New kit & owner. (lots of info)

[Simplymee]

Hi everyone, :wave:

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
I'm sure it gets tiring reading/answering over and over about new chin owners and their concerns. So I appreciate your help. :bow:

I have done many research about whether a chinchilla is a suitable companion or not and I say, besides the thought of my money flying out of my wallet, I look forward to this commitment. :dance3:

Background of me:

• I am going to be a new chin owner& will be receiving a kit by the end of this month.
• I have a critter nation cage; single unit that I got from a rescue and has been cleaned and sanitized.
  Attached is a picture of what the cage looks like. I am still arranging things
• I've got almost everything ready for the kit inside the cage.
  (fleece liners/hammock/2poplar shelves that are 3-4" from the bottom pan/bowls/ waterbottles/ haysack/ multiple chin-safetoys/ 3chinchillers/ a lounging log/ lava ledge/ cuddle buddy/ and a bath house)
• the only things I still need to get are food/treats&sticks/hay/&dust (waiting to get them a little closer to arrival day)

As for my Kit...
His name is Nimbus(like the cloud) and he is a standard grey. (I believe..)
I have a photo attached. I know there are many things wrong with that photo, but the store wont let me do anything about it. They wont listen. So as soon as I pick up Nimbus, I'm moving him to a better cage. >:l

Background on Nimbus:

• He is currently being weaned from his mother. (currently 5.5 weeks)
• I will be receiving him when he is 8wks (by the end of August)
• His birth was a surprise at a petstore who ONLY sells female chins and I was lucky enough to adopt him. (Which means I dont know his father)
• He was the only baby.
• He currently is not being fed by his mom anymore& knows how to eat the pellets.

As for my questions; some of them I just want to double check and some I still need answers for. :hmmm:

I was told since he is still young by the time I get him, he still doesnt exactly know how to "act like a chinchilla." The rescue I went to offered to loan me a 3-5yr old male chinchilla as his "foster dad" who has taken care of other kits before.

1a: First question is, would I still need to quarantine them in my house if they've never seen each other before? (I plan on picking them up on the same day)

1b: Would it be best to pick the foster dad first or the kit first?

1c: Should I bring Nimbus to the rescue first to see if he likes his foster dad?

1d:Or would it be better off to not have a foster dad in general?​

2: If shelves are not recommended (I understand if they're too high or high in general, kits are known to be adventurous and could injure themselves) at what age should I put the shelves in?

3: Same thing with the wheel/saucer, I was told at 6months is best to put it in. Is that correct?

3a: What if I placed it in and had the foster dad teach him?​

4: Since I have the critter nation cage, would I still need to kit proof the actual cage and not the stuff in it?

5: How much apple/pear sticks should I give my kit a day and how often? What about rosehips?

6: When should I start giving my kit dust baths and how often should I be brushing him? Would a slicker be okay for him?​

I look forward to all your replies! :grouphug:

 

[alooper19]

HI!

1. I honestly don't think it's necessary to have a "foster dad". It will take a long time to bond them and unless you plan on keeping them and buy another cage to quarantine and introduce them, the foster dad isn't needed. Not to mention, they might never get along meaning you have 2 different chins in 2 different cages.

2. I'm not sure, hopefully someone else can answer this!

3. 6 months is usually the answer I see to this question. He should also not get treats until he is 6 months old.

4. No, chins can't fit through the bars on the CN like they can on a FN.

5. Like I mentioned above, no treats until he's 6 months old, meaning no rosehips until he's that age. As far as wood, he can have as much as he'd like.

6. Not sure what age they recommend for dust baths. Someone else should be able to answer this as well!

I hope this helps

 

[MNChinLover]

Is your "lounging log" plastic? And what about the water bottles or hay holder? If so, return it.

It sounds like you don't have any hide houses of any sort, so I would pick up a wood house. (If you have a certain theme, or are looking for something a little different, twilight chinchillas will make custom wood furniture and she decorates the wood to pretty much any request you have.

Also, don't buy the sticks/twigs from a pet store. They are way more expensive and probably of lesser quality. Instead order from the vendors on here. I ordered from Ronda's chins and got her sampler box which has 10 twigs of 10 or so different types of wood so I could see which my chins preferred. Putting in a another order probably today!

You can also get treats from vendors on here, as any treats sold in stores are pretty much guaranteed not to be safe. It is not recommended to give chins under 6 months treats (except twigs/sticks/wood chews). You can get these from Ronda or other vendors as well.

Now to answer your questions.
1. Yes you would still need to do the 30 day quarantine, the quarantine is different than the bonding process. The quarantine is to make sure both animals are healthy and free of illness, and while waiting for illness to show, they are in temperate rooms so if one was ill they do not spread it to the other.

Chins do totally fine by themselves and do not need another chin, I personally wouldn't get the older chin to "borrow"

Also, I believe 5.5 weeks is pretty early of weaning kits.. Typically 7-8 weeks is normal, I believe. Another option is to pick up a chin from a breeder that may be more healthy and have better genetics due to the breeders interests of making their herd better and less prone to illness, etc.
I know everyone wants to save the chinchillas from pet stores, but as you are saving them, that is just encouraging them to buy more to sell. Just my thoughts.

