Help me to fix mistakes

[soqrbrad]

So after my little incident (you can see it in the chin emergencies thread) I know my girlfriend and I have a lot to fix and reading many of the posts on here I have learned a lot. But what I haven't learned is why. So I am going to give a run down of what I am doing now with regards to my chinchilla. I don't think anything is too bad but I am posting so as to CORRECT the problem. So please do not call me a bad chinchilla owner, I am trying to fix the problem.

To start with I have this cage:
http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-25787

It is metal and works well. The base has tight small holes that allow waste to fall through but not chinchilla toes. We have a plastic wheel in the cage that is solid (no holes that feet can get caught in). He loves the wheel and doesn't chew on it so we feel it's fine for the time being. It's a large 12" "silent spinner". He doesn't seem to big for it and uses it a lot just fine.

We have a small wooden house that he can sit in. It had a lid on it but it wasn't secured and he kept knocking it off so we just removed it. We place his hay in a bowl and replace it often and we use the Kaytee hay you can get and he seems to love the stuff and eats a lot of it. When it gets really dry we usually throw it out and get a fresh bag.

I also recently got a oregon thermometer that monitors both inside and outside conditions so I can see the exact temperature inside and make adjustments if necessary. We have a wall mounted AC that we turn on all day in the summer to keep it cool in the apartment.

As for the intake,

We feed him the Charlie Chinchilla junk which I have read in these forums is totally worthless. My guess is that it's because it has all those treat pieces in it but insight in to this would be appreciated. I have ordered a 5lb bag of the Mazuri and will be switching him over to that slowly over the course of a month or so.

We give him tap water with some vitamin drops in it that taste like orange. Why is tap water bad? I can get to the store and change this but I'd like to know why. His bottle is placed on the outside of the cage and held in place out there with the metal end sticking into the cage about 5 inches off the cage bottom.

We use aspen shavings below his cage and change them weekly. He is not standing in them and has no way to access them to eat them.

We give him a raisin as a treat after putting him back after playtime in my room. He is not the typical chinchilla scared of humans and actually likes being held. We let him run around for at least a half an hour a day but occasionally miss a night. He does use his wheel and loves it so he is getting exercise. We also give him lava bites as a chew and he seems to like those as well.

We also bought a brush for him. It's like a baby brush, no metal spikes. We got it because he tends to get a little matted on his back above his tail. We try to brush out some of the loose fur and make sure enough dust is getting in there.

His cage is sitting in the middle of our apartment on the floor and not at a high level off the ground. This never seemed to be a problem as he likes being touched and petted and is a sucker for having his chin and belly scratched. He turns his head and lifts his front arm to let you get a better reach and then closes his eyes after a few seconds of good petting.

We have a good vet (Dr. Fitzgerald for those in and around Colorado) and before had a vet with good small animal experience before as well and we got one before the emergency came up.

We feel really horrible after the accident last weekend, we both want what is best for Pachuco. Any advice or constructive criticism would be appreciated.

The old owners we got him from used to use the ball of death to give him exercise and thought he hated dust baths. Turns out they never gave him a big enough bowl to roll in. They too gave him raisins as treats. Also with the ball, we found he hated it and just would wizz in it and get his fur covered so we stopped using it anyway. Then we learned about the whole overheating thing with the ball and sold the thing. So if anything else we feel we are a step up from the old owners.

If you have any questions about other things I may have left out please post them. I'm hear to learn and do what is best for my chinchilla. As for his injury in about 3 weeks he should be back to as good as new.

Thanks!

 

[InkedupTara]

I would nix the raisins, and me personally I do not like wire ramps ledges and shelves or bottoms. I took all that out of my cages and added KD pine ledges and shelving.

You do not need the drops in the water, your chin will get all the nutrients it needs from a good feed.

As far as tap water, I have read it can have parasites that can be harmful to a chin (Giardia). Most use an on tap water filter system or pitcher water filter system. I think it was the Stage III Pur I seen rec. the most?

