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[Ari and Ingram]

Hi everyone! I am new to the forum and a new chin owner! Im so excited. I just had a few questions about my baby Ingram if you could please help.

1. He isnt drinking a lot. Is this normal? Over the course of a week he has probably only drank half of a bottle. He is eating great though.

2. I am confused on exercise wheels. Do I really need the 15 inch? I have a 12 now and he LOVES IT!!! He runs so fast and so hard he shakes the whole cage which brings me to another question...is there anything I can do to soften the noise?

3. What about the big exercise balls? Are they safe? I have heard they arent good because chins can overheat in them but if kept at short periods of time would it be ok?

Thanks so much for your help! Im so excited to be apart of the forum and be a new chin owner! 

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Hi and welcome to the world of chins.Yes it's very exciting!

No they don't drink a lot of water, well most don't I do have a couple of exceptions. There always are exceptions.
A 12 inch wheel won't be much good to most adult chins.
And the noise is a problem with most of them, you can take it out when you go to bed if it's bothersome.
The exercise balls can cause them to over heat, and they end up with droppings rolling with them. Some will even pee in them, not nice on a chinchilla.
I had one that loved his, but most would much rather a free run, and once they've had that don't like getting in the ball.I class it as a waist of money, but if someone gives you one,or has one you can borrow try it. 
Go for clear plastic, I can't imagine looking through a dark color and trying to find your way around.But most soon learn you can't walk through furniture, doors, or get under some of the same in it.

Take him in the bathroon or small area that you can bar off and sit on the floor with him. That's the most fun I have with my chins.

[Ari and Ingram]

Thanks so much!

Its seems that Ingram might have esp due the fact that yesterday he drank almost half a bottle of water! Haha I let him run around in the kitchen today and after a minor incident of him somehow finding a hole in the cabinets and me having to lure him out with a rasin I moved him to the bathroom. He loved the freedom and was running up the walls treating them like a skate board ramp 

I do have another question if you dont mind. When it comes to the cage do they need to be directly in the bedding or have like a grate on top of it. I actually just saw a picture of an amazing cage on another post but it said the grate was removeable for chinchillas but I have mine in. He isnt touching the bedding at all. Do I need to take it out?

[Jo Ann]

   Welcome to the Wonderful World of Chinchillas and to the Chinchilla Club Forum

Hi everyone! I am new to the forum and a new chin owner! Im so excited. I just had a few questions about my baby Ingram if you could please help.
1. He isnt drinking a lot. Is this normal? Over the course of a week he has probably only drank half of a bottle. He is eating great though.
2. I am confused on exercise wheels. Do I really need the 15 inch? I have a 12 now and he LOVES IT!!! He runs so fast and so hard he shakes the whole cage which brings me to another question...is there anything I can do to soften the noise?
3. What about the big exercise balls? Are they safe? I have heard they arent good because chins can overheat in them but if kept at short periods of time would it be ok?
Thanks so much for your help! Im so excited to be apart of the forum and be a new chin owner!  

1.  It will often vary, but it can also be one of the first warnings to a medical problem headed your way.  Once they get settled in and familiar with their surroundings, it usually levels off and rarely changes.
2.  Chinchillas should never have a wheel or a ball under 15" in diameter.  If you put them in smaller ones, it can and usually does, affect their spine as they grow.  They need that extra space for health reasons.   Soften the noise?  Mount it on a wooden object outside the cage.  Most noise comes from the wires and other metals in the cage's makeup.
3. These balls can [a.] over heat the chinchilla in a short period of time, [b.] pop open, allowing the chin to escape, when you least expect them to do so [c.] need to be washed and dried between each and every use [d] get stuck /wedged against/under furniture [e.] break [f.] allow a little one to roll down a staircase or out a door, because people  tend to not watch them as closely as if they would, if the chin were running freely through the house.

   Jo Ann

[cusunfireguy]

I had issues with "wheel" noise also.  My female just loves it and will go to town.  I found a nice metal wheel from a guy on Ebay that custom makes them.  They are made with a "roller blade" wheel as the barring and it is super quiet!  They can really get that wheel going and it makes little noise.  Also, there is nothing on the inside of the wheel that will hit them in the back.  Happy days!

Steven