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VikiH

VikiH

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
62
Location
Manchester, UK
Okay Guys,

So I've had my little chin for 2 weeks, everythin appears to be going really well (yay!) he's gaining lots of trust, likes to sit on my hand/shoulder/head and will officially let me pick him up without fuss! It's great.

Both me and my partner read up on chins and bought an essential guide to caring for them, it really helped but also made me very paranoid about my little guy chewing on anything but pine!! :(

So he's chewing EVERYTHING, literally, EVERYTHING. I expected this but I know chinchillas can get sick quickly if they digest something they shouldn't! My main question is this: they aren't allowed plastic to chew, but we bougth a play ball for chinchillas which is made of plastic? Should I stop using this ball? I mean, he hasn't really taken to it, so it's no big fuss - I just want to know!

He also chews the wood on the walls like mad, but its treated. Although he has learned the word 'no', he can be stubborn at times. I feel mean gently pushing him away from what he's chewing, but I have no other choice. Does anyone else freak out when their chin chews something in their house? Or am I paranoid? The wood is treated, not natural so I don't want him swallowing any. But I also want him to have the freedom to run around wherever once he's used to me and my partner completely.

My other main question is this: my chinchilla is an escapologist, what the **** do I do? He's so determined once he knows there's something behind the cardboard we put up to stop him getting in somewhere! I don't want him jumping for it, landing and hurting himself. He apparently escaped from his cage in the shop 3 times!

Other than being very scared of him escaping our watch/ eating things he shouldn't, everything seems to be going really well!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks :)

Viki x

:dance3:
 
Firstly, yes, get rid of the plastic ball. They are known as "death balls" around here for good reason. Chins can easily overheat in them due to lack of ventilation, and it really isn't all that hygienic as they pee and poop in them and then roll around in it.

Second, chins chew. They will chew on anything and everything they want. It's up to you to keep them somewhere as safe as possible to deter this. If you can't completely chin-safe an area, you shouldn't let your chin in that area. Many of us use bathrooms as playtime rooms.

Plain and simple, you just can't let chins run around where ever they please. They are notorious for getting into trouble and getting places they shouldn't. I have seen numerous threads on here over the years of chins hiding in holes in the walls, under couches, getting into garages...the list goes on.

You may want to look into buying a play pen with a top that covers it for playtime. That way he is safely confined and can't escape and get hurt.
 
Hi Stacie,

Sorry - I didn't explain very well about the ball! It's not a run-around ball like hamsters have, we wouldn't put him in one of them. It's just a small ball with a bell in it that he pushes around with his nose sometimes. He hasn't taken to chewing that, but I don't know if its worth the risk.

Bathroom is a great idea, unfortunately mines having work done to it! I'll definitely use it when it's finished, for now we're lining the walls with as much tall cardboard as we can.

I'm glad you clarified about them having free roam, the author of the book we bought sounded as if she let her two chins go wherever, we were feeling mean that we allowed him just a space where we could keep an eye on him at all times!

Sorry to keep with the questions guys but I've just remembered another - rope hammocks. Any body else got one? My chin had one in his cage when we bought him so we bought one for his new home too, he loves it! But it doesn't say on the packaging that it's safe for chins (it doesn't say it's not safe either). I just don't want to be putting him in any danger. Any ideas on the rope hammock front?
 
Thanks for clarifying about the ball :)) I wouldn't leave it in his cage, but if you supervise him while playing with it and make sure he doesn't chew it, then I don't think it would be a problem.

Chins definitely shouldn't free roam. Unfortunately there is a lot of false or bad information out there about chinchilla care. They are experts at getting into trouble (as you have already witnessed) and it is very dangerous for them to free roam. You definitely want to make sure they are under constant supervision in a chinchilla safe room when they aren't safe in their cage.

I'm not sure what you mean by rope hammock, but it doesn't sound safe. The only fabric recommended for chins is fleece. Other fabrics fray easily, allowing strands to get wrapped around toes/legs and they can easily chew it up, too. Fleece can still be chewed but it comes apart in chucks rather than strands so there is less risk of ingestion. Of course, if you notice a chin chewing apart fleece, it should be removed. There are many suppliers on here that sell chin-safe fleece items and toys, including fleece hammocks. Chins really enjoy fleece tubes too. Check out our classified section. :))
 
 
I could see a chin deciding that that hammock looks like a good chew toy and destroying it one night. Yep, I would definitely replace with fleece! Unfortunately like all the bad information out there, sometimes pet stores are misinformed as well. :(
 
I agree with what has been said so far. As for your concern about only pine, there are several chin safe woods including apple. There is a post of safe woods on this site if you do a search. I get my treats and wood from Whimsy's Menagerie online, although there are many other suppliers on this site.
 
fleece for furries and chin chic both are on fb they sell great hammocks fleece liners for the cages and the tubes i love there stuff :):)
 
I'm searching for something similar, but UK based! What is with the lack of UK chinnie stores?! We need more chin love over here :'(
 
VikiH said:
So he's chewing EVERYTHING, literally, EVERYTHING. I expected this but I know chinchillas can get sick quickly if they digest something they shouldn't!
Click to expand...