I would make sure your chin has plenty of prepared wood and toys to play with (from a pet person perspective).

I had gotten a chin that was on the junky food and just switched the food cold turkey, but if your chin is not well from a fall or injury I am not sure what might be suggested there, but good for you for switching the feed.

A 12 inch wheel IMO is not fine for now, it is too small and will arch the chins back in a way it was not meant to be in. I would recommend getting a ChinSpin or such at 15 inches.

As for the ball, again, I would not use them, they over heat in them and as you stated will get urine all over them.

I am glad you are asking all the right questions and want to learn!

You can check out the Chin Supplies for awesome Hidey Houses that are made by many members that can be secured

 

[Parkerspetchins]

You are correct about Charlie Chinchilla, it is a treat filled junkie feed that the pet stores peddle. I would switch him to a higher quality pellet like Oxbow, Mazuri, Tradition or a high quality rabbit pellet like MannaPro or PANR (Purina Advanced Nutrition Rabbit Show Formula). You will see a difference in his outer appearance on a quality pellet as well.

Tap water is only regulated to keep the harmful bacteria to a low enough standard that it doesn't adversely affect humans too much, not our pets. If you have a well and have it tested then it could be fine to use tap. I used to buy bottled before I realized that probably wasn't regulated enough either so I bought a $40.00 Pur 3 Filter for my faucet which filters out 98-99% (off the top of my head, it might be higher) of the giardia cysts and other bacteria still present in our city water. Depending on where you live tap water may not be bad. We are always getting notices that ours failed some regulation testing so I definitely need a filter. Nothing should be added to his water.

Chins need a quality pellet, hay, and water. You questioned two of those. All that is left to get on track is quality hay. Timothy or grass hay is what you want to make sure to feed freely. Treats should be without high sugar content since chins don't digest sugars well. Raisins have lots of sugar and are known to cause renal failure in other species, no cases of that in chins that we know of anyway, but the sugar alone is enough to steer clear for me. I give rosehips, old fashioned oats and cookies made for chins with no sugar sparingly. They love wood sticks they can chew on like apple for a treat too.

The wheel is unsafe, too small and known to come off the plastic and fall onto chinchillas.
I hope your chinnie recovers quickly!

 

[tunes]

I am not a fan of wire bottoms or ramps. I think they are uncomfortable and to me pose a danger for toes and legs. Your spacing on your ramps and ledges are fine, they are considered "chin safe" but I still don't like it personally. I would much prefer to see kiln dried pine shelves in a cage, both for comfort, and because the chins love to chew on them. Ramp wise, chins don't need them. I've yet to see a chin actually walk up a ramp. They generally jump from level to level, making the ramps useless. If it's possible, I would take the ramps and shelves out and replace them.

There's nothing wrong with Kaytee hay, except it's incredibly hit and miss. Sometimes it will be okay, the next time it will be stemmy, brittle, and dry. I don't think quality control is a big issue with them, as much as stuff it in the bag and make a buck. I prefer Oxbow over other hays, other people like Kleenmama's. It just depends on what your chin likes really.

Wooden houses are great. I'm a big believer in giving chins a place to hide, even though I've been told breeders shouldn't have them because it might impede the breeding process. I don't really care. I'm more concerned with their comfort and well being than how many babies they pump out, so I provide houses.

I would not use a brush on his fur. You're most likely going to end up tearing great huge chunks of it out that way. A flea comb from Wal-Mart is "similar" to a show comb and does a decent job. It's usually got a fine end and a wider end so you can work on big knots and then fine detangling.

I would raise his cage off the floor. Aside from the fact that humidity and drafts are the strongest on the floor, chins are prey animals. You will usually find that chins stay on the upper levels of their cages, and that's an instinctual thing. It gives them a sense of security. I would raise the cage off the floor by at least a foot and most likely higher, maybe placing it on a table top.

Feed wise, I don't think I'd do a whole lot of messing around until his foot is healed. It hasn't killed him thus far, a few more weeks isn't going to matter. Weighing it against forced feedings and constant stress if he goes off his feed completely, I'd choose letting him eat the less desirable food for now. When he's up and running again, feeling like his old self, THEN I would do the food switch.

For water I use either purified water through a special filter that rids the water of giardia or I use reverse osmosis. I stay away from spring water as it isn't regulated well enough for me.

Take that ball, drill a hole in the top, put a chain in it, and make a swing. That's about the ONLY thing those pieces of junk are good for. My rats absolutely love them as swings, and if my cages were big enough, I'd have them for the chins too.

I agree on the wheel. A 12 inch wheel really isn't big enough for an average sized normal adult chin to run in. It realy does make their spine go at an odd angle. I would go for the next size up, which is the 15" wheel.

Other than that, I also want to tell you it's great you are asking questions and making changes for the better.

 

[Classic Chinchillas]

Sounds like you are doing ok after the food switch. You do not need to take so long to switch him over unless you start seeing loose droppings. The water can have parasites that may not affect you but may affect the chin being so much smaller. Some places have ok tap and others not so much. Here I wont' drink the water so the chins don't drink it. I get them distilled water in gallons at the store. That would be the safest way to go, for one chin a gallon will last you a while or at least a week if you change out the bottle everyday and it's under a dollar so not very expensive. Everything else is a matter of preference. I have that same cage and it works well, I do like how they can't get caught up in the shelves and it is easily washable. The wheel is ok if he doesn't chew it and isn't too big. An average size adult chin is too large for it though, I don't know how old your boy is but if he's still young I'd plan on investing in a larger one.

 

[greychins]

Yup, the Charlie's bad, and you're right, it's because of all that extra junk that's in it. Chins don't need all that stuff. Mazuri's a much better choice...

Tap water's bad because you don't know what else is in it. Giardia is sometimes found in tap water, as are other bacterial parasites, and that sort of thing. For me, I use a pur3 faucet filter, which filters out these harmful things, so I just use filtered tap water. That's good enough for me, because it gets all the harmful stuff out.

I'd also stop with the vitamin drops in the water - the chins don't need it, and from what I've heard, they're ineffective after they're exposed to sunlight (i.e., put in the bottle) for a short period of time. And, they don't need em....

I would also get rid of the raisins. Too high in sugar, and they've been proven to cause liver failure in other animals because of raisin toxicity. With all the other great treats out there, chins really don't need raisins. I prefer cheerios or plain (non-frosted) shredded wheat.

One last thing is I would also switch the wheel... I had a rescue come in with one of those 12" ones, and she was a small chin, and she still clearly had a hard time running on the wheel. It might not be so obvious, if you've never seen a chin run on a 15" wheel, but once you do, you can tell they're cramped on a 12." Someone on here sells homemade wheels, if you can't afford a chin spin or a flying saucer, or just want to go with something cheaper...

 

[Tillygizmo]

Hi, I would like to commend you for being a caring enough owner to want to do your best It is wonderful to have people that are willing to change to take the best care of their animal as possible. Here are my few pointers:

Bathe in dust at least twice weekly as long as dry skin doesnt occur

Wood shelving is easier on their paws if you can afford to replace the metal (there are lots of people on this forum who make them custom for a good price)

Tap water is not always great because of chlorine content and bacteria that humans can digest but can cause stomach issue in chins, you can get a small brita filter or a faucet filter to better the issue

if possible, it is best to have playtime at the same time everyday and as long as possible (an hour is a good amount)..they really enjoy a schedule and are happiest when they have one

Chins are animals that stress easily and need a very safe feeling hidey spot so having a roof or another hiding option would be a good thing for them

I hear that the vitamin drops are bad because they cause the water to get stagnet and create bacteria build up. With a good food like Mazuri, he will be getting all the nutrients needed so no worries about vitamin defficiencies

If he gets too big for his wheel, something 15 inches is considered very good (chin spins are the most commen although kind of expensive)

