Is this right?

[ChinsForLife]

I want only the best. Be completely honest!
Food: Mazuri Chinchilla Pellets
Water: Bottled water in a glass drip bottle
Hay: Primarily Timothy but add in small amounts of other types
Bedding: Tile slabs from lowes
Temp: 60°-70° Farenheit
Cage: Double Critter Nation
Material in cage: Certian types of wood, fleece, metal, steel(no plastic!!!)
Chew Toys: Apple Sticks and Pumice Stones
Bathing Dust: Chilldust
Age: Getting baby at 8-9 weeks old
What types of toys are your chin's favorite?
Am I missing anything???
My parents agreed to let me get her whatever she needs without question (because I'm the main one who does the research) but to keep in mind that we can't afford to take her to the vet. I know it's not ideal but im doing all i can as a kid and they love animals as well, we have tons of animals! They just can't afford it having 6 kids.

 

[ChinsForLife]

@Amethyst does this sound right to you?

 

[Amethyst]

Food is fine

Water bottle is fine

Hay, you want unlimited alfalfa for a kit in addition to the timothy, once they are adults then primarily timothy with smaller amounts of other hay. Alfalfa should be limited to an occasional treat for an adult.

Bedding, tile works, but that means you will have to get tiles cut to fit the cage, as well as you still would need somewhere for them to pee. Most chins pick a spot to pee and you can then just put a pan (a glass baking pan works well) full of kiln dried pine or aspen shavings for them to pee in. The other option is to get or make fleece liners to cover the pans the cage comes with. The cheapest option for fleece is to get fleece throws at walmart (I've heard they are as cheap as a couple dollars in the US), and if you can't sew you can just fold them over the pans and use metal binder clips to secure them. Or get metal pans (they are expensive) from Bass Equipment to replace the plastic pans. rabbit cage pan, cage trays, cage pans

Temp is good, just keep in mind that an AC unit is required it's not just something nice to have, so make sure your parents are onboard with you turning on the ac as needed. The humidity also needs to be kept down, 40-60% is ideal range, the ac should help with that.

Cage is good, since you are getting a kit I would block off one unit for now, then open up the whole cage when the kit is older.

Materials in cage is fine

Chew toys are fine, but I would get more variety like I mentioned in your other posts.

Bath dust is good, don't forget the dust bath house/container

Age is not ideal, but that is just what that breeder does so hopefully the kit doesn't have any issues.

My guys favorite toys are probably the willow/vine balls and shapes, but they also enjoy hanging toys that I put drilled stick on for them to chew.

Just some things to remember for in the cage, you need a wooden or metal house, food bowl (I like metal coop cups), and a hay holder. You can also get things like lava ledges, wood ledges, wood perches, tunnels (metal or fleece covered pvc), and fleece hammocks. You'll also want to get a scale that measures in grams to weigh the chin, often times the first sign of an issue is weight loss. It's also a good idea to put together a first aid kit, here is a basic list and explanation of each item. You can also buy premade kits from places like Chinchilla Emergency Kits | Etsy


Ok, the not being able to take the chin to the vet is a pretty big issue to me, it's one of my biggest pet peeves. If you can't afford to take the animal to the vet if needed then I personally feel you can't afford to have the pet. I'm not a big on annual check ups but its a good idea since you are a new owner and may not notice something is wrong before it's too late. Also with the covid restrictions some vets wont even see animals in emergencies that aren't already patients. If taking the chin to the vet if hurt or sick is out of the questions though, then I strongly advise against getting a chinchilla. If one of the kids got hurt or sick would you just say "oh well we can't afford to take it to the doctor/hospital so it will just have to suffer and die?" You also said you breed dogs, do you not take them to the vet if they get hurt or sick? You are intentionally taking an animal into your home, it's your responsibility to make sure it gets treated properly, which includes taking it to the vet if needed. You can look into getting a CareCredit card, What is CareCredit? | CareCredit it's a special credit card excepted at most vets that you can charge the vet bill to. (I don't have it so you will need to do your own research on that, I think there are others but that is the one I have heard of). You may get lucky and the chin never needs the vet, but if they do it's best to be prepared.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Food is fine

Water bottle is fine

Hay, you want unlimited alfalfa for a kit in addition to the timothy, once they are adults then primarily timothy with smaller amounts of other hay. Alfalfa should be limited to an occasional treat for an adult.

