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Crys12065

Crys12065

Well-known member
Joined
May 23, 2011
Messages
528
Location
Cohoes, NY
this is what I came home to tonight! :eek:

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And of course still trying to chew her way out!

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With that plastic pan I'd be careful she doesn't succeed in chewing her way out! Crash got himself out of that cage during is baby/quarantine in just over a week, so I say from experience watch the clips and start saving for a new one w/ a metal bottom, or at least a metal drop in pan to stay between her and the plastic.

I love that pizza toy @ left. That's very clever. :)

Does she use that wheel? I ask b/c 1) it's plastic, so it's prone to being destroyed and 2) the one I had for my hamster was a wimpy darn thing that she popped apart pretty much every night. I didn't think they'd stand up to a chinchilla even if they were made of something safer.
 
Not because of you but I feel like I have to put a disclaimer every time I post pics, LOL

I got Delilah from someone on Craigslist and she came with the plastic wheel, she does use it and does not chew it. I will be getting her a new Chin Surfer as soon as I have an extra $60.
She also does not ever chew on the plastic pan in her cage. She did come with a different cage with a plastic bottom as well so I knew she was not a chewer. But I keep an eye on her.
I push the clips up and under the bars when I close the cage if that makes sense? No way she is getting out, LOL

I want to get her a FN142 Cage or similar, but saving for it.

The Pizza toy is actually a bird toy but thought it was perfect for her :)

Thank you!
 
Also thought I should mention something on the hay rack. I have seen and heard of chins fracturing their legs on it. They can easily get their legs caught in it.

She looks very happy and healthy.
 
Godins Chinchillas said:
Also thought I should mention something on the hay rack. I have seen and heard of chins fracturing their legs on it. They can easily get their legs caught in it.

She looks very happy and healthy.
Click to expand...

This - I used to use that hay rack, I just attached it to the outside of the cage so that they couldn't climb on it. Made a mess though, but it worked.

I love it when they destroy their cages :)laughitup:).
 
Godins Chinchillas said:
Also thought I should mention something on the hay rack. I have seen and heard of chins fracturing their legs on it. They can easily get their legs caught in it.

She looks very happy and healthy.
Click to expand...

Oh no! I never thought of the hay rack :( the things you forget to look at. I will remove that tonight and put her hay in something else. Thank you for pointing that out!
Again she came with the hay rack, she came with a lot of things that are not good for her but I am trying to change everything over and make her environment as safe as I can.

And thank you! I hope she is happy, she sure is a very friendly active little girl, I just love her so much!
 
chinsNdobermans said:
This - I used to use that hay rack, I just attached it to the outside of the cage so that they couldn't climb on it. Made a mess though, but it worked.

I love it when they destroy their cages :)laughitup:).
Click to expand...

Yep, it sure is funny! My first thought was, well at least she had fun! LOL
 
Crys12065 said:
Again she came with the hay rack, she came with a lot of things that are not good for her but I am trying to change everything over and make her environment as safe as I can.
Click to expand...

first off HAHAHAHAHAHAHA :laughitup: That picture is HILARIOUS, I thought my kids were bad, but Delilah takes the cake... or the pizza ;-)

I've seen a lot of improvement in Delilah's set up since you started posting pictures, I know you're working hard to give her the best life possible. Chinchillas are such a learning experience. I think most of us got sucked into the supplies sold at petstores and it took awhile to figure out what was and wasn't appropriate. I'm sure you never imagined you'd have to make such an investment in supplies when you first picked her up, because she seemed to come with everything she needed. I also had that hay rack; a good subsititue is a plain old glass drinking cup. Lay it on its side, and stuff with hay. You probably already have one in you cupboard, if not they're less then a buck at any walmart, meijer, etc.. As far as the wheel and the cage, I know you're saving up for more chin safe ones. If you ever notice a problem with the wheel, or if it starts to pop off, you can always remove it. She'll be fine if she's wheel-less for a few months. She may throw some tantrums at first but she'll adjust, then be SOOO happy when she finally gets her surfer. You're on the right track Crystal, and I know you're doing your best to be an awesome chin mom.
 