2. I think shelves are fine at 8 weeks, the important part is having them close enough together so your chin isn't falling a lot trying to jump up to them (so about 6 inches apart should be fine). I just got an 8 and 14 week old not too long ago and they are getting around fine. I have a double ferret nation, and they are isolated to the top half right now (can't get to the bottom half) until they are older. What kind of cage do you have?

3. Yes that is correct. It is recommended not to let chins have access to a wheel/saucer until 6 months of age because they need to spend their nutrients/energy in growing developmentally instead of burning it all off through exercise.

4. With a critter nation, the bar spacing is small enough where you do not have to baby proof it.

5. That is entirely up to you and what you can afford. I recommend going to Ronda's and ordering her sampler twig pack under free shipping boxes so you can see which type of wood your chins like first.

Rose hips should be given less frequently, from what I have read, whole rose hips have a nasty seed that is very pokey, so you may want to get crushed and sifted rose hips to avoid that. Rose buds are also a pretty safe treat- you can get both of these to try and Ronda's too. For both of these one per day would be the max. But should wait until they are a little older.

6. You can give them dust baths right away 2-3 times per week. Chins do not need to be brushed at all, dust baths are all they need. The people that do brush their chins are typically entering them into a show.

Hope I helped you some! It sounds like you are on a great start with your research!

 

[Godofgods]

Im not sure where to begin....
IMO, a store weening a kit at 5 weeks so they can get rid of him is animal abuse/neglect. Generally kits arnt weened until around 8 weeks unless there are specific reasons (be it health or mom nursing many kits.) - And i find the idea of 'lending out a chin' as a foster pet to be shady at best.

Two chins that never met need to be quarantined for 30 days. So it would be a while until they could be in the same room. Then you would have to go through a (potentially long) introduction process. There is no guarantee that those two chins would like each other. They very well could, but its not certain. You would have to watch very closely to make sure the adult isnt picking on the baby.

As to the 'foster dad' chin himself, i cant see this being very good for them. Chins dont like change to much. It gets there stress level high which can be dangerous. Taking a chin form a shelter to a new environment - introing to a new chin - then taking him back to the shelter, seems cruel to me. ... unless you want to keep the foster chin too. And if they get along you can do that. - Also if you went that route, make sure the kit is actually a male. Learn to tell the differences for yourself because ppl are often wrong. And you can post a pic here to get other ppls thoughts as well. You dont want to intro a male with a female kit.

---

Kits are clumsy. They may hope around a lot but they dont have much experience so they may misjudge the distance or slip. You generally want it arranged so that if by chance the chin falls, that its a very short distance. You dont want them falling from top to bottom.

Ive never used a Critter nation cage before, only a ferret nation. I can say with absolute certainty that a kit can get through one inched space bars like they dont even exist. I think the CN has .5inch spacing tho which should help keep him safe.

Wheels are kept out until 6 months old. They exert a lot on energy on them. At a young age you want them to keep that energy so they can focus on growing up healthy.

By the time you get the kit he should be fine to have a dust bath. How often depends on area, temp, humidity. Generally 1-2 times a week is good tho. Since i have high sensitivity to the dust i do once a week. You just don't want to leave the dust in the cage pertinently. To much can dry out there skin. So only put it in when they are actually dusting. (Or taking them to the dust)

Remember to keep the temp down for them. They are highly sensitive to that. They can not handle heat. You want it 70 or lower for them. Diff chins have diff tolerances but i wouldn't push it to much.

If the Log is like the following picture then dont use it. Its made with honey and chins cant digest sugars.

 

[Godofgods]

man.. what is it lately with these pic i insert... all showing up huge!

 

[Simplymee]

Thank you for all your replies. They're much appreciated. :cry3:

First off, I guess I wanna clear some things up.

1: I guess I misunderstood the word weaning? I thought it was basically the process of the kit growing up and then at a good age, removing them from its mother. To say the least, I will be getting the kit by the time he is 8 weeks. No less and no more.

2: The lounging log is not made of plastic. Its actually a new product that came out in stores called National geographic lounging log. This is what it looks like
http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/t...nimal-hideout-zid36-21627/cat-36-catid-600014

so its chin safe wood. I was hoping this would be fine as a hidey house for him. If not, let me know why? I dont see why it wouldnt be.

as for the foster dad, i guess as we come to conclusion, its not best to get him?


Also, I guess the photos arnt showing up. So i'll try again.

This is the picture of the cage at the moment.
THERE ARE STILL SOME ADJUSTING TO DO.

• I need to remove/lower the attachable shelve.
• Insert the pans I got today in to the fleece I made.
• Lower the hammock and insert the poplar shelves.

If there is anything else I need to add in, please let me know.

Does anyone know if the poplar shelves also had to be KD? or is that specifically for pine?
None of my home depot or lowes carried KD pine. Some had KD douglas fir but they sizing were too weird.