Kaytee hay is not always very fresh on the shelf and oxbow tends to be better as well as some other brands that people may reccomend.. and if possible give a few different types of hay to make it most similar to his environment and make it available at all times

Last thing is to be careful of raisins as treats. They can be alright once in a blue moon, but sugar content of any type of dried fruit or fresh fruit can mess with their bellies and give them bloat, diarrhea and constipation. Better treats are rosehips (you can also order through one of the people on the forum). On the same note, it is neccessary to always monitor their poo's to make sure they are firm and rounded ends. If they seem wet, squishy, dry, crumbly, or have undigested hay, it can mean his belly is upset by something. Of course also monitor water and food intake to be sure he is doing well.


once again, I commend you for doing your best. It is with intent that we can change and anyone who condemns you for wanting to learn must remember that they too once had to learn these things and were not born professional chinchilla caregivers. Stay well ! and good luck

 

[JennyBug]

We go that same cage with our first chinchilla. She stayed in it for a while and didn't have any problems, but she seems much happier now with a firm, solid bottom under her. We still use this cage as a quarantine with the understanding that they won't be in it much over a month or two.

We feed Oxbow hay and pellets, and all of our girls love them. All of our chins were fed raisins and other bad treats, and we switched them over to cheerios. The only time we give something sweet is after giving them Baytril (that is personal choice, others might not agree with it).

When his little leg gets better, I would take out the ramps. We recently took the ramps out of ours because they seem to be an accident waiting to happen. You need to make sure that he has plenty of of places to rest his feet that ARE NOT wire! Heavy houses should be firmly attached to avoid accidents.

Good luck!!

 

[Euphoric]

I was told wire ramps/bottoms were bad
My cage is about 4 feet tall and i just have 3 main large shelves and smaller wood ones.
He just jumps from the shelves (and they are close enough to avoid large falls)
Sorry for your accident

 

[soqrbrad]

Thanks everyone, that does help a lot. The ramps are gone. I was thinking about that the first week we got him. Just seeing him fly around the cage he never did really use the ramps anyway. I'll also probably replace some of the shelves with wood or something solid. We do have a wooden ledge but it doesn't fit the cage and we can't find any way to attach it. I may just end up getting a 2x4 and make him one or talk to the people on here about getting a custom one. It's a simple enough construction. We also have one of those chiller blocks (the granite slabs) which he can sit on as a hard surface. I may just get one more of those seeing as he doesn't seem to mind the grates on the bottom but then at least has the choice to sit on something hard. I may even put one under his house.

I'll be on the look out for a table or something to put up his cage a bit higher. It's hard on the old human knees and back too to keep climbing down there to get him.

I'll look into one of the other wheels soon too. Hopefully I can find something in the classified section of this site. After the med bills and everything I am a little weary to spend a lot of money quickly especially on one of those saucers. He is only 1 year old though so I could see how the wheel fits him now but won't later.

As for the water I never really thought about it. The drops do turn stale and were given to us by the previous owners so who knows how long they have had them. I have this glass prism thing I got at a local Renaissance fair which only can hold distilled water in it. So I always have that on tap and will probably use that from now on.

I liked the point about the food and stuff he is on now hasn't killed him and might wait until he is better again before switching everything. At this point we are trying to get him to eat anything. He seems to be going at the hay and pooping fine but we have had to syringe him water lately.

I got some rose hips samples with the new food so we'll see how much he likes them. Maybe I'll just save some of the Charlie Chinchilla food as treats .

Right now with his leg being the way it is we covered up the entire first level so he cannot get to the above levels. I don't want him jumping at all and possibly knocking his splint out of alignment. We also haven't let him exercise that much either. He has a bit of room to dance around in the cage but a bored chinchilla with a healing leg is better than a excited one who screws up his injury even more.

