question about bedding.

[rutherford]

hello!

i just got rutherford yesterday afternoon, so he still doesn't trust me completely as he's trying to figure me out. anyways, i was wondering how often must you change the bedding? i know it sort of really depends on the chinchilla, but i was wondering if anyone has tips on changing the bedding of a chinchilla that doesn't quite trust you yet? like where should i transport him in order to clean his cage? he's comfortable enough in that he's no longer running away or hiding when i open the cage to fill his food bowl or brush poop off the shelves, but you know, still trembling if he catches me staring at him (he's just too cute, i can't help but be a stalker and a paparazzi sometimes).

any advice?

 

[tinkerbell2002]

Haha that's adorable. :3
Well changing the bedding is easy. Just slowly reach in to the cage with both hands if possible to cup his butt and forearms like holding a baby you want him to feel safe. It also keeps him from running away as oppose to as if you're just coming from one side, and gently pick him up. Just have the travel cage door open and ready to put him in there.
*If you do not have a travel cage a box would suffice but make sure it's tall enough so he doesn't jump out. I would definitely invest in a little travel cage. Petco and Petsmart sells it it's about $12.99 or so.

I would change the bedding every week. Just to keep it clean and keep gross things from growing that can harm your chin.As you may know chins don't really smell like rabbits or hamsters. So sometimes you can even wait up to a week and a half but i personally do it weekly just because hygiene issue for me it's personal haha.

But other than that a few tips on how to get him more used to you and become friendly.

*Every time you get some free time go by the cage and talk to the little fella he'll enjoy the company.

*Feed him a treat once a day. I personally don't like feeding my chinnies raisins or anything that has sugar because chins can't brush their teeth and all that will lead to tooth rotting or what not so i just away from that i usually give my chinnies Bite Size Mini Wheats. (No frosting) just good ol' plain mini wheats or plain Cherrios. No hunny frosted. you get the picture. ;3

*If you have enough free time let him out into a secure room where he can't chew on any wires. Preferably a restroom where there is no where to crawl into or things to chew on aka; wires. I bought a little wire play pen that i can just go outside onto the grass and have a secure perimeter so i don't have to worry about my chins escaping! And i just sit in the pen with them and they love jumping all over me. and chase each other around. A little fresh air is always good i say.

Sorry for the long message but the point is in order for your chin to get to know you and not be so skidish around you, it takes time the more they're playing with you or even if you just stand outside the cage talking to him while the door is open he'll eventually trust you.

My chins get excited when they hear the cereal bag crumble cuz they know they're getting a treat. :3 it's so cute. Hope this helps!

 

[GorillaJTA]

*If you have enough free time let him out into a secure room where he can't chew on any wires. Preferably a restroom where there is no where to crawl into or things to chew on aka; wires. I bought a little wire play pen that i can just go outside onto the grass and have a secure perimeter so i don't have to worry about my chins escaping! And i just sit in the pen with them and they love jumping all over me. and chase each other around. A little fresh air is always good i say.

I agree with most everything except taking the chins outside. There are too many risks outside from them chewing on chemical treated grass to escaping the pen (my chins will popcorn off of my shoulders onto the bathroom vanity, so I know jumping out of a pen would be no trouble) to overheating. Bathrooms are great, so is a hallway blocked off at either end.

Depending on what you are using as bedding, I would go anywhere from a week to 1.5 for shavings. I don't recommend Carefresh, pelleted, or newspaper since they tend to get chewed or swallowed. Lots of people use fleece, and change it every couple of days.

 

[rutherford]

oh no, i appreciate the long post! thanks for taking the time to answer my questions so thoroughly.

yeah, i've been thinking about getting a carrier soon. thanksgiving is just around the corner (well, a college student can dream, right?), so it will be his first time going back to my hometown! i'll be sure to get one as soon as classes are over tomorrow. do you think trying to hold him is a little too early after only about 2 days together? i don't want to freak him out or lose his trust.

as for the treats, i have a bag of simple rewards strawberry treats. are these okay? i'll invest in some cheerios since it's something we both can eat together (bonding time!).

once he gets more comfortable with me, i do plan on taking him out for playtime in the bathroom.

what bedding do you recommend? i'm using carefresh right now, and i already hate it. it smells weird to begin with, and rutherford does nibble it from time to time :/

 

[ErinsChins]

I'd just like to add that a good way to get him from cage to carrier is by tricking him with a dust bath I try to clean weekly, obviously somethings get in my way occasionally, but no longer than 1.5 weeks. As far as bedding goes, fleece or kiln dried pine are, IMHO, the best, but Aspen works okay too.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Kiln dried pine or kiln dried aspen are the best, outside of using fleece liners. And I would ditch the strawberry treats, as they are high in sugar. Go with the occasional cheerio, unsweetened mini-shredded wheat biscuit or better yet, Apple wood sticks! Some other treats you can use are: rose hips (crushed and whole ) chin cookies (made by a few people on here ) or other types of hay ( alfalfa, oat, bermuda, or mountain grass ).

To get him from one place to another, try using his dust bath. Just put it in front of the door and he should hop right in. Put your hand over the opening and take him to the chin proofed room and let him play!

 

[Stackie]

I agree with most everything except taking the chins outside. There are too many risks outside from them chewing on chemical treated grass to escaping the pen (my chins will popcorn off of my shoulders onto the bathroom vanity, so I know jumping out of a pen would be no trouble) to overheating. Bathrooms are great, so is a hallway blocked off at either end.

I agree. I would never take my chins outside. There are too many dangerous and who knows what kinds of chemicals are in your lawn, among the numerous other things that could happen. I actually just leave my chins in their cage when I clean, unless I am scrubbing it down. Once he gets used to his surroundings, you may be able to just leave him in there. Mine will just go to their fleece tubes and sleep while I clean.

If you don't have anyone to watch him while you're cleaning the cage, just put him in a carrier (cat carriers work great, there are also several chinchilla carriers you can buy). You should never leave a chin out of it's cage unsupervised.