I am not familiar with that brand of chinchilla food, but there are to many things added to it ... most are treats. {check out the ingredients listed} A good chinchilla diet should be all pellets, not that extra stuff you see in the package.
The cage is mostly plastic ... a big "no-no" for chinchillas. {regardless of how it is being advertised} You may want to check out Martin's Cages at:
http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/chinchilla/ The prices are very reasonable and they have cages that are safe for chinchillas.
The igloo is also made of plastic which is not good for a chinchilla. Chinchillas tend to chew on everything ... regardless of the fact that it may not be good for them. Plastic breaks off in sharp little chunks that will not dislove in a chin's tummy. As the sharp pieces of plastic pass through the digestive tract, it often leaves little cuts, which can become infected.
The dust bath dust/powder is good, just make sure you do not get the dust bath sand that they also have with a chinchilla's picture on the front of it. Dust bath sand is to harsh on a chinchilla's fur.
The bath house is also plastic, but is usually not left in the cage for more than 10 or 15 minutes each day ... as long as you are watching him the whole time, it would be OK to use. A square metal or glass baking dish would be just as good and would be safer. *NOTE: As you will see, this little dust bath house contains a small packet of dust bath sand ... I just drop those in the garbage.
The "flip-top" water dispenser is not a good idea ... #1. it's plastic ... even mounting it outside the cage, the chin will be able to get to it, chew a hole in the bottom of it and allow the water to drain out on the table, floor and into the cage beneath it. #2 The 'flip-top' will tempt you to leave the waterbottle hanging and pour additional water in it as it gets lower. Wrong ... a chinchilla's water bottle needs to be emptied and washed and refilled every day or every other day with fresh water to keep it clean and safe for your little one to drink. #3 Chinchillas tend to get a drink of water after eating ... often, the food and water mix and some of the food in the chin's mouth will end up in the tube ... often stopping it up and/or leaving bacteria that will grow and contaminate the water. #4 It has a metal tube, IF your chin lets food travel back into the tube, it can be stopped up and the chin will have a bottle of water, but no way to get to it.
Glad you ask before purchasing those things. Manufacturers then to make things that are appealing to the humans ... humans have the money ... but not necessarily best for the animals.
Jo Ann
Author
Topic: Wants a chinchilla but has some questions (Read 1989 times)