How often do you let your chinnies out to play?

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Mine come out 1 or 2 times per week, usually for about an hour. As a general rule, if I can't keep the temp under 70, they don't get playtime.
 
We let our little girl out for 30 minutes every other day. I'm rethinking that for the stairs adventure though, she's getting hot way too quickly. (Because she takes two stairs at a time!)

Bathroom is fine :)
 
tcraighenry said:
We let our little girl out for 30 minutes every other day. I'm rethinking that for the stairs adventure though, she's getting hot way too quickly. (Because she takes two stairs at a time!)

Bathroom is fine :)
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I'd worry about more than overheating with stairs. You might want to section that area off. Broken bones are no fun for anyone.
 
tcraighenry said:
We were thinking they're ok? They're carpeted and she seems to love them.
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I could see one or two stairs, but a full flight would make me really nervous. One of mine broke her leg in February and I seriously wouldn't wish that horror on my worst enemy.
 
I let my chinchillas out for at least an hour every day :) They need the exercise time. Sometimes, we just let them run around for 2-3 hours, depends if we are in the living room babysitting them. My first chin goes back to his cage by himself, whenever he feels the needs to take a nap, get a drink, have some hay, so it is easy. But i am still training my new chin, so i just let him run around in the bathroom for an hour or so because it is easier to have him back in his own cage.
 
Before we moved my chins got out for 30 minutes or so several times a week. Now - they don't come out at all. BUT - they all have wheels and tons of space in their respective cages and things to chew on. I'm with Tunes, chins don't NEED playtime, but if you can give it to them, great. For us, it's a matter of not having any chin-safe play areas to let them out, and rather than risk something, they just stay in their cage. I do sit in front of the cages and let them crawl on me and interact with me that way, they are perfectly happy doing that.
 
tcraighenry said:
How did she break it?
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Sorry, I must've missed this one. She was playing in my walk in closet with her mom. I was gone for a few minutes, got called by Maia (her mom), came back and found Nixi on the floor. My best guess is that she climbed one of the older cages that was in the closet, went to jump off and caught her leg in the process. Unless she surfed on a wall incorrectly, there was nothing else in there to cause damage. It was 100% my fault, as I knew they shouldn't be left alone. Luckily, she's fine and is still my fastest chin by far. It was just financial, physical and emotional h***.
 
Right now my chins have gotten no playtime. I need to chin proof my bedroom again. But I interact with them in the cage and they get wood treats and pets and lovings. I think they are happy :)
 
I used to let mine out all the time until my first two fought. Since I can't take them out together, I used to take 2 out for a while then the other 3. It was really difficult and the bathroom was smaller than their cage so I tried using my bedroom, but there's too much stuff in here to chin-proof effectively and all they want to do is hide under the bed anyway. I tried lining an area with cardboard, but they quickly learned to jump over it. -.- Now that is too much work to set up with and with work and school I have little time even for myself so they only get out of their cage when they escape or when I put them in the other cage with their saucer and for baths.
 
These days, it's seldom.

we use to take our first two out every night for about 30 minutes. We moved right after we got the second two and are living with my parents right now. I get a LOT of grief for the mess they make during play time, so yeah. Not often right now...
 
I don't take Tiko out for play time as I don't have a chin-proof apartment. He has a 2 story Ferret Nation (182) and lots of chews and toys so I know he's not missing out :)

I was just wondering, is there such thing as too much playtime? Not to pick on you "meiying" but do your chinchillas get tired after 3 hours of running around? I'm fairly new to chinchillas and I'm curious.
 
My boys come out for 2 or 3 hours 2 or 3 times a week. My house has been chin-proofed and they go in and out of the cage as they please during the 2-3 hours. Most of the time they just come out to get a better view of the tv, sit on my lap, sleep under the couch, slide on the kitchen floor, or to skype to my nieces with me. Oh, and of course to do some sweet wall jumps to show off.
 
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