Here is a picture of my little Nimbus being all shy hiding behind his hidey house.

Again as I mentioned; I know there are many things wrong with this environment. I've tried convincing them to change the surrounding but they wont listen. So as soon as I get him, I will be putting him in a much better cage.

And thank you again for your replies. More is always welcomed! :grouphug:

 

[Simplymee]

Why won't my post show up. ):

 

[Simplymee]

Wasnt sure if my recent post was accepted by the administrator, so I'll try to post again. :hmm:
Sorry if it comes up twice.

So first off, Im assuming that getting a foster dad isnt the best? I do feel bad that once Nimbus gets older, he's not gonna need his foster dad which means i'd have to bring him back to the rescue. ): I do feel like IF I do take him in, I might want to keep him. But seeing as to this is my first chin, I want to make sure I understand the full fundamentals of this before getting another one. So I guess this kinda just answers my first question.

As for the products inside the cage:

The lounging log is from petsmart from their new brand called National Geographic. Its made of natural pinewood. Here is a link of the "log". Its more of a bridge to me.
http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/toys-habitat-accessories/national-geographic-trade-lounging-log-small-animal-hideout-zid36-21627/cat-36-catid-600014

Of course, I got the size Medium for my kit.
I was also wondering whether this would be good enough as a hidey house since someone stated that I didnt have one. If anyone could tell me that its not recommended as a hidey house, please let me know why.

And as the water bottle, Its actually plastic with a metal tip. I feel that since the bottle will be out of the cage and the only part that the kit will really get in contact with is the mouth piece, which is metal, will be fine. But if anyone opposes, please again let me know why.​

Oh and before I forget.

I guess I might have misunderstood what weaning meant. I honestly thought that it was just the process of the kit growing to a certain age then taken from their mother; while as also learning how to eat adult chin food. To make this clear, I wont be getting my kit till he is fully 8 weeks.

 

[Shenanigans]

I'm always wary of petstore wood simply because I don't know where its been. You don't know if the pine was sprayed with pesticides and things before being cut down and I didn't read that it was KD (kiln dried) pine. Being kiln dried makes a difference in how the sap sets and things. It may be fine, but I wouldn't trust it for my chin. Also you mentioned some fir things-those aren't chin safe wood. Polar shouldn't need to be KD.
Some chins wont have an issue with a plastic bottle, but others will try to chew it through the cage. i know there are bottle guards sold, but if you put some cardboard between the bottle and cage i THINK that would prevent chewing on the actual plastic.

 

[Godofgods]

I'm always wary of petstore wood simply because I don't know where its been. You don't know if the pine was sprayed with pesticides and things before being cut down and I didn't read that it was KD (kiln dried) pine. Being kiln dried makes a difference in how the sap sets and things. It may be fine, but I wouldn't trust it for my chin.

Basically, that^^

Some chins wont have an issue with a plastic bottle, but others will try to chew it through the cage. i know there are bottle guards sold, but if you put some cardboard between the bottle and cage i THINK that would prevent chewing on the actual plastic.

Unless you get chins like my girls who like to actually EAT the cardboard... :crazy:

Love the cage set up so far tho'

 

[Dreamlite]

Critter nations are great cages. Just keep all shelves and ledges low until he gets more comfortable. Kits can be very clumsy and miss shelves till they grow up. No wheels or treats until he is at least 6 months old. You can use aspen or pine chip bedding. Its very easy to find at feed stores.

As a breeder myself i will never wean a kit under 8 week old unless there is a health reason. I wean at 8 weeks if the kit is 200 grams or more and gaining well. I will keep that kit for 2 more weeks to make sure they are doing well on their own before allowing them to go to a new home. This way if the kit has issues at the new home i know its not due to weaning and the stress of a new house all at once. Short weaning (under 8 weeks) has shown to have long term health and mental effects on animals. So i would be aware of that. Also not knowing his back round puts him at a much higher risk of genetic health things than if you had gone to a breeder.

If you want to get a 2nd chin it will need to be quarantined to be sure that both chins are healthy before you introduce them. Some chins do well in groups and others do not. So be aware that if you get another chin they may not get along and 2 cage might be permanent.

 

[Simplymee]

Does anyone know if Mrs pastures horse biscuits are considered treats? And if they are, I probably shouldnt be giving any to him right? :hmm:

I got plenty of those from a chin rescue and they said it was okay as long as it was just once a day.

Also, here is an update of my chin's critter cage. I really like have the whole idea of the food and water on the 2nd shelve. I do have it on the lowest one also.
I plan on placing poplar shelves on a lower level.

And also, could someone tell me what breed/color he is?
I thought he might have been a standard grey but seeing as he has a white undercoat and and he's kinda light, I thought maybe sapphire?
But then also seeing that he has some black on him, part ebony? I'm not so good with this.

I know its not great getting a chin from a petstore but what am I suppose to do? Leave him there with a bad environment? I felt bad and wanted to rescue him also. ):