How many toys, and what kinds?

[Morganpanda]

As I'm shopping for more chinchilla items (it seems like shopping for a pet is never finished! Haha), I'm seeing a lot of different "types". Chews, throw toys, cuddle toys, ect. I know that chins can be really big chewers, and I don't want my little Sigma to chew through a select amount of toys is a night and be left with none.

How many toys do you leave in your cage, about? I know that since he's a single chin (with a cuddle buddy girlfriend ) That he'll need a little bit more stimulation.

So far I've ordered about five assorted "floor" toys (chew blocks with hidden rose hips, twig balls, ect) and two main hanging wood toys. But I feel like that's not enough. But I also don't want to super-crowd the cage to make it hard for him to run around and up and down the levels.

I was going to just get a massive order of those small chews that are all the same, but I really want him to have some variety in his cage.

Know of any good chinchilla toys that are a hit?

Thanks!

OH! And Also, do chinchillas play tug-a-war? Because I'm seeing some tug kind of toys... wasn't sure if that actually happened or if it was just a name.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

My boys have a variety of chews and depending on the chew it can take them a while to work through them. I've got unpeeled willow (a huge hit!), vine balls, kd pine coloured slats, lava bites and lava ledges, bagel bites (hard cardboard 'bagels'), vine stars and moons and circles, bamboo crunchers, and loofah. I make toys for them using the superpet ka-bob and that lets me put a variety of different chews on one toy. I have a two level FN and in it they have two lava ledges, multiple kd pine ledges, 3 hanging ka-bob and a couple other treats attached to various parts of the cage, and then a couple safe wood chews and bamboo crunchers around the cage floor. They LOVE loofah and demolish it so they each get a small piece once a week and the rest they take their time to chomp through. You'll get a feel for what your chin loves and what he'll only chew when he's run out of other things to chew on. Sometimes I think I'm having more fun spoiling my boys than they are chewing on things!
Anyways, that was long winded. Basically, I offer a lot of variety and move things around to keep it interesting.

 

[Morganpanda]

Variety is all what I'm for! Thank you!

I've been looking at some unique wood toys. Though they're expensive, I don't know if it's worth getting them if my chin is going to chew right through them. XD

So sad seeing such great, wooden art go to shreds- but I guess that's the whole point of them!

And indeed! I do get carried away with buying things for them. (Hubby isn't so excited about me being in charge of ordering things XD) But I'm having a hard time cutting down on my orders for the toys. :/ I guess it is just a game of trial and error with chins. Just hope that he likes the things I'm getting him.

I also found the blue cloud dust rocks- should I prepare for a mess with these? Like, maybe just keep them in the tank in a glass pan or something? Sounds pretty crumbly...

 

[jess32247]

There's a ton of wonderful people on the forum that make great chin toys and chews, I'm sure you'll find some stuff

I don't have as many hanging toys as I'd like, but I did order from Christine from Twilight Chinchilla's about a year ago. My chin went nuts for her toys, but after a while she lost most of her interest. I still have most of them in her cage, along with a couple cheap hanging toys I made myself, but she still doesn't bother with them. She gets most her of chewing done with the loose sticks I make for her, maybe you can look into doing that?

My chin goes nuts for her freshly baked sticks, she shreds them into nothing

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

I've never tried the blue cloud dust rocks since my boys have fleece and I'm sensitive to the dust as it is. I have heard that they cause a mess but that chins will roll in the dust as they create it. I love the Doodlebug toy from chinchillacity but have yet to order one (apparently I have more than enough toys already....) lol

 

[Morganpanda]

Definitely will keep the blue cloud dust rock on a glass plate or something- just to keep it all in. But knowing chins, Sigma will probably find a way to dust the entire cage. XD

Maybe it'll be just a playtime thing so that it doesn't coat everything. Haha.

Okay! I'm personally not a fan of any bells being in the cage. Primarily because the sound of bells bothers me. XD But I bought three natural hanging toys, plus a few floor toys, and I'll also be making a fleece cuddle buddy and cage liners as well as hammock and *hopefully* a hanging hut if my sewing skills are up to par. Haha. I'll also be investing in a lot of lava ledges and pumice chews as well as the chinchiller. I think that'll be a good start for the cage. Then once I learn what my chin likes the most- I can invest more into those.

Thanks a lot for the advice!
I SAW that Doodlebug!! It's sooo cute!