Bedding, tile works, but that means you will have to get tiles cut to fit the cage, as well as you still would need somewhere for them to pee. Most chins pick a spot to pee and you can then just put a pan (a glass baking pan works well) full of kiln dried pine or aspen shavings for them to pee in. The other option is to get or make fleece liners to cover the pans the cage comes with. The cheapest option for fleece is to get fleece throws at walmart (I've heard they are as cheap as a couple dollars in the US), and if you can't sew you can just fold them over the pans and use metal binder clips to secure them. Or get metal pans (they are expensive) from Bass Equipment to replace the plastic pans. rabbit cage pan, cage trays, cage pans

Temp is good, just keep in mind that an AC unit is required it's not just something nice to have, so make sure your parents are onboard with you turning on the ac as needed. The humidity also needs to be kept down, 40-60% is ideal range, the ac should help with that.

Cage is good, since you are getting a kit I would block off one unit for now, then open up the whole cage when the kit is older.

Materials in cage is fine

Chew toys are fine, but I would get more variety like I mentioned in your other posts.

Bath dust is good, don't forget the dust bath house/container

Age is not ideal, but that is just what that breeder does so hopefully the kit doesn't have any issues.

My guys favorite toys are probably the willow/vine balls and shapes, but they also enjoy hanging toys that I put drilled stick on for them to chew.

Just some things to remember for in the cage, you need a wooden or metal house, food bowl (I like metal coop cups), and a hay holder. You can also get things like lava ledges, wood ledges, wood perches, tunnels (metal or fleece covered pvc), and fleece hammocks. You'll also want to get a scale that measures in grams to weigh the chin, often times the first sign of an issue is weight loss. It's also a good idea to put together a first aid kit, here is a basic list and explanation of each item. You can also buy premade kits from places like Chinchilla Emergency Kits | Etsy
View attachment 21274

Ok, the not being able to take the chin to the vet is a pretty big issue to me, it's one of my biggest pet peeves. If you can't afford to take the animal to the vet if needed then I personally feel you can't afford to have the pet. I'm not a big on annual check ups but its a good idea since you are a new owner and may not notice something is wrong before it's too late. Also with the covid restrictions some vets wont even see animals in emergencies that aren't already patients. If taking the chin to the vet if hurt or sick is out of the questions though, then I strongly advise against getting a chinchilla. If one of the kids got hurt or sick would you just say "oh well we can't afford to take it to the doctor/hospital so it will just have to suffer and die?" You also said you breed dogs, do you not take them to the vet if they get hurt or sick? You are intentionally taking an animal into your home, it's your responsibility to make sure it gets treated properly, which includes taking it to the vet if needed. You can look into getting a CareCredit card, What is CareCredit? | CareCredit it's a special credit card excepted at most vets that you can charge the vet bill to. (I don't have it so you will need to do your own research on that, I think there are others but that is the one I have heard of). You may get lucky and the chin never needs the vet, but if they do it's best to be prepared.

We take our dogs to the vet for annual vaccinations but they never really have issues so we never have an occasion to need to go otherwise... I get what you are saying and i feel the same way and have told them that but they won't budge.
Do you have to pay a whole bunch for that? I'm gonna have like, $600 saved for chin fund but it more than that? Do you have to pay a certain amount per month?

 

[Amethyst]

We take our dogs to the vet for annual vaccinations but they never really have issues so we never have an occasion to need to go otherwise... I get what you are saying and i feel the same way and have told them that but they won't budge.
Do you have to pay a whole bunch for that? I'm gonna have like, $600 saved for chin fund but it more than that? Do you have to pay a certain amount per month?

