So Many Questions....

[ChonchoMom]

I can't believe it took me so long to find this forum!

Oh...I've been reading and reading for hours and I have so many questions.

Maybe some of you can help me.

1. Do any of you keep the dust in the cage? Is it safe to do so?

2. The lady at the pet store in town told me they just pick up pine cones from outside and give them to the chins...is this safe? I have bags of them from my property, but I'm worried.

3. When I got my chin a year ago, he was just about 6 months old, they had a perch type thing that you find in a bird cage, that my chin chews on and its pink, I recently noticed he was all pink from it. Wondering if this is actually safe for him.

That's what I can think of right now, I am sure I'll think of more.

Thank you
Cheryce

 

[peachydays]

Welcome to the forum!

1. It's not good to keep the dust in the cage, as they will pee and poo in it. Give them their bath when they need it (if they start to look greasy, they need it!). I generally do it about once per week in the winter, mabe twice per week in the summer when it's a tad more humid. There's no hard and fast rule about how often they should be dusted. It will depend on how humid their environment is (humidity should be kept pretty low), and how often you handle them.

2. Do not give your chin pine cones or any wood that you've found outside. You can't be sure that it hasn't come in contact with pesticides.

3. If it's turning your chin pink, I would take it out of his cage!

Regarding questions 2 and 3, here is the link to a list of safe and unsafe woods to give your chinnie: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34 Even safe woods needs to be pesticide free, and properly prepared. There are several sellers on the forum who sell chin safe wood chews. Here's the link to the classified ads: http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=29

Again, welcome to the forum! Stick around, and keep reading....there's so much great information here.

 

[momenteller]

Hi Cheryce! Welcome to the forum. )

1. I offer dust 1-2 times per week, for about 15 minutes each time. Leaving it in the cage for longer than that isn't a great idea as it can dry out their skin.

2. Its not safe to offer pinecones from outside without preparing them first. I have never tried it, apparently getting all of the unsafe sap out of the pinecone is quite a process, so not many people offer them.

3. I'm not sure what type of pink perch you're referring to. I bet if you were able to post a picture of it here, someone could help you with that.

Just saw your location-- how lucky to live by Yosemite!

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

Nope, don't leave the dust in the cage here.

No, it is not safe to pick up pine cones from outside and give to the chins. The pine cones have to be processed just as the wood does.

Pink perch... is it one of these?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5771+23094&pcatid=23094

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5771+5872&pcatid=5872 (description says it won't bleed or fade)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5771+17994&pcatid=17994

I, personally, don't see any of those to be safe. That is just my opinion though.

 

[summerdays]

i won't repeat the answers the others gave you, i just wanted to say i can't believe the pet store woman said that.. oh wait yes i can.. duh!