Oh and I had forgot the dust. Usually we let him hit the dust whenever he runs around. We have it in a bowl with a little cover on it to avoid it from getting everywhere. The old owners had the vanilla scented stuff but we got some regular unscented dust and mostly use that with a little of the vanilla stuff thrown in just until we run out of the vanilla stuff. Again just using the regular Kaytee dust

http://www.petco.com/product/6272/K...m_pla=Kaytee&cm_ite=688495&CAWELAID=201373782

Keep the ideas coming!

 

[InkedupTara]

Idont use Kaytee Dust, I order Blue Cloud or Blue Sparkle.

I am sure I am misunderstanding this, but I don't think distilled water is good for a chin. As for dropper feeding him water, I would check his bottle and make sure it is working. When Fuzzy would not drink I had like 3 bottles on the cage till he decided which one he wanted to have.

I would nix the vanilla dust altogether, but that is just me. I only dust 2 or 3 times a week so as not to dry out the skin, unless it is humid, then more often is fine. He should not need his dust every night.

You can very easily make your own wood shelves with Kild Dried Pine, it will be stamped KD when you see it at the lumber store, and then just get screws and washers and attatch to cage.

 

[soqrbrad]

Distilled water is just pure water. Basically it is boiled and the steam is collected and allowed to re-condense. So the distilled water contains just water, pure H20. No calcium, sulfate, or anything that can leave streaks or mineral deposits. It's basically a more rigorous process than deionization.

Yay water nerd...

Also I know the bottle works because he has used it before his injury. I just don't think he's in the mood for water.

As for the ledges that is probably what I will do. I'll cut down the dust baths too once his fur gets better again after he gets his cast off. I like giving him one with the cast on a plate so at least he has something he enjoys since hes not taking the edible treats we are giving him.

 

[Diva Chins]

We give him tap water with some vitamin drops in it that taste like orange. Why is tap water bad? I can get to the store and change this but I'd like to know why. His bottle is placed on the outside of the cage and held in place out there with the metal end sticking into the cage about 5 inches off the cage bottom.

From what I've seen, those water drops make the water nasty and get murky quickly. I'd ditch those, I know what you're talking about. If you're worried about vitamin C, give him rose hips as treats.

We give him a raisin as a treat after putting him back after playtime in my room.

Raisins tend to have unnecessary sugar. I reccomend rose hips. A raisin per day gave my chin (When I first have her) diarrhea. After I quit giving her raisins every day, it stopped. I ditched raisins all together. I've heard in the long run they can cause diabetes.

Other than that, everything looks decent. If you're interested, PANR is a lot cheaper and my chins do a lot better on it than Mazuri. Also, just me here, but I'd take the wire bottom out of the cage. I worry about it hurting their feet or getting a foot or toe caught. Same goes for the wire shelves.

ETA: The scented dust tends to give chins (From my experience) greasy fur. I don't like it in the least. As far as water bottles go, my chins LOVE the Ryerson's water bottles and so do I. They don't leak and my chins can still get water from them.

 

[CerLynn]

Distilled water is just pure water. Basically it is boiled and the steam is collected and allowed to re-condense. So the distilled water contains just water, pure H20. No calcium, sulfate, or anything that can leave streaks or mineral deposits. It's basically a more rigorous process than deionization.

Yay water nerd...

Also I know the bottle works because he has used it before his injury. I just don't think he's in the mood for water.

As for the ledges that is probably what I will do. I'll cut down the dust baths too once his fur gets better again after he gets his cast off. I like giving him one with the cast on a plate so at least he has something he enjoys since hes not taking the edible treats we are giving him.

This is actually the problem with distilled water... in addition to lacking the undesirable contaminants, it also lacks natural minerals that are good for the chins (and us!). I would highly recommend a filtering setup.

 

[MyFuzzies]

I commend you highly on being a "responsible" chin parent and doing the necessary research for your chin to live a "healthy & happy" life! I agree with everything that has already been said, so no need to repeat it. I MUST comment on the "having a scheduled playtime" remark....my boys KNOW when it's playtime! I'll usually let them out (in groups) for about 2 hours each evening, sometimes more if I'm not busy. I have had a few days where we had to skip playtime for the day and boy were they MAD!! Of course I made it up to them, but a consistent schedule gives them more security and not only with playtime, but be consistent in everything you do with/for them.

