What should i buy for my chinchilla?

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whiskers387

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Well i just got a new chinchilla and im wondering if someone could give me a link to a good site and lots of toys and stuff like that from that site just so i know what to get her so i dont waste money.
 
What to buy for my chinchilla? Sorry for repost.

Sorry for the repost, idk how to edit a thread. I had a few questions about what to get for my chinchilla and i want specifics.

Food-
Bedding-
Chews-
Litter Supplies and how to potty train them-
Hay-

If you can find something with all that stuff on one website i would love you, please give names of what i should use
 
You can only edit ten minutes after you originally post. Usually people just continue adding to their already existing thread.

As Haley said on your last thread you can go to:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forum...read.php?t=546

And find everything you need.

For my chinchillas I use fleece liners for bedding.

I suppliment that with a pie pan with pine bedding. All the chinchillas I've had have ptty trained themselves. If yours don't you can always try putting already soiled bedding in the pan so they smell where they are supposed to go.

As for food, chews and toys, Again go check out that link. Different people have different things. We are not going to do the work for you, atleast I won't. Check out all the links and threds this site has to offer.

Welcome!
 
Food- Mazuri/PANR
Bedding- Depends, I use fleece. You can check the FAQ for safe woods as some used in bedding can be toxic.
Chews- Pumice stones, applesticks, loofah slices, woodchews.
Litter Supplies- Just use the same type of bedding you would put in their cage, do not buy litter for them, they may eat it and it could be toxic. I use fleece and I have a pie tin filled with bedding in the corner he pees in and that worked right away. Try to avoid the litter boxes at the pet store as they're mostly plastic, use a pie tin or some type of safe form of a litter box.
Hay- I use Timothy Oxbow

Most of the sites listed on that thread have all of the above and more available for very decent prices. If you cannot find what you are looking for then post in the WANTED section in classifieds.

and what are you using right now for your chin as far as food/bedding/supplies go?
 
HaleyGoBoom said:
Food- Mazuri/PANR
Bedding- Depends, I use fleece. You can check the FAQ for safe woods as some used in bedding can be toxic.
Chews- Pumice stones, applesticks, loofah slices, woodchews.
Litter Supplies- Just use the same type of bedding you would put in their cage, do not buy litter for them, they may eat it and it could be toxic. I use fleece and I have a pie tin filled with bedding in the corner he pees in and that worked right away. Try to avoid the litter boxes at the pet store as they're mostly plastic, use a pie tin or some type of safe form of a litter box.
Hay- I use Timothy Oxbow

Most of the sites listed on that thread have all of the above and more available for very decent prices. If you cannot find what you are looking for then post in the WANTED section in classifieds.

and what are you using right now for your chin as far as food/bedding/supplies go?
Click to expand...
Food- Charlies chinchilla food
bedding-back2nature
hay-Nature Promise western timothy hay
Chews-wood chews,dinner delight chews,treat chews
 
I'd order some Mazuri or PANR, if your talking about the Charlie's Chinchilla Food I'm thinking about its full of treats and junk that isn't really that good for them, plus they just eat the treats and not the pellets. Did the breeder give you any of the chinchillas old food? Or was she a petstore chin? I'd try and return the food if possible, and get Mazuri at the pet store and order online for the future since it'd be cheaper.

The paper bedding, I'm not sure if it is toxic, but they will eat their bedding and they probably should eat that stuff. I'd get some cheap aspen bedding from the pet store if you don't use fleece. Don't get scented ones.

If you don't have dust, you NEED to get some, they have to take dust baths as they do not bathe in water. You can order Blue Cloud online or get some Kaytee in the meantime as it isn't harmful to your chin, just is expensive and not the best quality. Also, don't get scented dust either. Do you have any pictures of your chinchilla and its cage?
 
HaleyGoBoom said:
I'd order some Mazuri or PANR, if your talking about the Charlie's Chinchilla Food I'm thinking about its full of treats and junk that isn't really that good for them, plus they just eat the treats and not the pellets. Did the breeder give you any of the chinchillas old food? Or was she a petstore chin? I'd try and return the food if possible, and get Mazuri at the pet store and order online for the future since it'd be cheaper.

The paper bedding, I'm not sure if it is toxic, but they will eat their bedding and they probably should eat that stuff. I'd get some cheap aspen bedding from the pet store if you don't use fleece. Don't get scented ones.

If you don't have dust, you NEED to get some, they have to take dust baths as they do not bathe in water. You can order Blue Cloud online or get some Kaytee in the meantime as it isn't harmful to your chin, just is expensive and not the best quality. Also, don't get scented dust either. Do you have any pictures of your chinchilla and its cage?
Click to expand...
Yeah i have Kaytee but i should use BLue Cloud instead? And Fleece Bedding?
And i attached a pic, and can i have a link to the fleece bedding you get so i buy the right stuff? and you just lay it out over the whole ground lvl?
 

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Ditch the plastic wheel. It's not big enough for them and when they run on it, they run at an unnatural position which leads to back problems. Not only that but many chins chew up plastic.
You can buy metal ones online but they have to have a solid running surface with atleast a 15" diameter.

And also ditch the kaytee feed. The treats are unhealthy. Nuts are too fatty and lead to fatty liver disease. And fruits have too much sugar. Get some Mazuri or Oxbow which sometimes you can find at petstores. Or buy them online.
Also, Kaytee uses a preservative in their feed which is shown to cause cancer in rats, so why risk it with your chin?
 
Oh she's a cutie! Watch out for plastic chewing though, they can get impaction if they swallow a large piece it'd be dangerous. There's a lot of threads on here with safe cage layouts you can look at. Check out the Ferret Nation Club thread in Chin Supplies and Housing.