Brittany said:
first off HAHAHAHAHAHAHA :laughitup: That picture is HILARIOUS, I thought my kids were bad, but Delilah takes the cake... or the pizza ;-)

I've seen a lot of improvement in Delilah's set up since you started posting pictures, I know you're working hard to give her the best life possible. Chinchillas are such a learning experience. I think most of us got sucked into the supplies sold at petstores and it took awhile to figure out what was and wasn't appropriate. I'm sure you never imagined you'd have to make such an investment in supplies when you first picked her up, because she seemed to come with everything she needed. I also had that hay rack; a good subsititue is a plain old glass drinking cup. Lay it on its side, and stuff with hay. You probably already have one in you cupboard, if not they're less then a buck at any walmart, meijer, etc.. As far as the wheel and the cage, I know you're saving up for more chin safe ones. If you ever notice a problem with the wheel, or if it starts to pop off, you can always remove it. She'll be fine if she's wheel-less for a few months. She may throw some tantrums at first but she'll adjust, then be SOOO happy when she finally gets her surfer. You're on the right track Crystal, and I know you're doing your best to be an awesome chin mom.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your kind words Brittany! I am doing everything I can to make her happy and safe. I love her so much! You are right, when I saw the ad for her on Craigslist for $75 and it said cage included with all supplies I thought I hit the jackpot, LOL Then I picked her up and realized her cage was way to small and she had plastic everything in it.
I know the people i got her from did not mistreat and probably just did not know any better. She even gave me a Chinchilla book on how to care for them, (which now I know has so much bad info in it!)

Great idea on the glass cup! I do have one and will use it for her :)

I am grateful I came upon this website and all you wonderful people! Thank you for helping me to make Delilah's life better and safer!
 
Ha ha!! What a mess!! I wonder sometimes with my girls if they actually eat any of their hay, or just spread it around the cage!

I had that hay thing too, it was called the "hay buffet"! I didn't know any better with Misty, and she had a ton of plastic in her cage. Thankfully other than the clips, she didn't chew on much. Have you looked on craigslist for a cage? I found my double Critter Nation that way, and it was about half the price they ask online. It does get expensive to replace all the plastic! I spent a fortune on things that were totally wrong for chins.

She is adorable, and great job fixing up her cage!

Oh, Brittany told me about the drinking glass for hay so I use one as well. It's always completely empty in the morning!!
 
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Nice job, Delilah!!! But I can't believe she left that shredder and a WILLOW BALL!!! Those are my girls favs... they would have been gone in no time! Guess she was just having too much fun throwing her hay everywhere. :)
 
maybe she thought if she made a mess out of her cage, you would have to spend more time with her because it would take you awhile to clean it all up! lol

I love it when I arrange my chin's cage just so, and then she goes and rearranges it again!
 
Whoa! Talk about redecorating chin-style! hahah.
My boys do the same thing ESPECIALLY with the hay! I wonder if they secretly do it to test us:wacko:

haha I was in the same boat as you with my first chin. A pet is definitely a learning expierence regardless!
She looks very happy :D
 
Crys12065 said:
She came with a lot of things that are not good for her but I am trying to change everything over and make her environment as safe as I can.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know how you feel. All three of our chinchillas came from previous owners, and it's just the same process over and over again. We sit down, set up the cage, and get a garbage bag...which is where most of the supplies they came with end up going. Persephone came with these "chinchilla banana and nut granola bars" that you clip to the side of the cage. Seriously, by what stretch of the imagination are these healthy for chinchillas. Urgh, they sure are fun to spoil and buy new things for though, lol.
 
I default to assuming people new to chins just trusted a pet store and don't realize plastic can be bad/expensive. But I usually say something when I see that cage b/c know how scared I was when Crash was in quarantine and got out. (He decided to surprise me by popping the cage apart to come sit on my foot under the computer. :whacko: ) Besides being a health and safety issue, I'm also a bit of a penny pincher and hate to see people waste money that could be better spent on willow balls and apple twigs instead.

I got a great deal on my FN142 @ ferret.com. It was right around $150 and $7.95 shipping, but their deals always change, so you might get even luckier than I did. I also found it more cost-effective to tile the bottom of it (about $1/tile + borrowing a tile cutter from a neighbor) than to buy metal bedding pans. The boys like to sprawl out on the tile on their sides/tummies after supper, like a bunch of guys after Thanksgiving dinner. I think it's adorable. :D

My favorite hay storage containers are: a poptart or pop up tissue sized cardboard box w/ plastic stuff pulled off (temporary fix), a small terracotta flower pot (watch the ones from China/Mexico for lead levels, and obviously don't drop them :( ), or a hanging hay basket I got from somebody on here back in March. It's not Tiffany or Tanya. Maybe Crysta? I can't remember, but I know they're in the classified ads section. Hay is just one of those things, though, that's always going to be part of the mess. That and poo seem to just spawn on my floors overnight!
 
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