Just a few questions

[Lillybabe]

I am not exactly a new chin owner... but with two new girls I feel quite new.

I have just a few questions that I can't seem to get straight answers on so I thought I'd put them all in one thread.

Pyrex litter pans... what size do you all use for them? I am not sure if the one I got is typical or too small. How big should a litter pan be? I never did a pan with Raisin.

Ferret Nation bar size - at what age/size can a chinchilla have access to FN bars without hardware cloth? I do not want to take it off too soon... but the stuff makes adding things to the cage more difficult... and it's ugly.

FN142 - at what age/size will giving the girls full access to the cage be safe? I know many people have two in just one level but I guess after having one chin with both to himself it feels a little cramped to me. I don't plan on putting a wheel in and I have two sets of Bass pans. There wouldn't be any more of a drop than there is now because of the pans. I'd of course still keep a fairly small distance between levels once I opened it up.

Water bottles/food dishes/hay - Is it necessary to have two places for pellets, hay and water? Opinions would be great. The hay box I have is rather large so I can't really fit a second on it in just one level for sure.... but there is access to it from three sides.

Out of cage playtime - I have heard this not recommended until 6 months. Is this a hard and fast rule? Would letting the girls dust bath in the bathroom (where they could potentially run about a bit) be unsafe/unhealthy?

Weighing - How often is it usually recommended to weigh young chins? The girls are ten weeks on Monday. I don't want to drive myself crazy weighing them so much it worries me but I do want to note any problems right away.

Sounds - Is there a list of chinnie sounds and what they mean? These girls are chatter boxes. It would be nice to know what sounds mean "I'm upset/scared" and which ones mean "I'm happy!". I assume sleep sounds are normal?

Sorry for all the questions.... never had chinchillas this young figured it'd be better to ask questions than to fret or do things poorly. Everyone has been so helpful already.

 

[danik22]

Sounds - Is there a list of chinnie sounds and what they mean? These girls are chatter boxes. It would be nice to know what sounds mean "I'm upset/scared" and which ones mean "I'm happy!". I assume sleep sounds are normal?
.

Did you check the sticky? http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467 in behavior and anatomy on here. I think someone got it working.

 

[Shooper]

Taking the hardware cloth off just depends on the size of your chins. My baby Bandit went in the FN as soon as I got him (around 9 wks. old) and we didnt need hardware cloth! I gave the boys a couple weeks to adjust and make sure little Bandit could navigate the ledges without trouble and then I opened the second level for them. I only use one food dish, water bottle and haybag for them and they share nicely.

 

[Lillybabe]

Did you check the sticky? http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467 in behavior and anatomy on here. I think someone got it working.

Thanks! I completely missed it. I am still adjusting to where everything is and where to look for things. When I search things I usually get tons of pages with threads that have only the word searched but absolutely nothing about what I actually wanted to know.

Shooper - How large was Bandit when you got him? I have been given conflicting information which is why I asked on the thread here. I don't want the girls to be able to escape and hurt themselves because I take it off too soon. As far as opening the whole FN up to them... I thought it was unsafe to give chins that young a whole double level FN. I thought part of the worry was them not gaining/losing weight because they would work everything off by going up and down the cage.

 

[Shooper]

Are both of your levels covered in hardware cloth?
If not, try the girls in the one thats not covered and see if they can fit through!
I think having a bigger cage and having open playtime are very different. In the cage Smokey and Bandit dont run all over jumping and bouncing off the walls. When I get them out and let them get on the couch with me for a few minutes...now thats run and explore time, no siting and chilling there! I'm still learning too, but so far so good! I cant remember what Bandit weighed when I got him, but I'll check for ya!

 

[Lillybabe]

Any ideas on the other questions anyone? Still wondering about all of them... with the exception of the sounds. Found a couple places for sounds on the web.

 

[Chub_Chub]

Pyrex litter pans... what size do you all use for them? I am not sure if the one I got is typical or too small. How big should a litter pan be? I never did a pan with Raisin.

Ferret Nation bar size - at what age/size can a chinchilla have access to FN bars without hardware cloth? I do not want to take it off too soon... but the stuff makes adding things to the cage more difficult... and it's ugly.

FN142 - at what age/size will giving the girls full access to the cage be safe? I know many people have two in just one level but I guess after having one chin with both to himself it feels a little cramped to me. I don't plan on putting a wheel in and I have two sets of Bass pans. There wouldn't be any more of a drop than there is now because of the pans. I'd of course still keep a fairly small distance between levels once I opened it up.

Water bottles/food dishes/hay - Is it necessary to have two places for pellets, hay and water? Opinions would be great. The hay box I have is rather large so I can't really fit a second on it in just one level for sure.... but there is access to it from three sides.

Out of cage playtime - I have heard this not recommended until 6 months. Is this a hard and fast rule? Would letting the girls dust bath in the bathroom (where they could potentially run about a bit) be unsafe/unhealthy?

Weighing - How often is it usually recommended to weigh young chins? The girls are ten weeks on Monday. I don't want to drive myself crazy weighing them so much it worries me but I do want to note any problems right away.

People use the Pyrex dishes for litter pans.. No "right" size to recommend, just keep in mind, the smaller the pan, the more often it will have to be changed/cleaned.

Can't answer the question about the hardware cloth, sorry, all my boys were full grown when I got them except Pirate, who was pretty close to full grown by 7 months.

I have a double FN, split in half for the chins to be seperated. I agree with a prev poster about wait until you think your chins are comfortable with navigating. If you have really clumsy chins, make sure there is a good size ledge below the hole from top to bottom.

For double up on water, hay and pellets.. Again a personal preference, it will also help prevent any issues of bullying. Some chins will prevent cagemates from being able to eat or drink, this would also give chins a chance to be uber-spoiled (Hey look! We don't have to go downstairs to get to the kitchen! NOM NOM NOM).

Out of cage playtime isn't recommended because under 6 months the chins are supposed to be reserving their extra energy for growing instead of playing harder (oh man, they still play and get into trouble, even without playtime). I think the scenario you're talking about would be ok, just keep it under a few mins and scoop em up as soon as they are done with dusting.

Weighing is done daily for people doing breeding to track progress and keep an eye on potential problems. You can do that, or weekly or monthly, whatever you prefer, but its really important to get to know your chins "normal" weight before you cut back to a further length of time. The more you do it, the more they get used to it and won't fight you on it!

All of this is my opinion, I'm not an expert. More opinions in the thread would be helpful from more experienced people, I'm sure.

 

[smhluvsmh]

Two of my girls are bonded sisters. They share a FN142. I have a large hayrack (from Christine) that they share and it is in a different part of the cage than their food and water. I do have 2 small coop cups and 2 different water bottles in separate areas of their cages. I feel better knowing that either of them can get to what they want, when they want it. They did share for the first few months with no problems or bullying but they have both picked up weight since I put in 2.