New here, Hello!

[Korvia]

Hello i just got my first Chinchilla on Saturday. her name is Mika, she's a year old. She's really tame and friendly. I also have an 8 month old cockatiel named cookie. Is Mika allowed sunflower seeds? Cookie throws them out of his cage (I think he's trying to feed her) Also what about cardboard boxes? What kind of toys are good for her?

 

[Beena]

:hithere:
Welcome)
Congrats on your new Chinchilla! It's great that she is tame.
I'm personally not too sure about sunflower seeds for Chins. I am guessing it's not the best thing, as I haven't heard of people giving them to their chins. Cheerios, or rosehips are good treats. Even unfrosted shredded wheat is a good one.
Cardboard boxes aren't the greatest toys, mostly because you can't be too sure if there are any chemicals and/or dyes in them. Wood, wood is great for Chins! Pine, and poplar are good ones. Applewood is a great one, kind of like a treat. Lava or pumice stone type chews and ledges, you can get them at most big pet stores. Good luck with your new Fur ball! )

 

[Korvia]

She's a little escape artist is that common for chins?
I have lots of wood toys for her, she goes threw them fast though.

 

[Jenn]

Hi and a warm welcome to you!

No seeds, nuts, fruits, or veggies for you chin. Wood treats are great, and needed for their teeth. And they do go through them very fast!

 

[Korvia]

Thanks.
That's a shame about seeds,nuts,fruits and veggies.

 

[Lirana]

Hello!

Is she escaping through the the bars of her cage, or is she escaping when you open the doors to feed her?

Here's a list of chin safe woods. There are a lot of woods that are bad (poisonous) for chinchillas. A general (but not always true) rule of thumb is that if it's safe for a bird, it's probably safe for a chinchilla. My easy way to remember what woods are safe for chinchillas are that if it bears stone fruits (cherries, peaches, avocado, etc.) or citrus (oranges, lemons, grapefruit, etc.), it's not safe for chins. Trees that bear fruit with seeds (apples, pears, kiwi, etc.) are safe for chins.

 

[lauralynne]

Hello & Welcome!

 

[MyzarandGemma]

Well howdy! Is your chin escaping through the bars? If so, you may want to line it with wire mesh. If you click on my signature, the first thing to come up right now should be our recent wire mesh process with costs, etc. It's hard work, but worth it if Mika is slipping though the bars. Also, what kind of cage do you have her in??

 

[Korvia]

She came in just a really run of a mill cage, but I thought it was too small for her so we attached another cage, I forget the name of it, she was slipping out were the bottom went, I've fixed it already, she's a happy camper now. Is she allowed treats from the pet store? when looking around for toys for her there were treats that were made for chins, is allowed them or just best to avoid?

 

[kagome716]

:welcome2: its great to have you here! You will have to share some pics, I'm sure everyone wants to see your fuzzy and feathery babies.

 

[kelpo23]

Welcome!

I'm new here too, hope we can learn together!

 

[Korvia]

Is it common for her to lay on her side? She does after playing for a long time. Also how do I tell the difference between male and female? Like will I be able to see a difference, I want to someday get a friend for her but the scares of her getting pregnant stop me from even wanting to look. The breeding horror story section really opened my eyes.

 

[Korvia]

Finally a picture of Mika

Is she just a standard grey?

And here is Mr. Cookie: