What are the best toys?"

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dizzytails

Active member
Joined
Jul 14, 2012
Messages
30
Hi
Just wondering what are the best toys for my chin?
she's on her own so needs extra playtime so she doesnt get bored.
At the moment she has started pulling the newspapee under her tray up when she's bored.
What toys will be best to keep her entertained?!
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks x
 
newspaper isn't good bedding for chins. kiln dried pine shavings is what many members here would recommend for bedding. or you can use fleece liners.

the best toys are those that your chin likes to chew. when a new chin comes home, it takes a little while to figure out what their favourite woods to chew are. i would suggest getting a variety of different woods from one of the vendors here (Ronda has a nice variety - http://www.rondaschins.com/WoodPerBox.shtml), and find out what your chin likes best.
 
no she has newspaper in the tray that you pull out. she just has hay for bedding.
but the lil menace keeps pulling it up sumhow.

so trial and error is the best way to find what they like?
 
I've seen people use hay for bedding, but in my opinion, it doesn't help the smell or absorb much. Why not use bedding like pine shavings? Just curious.

Trial and error seems to work pretty good. With the rescue here, almost nothing gets wasted (I can only imagine how frustrating it can be for people with one or two chins!), but short of buying something and trying it.... there's no way to know if your chin would like it.

I wouldn't buy a ton of anything until you know they like it. Like, maybe buy a toy with apple wood, or some apple sticks, or a variety of different sticks, some pumice... so that you have a variety that the chin can try, but not a ton of each, so that if the chin doesn't like it, you haven't wasted a lot of money.
 
When I read this I assume they have a wire bottom cage. The newspaper would be for absorption and the hay for a soft place to sit.

Does your chin have a wheel? If it's boredom from needing to chew, then natural wood chew toys would be good, if it's boredom from pent up energy then a wheel would help. And it may just be that she's an ornery booger!
 
Just saying, newspaper should never be in reach where chinchillas can chew on them. My friend told me a horror story about her parakeets where she put newspaper on the bottom of the cage, and one pecked on it at night, and the next morning it dropped dead. I think the ink is poisonous. I'm currently using puppy pads on the bottom of the pans in the ferret nation while waiting for his fleece liners. They work great, and amazingly he doesn't chew on them. I have them clipped to the bass pans. I would use the aspen bedding I have right now for the whole cage, but I think it's a waste, and I'm trying to liter box train him. As for the toys, mine doesn't like the food colored toys you get at the petstore, nor regular pumice stones. He likes all natural wood like apple sticks. :)
 
It is really hit and miss. What our chins like or love, yours could hate. However, I suggest checking out the classifieds and try different types of wood. Apple seems to be a favorite for a lot of chins, but 2 of mine don't care for it.
 
My girls love apple wood, lava bites and loofah. They'll chew most anything, but those would be their favorites.
 
Riven- yes i have a wire bottomed cage...she is just being cheeky and leaning into the tray
and pulling it out. she isn't chewing it.she doesn't like the hay as bedding she pulls it out
of her sleeping area.

apple wood sticks seem to be working...i was thinking maybe lava or pumice for extra
chewing material.

she had an apple wood ball but since she has chewed a hole in the bottom she has n't played with it

Greychins- thats my plan to only buy her a few little things to see what she likes.
it's chewing boredom i think, she chews for a few days on something then gets bored.
she is let out everyday for 2 hours maybe more so i know its not energy boredom as she goes back in her cage when she's tired.

are cuttle fish ok for chins? i have seen some places saying yes. others saying no
 
greychins said:
I've seen people use hay for bedding, but in my opinion, it doesn't help the smell or absorb much. Why not use bedding like pine shavings? Just curious.

Trial and error seems to work pretty good. With the rescue here, almost nothing gets wasted (I can only imagine how frustrating it can be for people with one or two chins!), but short of buying something and trying it.... there's no way to know if your chin would like it.

I wouldn't buy a ton of anything until you know they like it. Like, maybe buy a toy with apple wood, or some apple sticks, or a variety of different sticks, some pumice... so that you have a variety that the chin can try, but not a ton of each, so that if the chin doesn't like it, you haven't wasted a lot of money.
Click to expand...


My chin eats everything I put down as bedding or in her litter pan. She eats shavings, care fresh, you name it. They can end up with an intestinal blockage from eating too much of that stuff. I use a litter pan lined with blank newsprint paper and put some hay in on top of it. Her regular hay goes in a container and she never pees in the "eating" hay. She doesn't always pee in the litter pan, either,but that's another story!
 
i get all my chins hanging toys from Christine at Twilight Chinchillas.
her toys are fantastic! and BooBoo always devours them.
 
I agree with many of the comments, just experiment, some chins love certain toys and others may not like them at all. There are a great number of quality toy makers on this forum and I am sure you will find the right fit for your chin once you start getting a variety.
 
Hi All

Thanks for your replies. We have bought tails some apple wood sticks and logs and since she has left the newspaper alone.

Trial and error seems to be working with her tubes and wood balls are good.

Chinchilla63- her hay is in a feeder so she doesnt wee on her hay. We tool it out of her bed as she didn't approve lol x
 
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