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1

Q & A / Re: I wanna help this chinchilla

« on: July 24, 2012, 04:11:08 PM »

Here's a pic of the cage he's in now. Isn't it tiny? And all it had before was those sticks. Poor thing...just breaks my heart. I wish I could adopt him

2

Q & A / I wanna help this chinchilla

« on: July 24, 2012, 03:53:47 PM »

Hi, my name is Jessy. I have pet rats but I've never had chinchillas. However, a friend of a friend has one that I would like to help. The chinchilla is living in a VERY tiny one story cage. The owner isn't too motivated to do much for this chinchilla's habitat so I offered to help. The cage used to have nothing in it but some sticks, a food dish and a water bottle, but I've already added a fleece hammock (I sew lots for my rats), a clean rock, one of those wooden log domes, and empty toilet paper rolls to shred. The chin has perked up SO much since I put in these few items; he seems way happier already.

However, I still feel terrible about his tiny living quarters so I'm gonna give him one of my extra cages. Its not much bigger than his, but I'm planning to stack the two cages so he will have some more room. I wanna set it up really nice but I have a few questions:

1. Can I use pine wood for the levels? I know pine shavings are not ok to use, but is pine wood ok for the shelves, a house, and maybe some chew toys?

2. Can I paint the levels to prevent pee from soaking in? I have zero VOC non-toxic paint that I bought to paint the ledges in my rats' cage; is this ok to use?

3. Is a large PVC pipe fitting a safe toy/hideout for a chinchilla?

4. Are ladders dangerous? Should I just use ramps, or nothing? (I read that those hanging bridge type things are very dangerous for chins)

5. This chinchilla is 13 years old, but looks really healthy. Will he be ok hopping from one level to the next, or should I take some extra precautions?

6. The owners use pine shavings (not the kiln-dried kind). Is this as bad for chins as it is for rats?

7. Is it ok to put in paper or paper towel for nesting material? Do chins like to have nesting material? Is hay just for eating? or for sleeping in too?

8. I have a crabapple tree in my yard, and Id like to put a branch in the chin's cage. Is this ok as long as I bake it first?

9. Do chins need to have a salt or mineral lick or anything like that?

10. Is it necessary to have a wheel for the chin to run on? Will this chin use one if it hasn't for the last 13 years?

11. What are some other suitable chew toys or other accessories for chinchillas?


Thanks for reading!