Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Rachael29]

Hi guys i have a few random questions I'm going to fling in here i hope you don't mind.

first one is ... Will chinchillas eat cotton? Not like cotton wool like cotton material? I'm getting like small pillows made up because i feel the metal bottom is too harsh on their wee feet. I am getting Fleece pillow cases made because i know they don't eat fleece but cooton will be easier to clean and hay doesn't stick to much to it so hence the question .... Will chinchillas eat cotton?

Also i bought a flying saucer wheel and none of my 3 are interested in in what so ever and don't even know how to work it .... its rather cute watching them spin and get confused .... however is this likely to change? for example we got a hammock which none of them liked and now we have a hanging house in each cage that they now LOVE. So are they likely to warm up to it? And which is better a flying saucer one or one that screws onto the cage like an upright?

Thanks for any advice you all can give

[GrayRodent]

Chinchillas will eat cotton. In fact I had a puppy pad just a couple of moths ago that mine managed to get to. It was a rare but negligent mistake that led to that and it scared me pretty good because they ate the cotton and the plastic. This kind of thing can be fatal for chinchillas. Fleece is iffy for them. Most chinchillas won't eat it but you should monitor it for damage because there are those that do and bowel obstruction is a heartache.

I'm perplexed when it comes to chinchillas and wheels. I've had three now and they all took to a regular upright wheel instantly. In fact they're pretty obsessed with it after dark. During the day you might not see any activity but just wait late at night when they are up bouncing around and I suspect you'll find they'll be on it. The flying saucer is actually pretty easy for chinchillas to grasp. I've played with a plastic version (which I don't recommend) that was barely adequate and they all seemed to know what to do. I've heard that some chinchillas don't take to wheels though.

[BLS Chins]

Chins can eat anything that's in their cage. You would have to weigh the risks carefully. As for the wheel.... some get it right away and others can take a bit before they get it. How long have you had the wheel?

[Rachael29]

the wheel was in the cage for about a week then because they kept knocking it over we took it out and put it out at play time ... but still no interest .... I've tried Onyx again recently with it and he just kept knocking it over aswell  So i'm thinking about putting in metal ones that screw to the cage so they cant knock them over.

[BLS Chins]

Free standing wheels are very unsafe so be glad your chins didnt use them. They are often way to small, made from unsafe materials and are easily knocked over which can cause harm to your chin. I would toss it and get a good quality wheel that attaches to the side of the cage

[Rachael29]

Yeah I'm going to get a couple but the thing is coco is housed with shadow who I think is still a kit. Shadow is just a few months old. I know when they are kits they get minimum play time as they can't regulate their body temperature. So can I put a wheel in coco and shadows cage? If not when can I put one in like when do kits start to regulate there body temperature?

[BLS Chins]

Minimum if 6 months old, there is no minimum weight. But they shouldn't have wheels until they are a yr. Chins don't have to have wheels so you can wait till he is older.
The rule of thumb is 6-8 months 15 mins playtime, 8-12 up to a half hour, over a yr they can have an hour. I never suggest going over an hour cause some chins just don't know when to quit and can over do it. I wait till my chins are a yr old to put in wheels