Ownership is not as easy as its made out to be.

[broderp]

As a new owner of a chin(s) I feel I'm qualified to say this.

I thought I "did my homework" before buying a chin for my wife for christmas, but the more I learn, I realize I knew/ know about 1/3 about them as I thought I did. There are lots of 'gray areas' on feeding, care and housing etc.

They require a good deal of work to make them live a happy life and require some daily attention for thier well being and cleanliness.

The good thing about all this is that we are financially able to afford this and are happy to allocate our time with them. I myself wasn't expecting to like them as much as I do, so much in fact I bought a second one a few weeks later, uh..."for the wife" (I hope she doesn't read this :kiss: )

I'm looking forward to geting out the power tools and using my contacts at work (I'm making a commercial grade chin wheel) and many new toys for the boys in the up comming years. I also have to thank this forum for a lot of insite and ideas. (I knew I could use my router, table saw and other wood tools for more than fixing up the house...:thumbsup: )

I just think its sad that the information the average person gets from pet stores paints a easy, worry free ownership, with mediocre information & supplies. This could lead to a lot of sad and abandoned chins......

 

[momenteller]

I completely understand. There is a steep learning curve with these guys. I really feel they should be an "exotic" pet, not sold in pet stores. I'm glad you are enjoying the process though!

 

[Dewdrop]

You sound like my husband. Didn't think he'd get attached to the little furballs...but man did he ever!

 

[3CsMommy]

I just think its sad that the information the average person gets from pet stores paints a easy, worry free ownership, with mediocre information & supplies. This could lead to a lot of sad and abandoned chins......

Unfortunately, there's no "could be" about it. At least 2 of the 4 chins I live/have lived with were offspring of "whoops, that's a girl?" pet store chins or bred b/c of inaccurate information. I know the littermates and mother of one of those were kept in horrible conditions since day one (search for "I could smell urine at the door" as a post title for the full story on that) and I doubt they're all still alive. And that's just out of 2 chin owners I know in person, 3 if you count the breeder/rescue who just gave me my newest boys. Even a conservative estimate of 1/4 chinchilla owners doing it bass-ackwards means way more suffering animals than the rest of us can help in person.

Educating people about exotics is important for the hobby as a whole, but is especially vital for the animals that might not have to suffer bloat or blockage if the care sheets and sales people knew what they're talking about.

 

[caiti]

Same here. I wish I had researched more. I knew the basics, but it's something that kind of has to click in your head about how much care they need. And it's not that they're insanely high maintenance, but there are a lot of things to learn and remember that pertain to chinchillas but really none of your other common pets.

Fortunately for me, my parents are willing to pay for Chloe since she keeps me sane and I will get a job soon and be able to buy her whatever she needs and more and I'm super excited about owning her for hopefully twenty years!!

 

[Dragonflye]

I am owned by 22 chins and am very thankful to have found CnQ before bringing my first guy home 7+ years ago. I don't find that they are that high maintenance per se, however with as many as I have it does take time to give them the attention and playtime they deserve. It's sort of a lifestyle for me now and I can't imagine my life any other way.

 

[ticklechin]

I would have killed off my first two chins when I got them 10 years ago if I had not found CNQ, you name it the Petco sold me it!

 

[Andrea]

I think the main thing I have noticed about chinchillas that is not often known before becoming owned by them is that they are pretty expensive to keep as pets. I probably "spoil" them with different toys and "unnecessary" items but even if I didn't, they'd still be more expensive to keep than my cat is. Luckily that's not a problem for me, but I have seen a lot of people getting a chin without first doing research, and then later giving it up or mistreating it because of the cost of upkeep/care. Especially when it comes to vet care. These fur babies ARE exotic and require a lot!

 

[cindyv3737]

I would have killed off my first two chins when I got them 10 years ago if I had not found CNQ, you name it the Petco sold me it!

Ditto! The only thing the petstore sold me that was ok was her food. The chins at my petsmart were fed Oxbow and I didn't want to change her feed in addition to all the changes she would have living with me. I found the forum asked questions, did my homework and listened to what experienced members had to say.

 

[Laurie]

I found the forum because I crushed my chinchilla, Gordon, in the recliner. Prior to that I learned they love playtime and they NEED playtime and it's perfectly all right to let them have free roam. If I had known how terrible that advice was Gordon would still be here today. Since finding Chins-n-Quills years ago I have learned many things one of the biggies is chins don't NEED playtime at all. They are perfectly fine in their cage without ever being brought out. I also learned how detrimental free roam can be, not just because of what has happened to Gordon but listening to other members talk about electrocution, other animal attacks, and chins getting stepped on by their owners. My chins are lucky to get out once a month and they are allowed bathroom and closed off hallway only when they do get playtime.

If it wasn't for the forum both the defunct Chins-n-Quills, and the fabulous Chins-n-Hedgies I would still be feeding raisins and other bad treats to my chins as well.

It really isn't what you know at all, it is who you know. Thankfully we have a lot of members definitely "in the know!"

 

[momenteller]

I think the main thing I have noticed about chinchillas that is not often known before becoming owned by them is that they are pretty expensive to keep as pets. I probably "spoil" them with different toys and "unnecessary" items but even if I didn't, they'd still be more expensive to keep than my cat is. Luckily that's not a problem for me, but I have seen a lot of people getting a chin without first doing research, and then later giving it up or mistreating it because of the cost of upkeep/care. Especially when it comes to vet care. These fur babies ARE exotic and require a lot!