I really have no idea about the CareCredit, I don't think we have that up in Canada (we have something else here, but I don't have that either), I would assume it's like a credit card though were you have to pay a certain amount per month to pay it off. I heard some you can apply on the spot, so you don't have to apply until/unless you need it. Personally I have a savings account for my pets (as well as a credit card for emegencies, pet or otherwise), so long as you at least have enough money to take the chin to the vet to be seen and get basic care that should be ok, not ideal but ok. I try to keep at least $500 on hand in my savings account, a couple thousand would be better but life happens, like I had to put my old dog down last spring which drained the funds. So if the $600 is your emergency vet savings that should be ok, most minor things should be less then that. If the money is in a savings account it can earn interest and you can continue to put money away over time to build up the amount that would be even better. I also know some vets will work with you on payment plans if needed, it depends on the vet though, and tends to be a case by case and personal choice of the vet type situation. My current two are 14 years old and never yet needed to go to the vet, but you never know, accidents and illness can happen at any time. The chins I've had in the past a few did need to go to the vet but most were rescues or "preowned" chins not ones I got from breeders.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Food is fine

Water bottle is fine

Hay, you want unlimited alfalfa for a kit in addition to the timothy, once they are adults then primarily timothy with smaller amounts of other hay. Alfalfa should be limited to an occasional treat for an adult.

Bedding, tile works, but that means you will have to get tiles cut to fit the cage, as well as you still would need somewhere for them to pee. Most chins pick a spot to pee and you can then just put a pan (a glass baking pan works well) full of kiln dried pine or aspen shavings for them to pee in. The other option is to get or make fleece liners to cover the pans the cage comes with. The cheapest option for fleece is to get fleece throws at walmart (I've heard they are as cheap as a couple dollars in the US), and if you can't sew you can just fold them over the pans and use metal binder clips to secure them. Or get metal pans (they are expensive) from Bass Equipment to replace the plastic pans. rabbit cage pan, cage trays, cage pans

Temp is good, just keep in mind that an AC unit is required it's not just something nice to have, so make sure your parents are onboard with you turning on the ac as needed. The humidity also needs to be kept down, 40-60% is ideal range, the ac should help with that.

Cage is good, since you are getting a kit I would block off one unit for now, then open up the whole cage when the kit is older.

Materials in cage is fine

Chew toys are fine, but I would get more variety like I mentioned in your other posts.

Bath dust is good, don't forget the dust bath house/container

Age is not ideal, but that is just what that breeder does so hopefully the kit doesn't have any issues.

My guys favorite toys are probably the willow/vine balls and shapes, but they also enjoy hanging toys that I put drilled stick on for them to chew.

Just some things to remember for in the cage, you need a wooden or metal house, food bowl (I like metal coop cups), and a hay holder. You can also get things like lava ledges, wood ledges, wood perches, tunnels (metal or fleece covered pvc), and fleece hammocks. You'll also want to get a scale that measures in grams to weigh the chin, often times the first sign of an issue is weight loss. It's also a good idea to put together a first aid kit, here is a basic list and explanation of each item. You can also buy premade kits from places like Chinchilla Emergency Kits | Etsy
View attachment 21274

Ok, the not being able to take the chin to the vet is a pretty big issue to me, it's one of my biggest pet peeves. If you can't afford to take the animal to the vet if needed then I personally feel you can't afford to have the pet. I'm not a big on annual check ups but its a good idea since you are a new owner and may not notice something is wrong before it's too late. Also with the covid restrictions some vets wont even see animals in emergencies that aren't already patients. If taking the chin to the vet if hurt or sick is out of the questions though, then I strongly advise against getting a chinchilla. If one of the kids got hurt or sick would you just say "oh well we can't afford to take it to the doctor/hospital so it will just have to suffer and die?" You also said you breed dogs, do you not take them to the vet if they get hurt or sick? You are intentionally taking an animal into your home, it's your responsibility to make sure it gets treated properly, which includes taking it to the vet if needed. You can look into getting a CareCredit card, What is CareCredit? | CareCredit it's a special credit card excepted at most vets that you can charge the vet bill to. (I don't have it so you will need to do your own research on that, I think there are others but that is the one I have heard of). You may get lucky and the chin never needs the vet, but if they do it's best to be prepared.

Ok ill do unlimited alfalfa as well..I can get that from my breeder.
How long does hay last?
I have an AC in my room along with a weither staton that measures temp and humidity.

