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Author Topic: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!  (Read 9138 times)

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1newChinmom1

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #15 on: September 13, 2010, 10:41:50 AM »

So last night Chinchi was so anxious to get out and as i took him out, he kinda bit/nibbled my hand. Mind you he hasnt really done that to me before so could it be really bad?
As our little Sir gets older, he has gotten nibblie-er (if that's a word,lol). He doesn't really bite, so much as tooth us. ::)  I think it is part of playing, grooming, and just general chinniness. He puts his teeth around my daughters earlobes, fingers, toes, all parts small enough, but never bites down. Both of ours seem to need to groom my daughters short hair, using hands and teeth :D It is great fun to watch them sit on her shoulders and do her hair. Of course she can't gel or mousse it anymore, small price to pay  ;)
As long as it is only placement, and not actual biting/hurting, I am pretty sure you are ok. Also, you may have caught him off guard, or in a funny position. Ours are pretty particular about how they are held. I am so glad you are still holding and cherishing your little fuzzy bottoms. It would be easy to be put off by it all, it is a little daunting, all the new, particular, ways of doing things. But they are just so very sweet, aren't they?  :blush2:

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.  ???
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chinchillin527

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #16 on: September 13, 2010, 05:32:03 PM »

Oh congrats!:) I love my little Chinchi to death! ::)hes so spoiled haha. What difficulties have you encountered?
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BambiLove

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2010, 12:17:37 AM »

So last night Chinchi was so anxious to get out and as i took him out, he kinda bit/nibbled my hand. Mind you he hasnt really done that to me before so could it be really bad?
I think he's used to you letting him out everyday, so he just nibble your hand to be cute hehe i think... I don't think it's anything serious. He's fine. So dont worry! U should be worry when he doesn't eat/drink/move a lot, or when his stools are soft and watery.
Here is a list of common health problem that chinchillas have, I find it very useful so i hope it helps
http://www.tjschinchillasupplies.com/infopage.html#health
I remember when i first got my chinchilla i always get worried and go post everything up here hehe when he make just a little sound i would be like omg he's making sound, something's wrong with him! or he's grinding his teeth while sleeping! or oh my god he's sad and he's not that active! Turned out he just had a bad day, like us human sometimes.
 :)
« Last Edit: September 15, 2010, 12:22:24 AM by BambiLove »
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chinchillin527

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2010, 10:34:13 AM »

So last night Chinchi was so anxious to get out and as i took him out, he kinda bit/nibbled my hand. Mind you he hasnt really done that to me before so could it be really bad?
I think he's used to you letting him out everyday, so he just nibble your hand to be cute hehe i think... I don't think it's anything serious. He's fine. So dont worry! U should be worry when he doesn't eat/drink/move a lot, or when his stools are soft and watery.
Here is a list of common health problem that chinchillas have, I find it very useful so i hope it helps
http://www.tjschinchillasupplies.com/infopage.html#health
I remember when i first got my chinchilla i always get worried and go post everything up here hehe when he make just a little sound i would be like omg he's making sound, something's wrong with him! or he's grinding his teeth while sleeping! or oh my god he's sad and he's not that active! Turned out he just had a bad day, like us human sometimes.
 :)

Lol yeah hes been getting too spoiled i guess. I have him in a small cage for now since hes still a baby 3 months today:) I really hope hes not unhappy or something like that. I bought him a big cage but since hes small and an escape artist he managed to slide right through the bars. So hopefully when he grows in a month i can use that cage. if not i might have to get another one. What do you think?
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BambiLove

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #19 on: September 15, 2010, 07:00:14 PM »

Well i think it depends on how small is his current cage, if it's bigger than a carrier then i think it's fine for little guy like him, don't waste money on buying another cage. If it make you feel better, chinchillas in fur farm have very small cages that's enough for them to turn around  :'( they can't even walk, not even 1 step  ::cry222:::  Waiting for him to grow bigger for bigger cage is a good idea, you don't want him to escape because he might hurt himself while you're not watching.
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chinchillin527

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #20 on: September 15, 2010, 07:22:59 PM »

Yeah i might just wait til gets bigger because i dont want him to hurt himself trying to escape. I actually just returned the big cage that he escaped from and now im searching online or at another pet store for a good one. Today i gave him a dust bath and i think he might have gotten some dust in his eyes? or something because he didnt last very long and he wasnt acting like himself. When i went to pick him up he let me grab him but then he bit me ( not extremely hard)  but then once in the cage he went in his hut and went to sleep. What could be wrong? :'(
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BambiLove