I totally agree with what you said here. But also a big part of the initial expense for me was in all of the unsafe housing and supplies I bought that weren't good for the chin. I wish I had done more research and found this forum before purchasing anything! My first chin, Chelsea, was an impulse buy and is now on her fourth (hopefully final) cage. I wasted a lot of money those first few months instead of doing it right the first time!

I also agree that I make it more expensive by buying so many toys and treats. I don't need to have 10 + pounds of wood chews on hand for 3 chins. But I enjoy spoiling them, and shopping and outfitting their cages has become a little hobby of mine. Chins are a way of life! :dance3:

 

[Jazicat]

I consider myself lucky that the woman who introduced us to chinchillas was responsible. We did research for about two months before getting Edgar and waited almost a year before getting Oscar. However if we hadn't purchased a lovebird as an impulse buy I would not have been so careful when considering a new species of pet. We were lucky to avoid many mistakes with him. It is really sad that so many animals are sold without the proper information.

 

[Maia]

Totally agree! Pet stores make chin ownership out to be easy and worry-free, like a hamster. I only had my chin a few weeks before I found this forum, luckily, or I imagine I'd still be feeding raisins as treats and using Carefresh bedding.

I agree that chins are very expensive initially, what with the cage/wheel and lots of cage accessories. But after that, I only have to buy food and bedding every 3 months or so, it's definitely cheaper than buying food/litter for 2 cats every month. I've only bought dust twice in the year I've had my chin also, so that's not a problem either. I think I do make it more expensive on myself by buying wood and chew toys like loofah and pumice every so often. But he loves them!

 

[Marie5656]

Yes, it is hard , but rewarding. A couple weeks back, a church friend asked me to talk with her girls (ages 6 and 9) who wanted a chin..and she felt it would be too much for them to handle..so she wanted them to talk with an "expert". We had a nice long talk and they decided to wait til they were older, and see if they still wanted one. They did extract a promise from me that they could come visit and sit in on a play time with Trixie and me, though.

 

[caiti]

Yes, it is hard , but rewarding. A couple weeks back, a church friend asked me to talk with her girls (ages 6 and 9) who wanted a chin..and she felt it would be too much for them to handle..so she wanted them to talk with an "expert". We had a nice long talk and they decided to wait til they were older, and see if they still wanted one. They did extract a promise from me that they could come visit and sit in on a play time with Trixie and me, though

That's pretty awesome you did that!! And kudos to the mom for trying to educate her daughters.

I agree with the expense thing, but also don't. It is incredibly easy to keep buying toys and things for your chinchilla but buying the essentials is pretty doable, even for me. All of the major expenses that Chloe has racked up are from having to buy safe things, like Kate said. If I had invested in a good cage when I got Chloe, I could have saved hundreds of dollars. But I didn't know all I do now. Which is unfortunate, but just how it is. Can't go back in time. And I'm sure there are really cheap chewies you can get, like buy a piece of pine for $5 and cut it up into little pieces, it'll probably make 50 pieces. People like to buy the toys on chains with the bells and pretty colors, which is all fine and lovely, just that chinchillas could be not so expensive for someone if they really needed them to be.

 

[3CsMommy]

I agree with Caiti's point and bring it up on other forums all the time; Don't Shop Pet Stores-- the better for them stuff is usually cheaper if you know where to go to get it. If you comparison shop and develop good relationships with online vendors, pet chins really aren't expensive to maintain (barring vet bills, if they happen), especially if you're handy and can sew or do your own wood working.

I think, looking at my expenses, my 3 cost me about $20/mo. If I could find a local source for a bale of timmy hay, I'd spend even less than that. My problem comes in when I have to order something large (the big bag of Oxbow timmy) or heavy (wood chews especially, since the good stuff comes from AZ/CA/OR); shipping makes me :cry3:.

 

[Chin_Up_Sunshine]

I always knew they were a big commitment, but I do agree, that having done a lot of research when I was younger, I still wasn't ready for when I did get my boys. I think it's not so much that they "need much" since really the basics are crazy cheap, but you need to "know much". I wouldn't trade them for anything though. My good friend has a cat who's a sweetheart and we've watched her occasionally, and she asked me yesterday if I wouldn't rather have a pet that I can take outside with me and isn't in a cage and I didn't even have to think about it. Nothing beats my boys. :3

 

[Brittany]

I just think its sad that the information the average person gets from pet stores paints a easy, worry free ownership, with mediocre information & supplies. This could lead to a lot of sad and abandoned chins......

Ironically enough I got involved with the forum because we lost our first two chins shortly after getting them. Their deaths could have been pervented if the BYB we got them from had given us accurate information, or if we had done more reasearch. Ironically that BYB is a forum member and led us to C&H. Atleast He/She did one thing right

The chins were my boyfriend's pets to begin with; and while he still loves and cares for Pythagoras I have become the major enthusiast. Even though the chins are more work then we expected I love every minute of it. Now that I know which vendors to buy supplies from, and how to care for them it's a routine that just feels natural. I can't imagine what my days would be like if I didn't have chins to care for. Thanks to this forum I KNOW I'm giving my chins the best life possible.