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Author Topic: Tips for a happy Chinchilla!  (Read 3158 times)

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lifeisgood.lisha

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Tips for a happy Chinchilla!
« on: February 10, 2014, 03:59:46 PM »

I feel like my chinchilla has been getting bored recently with my being gone so long during the days. What kind of toys do you use for your Chin? Any great websites you know of to get cheap/good quality toys? I usually keep pumice supplied in her cage and occasionally will buy her willow chews/wood blocks... I want her to be happy. Any tips?!
 ::silly:: Thanks!
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lifeisgood.lisha

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Re: Tips for a happy Chinchilla!
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2014, 04:18:53 PM »

Also, I was looking into metal pans for my ferret nation cage. Do you know where I can get the best price for them? How is this one comparatively?

http://www.bassequipment.com/Cage+Pans/default.aspx

 ::shrug::
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GrayRodent

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Re: Tips for a happy Chinchilla!
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2014, 06:30:40 PM »

For chinchilla toys and food I recommend http://www.tjschinchillasupplies.com/ I've ordered from them before and I think they do a good job selecting safe items for chinchillas. They're also a good source for food and medical supplies.

I also recommend Ryerson Chinchilla ranch for food (http://ryersonchinchilla.com/arc_001.htm) their website is kind of messy but I have ordered through them and they have good service there. They offer food in bulk and in small quantities.

I do use treat-k-bobs in my cage and you can put wood pieces, pumice and cardboard on it and refill it which is really nice. I used some eye bolts and installed them underneath Kulu's wooden shelves. I took the bells off of mine since the reason I got them was to make the cage quieter so I can sleep at night since I have to keep the cage in my bedroom. This allows him other things to chew on that aren't loose and clunking around in the cage at night but during the day I'll leave wood pieces and pumice on the floor of the cage and they get a lot of use as well.

Another thing I have that he likes is a Blue Cloud rock which is mined from the same place he gets his dust. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11393832 It's kind of like a hard clump of chinchilla dust. He smells it and then starts rolling around like he's dusting. He leaves grooves in it from his teeth so I know he uses it.

Cardboard and paper is always an option but don't overdo it since they'll eat it sometimes in place of their food which is very unhealthy.
Another thing I found he likes (yes I am spoiling my chinchilla) is this tunnel toy http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753325&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo
I bought it on a whim and he really likes it. It's not quite big enough for him to sleep under like a wood hut but he'll crawl through it and play on it during the day. So anything like this is a good option for chinchillas. Be careful though where you put it in the cage because your pet may be able to slide it around and it's heavy enough to cause injury.

As far as the cage pan I don't know. I use a modified parrot cage for my pet. I know there are others here who use FN cages though. Perhaps they will comment soon.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2014, 06:33:14 PM by GrayRodent »
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I'm a programmer not a chinchilla breeder. I learn by asking questions just like you.

kageri

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Re: Tips for a happy Chinchilla!
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2014, 11:20:23 PM »

Bass ferret pans are the ones specifically made to fit ferret nation and critter nation cages.


We provide a ton of wood.  We get lots of fresh apple locally then right now we have a box with kiwi, pear, pecan, hickory, and cactus twigs and chunks from various online retailers.  Each cage gets a handful every day and a new 2-4' apple branch every cleaning.  Woven willow items are usually a huge hit but messy and destroyed so fast it isn't really cost effective to keep some in the cage all the time.  It's more of a monthly treat for ours.

Plastic free bird toys are generally safe and provide a wide variety of chewing materials.  Often they ignore them and ignore them until one day they just destroy the thing.  Our cage of young females decided to kill their bamboo and coconut bird toy this week.  One day it was whole and the next they had stuffed all the hard pieces in the pvc tunnels and hauled the coconut husks flattened in to chewable discs down to the bottom level.  Today they drug it all back out again to carry around the cage.  I usually take the leftover pieces from destroyed bird toys and put them back up on those metal kabobs.  You can buy your own toy making supplies including natural hemp, jute, or sisal rope from parrot sites like http://bobosplayhouse.com/ and some chinchilla sites.  I also find some really random stuff on bobo's playhouse like a 25' grapevine for $10.  That actually had to be thrown out from dirtiness before it was fully destroyed.  Sometimes you can find safe supplies at craft stores and that's where I got my hemp rope but sometimes the stuff is treated so it's best not to do that unless you know what you are looking for.

There are all sorts of fleece items to buy.  Hammocks, houses, tents, tunnels...  Some people cut pvc in half, cover it in fleece, and then bolt it to the side of the cage as a curved sleeping ledge.  You can find finished pieces from online sites.  Fleece for furries gets mentioned a lot on other forums.
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Jasonred79

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Re: Tips for a happy Chinchilla!
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2014, 11:37:19 AM »

Build an ikea chinchilla flying saucer. I live in Asia, and managed to get parts to build it. If it looks too troublesome, I made my own version using only glue, no nails or screws, so it can't be too handyman-demanding.

My chin loves it so much, it's actually harder to get him out of his cage now! (he used to be so eager to run outside...)
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