I plan to get a one unit for now and get the second in a few months
Only problemme is that when popping in an add on, you have to take out the middle floor...that would be a long fall for a chin is that was to happen!
I didn'the forget the container just didn't think k to put it on there.
My dad is a carpenter so he is going to build alot of the stuff for the chin cage. The ledges, hideout, etc.
And am planning to sew anything fleece.
And we will get the tiles at lowes as my dad (as a carpenter) goes fairly often.
Thanks for the link to the first aid kit! I have been stressing about that. Didn't know what to put in it..
Thank you for all your help!! I really appreciate it!!

 

[ChinsForLife]

The link you sent for the coop cups is just a picture. Could you possibly sent a link to the idem?

 

[ChinsForLife]

Could I use a ferret litter box like this for the tile?
Like this but metal.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Ok, the not being able to take the chin to the vet is a pretty big issue to me, it's one of my biggest pet peeves. If you can't afford to take the animal to the vet if needed then I personally feel you can't afford to have the pet. I'm not a big on annual check ups but its a good idea since you are a new owner and may not notice something is wrong before it's too late. Also with the covid restrictions some vets wont even see animals in emergencies that aren't already patients. If taking the chin to the vet if hurt or sick is out of the questions though, then I strongly advise against getting a chinchilla. If one of the kids got hurt or sick would you just say "oh well we can't afford to take it to the doctor/hospital so it will just have to suffer and die?" You also said you breed dogs, do you not take them to the vet if they get hurt or sick? You are intentionally taking an animal into your home, it's your responsibility to make sure it gets treated properly, which includes taking it to the vet if needed. You can look into getting a CareCredit card, What is CareCredit? | CareCredit it's a special credit card excepted at most vets that you can charge the vet bill to. (I don't have it so you will need to do your own research on that, I think there are others but that is the one I have heard of). You may get lucky and the chin never needs the vet, but if they do it's best to be prepared.

I also plan to take her when I get her to make sure nothing is wrong. Just can't afford $2000+. I'm 13 and planning to actually become a veterinarian myself so you know I am all for vet care! Once I'm 16 I'm going to start working at a vet clinic about 15 minuites away from my house so if she can make it 3 years without vet visits besides one when i get her, then I should be able to pay that myself.

 

[Amethyst]

Ok ill do unlimited alfalfa as well..I can get that from my breeder.
How long does hay last?
I have an AC in my room along with a weither staton that measures temp and humidity.
View attachment 21275
I plan to get a one unit for now and get the second in a few months
Only problemme is that when popping in an add on, you have to take out the middle floor...that would be a long fall for a chin is that was to happen!
I didn'the forget the container just didn't think k to put it on there.
My dad is a carpenter so he is going to build alot of the stuff for the chin cage. The ledges, hideout, etc.
And am planning to sew anything fleece.
And we will get the tiles at lowes as my dad (as a carpenter) goes fairly often.
Thanks for the link to the first aid kit! I have been stressing about that. Didn't know what to put in it..
Thank you for all your help!! I really appreciate it!!

I think I answered how long the hay lasts in your other post, they probably go through about 15 oz per month, maybe more.

You don't have to take the middle out for an addon unit, the addon comes with 4 walls and the cut out floor, you take the top off the bottom unit and put it on the top of the addon. I removed the middle floor on my double, but I also made sure everything was over lapping so they can't fall far.

The link you sent for the coop cups is just a picture. Could you possibly sent a link to the idem?

I just posted a pic because brand doesn't matter, but this is the ones I have https://www.petsmart.com/bird/bowls...ing-things-food-and-water-bird-cup-14054.html

Could I use a ferret litter box like this for the tile?
Like this but metal.

If you can find a metal one like that it could work, but I just bought a cheap baking pan from the bargain store, I think I paid like $4 for it. (The one in my cage pic is an old metal one the ended up rusting) Bargain stores don't have websites so I can't show you exactly what I bought, and it wasn't brand name, but basically looks like https://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Basics...r=V07V5JC4PWNKFDZQHPC8&qid=1613422798&sr=8-12 But as I said you can get them for much cheaper if you go to a bargain store or a dollar store, it doesn't matter if they are cheap since they are just for the chin to pee in. You may even be able to find one for cheap at a garage sale.

