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1

Health / Re: How to gain weight?

« on: January 20, 2017, 05:15:23 PM »

He is doing well. Has gone over 400grams now! Though still low it is highest he has been after I got him
Just changed food to oxbow and meadow hay to timothy

2

Q & A / Re: Introducing three chins

« on: January 18, 2017, 06:34:33 PM »

I had a similar senario. Bonded 2 and 3 year old boys and introduced a 6 year old boy.
It went really well and fast became friends and huddled together all three in a sleeping pile. After a few months the new one started attacking the old ones to such a degree I had to take him out. Now he can't even have play time without fighting
It's reached a point where I consider rehoming him cause he seemes distressed and anctious,  wanting to get in to their cage to fight.


It might go well with your girls, but it might be safest to only give them supervised playtime, as when it goes bad it goes BAD! I almost lost one of my boys to the fighting, they can kill eachother even months after bonding.


Mine is just one experience though, I'm sure there are others who have made it without a problem.

3

Health / Re: Urgent: How to gain weight?

« on: January 07, 2017, 11:44:28 AM »

Ok, thanks
His current stool looks normal, I'll keep an eye on it.

4

Health / Re: Urgent: How to gain weight?

« on: January 06, 2017, 07:06:56 AM »

The pellets I have seem decent, but is of a lesser known european brand so people so far couldn't wauch for it, so I found a good webshop that sells oxbow so he'll get that now (the timothy hay I have is also oxbow. Only my vet carries the brand but didn't have the food I needed)

But is a bit of alfalfa good or not though? I've heard sick chillas can benefit from a little mixed in, could he benefit from it too?

5

Health / How to gain weight?

« on: January 04, 2017, 03:09:32 PM »

I have an underweight rescue, boy about 2 years old at 344 grams. He desperately needs to gain weight!

Any tips to help him gain faster?
Right now he has food pellets and timothy hay. I have alphalpa, would it be good for him to suplement with some?
Anything that helps them gain well?

He was in very good shape and kept his weight around 360-370, though he didn't gain it was stable, happy and active. But his cage mate decided to bully him now, which he hasn't done before. He has some scratches, but they are healing fine, but it made him loose some of his already low weight

I keep him in a separate cage now, the bully will have to live alone. My third boy I'll try reintroduce once he is feeling better as they got along wonderfully. (I keep them in three separate cages now)

Any tips on what to give him will be helpfull. I am still a novice, they are all rescues.

6

Q & A / Re: Can I keep boys and girls in same room?

« on: January 04, 2017, 09:58:57 AM »

I know which of the three did the biting, which is why I'm considering putting the two original ones back together ones he is better. But will try slowely and carefully.

The older one will be kept separate then. But I might try give him supervised playtime together. But he can live alone.

7

Q & A / Re: Can I keep boys and girls in same room?

« on: January 04, 2017, 08:47:06 AM »

I had to separate them late last night! D:
I found my tiny boy, who were on weight watch to make sure he gains some, had gone down in weight! I checked him close and found a good number of small scabs from bites and/or scratches, and his cosy hole was full of pee and poops so he never left to defecate and not enough to eat D:
They were all very superficial and seem to heal nicely, so he should be OK, I'm more concerned about the weight loss. He is such a tiny boy, was 360 grams, down to 344 grams. He is happy and healthy and one of the most active of the bunch! Vet told me to just monitor his weight and not to bring him in unneccasary, and I know what caused it so wont put him through that stress unless I have to. He seems very happy and eats well in his new cage, but did call for his friend.

I separated them all emedeately. Tiny one to my bedroom in the girls' old cage for peace and close monitoring, and then I switched the two other boys woth the girls as the girl cage could be closed of in two separate areas. Had to clean out their cages first since it was cleaning time today, felt it was wrong to wait. Got to bed at 2 am :p *worth it!*

Their behavior seems to be directly influenced by noticing the girls. The biter is the one who was super focused on the girls. He never chased them before that. He sat all day in the best spot to see one of the girls while making sounds I hadn't heard before, and only left to chase the others.

I never found fur slips in the cage untill cleaning, and even then there wasn't much. I'm keeping them separated for now and will consider slowely trying to put them back with the girls moving to the other room as soon as it becomes available again this weekend (friend moving out). They got along wonderfully for a long while after all. I do have cages enough to keep them separate for all their time if needed, but together is preferable, if only the two original ones. The "biter" is twice their age and introduced this fall, but with no agitation at all. They huddled up together the first night we let him in to their cage (after slow introduction with cages next to eachother and play sesions) I'll try slowly, but keep my tiny one separate untill he gets better. I tried to separate him from his friend before due to his weight and it made him loose more weight cause he missed his friend, but I feel he really should be alone this time. All three called out for their friends yesterday, it's such a sad sound. The girls did it too when I kept them separate for pregnancy watch (it has been well over 111 days now so they can be kept together again)

8

Q & A / Re: Can I keep boys and girls in same room?