Its good you have a wheel, just make sure its a safe size (too small and it can cause spinal problems). Your setup looks good, I'd just watch out for plastic chewing and she might chew the strings holding up the hammock, you can take out the ramps as they don't use them, and if you have to money I'd replace the plastic shelves with KD pine shelves.

Did you get her at a petstore?
 
alli713 said:
Ditch the plastic wheel. It's not big enough for them and when they run on it, they run at an unnatural position which leads to back problems. Not only that but many chins chew up plastic.
You can buy metal ones online but they have to have a solid running surface with atleast a 15" diameter.

And also ditch the kaytee feed. The treats are unhealthy. Nuts are too fatty and lead to fatty liver disease. And fruits have too much sugar. Get some Mazuri or Oxbow which sometimes you can find at petstores. Or buy them online.
Also, Kaytee uses a preservative in their feed which is shown to cause cancer in rats, so why risk it with your chin?
Click to expand...
Good to know, but on the wheel she is 4 months old and when she runs on it she doesnt squeeze her back up or anything like that
 
HaleyGoBoom said:
Its good you have a wheel, just make sure its a safe size (too small and it can cause spinal problems).
Click to expand...

That wheel is not safe at all. As I've stated in the reply before yours.

whiskers387 said:
Good to know, but on the wheel she is 4 months old and when she runs on it she doesnt squeeze her back up or anything like that
Click to expand...

I can tell by the size of the chin in relation to the size of the wheel that it is not safe. Believe me. It'd be better for you to just take it out and give her play time in a safe area. Chins don't need a wheel to survive. It's just fun for them.
 
HaleyGoBoom said:
Oh she's a cutie! Watch out for plastic chewing though, they can get impaction if they swallow a large piece it'd be dangerous. There's a lot of threads on here with safe cage layouts you can look at. Check out the Ferret Nation Club thread in Chin Supplies and Housing.

Its good you have a wheel, just make sure its a safe size (too small and it can cause spinal problems). Your setup looks good, I'd just watch out for plastic chewing and she might chew the strings holding up the hammock, you can take out the ramps as they don't use them, and if you have to money I'd replace the plastic shelves with KD pine shelves.

Did you get her at a petstore?
Click to expand...
Yes she is from a petstore but it was a very small one and i blieve they breed, not completely sure though, And she has not chewed a single plastic thing yet, and the wheel is big enough for now
 
Definitely get your chin OFF of the Charlie Chinchilla food - it's junk. I'd also get rid of the ramps too....they're plastic and not needed, you may be okay with the plastic - chinnies jump from ledge (or shelf) to shelf...you can get pine ledges which are chin safe and it's okay if they chew them. Be careful to watch the shelves - if you notice your chin chewing them - they need to go for sure! She may not be chewing yet - but everything around her is NEW - the house ,the sounds, the smells - give her time to adjust to her surroundings. What is your chin's name??
 
alli713 said:
That wheel is not safe at all. As I've stated in the reply before yours.



I can tell by the size of the chin in relation to the size of the wheel that it is not safe. Believe me. It'd be better for you to just take it out and give her play time in a safe area. Chins don't need a wheel to survive. It's just fun for them.
Click to expand...

When I was typing my reply there was no post from you Alli, sorry, I haven't used that wheel so that's why I said just make sure its a safe size.

I'd listen to her Whiskers if she's used it and says it isn't safe. I ordered a chin-spin, but there's many chin safe wheels online, they are expensive but worth the investment.
 
It's okay, I just didn't want the impression that it's okay. It's not, it's not big enough.
I'm sure Amanda won't mind me referencing her chins here, but here in this post you can see the size of a chin against a safe wheel. Look how much bigger it is.
http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showpost.php?p=37935&postcount=3

When running on a small wheel, the chin has to angle up to keep it going, it's not at all like a natural run would be.
 
Jill of Beans said:
Definitely get your chin OFF of the Charlie Chinchilla food - it's junk. I'd also get rid of the ramps too....they're plastic and not needed, you may be okay with the plastic - chinnies jump from ledge (or shelf) to shelf...you can get pine ledges which are chin safe and it's okay if they chew them. Be careful to watch the shelves - if you notice your chin chewing them - they need to go for sure! She may not be chewing yet - but everything around her is NEW - the house ,the sounds, the smells - give her time to adjust to her surroundings. What is your chin's name??
Click to expand...
Her name is whiskers :wink2:
 
I'm not sure who said the Kaytee dust wouldn't cause a problem. I just wanted to let you know that it may actually cause trouble for your chins. I just had to treat mine for several weeks for an eye infection caused by the Kaytee dust I bought in the beginning. You are better off getting the Blur Cloud from the supplies link, both for chinnie helth and price. Best of luck!

Also, I know it is hard to hear that something you're doing for your chinnie might not be the best, but so many people on this board are very knowledgable and tell you these things to help you have a healthier chin.:thumbsup:
 
stampinchick said:
I'm not sure who said the Kaytee dust wouldn't cause a problem. I just wanted to let you know that it may actually cause trouble for your chins. I just had to treat mine for several weeks for an eye infection caused by the Kaytee dust I bought in the beginning. You are better off getting the Blur Cloud from the supplies link, both for chinnie helth and price. Best of luck!

Also, I know it is hard to hear that something you're doing for your chinnie might not be the best, but so many people on this board are very knowledgable and tell you these things to help you have a healthier chin.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I know, i have already bought lots of stuff that i shouldnt have and stuff that is wrong and i cant return it so im out so much money, im really stressed over this, i cant wait till i just get everything situated
 
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