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[gavinschin]

Alright, in about a month I am getting a baby chin, about 6 to 8 weeks old, I was wondering what all I should get to make sure that it is raised properly and healthy from the very start.

[jmdebb]

hi and congrats.. we need pictures..

okay no treats for six months.. they delicate systems aren't ready for them yet.

quality food.. there are several ,.depending on your area, only a few might be available. if this is a rep breeder she will most likely send you home with some food.. then if you use a different food, slowly switch over, otherwise you get diareah.. soft poop sticks everywhere..

oh back to food.. mazuri-which can be found at some petstores, nutrena naturewise-light green bag.. [i just got a bag today and will be adding it my site everyone..] sorry.. tradition, kline, but its very hard to get, oxbow-which can be found at some petstores,oh dear.. my mind has shut down for the day.. can't think of the others.

umm.. can i suggest my site for some info. not trying to be funny here cuz of the store part, but i do have a page on valuable basic information...

http://www.tjschinchillasupplies.com/chinchilla%20information.html

its not really that long.. check it out.. and if somethign is confusing.. ask away...

jean

do you have a name yet.

[Courtney]

Aww, congrats! You will need

Cage
Hay
Treats - especially raisins, only once in a while.
Toys
Sand for a sand bath
Box - usually made of pine for them to sleep in. I made mine. They need the sense of security of somewhere safe to hide.

I bet you can't wait!!!!

[Hoppinchins]

aww, congrats! To many treats are bad for them, i give mine treats that are good for them, but they think they are just special treats. You need a good brand food/hay. I like oxbow. I know muzula is also a good brand also. I forget what some other ones are. You don't want food that has treats in them. The pet stores aren't that helpful with them. You want a cage that doesn't have plastic in it because when they get older they will chew on it. A wheel or saucer, but you don't need one right away. Mine did and have always loved it. Everyone has there different option, some say to wait till they older, it needs to have a solid bottom though, not wire. Lots of chew toys. Not all the chew toys at pets stores are good for them, you you can always ask about them on here.

[gavinschin]

I was wondering some specifics on baby chin care. i dont want to play with a baby ones life and i cant give it the best care if i hear from this person, "you cant feed them this" and then another person saying, "i feed mine that all the time."

its like no one can agree on what is best for these little guys and it makes me not want to ask advice because no one can simply agree.

so can anyone set the record straight, because my own vet cant agree with some stuff ive heard and there is just too much chaos in the world of chinchillas.

[jmdebb]

hi again..

yes gavin there are many controversies, but you learn after awhile to read between the lines.. but there are some things were there is no controversy

no treats before 6 mos of age [since you shouldn't use them , i won't go into the safe ones you have some time for that]
quality food.. there are about 6 or 7 quality chin foods.. either petstores for oxbow or mazuri, [no other petstore food is healthy] some you can find online, and maybe this breeder you are getting her from sells some,  other names are penpals, kline, some big ranchers have their own foods i think shoots is one, tradition, natruna naturewise, puriana rabbit show [pls remember not all rabbits foods are safe for chins, but there a few on the quality food list... if i missed any, can someone pleaes add them in.. i know there are a least one or two more.

no plastic..it can cause impaction and cause death.. no round about balls. chinchillas do no sweat, therefore they can have a heat stroke and die. 

cage should not be near open windows, in the sunlight, near heat vents, in direct line of a fan.. 

there's some stuff.. you will be fine taking care of a kit.. it does seem quite overwhelming at first, but its really easy to learn.... there alot more stuff.. but i don't want to go crazy and overwhelm you myself.  did you check out my info on my website.. 

[gavinschin]

Thank you so so much. it is a bit overwhelming, i just want to make sure it is taken care of to the best it can be.
didnt mean to sound rude, i reread it and i felt as though i was.

i did and i may be getting some toys and feed from you. Im about to get the big metal flying saucer for my big chin cage but i want to add more than a few little toys from petsmart and lava bites.

[left027]

Those wood hanging bird toys work really well too.  Stay away from the Cotton hung ones.  I just bought the metal chain ones.  My plan, when they finally chew though all the wood, is to drill holes in some untreated pine and then hang it on the same chain.  The bird toys usually have bells on them too.  My boys lovveeeeee their bells.  Word of advise on the flying saucer, sometimes it takes a really long time for chins to learn how to use them.  I was worried about putting down a lot of money for a toy they may not play with so I bought the plastic large ware flying saucer to see if they liked it.  Since it's plastic, I didn't leave it in their cage and only let them use it during play time.  So far they know how to use it, but since it's play time they are more interested in ninja-ing off the walls.  I think I'm going to end up getting the saucer after summer is over (they're really susceptible to overheating), but only because I know they know how to use it now.  Also, make sure you do a lot of research on cages before you buy.  I think that's one of mistakes new chin owners make the most.  Martin's Cages are good (aside from the wire shelves) and Quality Cage makes an epic cage called the Chinchilla Mansion.  The Chinchilla Mansion is expensive, but I think it's probably worth it.  If you go that route, most of the things I read recommended getting two doors on the cage.  Ferret Nation has good cages too.  Also, if you end up getting a cage with a plastic bed tray I recommend getting a metal pan to replace it.  You can either go to a metal rolling company and get a stainless steel one made(will last practically forever but $$$) or Bass Equipment makes some good trays.  They can even make custom trays.  All in all, I ended up making my cage myself.   Oh yeah!  Cardboard tubes!  Mine love to tear them apart, sleep in them, jump on them, and run through them.  Other good places for chin supplies are forchinatechins.com and lonestarchinchilla.com.  Last tidbit, if you want some epic wooden toys made check out Simply Chintastic.