I know the feeling

Wall.jpg


My chins did that to my wall. It tore off in sheets and nothing i was doing would stop them. i ended up covering my whole wall in fleece to stop them.

And they have incredible memories. Even after not being out for a long while, once they finally were again, they remembered, and ran right to that spot on the wall to try to get to it again. Smart little animals they are'
 
Chinchillas2Shop is where i get a lot of my chinnie destroyer stuff from as well as the Timothy Hay and oats..The stuff usually takes about a week after i make an order...I have also found it cheaper to make the fleece stuff myself :) And i also make my toys myself, got my inspiration from here lol and every year i now end up cutting back my apple trees, grape vine and pear tree just to make my chinnies happy :p
 
VikiH said:
I'm searching for something similar, but UK based! What is with the lack of UK chinnie stores?! We need more chin love over here :'(
Click to expand...

I do not shop at C2H any more.

Fuzzbutt Cage Comforts - superb products & Rache is a gem when it comes to customer support etc.

West Wales Willow - The 'Chilla Chips are a hit, good for chewing, & value for money.

Galen's Garden - This is my number 1 shop for all things herby etc - the chins go nuts for everything. Green Cream is a must in the first aid kit, as is Nutripowder.
The products look expensive but they are all very high quality & you get loads in a bag for 50g.
Some favourites here - Plantain, alfalfa, the cookie mixes, Hedgerow Herbs (the original product).

Burgess Excel do some very good nibbly stuff & their herb mixes etc are pretty good too if you want something from a commercial shop.


You can try a playpen (puppy pen) while your bathroom gets renovated but, in all honesty, chins are masters of deception & will defy your cardboard protections & can somehow seem to escape from Colditz! :hilarious:
 
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Yeah, hes chewed my wallpaper and even the coating on my kitchen door! I freaked (not because I care about them things, I don't want him sick!)

Thanks for the sites - as for the fleece Idea, I'm definitely trying it!
 
if your actually thinking of something like the fleece walls, i mine as well mention one additional thing.

As you could see form that pic, it was kinda a poor job of being put up. But in this crappy apartment, where things are falling apart like crazy, they wernt about to do anything more.

You'll notice little spots along the bottom where you see the white wall. I tired to get it as close to the bottom as i could to make sure the chins cant grab the bottom and start ripping it off or chewing it. I wanted to remove the base board, put the fleece behind that, then reattach the board. That way there war no bottom for them to try anything with. But we couldn't do that here. Its only a guess but i imagine that would work better. - Sadly we were reduced to a lot of thumb tacks which i wasn't happy about. Because they can come out fairly easily.
 
I'm hoping my bathrooms finished soon so I wont need a lot of fleece covering - hes a little smart guy and is really starting to respond to 'no!', its just when they get fixated on something, he really doesn't want to stop and its hard to get him off what hes chewing! He seems to want to eat whatever hes chewing so I freak out big time if I cant get him away from whatever it is ;/
 
I let my chin out in my "office." It's just a spare room, but my computer & my craft supplies are in there. I pick everything up off the floor & make sure everything is unplugged & the cords are up high, but I still have to watch him like a hawk. He responds pretty well to "No!" or "Get!" - unless, like you said, he's really fixated on something... Usually something I REALLY don't want him to chew like my bookshelf or the closet door or these cute little boxes I store my crafts in! :) Then I have to go to him & put my hand in between him & whatever he's chewing. Sometimes it takes a little push for him to get the hint, then he scampers off & finds something else he's not supposed to be chewing on, lol. He's lucky he's so darn cute!
 
Thought I would add that he tried to eat my homework last night. Think my professor would believe me if I said, "Sorry, my chinchilla ate my homework!" ?!
 
I'm just glad I'm not the only one with a little nibbler! I think me and my partner are a little paranoid, especially since the book on chins we got had every other sentence as 'or your chinchilla will die!', it got me hyped. I tried my chin in the office but he can get on the window ledge, but then panics because he can't get back down and I have to rescue him! I don't know how much fun that is for him, or whether I need to keep him more entertained with toys on the floor so he doesn't try to get into mischief xD
 
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