot of things that aren't safe for chins, so the best bet is to go with someone who is making hammocks specifically for chins. Then you know they are chin safe. TJ's has some nice stuff http://www.tjschinchillasupplies.com/chinchillafleecehammocks.html
