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1

Health / Re: teeth

« on: June 01, 2011, 09:51:16 AM »

Panic over! On my return from work I checked Sam's teeth/chin/jaw and there's no lumps! I guess that previously he must have scraped his chin or his brother had done something to him (they now live separately to fisticuffs). His chin is completely dry and his teeth look fine. Phew!

2

Q & A / Re: Bedding types?

« on: June 01, 2011, 05:38:30 AM »

I feel like an evil mum now as mine don't have bedding! They each have a fleece hammock and pee at the bottom of the cage but they also pee on one of the shelves unfortunately. I presume it's too late to change this now as they are about 7 years old and we've had them for 4 years now.

3

Health / Re: teeth

« on: June 01, 2011, 04:19:38 AM »

p.s. as a paranoid owner (!) I check his mouth nearly every day and he isn't showing any signs of drooling.

4

Health / teeth

« on: June 01, 2011, 04:17:29 AM »

It's me again! I was just reading through some old posts on here and I saw one that said that bumps under the chin are a sign of maloccusion. Is this always the case? I was worried about that with one of my chins and had him checked over a year ago. The vet (an exotic specialist) agreed that he does have lumps there but there was no sign of anything wrong with his teeth. He eats, drinks, poops and pees fine, but reading that made me panic that he might be in pain/danger without me realising! He has plenty of chew toys and hay which he uses all the time, and generally seems like a happy little boy. He's about 7 (don't know exactly as he's a rescue).

5

Health / Not drinking enough water?

« on: June 01, 2011, 03:54:38 AM »

Hi there! One of my chins, Toby, seems to go through phases of drinking very little, which he's doing at the moment. He's peeing and pooping ok, but his water hardly goes down at all. It's not the bottle as I swapped his and his brother's, and it hasn't made a difference. He won't even take water via a syringe unless it's mixed with pineapple juice! It's not his teeth as he had an xray a couple of months ago and they are fine. He seems ok but I worry that he'll get dehydrated. He gets 1ml pineapple juice per day under vet's instructions as he has a tendency towards small poo which occurs even when he is drinking water, but I'm worried that this isn't enough liquid to sustain him. His brother Sammy drinks loads more than him.

Thanks in advance!

6

Health / Re: A lonely chinchilla (complete with sad story)

« on: March 16, 2011, 07:17:52 AM »

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses, but it's lovely that you care so much about them. I have never lost a chin (I'm dreading the day), but my friend lost her male and got another from a rescue to keep her female company (the rescue neuters males - mine are from there too!). She kept them in separate cages at first but now they live happily together. If you don't want to get another chin I've read on here that you just need to spend more time with only chins, and maybe get a SAFE soft toy for your little one to snuggle with. I've had to separate my boys due to biting each other, but keep them in cages next to each other and they are fine - they still play together when they're let out, so maybe that's an option if you're worried about introducing another chin. I worry that giving her away may be too much change on top of losing her dad - she would miss you! I know how heartbreaking it can be if your chinchilla is sad, so I hope you reach a decision that you're happy with soon.

7

General Chat / Bugs

« on: March 16, 2011, 06:02:34 AM »

Hi everyone

A few months ago we noticed that we were getting the odd bug in our chins room - I think that they must have come in pellets or hay. They are small and brown and can fly - I don't know exactly what type they are and neither does my animal expert friend! They don't seem harmful and don't bite or sting. The chins aren't bothered at all, but I'd like to get rid of them. I don't usually kill anything but when they're in my babies room it's different! Is there any method to get rid of them that won't harm the chins? Thanks!

8

Health / Re: Lying flat

« on: March 16, 2011, 05:53:36 AM »

They rare funny! Toby (Sammy's brother) had his tai8l amputaed and since then has discovered a new sleeping position where he leans on his ramp and faces the back of the cage with this feet up on the wire! I guess he couldn't do this when he had a tail! He goes into a really deep sleep like this which scared me the first time as I was stroking him and saying his name and he didn't react for ages!

9

Q & A / Re: Food

« on: March 16, 2011, 05:48:39 AM »

Sorry I took so long to reply! They have Charnwood Milling pellets which is the best food you can get in the UK. I weaned them off the Charlie Chinchilla stuff they were fed at the rescue, as it had lots of tasty treats in it that they would pick out!

10

Q & A / Re: Food

« on: February 18, 2011, 04:05:39 PM »

Thanks guys! Not experiencing any probs so will leave it as it is! 

11

Q & A / Food

« on: February 17, 2011, 04:50:38 PM »

hi there. I currently feed my boys pellets for breeding and active chinchillas, but was wondering whether I should switch to age active as they are approx 7 now (they're rescue so not 100% sure). I'd be grateful if someone could tell me what the best age is to change? Thanks!

12

Q & A / Re: New female doesn't like to be held

« on: August 11, 2010, 05:39:03 AM »

I've had my chins for 3 years and neither likes to be held. One is a little more receptive (although he does squirm after a while), but the other will run away and then kick and scratch if you manage to pick him up, yet he's happy to sit on me when he's out. They have different personalities, but unless you've had them from new born I think they're quite unlikely to actually enjoy being held. It's still great when they sit on you though, and one of mine loves having his tummy tickled, so you can enjoy things like that! Plus, have you had your hands or feet groomed yet? It's so cute and their way of showing that they think you're ok really!

13

Q & A / chinny run

« on: August 11, 2010, 05:34:46 AM »

We will shortly be decorating the chins room as we are trying to sell the house and the ripped wallpaper look isn't so great! The chins will be moved to the living room for a couple of days, but we can't let them out there due to wires, expensive wallpaper etc. Has anybody ever made the equivalent of a rabbit run to keep them in a safe area? I hate the idea of them not getting their nightly run - plus, they aren't currently in the same cage so I like to let them play with each other when they're out.

Thanks!  

14

Health / Re: Lying flat

« on: August 02, 2010, 03:53:45 AM »

Thanks everyone! He is eating and pooping fine, and his brother gave us a fright by lying flat last night but I think it was just because it was quite warm and they had been running around. They like to keep us on our toes!

15

Health / Lying flat

« on: July 20, 2010, 01:25:49 PM »

Sammy often lies flat if he's hot after running about and also when he's sleeping. However, recently he does it every night about 5 mins before he's due to go back in his cage and we've also noticed him doing it in his cage during the evening when he'd normally be active. His brother has only done this once when he had gi stasis. I wasn't worried about him lying down when he sleeps and when he's hot but doing it for no apparent reason has worried me because my friends chin did this when she was dying of stomach cancer. Other than this his behaviour has been normal - eating and pooping and running about! His poops are slightly lighter in colour than they used to be, but I assumed this was because of the summer salad mixer thing I put in with his pellets. I've checked inside the poo and they're normal.

Thanks!