Good luck and keep the questions coming...this is a wonderful place to learn!

 

[Cinder and Me]

Unless I missed it, do you feed hay to your chin?

No tap water, and no vitamins in the water.

And everyone already stated what I was going to put lol.

Good for you that you are trying to make a better living situation for your little one!!!! I wish more chin owners would do that!

 

[RainOverVegas]

Most pet owners never need to comb their chins out. He's probably getting greasy and matted because of poor quality dust. When I switched my chins from kaytee to blue cloud I noticed a huge difference I could never go back. Plus ordering it in bulk online or from a breeder is the same or maybe even cheaper than the crap from the pet store.
Good luck!

 

[Essentia]

No tap water

Saying that makes people think they can't use tap water at all, which isn't true. Just get a Pur3 on faucet filter and you can use tap water all day long.

 

[kittysae]

I made a lot of the same mistakes when I first got my boys. I used vitamin drops, had the food with all the treats, fed raisins.....After Zippy died (pet store chin with neurological issues. He had always been a little odd...RIP Zippy), I researched and found this forum (at the time chins-n-quills). Poor Buttons went through hell...but luckily we learned and he is much healthier and happier.

The switching over from the petstore junk can be costly at first, but a lot of people here who sell stuff have starter packs or other package deals that can hold you over for a month or two and actually is cheaper once everything is replaced. I also recently started purchasing my food from people on here because it is cheaper. A chinspin is an excellent idea. They are big, high quality, and my boys LOVE them. Also, if you have a sewing machine, you can find some good deals on fleece and make your own hammocks, cuddle buddies, etc. As far as water...Colorado has pretty good tap water, but I still use a filter for my boys. I didn't for the longest time and never had any issues, but now I don't want to risk it.

There is a girl who used to buy Timothy Hay in bulk from a ranch near Fort Collins if you are interested. Her website is www.sinfulchins.com if you want to contact and ask her. I also know of a couple down here who sell good timothy hay in bails, and it is pretty cheap. Before I knew that, I bought a big ol' box of Oxbow and my boys like it fine.

I used to use the Kaytee dust, but when I got Rith he came with some Blue Sparkle from the girl I got him from and he was soooo much softer and his coat looked so good. I tossed the Kaytee and continue to use the Blue Sparkle. I too live in Colorado and found bathing everyday or every other day quickly dries out their skin and feet. I let them dust once or twice a week now.

Allison from CamphorChins sells Bag Balm (also found at Walgreens), Critical Care, and BluKote, which are good to have on hand in case of emergency. I believe chocolatechinchillas.com sells some of these products, and also LifeLine, which is also good to have. I am no chin expert by far, but I am in Colorado Springs. If you need help with anything, please do not be afraid to PM me! :thumbsup:

Hope my experiences helped!

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

By dusting him everytime he is out (which by your first post would mean almost daily) you can dry out his coat. Also ditch the scented crap and order some blue cloud. It is cheaper for you and better for him.


As far as the wheel-12 isn't really big enough even if it seems to be. Carise sells wheels that are chin safe and only for $20.00. Let me know if you want her link.


I have wire in my cages, but I also have wood. I have never had issues with my wire and as long as you give their feet an alternative surface he should be fine. I have martin cages and took out all the shevles but one and left the wire bottom. You can get wood cheap at any Home Depot etc. They have "crap" wood which they cannot sell because it's warped (sp?) or something along those lines and are I think half price.


I think we all understand about the money thing, but there are sites on here that have good things for cheap-just do it little by little. I know Alli has wood ledges for $3.00 and like I said you can find a wheel for $20.00

Peak around the supplier list and keep asking questions!!! I think you're doing a wonderful thing by wanting to learn :hug2: