the dreaded chin-ball

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
C

Cloverr

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
63
Location
Wappingers Falls, NY
I figure that subject will catch some attention ;)

I have a question regarding the bad-ball, as I've grown to nickname it from reading more and more on Chins.

When my bf picked up Buddy for me, he got a ball too. When I started reading about how unsafe they are, I put it aside and kind of forgot about it. I know they're unsafe, and can cause the chins to overheat, and sit in their own feces, but I was wondering if I could maybe use the bad-ball when I'm cleaning Buddys cage.
My bathroom is being redone, and Im afraid to let Buddy loose in there, for fear he'll manage to squeeze into a wall, so thats off limits for the next couple of weeks.
As is, I usually take a dust buster to his cage daily for the majority of the poop, but a couple times a week I usually wait for my BF to be home, and get him to keep an eye on Buddy while I wipe down his cage, and switch out the liners.
So yeah, I was looking for some input... do you think itd be safe for Buddy to run around in his ball for 15-20 min once or twice a week, so that I dont have to clean his cage around my BFs work sched?

And... is there anything in particular I can use to clean thats safe around my Chin? I've read that theres disinfecting sprays they sell at the petstore, but that petstore also said chins love to cuddle and chill in their bad-balls, so I'm not too trusting. >.>
 
Please don't use the ball even for the smallest amount of time. You can put your chin in a pet carrier while you are cleaning the cage if a chin safe room is not available. As far as products to clean the cage, I sometimes use a mixture of white vinegar and water, no soap.
 
No. Not only are there the problems that you mentioned, but chinchillas can easily overheat in those balls due to lack of ventilation in a very short amount of time.

If you can't keep him in the cage during cleaning and you don't have anyone to watch him, buy a carrier of some sort- (a plastic cat carrier, or a chinchilla carrier..I bought mine from www.ryersonchinchilla.com ). Keep an eye on him while he's in the plastic cat carrier if that's the route you chose to be sure he doesn't start trying to chew his way out.

I clean my cages with a water/white vinegar mixture, then wipe it down with a wet wash cloth afterwards.
 
do you use the vinegar mixture with the chins in the cage? He's pretty good when I do my spot cleaning, just avoids the dust buster, maybe I can work around him, as long as the vinegar wont hurt or bother him.
 
I would put the chin in a separate travel cage/carrier while I clean the cage out. With the vinegar/water solution, I would not use it when the chin is in the cage. Just keep the chin in the travel cage/carrier. When the wood dries out, then put the chin back.

My chin is always scheming to get out the her home, so cleaning while she's in there is not a good option for me. Also, I would be afraid that I might spill the water/vinegar mix on her or all over the place should she try and escape.

If your temporary cage/travel cage/carrier has some plastic components, I would just keep an eye out; some chins can chew their way out of those. I have a Quality Cage Travel Emergency Cage that collapses that I sometimes use for cleanings. Otherwise, either my boyfriend or I gives out chin playtime and the other one cleans. By the time our chin is tired from bouncing around/creating mass mischief during playtime, the cage and shelves are nice, tidy, and dry.
 
Oh shelves I use peroxide and then water. I also sand if needed. I use Cage Clean on the pans. I dont have to take my chins out to clean the cage, I have a FN cage, so I just block them from the level I am working on.

I dont have to wash my shelves that often, usually a sanding is all that is required, rather then full on cleaning, unless they peed.

I would never use the ball, it only takes minutes for a chin to over heat.
 
You need to have a carrier anyway in case you need to take him to a vet, or leave in case of an emergency. If money is an issue look at Craigs List, thrift stores or garage sales.
 
We have a pet carrier for emergencies, but I honestly didnt even think to stick him in there during cleaning, I think of it as an ambulette more than a carrier I suppose. I've been having my boyfriend baby sit Buddy while I clean... I just wondered if the ball would work in the cleaning situation for short periods of time so I don't have to wait for the BF to be home.... the carrier makes more sense though, I dont know why it didnt come to mind sooner, I'll stick with that.
 
You could just use a small dustbroom/pan to sweep the shelves off and the bottom up - they make 'em really little now days. That's what I use. Something like this...LINK
 
The small pet carrier is definitely a much better choice than the death ball. They have more room and are better for air flow.
 
You could just use a small dustbroom/pan to sweep the shelves off and the bottom up - they make 'em really little now days. That's what I use. Something like this...LINK
Click to expand...

Yeah I use something similar for daily cleaning. They have small ones like that in the dollar stores and Walmarts too!
 
death ball

I would not use the ball unless you want to post a new thread under "chinchilla emergencies".
 
Last edited:
i use the dust brush while they are in the cage and i also use it to clean up the dust & poo in the bathroom............so easy even my son can do it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top