Questions about my new chin?

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jess_w

jess_w

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2009
Messages
46
Location
York UK
Hi! I'm new here, just got my first chinchilla a few days ago - a 5 1/2 month old male. I did lots of research before I got him but there seems to be lots of conflicting advice out there so I thought I'd ask a few questions on here to help clarify things!

I gave him raisins a couple of times but have stopped now because most people say it's not a good idea. I don't really have any treats for him at the minute so can anyone recommend some? I feed him on timothy hay and pets at home chinchilla pellets, which look ok to me but what do you think of them? (Please don't dismiss them just because they're from a pet shop - they seem much better than things like Kaytee)
Should I switch to something else and if so what? (I am in the UK by the way so no america-only foods please!)

I also don't filter his water. The breeder didn't and I don't really know why it is necessary for chinchillas but not other pets like hamsters, rats etc? Surely the water they would drink in the wild would not be filtered and have all sorts of rubbish in it?

I'm thinking of getting him a friend in the future.. would you recommend getting him neutered and having a female friend, or trying to introduce a male? I have heard that two males may be more likely to fight. Is an older/ younger friend better, or one about the same age?

Finally he is a bit skittish at the minute. He LOVES to be stroked and have attention in his cage, but he runs away when I try to pick him up and he gets into a bit of a frenzy! Should I wait until he has calmed down before I let him out for "playtime", or should I just get him out anyway? (it is possible to pick him up with some perserverance but he does really not like it at all - I have let him out twice but he just seems to hide in a corner - his cage is not in a room that he can be let out in so I can't just leave the door open for him..)

Thanks for any advice! (sorry for the length of this too!)
 
1) Treats: Bite sized, nonsugared shredded wheat, dried rosehips, the occasional cheerio, a pinch of old fashioned oats, and lots of wood chews. Some people also give herbs, but I am not that familiar with them as I don't use them, so I'll leave that to someone else to recommend.

2) I am unfamiliar with specific brands of food over the big water, but we have many UK members here, and I'm sure one of them can give you a better idea on what is the best pellet in your area. If you already know Kaytee is bad, you're going in the right direction.

3) A lot of people use water straight from the tap with no issues. I prefer to use reverse osmosis or a high filtered water because I once had an illness run through my herd that caused me to lose many animals. It was feed related, but before I knew that for sure, I took everything back to it's most basic form. No pellets, all hay, filtered/RO water. I also use the same water for my other caged animals and my birds. The only ones I don't filter it for is the dogs, cats, and horses. I worry about things like Giardia, that tap water allows through, but that filtered/RO does not.

4) I personally would try getting him another male friend. I have many, many, many males living together as pairs, trios, quads, and up. I can't say there will never be a fight, but for me thus far the fights have been very few between male and male. With your boy being so young, now would be a great time to get him a friend around the same age or just a little younger. I don't know that I would wait a terribly long time, letting him settle in to becoming a single, spoiled chin for too long. It can (not will, but can) make it harder to introduce a cagemate. I would not buy a female with the intent to neuter my male, but that's because I'm not a fan of nonemergent surgery on chins. I would just personally prefer to try other avenues first. Even with two males, should there be aggression issues, I know of people who have had them both neutered and they were able to live happily together after that, but again that would be a last resort for me not a first choice.

5) It may take him a while to settle in before he's really comfortable letting you handle him. Or on the flip side, he may never be totally comfortable with it. That's just the nature of the beast with chins. They aren't always going to be happy to be handled/held, but I go right about my business anyway. Most of the time I find that once they are out of the cage, they are fine being held (with the odd exception here and there) providing I don't clutch them or hold them for super long periods of time. Mine are breeders though, and I have several, so I can't devote one on one time to them like you can with your new guy. Just have a bit of patience until he gets used to his new environment, noises, smells, and you. Most people recommend a 2 week settling in period. I say go with what feels right. If you think he's okay for play time, and you have a safe place for him to go where you can access him to put him away - go for it. He'll love the play time. Sit down where he is, and he'll use you as his own personal jungle gym, which will help with him getting to know you. If you're worried about him being skittish when you take him out or put him back, try transporting him in his dust bath. It's a rare chin that can ignore the lure of the almighty dust bath.......:)

Welcome to CnH!
 