« on: January 01, 2017, 01:03:53 PM »

The distance is around 5-6cm
But the distance was half before I learned about their size o_O
The things you learn! Well, now I know. I'll keep them on separate ends of the room soon enough.
I'm glad I joined this forum, so much I've learned here that none of the sites I tried to use could tell me.

There have been a tuft of fur or two durring their months together, but they are few and far between (and very small tufts)

9

Q & A / Re: Can I keep boys and girls in same room?

« on: December 30, 2016, 08:11:27 PM »

Thanks! That helps a lot
All of mine are rescues, from three different homes. Got them all this fall. I'm checking their cages after every time opening after one of the girls had an escape when my friend watched them for me Christmas eve! It was before I moved them to the same room luckilly.
Wow, didn't know they could mate through bars o_O
There is a few centimeters of distance between the cages, so should be enough to prevent that without escaping atleast.

The boys scuffle a bit, but so far no real scratches nor hair pulling even, simply more noise and a bit of chasing. But mostly they are friendly with eachother and even cuddle

10

Q & A / Can I keep boys and girls in same room?

« on: December 30, 2016, 03:09:06 PM »

I have three boys together in one cage and two girls in a nother (though separated from eachother at the time in case of pregnancy, but looks more and more like they might be safe ). After some tidying up and changes I found room for the girls in the pet room (had them in the middle of my tiny livingroom). There is only a slight distance from the boys so they can see and smell the girls. The boys have been very currious and much noisier, and some chasing has occured. Not a single scratch or bite though, no fur being ripped of. Can they stay in the same room, or will the currently friendly scuffles become worse?

I have another room I could move one of the cages to, but not untill next weekend, and if I could keep them in the one room that would be prefferable. Next weekend I can be able to move them further away from eachother too if that helps.

Love to hear about you guys' experience and knowledge. I'm a novice with chillas

11

Q & A / Are my chinchillasreally pregnant?

« on: December 27, 2016, 05:45:52 AM »

I recieved two female rescues a month back, and was told they had lived with a male so they are pribably pregnant. The male had been removed about two months back, thus now about three months ago minimum (they lived with him full time). I can not tell by their weight, but it has gone up slightly. I can't feel any movement in their bellieswhen resting my fingers there. I haven't seen any signs, other than this:

I can find their titts, takes me only a second. They are easy to find and elongated on both, I read this is a "sure sign" and they are "virtually impossible to find" when not pregnant.

Is this sign enough to know for sure, is it that safe a sign? I'm keeping them separated in child safe cages untill enough time has passed to know for sure, but so far no other sign and acording to time they should be close.

Are there other signs to look for? They have not been sleeping more, on their side, nor eating or behaving any different (though I've only had them for a month so changes are hard to tell)

12

Q & A / Re: Can pregnant sisters stay together?

« on: December 26, 2016, 05:29:50 AM »

It is made out of Norway Spruce.

13

Q & A / Process for wood baking

« on: December 22, 2016, 06:06:48 AM »

I read up on what woods and other natural items are known to be safe and found a nice list of trees and plants that include some I know where to find pesticide free in the wild here, a list made specifically for chinchillas made by breeders. But it said "All woods should be thoroughly cleaned, boiled, and baked" and though it sounds easy enough, it's not very specific.... Can anyone explain the process for me so I do it right? =)

Do you use any soaps or similar in the cleaning process, which ones if so?
Boil how long and a boil or simmer?
Bake... put it in the oven? ^^; What temperature (celsius) and how long? Do you wrap it up or just put it on a tray? =)

Thanks for any help =)

14

Europe / Norwegian newbie

« on: December 22, 2016, 05:48:03 AM »

I just recently rescued some chins here in Norway, and fell in love with them so they are staying with me as a forever home! <3
But I'm a complete newbie with chins. Gotten some great help in the Q and A area though =^_^=
But if anyone more localy knows what brands are good or not that would be a great help =)

I took photos of what I have and tried to explain what is what here: http://www.chinchillaclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5157.0.html
Got help on most other than what brands of food are good due to not being used to the brands =)
And might know of more types of safe wood that can be found here? =)

15

Q & A / Re: Food hay and other needs, advise needed

« on: December 21, 2016, 05:38:45 AM »

Thanks for all the help!
I removed their salt and mineral stones as well as the unidentified thing.

I googled the trixie gnawing stone, since I couldn't remember what the box said it was, but was for chinchilla only. It was cuttlefish bone and ment for the teeth, so maybe it's ok?
I'll leave it out till I know for sure

I feel the current hay bags I find are decent enough in price to no need to buy bigger
They don't go through them all that fast (maybe the timothy will go faster though, they might eat more of it since it suposedly tastes better :p )

I'll use the "basic food" as treats only. I think the individual pars in it are safe, they just shouldn't use it as a main food. I'll use it very sparingly