I also plan to take her when I get her to make sure nothing is wrong. Just can't afford $2000+. I'm 13 and planning to actually become a veterinarian myself so you know I am all for vet care! Once I'm 16 I'm going to start working at a vet clinic about 15 minuites away from my house so if she can make it 3 years without vet visits besides one when i get her, then I should be able to pay that myself.

The $2000+ is really worst case major injury or illness situation. I've never had vet bills that high, but a lot of others have. Just giving you the heads up on that since a lot of people seem to think it's a small animal so it much be cheaper then when you need to take a cat or dog to the vet. Oh and I'm not sure I've mentioned it yet, chins are exotics so you need an exotic vet, not all vets will even see chinchillas. It's best to find a vet as well as an after hours emergency vet that will see them, just in case.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Just curious...could I feed alfalfa and timothy hay cubes INSTEAD of loose hay or no? Like the ones from my breeder?
https://lonestarchinchilla.com/shop/ols/products/alfalfa-hay-cubes

 

[Amethyst]

Just curious...could I feed alfalfa and timothy hay cubes INSTEAD of loose hay or no? Like the ones from my breeder?
https://lonestarchinchilla.com/shop/ols/products/alfalfa-hay-cubes

They can have just loose hay, but just hay cubes is not ideal, they are made of chopped up hay so they require less chewing then long strands, less chewing means less tooth wear. Less tooth wear increases the chances of tooth issues. They would have to eat at least half a dozen cubes a day to chew as much as they would with loose hay, and it takes some chins a day or more just to chew up one cube. Also once the chin is over 6 months alfalfa should be limited (alfalfa is high in calcium, too much calcium can lead to bladder and kidney stones), so best to limit it to one cube a week and they need hay every day.

Another thing with loose hay, chins like to go through the hay and pick out choice pieces, some like the stems, others like more leafy blades, some really like the seed heads (seriously some chins get as excited for them as they do for treats). With cubes it's all just finely chopped and compressed, so no picking through to find good pieces it's just all mashed together like pellets. So you are taking the fun out of eating hay.

Not to mention watching them eat strands of hay with their little paws is adorable.

 

[ChinsForLife]

They can have just loose hay, but just hay cubes is not ideal, they are made of chopped up hay so they require less chewing then long strands, less chewing means less tooth wear. Less tooth wear increases the chances of tooth issues. They would have to eat at least half a dozen cubes a day to chew as much as they would with loose hay, and it takes some chins a day or more just to chew up one cube. Also once the chin is over 6 months alfalfa should be limited (alfalfa is high in calcium, too much calcium can lead to bladder and kidney stones), so best to limit it to one cube a week and they need hay every day.

Another thing with loose hay, chins like to go through the hay and pick out choice pieces, some like the stems, others like more leafy blades, some really like the seed heads (seriously some chins get as excited for them as they do for treats). With cubes it's all just finely chopped and compressed, so no picking through to find good pieces it's just all mashed together like pellets. So you are taking the fun out of eating hay.

Not to mention watching them eat strands of hay with their little paws is adorable.

View attachment 21278View attachment 21279

Awww! Well, I wasn't planning on doing it at all! Just curious whether or not you could. I loved watching my Guinea pigs eat hay. And they only stay on four legs! I bet it's soo cute watching them hold it!!

 

[ChinsForLife]

So planning on buying at least 2 months worth of everything to start out with. Does this sound like the right amount?
Pellets: 6 lbs
Timothy: 3 lbs
Alfalfa: 3 lbs
Is this brand high quality do you think? They have 5 stars out of 18 reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L45FG5V/ref=twister_B08L42C4VS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[ChinsForLife]

Or better yet, this one...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MH5YJV3/ref=twister_B07MPF21P1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=14.6 stars out of 2811 reviews!