Hello and welcome to CnH!!!

Here are the ingredients for the Pets at Home chinchilla pellets:

Ingredients:
Wheat, Grass Meal, Soya Hulls and Full Fat Soya, Oat Bran, Peas, Unmolassed Sugar Beet Pulp, Brewers Yeast, Vegetable Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate and Calcium Carbonate, Fructo-Oligosaccharides

Typical Analysis:
Moisture 9%, Protein 17%, Oils and Fats 4%, Fibre 14%, Ash 6.5%

I don't think I would feed it if you can find Oxbow, or a brand that is known to be a quality pellet in the UK.

I think Tunes covered everything pretty well! If you have any questions, there is a search button that is tons of help, and if you can't find your answer there, we are always very glad to help! Again, welcome, and- we LOVE pictures here....hint hint!!!
 
welcome to CnH! You'll be able to find many many valuable pieces of information and advice that you can't find anywhere else.

Like chinniechantel said, Tunes basically covered everything.

As for the treats, it's okay to have no treats on hand at the moment. Treats are not a necessary part of their diet. Just something we like to "treat" them with. Don't worry about them not having rose hips or or oats right now, you can get that later on or easily online or from another member in this forum. The chins need it to wear down their teeth. Wood chews, as I see it, are multipurpose treats, toys, and something to wear their teeth down with. So if you can find some type of wood chews for them right now, it'd be great.

Can't wait to see some pics!! ;)
 
Hi and welcome, I'm not going to repeat anything because it's all been covered, but did want to let you know that my kids enjoy lava bites and the cheapest place I found them to be at [but I live in the States] is here if you want to try them out.

http://www.petguys.com/-045125611530.html

Best of luck to you and your new friend, you will enjoy many hours with him

Jean
 
When I have a skittish new chin I play with them in the cage. I let them limb all over my arms, and out on my shoulder if they want. Then when they are comfortable with that I take them to a small room like a bathroom (toilet lid down). Personally mines play area is a walk in closet. I sit down with them and if they feel like running around they can or they can climb on me.
 
http://www.bunnybazaar.com/ingenii.cgi
http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/

Also, a good place to get toys is bunnybazaar above and especially http://www.chinchillas2shop.co.uk/

These are places that I regularly get Oxbow pellets from. The second one, hyperdrug, also sells oxbow critical care, which is good to have on hand.

Also, just a note about the treats. Somebody suggested giving a cheerio now and then but I would avoid it. Cheerios over on this side of the pond have a much, much higher content of sugar than in the States

Enjoy your new chin!
 
Tunes rocks! She's got the whole thing down. - Jessica
 
Thanks for all the advice guys! especially tunes :)

I think I'll go with a male friend, I've found a breeder who has a kit at the minute which will be ready in a month - so that gives Gus time to settle in before I introduce another one. He is getting tamer each day, he will climb up my arm now but still jumps away if I move suddenly or try to pick him up!

Also looking at getting some Oxbow pellets and some of the treats suggested :) I have given him lava bites actually but he just ignores them! He doesn't seem to be much of a chewer, in fact I'm starting to get worried because he never seems to gnaw anything even though he has loads of toys! :S He does like to chew (/eat) a cardboard tube I gave him but I don't know if that will keep his teeth down.

Here are some pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simongoodway/3512801640/
 
Aw, he's a cutie. A lot of the time, my 2 chin boys will chew on most of their toys/apple wood at night. Before I go to work in the morning, I put a handful of apple wood sticks in their cage and when I come back in the evening there mostly in the spot where I left them, but later on or in the middle of the night they must chew and nibble on them because I find most of them all over their cage all chewed up.
 
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