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[winterose]

Hi guys,

So I am going to be getting chinchillas at some point in the somewhat near future and was doing my research. I have an ideas of what my startup is going to cost me. but I was wondering if anyone could tell me what my monthly expenses might look like if I had 2 chins.

I also would like to know what I good in store food brand is for chins or what you guys feed. I was planning on using aspen or something like that for bedding.

Edit: Oh if it helps I was planning on a double critter nation cage

[Marip]

Hi guys,

So I am going to be getting chinchillas at some point in the somewhat near future and was doing my research. I have an ideas of what my startup is going to cost me. but I was wondering if anyone could tell me what my monthly expenses might look like if I had 2 chins.

I also would like to know what I good in store food brand is for chins or what you guys feed. I was planning on using aspen or something like that for bedding.

Edit: Oh if it helps I was planning on a double critter nation cage

hello
So you will need to buy (i will tell you the price in € cause i dont know in $) the sand that is 6/7€ ,food(i use versele laga chinchilla nature mix with chinchilla complete) the first one is 3.49 i guesse and the second one is 4.99 , the anti-fungus to put in the sand, hay (7/8€) and to complete alfafa that is more or less the same ,and something to put in the litter i use akicorn that is natural and bio degradable per month you will have to buy like a pack of sand i buy like two packs of food of each one a pack of akicorn it's like for 2 months cause i change the cage once a week hay and alfafa too its like for 3 months and thats it i guess.

You can also buy some toys or make it about the bedding you can make them like little houses made of wood or use litter boxes but you don't need to put nothing on the floor and you can also buy some hammocks they are really confortable and they love it.

if its the cage i saw it's good and enought for two.
 

hope it helped

[GrayRodent]

Approximate (based on on-line searches) prices in US dollars
13oz blue cloud dust 5.00 - high quality dust
Chinchilla diet (pellets) 20.00 - 25lb decent quality (chins eat about 2 tablespoons of pellets per day)
smaller bags are around 7.00
Small hay bale 5.00 - Should not be kept for more than 3 months before buying fresh hay. Chins can do without pellets but must have access to hay to prevent tooth problems. Timothy hay is commonly fed. Alfalfa may be used.
Antifungus powder - optional - 4.00
Akicorn bedding - unable to find info
Sweet pdz - bedding used for horses but can be used for chins, 40lb bag $20.00 can or be bought in smaller quantities from online stores such as tjschinchillasupplies.com also a nice place to do research on pricing.
Toys - cheapest to make them yourself. Chin must have constant access to solid wood to chew to prevent tooth problems
Treats - raisins, dried fruit, no nuts, - very small quanities. No more than 2 raisins a day per chin.

[jmdebb]

and if you are in the states, i have a safe webstore.

other than that. i dont think 2 should cost much after the intial purchase of everything.. as long as they are healthy.  you might want to stash some money away in case you do have to go to a vet, and i would highly recommend finding a knowledgeable chin vet and getting established with them before you need to find one in a hurry.  [learned from experience and not fun]

[winterose]

thanks guys and I actually work at petsmart so I will be getting most of my stuff from them, I will be getting the chins elsewhere to help assure healthy lines but im hoping to find all the stuff there so i can use my discount lol 

[mojito]

I don't really keep up anymore since I spoil my pets too much to begin with , but I'll try to think of some things:
My blue cloud dust is more like 7 bucks at the petstore, but it depends on where you're at. This usually lasts me about 2 months.
I feed my boys Kline which I get from a breeder, its 1.25/lb! I did use Mazuri before that and it was about 7-8 bucks for a 2 lb bag which lasted me about a month or month and a half.
Hay is about 5 bucks; I use Oxbow and its goes quicker than the others but it's (in my opinion) better Lasts about 2 weeks for me (depends on the chins, my boys eat hay like crazy)
I made my own fleece bedding, so I don't use regular bedding anymore but when I did I used ECO-FRESH and it was about 15 bucks; I don't remember how big it was but it lasted about a month.
You can get stuff like pumice stones, wood treats and whatnot from petstores or make them. Like Gray said it is the cheapest to make yourself but you do need to make sure they always have at least a few toys.
I get cheerios and dried raisins from Walmart for low prices
And to add on to both food and jean, she sells a few different supplements. I use some (again from a breeder here not far from me) but there is one supplement she told me was a recipe from jamie, I give them to my chins every MWF, but you can always ask jean and look at her store. She also sells the Chin Spin, which is good for chins as well.

Also know that exotic pet vets aren't the cheapest, so always make sure you have a rainy day fund stashed away!

[jmdebb]

just to let you know tho, not trying to sound like a jerk, but alot of the pet store stuff isnt safe, even tho it says chinny safe, so if youu arent sure, just ask and we'll help out... 

[CrazyChinLady]

HI!!

I have two chins also.  I purchase my Timothy hay on line, and it's a LOT better quality, and third cut timothy hay is the cat's meow as are as chins are concerned. It favors the easter grass you put in kids baskets. It's great. You buy it in bulk and lasts fine, as long as you keep it dry.
I blue the lava dust (blue cloud) on line in bulk too in 15 to 20 pound boxes, s&h are thrown in. It's a lot cheaper that way. Muzuri pellets are the best for them, you can buy them in bulk. I buy all wood chews, whirlies, toys, pumice stone,  'chew toy activities' all on line. I don't know if I am allowed to give you all the websites on here, but if you email me at crazy4chins@gmail.com, I will be more than happy to share and will give you all the great places to order!!  (all trustworthy!! been ordering a long time).

I am a chin veteran and spoiling will run you into some $$, but you can learn where to shop in bulk. They get bored so I spoil.

Just let me know!!
Thanks.

Brandy.