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #21 on: September 15, 2010, 09:52:54 PM »

you need to check his eyes and see if there's anything wrong with it, is it watery/dusty/ etc., if yes you need to take him to the vet and get him check out before it become and infection in which he could lose his eyes =[ and about his behavior, it might due to the fact that he's uncomfortable with his eyes, or he's just tired and sleepy. Mine just lay down on his side and sleep right after his bath (and i thought he was dead when i first see him lay down like that  :) ). And he bit you because chinchillas don't like to be held, so that's normal. hehe i feel sorry for them chinchillas, i would get so annoyed if people pick me up and pet me everyday  :::grins:: 1 more thing, try to not put your hands in his cage to grab him, open the door and let him come out. Give him a treat if he comes to you (i'm not sure if he's old enough to get treat though), it will teach him to go to you, instead of forcing him. He will be scared if you put your hand in and grab him, so don't do it unless you have to. Plus, he needs his cage as his property and he needs to feel safe in it.
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chinchillin527

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #22 on: September 15, 2010, 10:05:56 PM »

you need to check his eyes and see if there's anything wrong with it, is it watery/dusty/ etc., if yes you need to take him to the vet and get him check out before it become and infection in which he could lose his eyes =[ and about his behavior, it might due to the fact that he's uncomfortable with his eyes, or he's just tired and sleepy. Mine just lay down on his side and sleep right after his bath (and i thought he was dead when i first see him lay down like that  :) ). And he bit you because chinchillas don't like to be held, so that's normal. hehe i feel sorry for them chinchillas, i would get so annoyed if people pick me up and pet me everyday  :::grins:: 1 more thing, try to not put your hands in his cage to grab him, open the door and let him come out. Give him a treat if he comes to you (i'm not sure if he's old enough to get treat though), it will teach him to go to you, instead of forcing him. He will be scared if you put your hand in and grab him, so don't do it unless you have to. Plus, he needs his cage as his property and he needs to feel safe in it.

Yeah i just checked his eyes and he was fine, i just think he got tired after his dust bath. ;D Yeah when i first saw my chinchilla sleep on his side i thought he was dead but then i saw him wake up. Its sad they don't like getting picked up and yes im starting to learn to just wait til he comes to the cage to come out of it on his own. Hes not old enough for treats so i just use the bit of timothy hay and wait for him to come out. I bought him block treats to chew on but he doesn't like them too much for some odd reason? ::shrug::lol
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BambiLove

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #23 on: September 15, 2010, 11:11:55 PM »

what kind of wood is it? you might want to try buying different kind of woods, i guess it taste different for them and they like 1 better than others. My chinchilla didn't like any wood that i bought him from pet store either, so i bought him a lot of different kind of wood until i find the one he likes.
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Lovingchinchillas

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Re: Soon to be Chinchilla owner for the first time!
« Reply #24 on: October 10, 2010, 05:09:25 PM »

Congrats on being a new chinchilla owner. I currently have 2 girls and getting ready to get 3 more.

I ordered my girls their chinchilla mansion from Quality Cage which is roomy enough for 2-3 adult chinchillas. Their cages are awesome, setup is minimum, painless and quick.  These are high quality cages that you will have for years to come. I've had my cage for 2 years and it looks as if I just purchased it yesterday. These cages are very well-made.  I just ordered another chinchilla mansion which should arrive in a few days for my additional chinchillas.

Fleece hammocks are pretty good, even though my girls don't really care too much for them.  They still prefer sleeping on the shelves.  By all means stay away from those plastic igloos. They are a huge no-no for a chinchilla. They are more suitable for hamsters or guinea pigs cages.  A nice kiln dried wood house, plenty of long and short shelves and fleece hammock should be enough for one.  I also recommend ordering your chinchilla supplies from Simply Chintastic because they only specialize in chin-safe woods.  They are great in making toys for play time for your chinchillas when they are outside of their cage. 

Also before getting your chin baby please search around for a exotic vet first. If your chinchilla becomes ill, this is not the time to be searching for a vet. I personally have two vets for my girls.  Also, please do as much research as possible before getting a chinchilla because these animals are nothing like owning a hamster, guinea pig or pet mice.  Proper care for a chinchilla is not cheap.  My girls cost me a pretty penny between their toys, food, accessories, etc. I hope this helps.
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