 

[ChinsForLife]

Same brand but in the 25 lb box and 4.8 stars.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...x-24-in-with-x-18-in-l-x-19-in-h?cm_vc=-10005

 

[ChinsForLife]

How many lbs of chin dust should I buy? They sell it by the pound

 

[Amethyst]

So planning on buying at least 2 months worth of everything to start out with. Does this sound like the right amount?
Pellets: 6 lbs
Timothy: 3 lbs
Alfalfa: 3 lbs
Is this brand high quality do you think? They have 5 stars out of 18 reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L45FG5V/ref=twister_B08L42C4VS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Pellets sound ok, it's be a long time since I had a kit so I can't really remember how much they ate. Calculating it an adult eats about 2 tb or a little over 1 oz a day, so just under 2lbs a month, but sometimes they eat more, I don't restrict their food just measure it so I know they are eating.
That is probably several months worth of hay, I've never really measured how long it takes, but maybe a pound of hay a month per chin, it really depends on how much your chin eats though. Hay is good for about a year after harvest before it start loosing nutrients though so if you have several months worth that shouldn't be a problem.

I've never heard of Viking Farm so I can't say how good it is. I've heard Standlee hay is good, I would not go with 25lb of hay for one chin though, that is an entire bale and will likely take your chin a couple years to go through. An entire bale would be hard to store as well, it's big.

How many lbs of chin dust should I buy? They sell it by the pound

I normally buy 3lb jars of dust and it lasts me probably about 6 months, so if you want 2 months worth of supplies then go with 1 or 2 lbs. It really depends on how many baths you end up needing to give, for example right now here it's very cold (below -20 for over a week and was -63 the other night with the windchill) and very dry, so my guys are only getting 1 bath a week. I also reuse the dust for several baths. I reuse it until it starts getting gritty. Poops I just scoop out after each bath (poops should be dry unless the chin is sick), but if they pee in it though I have to toss it, meaning I go through it faster.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Pellets sound ok, it's be a long time since I had a kit so I can't really remember how much they ate. Calculating it an adult eats about 2 tb or a little over 1 oz a day, so just under 2lbs a month, but sometimes they eat more, I don't restrict their food just measure it so I know they are eating.
That is probably several months worth of hay, I've never really measured how long it takes, but maybe a pound of hay a month per chin, it really depends on how much your chin eats though. Hay is good for about a year after harvest before it start loosing nutrients though so if you have several months worth that shouldn't be a problem.

I've never heard of Viking Farm so I can't say how good it is. I've heard Standlee hay is good, I would not go with 25lb of hay for one chin though, that is an entire bale and will likely take your chin a couple years to go through. An entire bale would be hard to store as well, it's big.


I normally buy 3lb jars of dust and it lasts me probably about 6 months, so if you want 2 months worth of supplies then go with 1 or 2 lbs. It really depends on how many baths you end up needing to give, for example right now here it's very cold (below -20 for over a week and was -63 the other night with the windchill) and very dry, so my guys are only getting 1 bath a week. I also reuse the dust for several baths. I reuse it until it starts getting gritty. Poops I just scoop out after each bath (poops should be dry unless the chin is sick), but if they pee in it though I have to toss it, meaning I go through it faster.

You said do primarily timothy AND alfalfa so do I do half a pound of each a month? So half and half? May get 6 months in advance if all supplies last that long.
I can get the chilldust pretty cheap from my breeder.
Temperatures around here usually don't get below 50° in the wintertime. I live in East texas so it snows like...every 4 years if that! And not alot of snow, (alot for us is 7-8 inches) we only get that much just about once every decade! For instance, when I was 2, it snowed about 6 inches of wet snow (the kind you can build a snowman with) and it snowed about maybe an inch or so about 3-4 more times when I was 6, 8, 10,(powdery, dry snow that you can't build anything with) and now I'm 13 and it snowed again this year 8 inches! It's very rare. The record temperature in East Texas is -4°! That having been said, it actually snowed again yesterday (again...the powdery kind)and we are getting a ice storm on Wednesday...about 1/2 an inch of ice! But then again, there has not been a ice storm here since my dad was a kid! (He's 35)! It can get in the 90's in the summer!! That kinda worries me...

How many baths should my chin have in the temperatures here? Usual temperatures in winter are around 50° to 70° and in summer they usually range from 75° to 85°(maybe more) of course we keep our house pretty cool in the spring but my room is upstairs and...well...heat rises!

 

[ChinsForLife]

So kits eat more or less than adults?