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[Mannybilly1030]

Ok i am nervous yes i have recently adopted 2 baby boys and i am just thinking negative and i am getting nervous. Has anyone gone through this stage? I often worry for things when theres nothing wrong at that moment. I think my inner daddy is coming out lol. I just wanted to reassure a few things i researched and so forth.

1-when feeding chinchillas a good diet it (no treats all the time 2 a week) can keep them healthy

2- keeping them stress free can also prevent illness

3-cleaning there cage once a week can prevent illness or any fungal infection

4-playing with them at least 30 minutes to and hour can keep them healthy

Ok those are some i just felt like listing

And the boys are in my room and i do have a computer (automatic cooling), i do have a TV and a Xbox but my TV volume is kept at 12 always and my computer is always lower then 25 in volume. And I'm going to set up a portable a/c i have used. I'm going to chinchilla proof my room. Including the areas of my closet, under my TV and computer since theres A LOT of wires. Under my bed. And places where they can reach like the sides of my beds have slots to hold things and its not that spacey so I'm going to block that off. And I'm going to buy supplements for them for when they are difficient in any vitamins or if there semi ill so i can be prepared. And i do have a vet close by who has seen chinchillas so I'm not worried about that and there fees aren't super high. For a visit is $50 and i have a pet plan that i had for a cat of mines and my dad is gonna add the boys to it and it covers almost everything by half. Not only that but i told my dad when my step sisters come to visit to stay QUITE!! Lol i dislike sounding mean but they are noisy. Changing the subject slightly, the area i live in is usually cold and warm like around the 70s and in summer it never passes 95 its always under and the a/c helps a lot. And I'm going to get a room thermometer to check the humidity levels and room temperature. I also don't want them to be very stressed out when its time to go back in the cage so i am thinking about getting a playpen and raping it around the front of the cage so they have that area to be out.

Do i sound prepared and knowledgeable for my chinchillas? I really want the best for both of them and i really don't want to be in the vet every 3 months concerned and worried for them. There doing good now. They don't seem frightened with the new environment, they act totally normal and there poop is perfect. And eating habits. Haven't experienced any barking or vocal behaviors and I'm glad.

Just let me know if I'm doing anything right or wrong.

[Mannybilly1030]

In the area where i put i don't want to be in at the vet every three months. I meant to put concerned and worried about them when they are in perfect shape. Sorry i sounded like i didn't care.

I do Care!!!!

[GrayRodent]

Don't worry too much but monitor your pets every day. I kind of went through that after I had a chinchilla that did get sick and I had to put him to sleep. To make matters worse my new pet did have problems but it was very minor and treatable (coccidiosis that was treated with antibiotics and replacing the wood in the cage). They really are just like any other pet and they will thrive when you care for them.

The fact is the chances your chinchillas will get sick from stress is low unless you do something extreme like put their cage in a room full of screaming cats for days on end. (or a couple visits from an aggressive dog) They will probably will never get a fungal infection and if you never take them out of their cage they will still live to be a good age. It would defeat the purpose of having pets but it's true. You can feed them hay only too, not the best thing for them, but they'll survive. My biggest worry with my pet is fear of injury when he is outside the cage and ironically the only time I've ever had one injured was inside the cage and as bad as it was it healed on its own with basic first aid.

One of the things that helps me is that I actually keep a chart of my chinchilla's health. I try to write in it every day. I estimate how much he eats in the morning, weigh him on scale, check the consistency of his poop before I sweep it up, and even measure his water bottle level. In addition to that I have a wheel counter that gives me an idea of his activity level. I also look him over when I have him out. I note if there's anything unusual, if he's had watery eyes, or is unusually vocal or jumpy or behaviors I'm not familiar with, even if it's just a mental note. What I've found is that many things turn out to be normal and I've long forgotten that I thought there was a problem to begin with. If there is a pattern of something negative (like his weight is falling with his food consumption) then I still don't worry unless it goes on for several days because there will be inconsistencies and fluctuations.

Hanging around this board isn't always good for that either but keep in mind that our chinchilla board is where people come when they have problems. Think of the thousands of others out there that don't.

[Mannybilly1030]

Don't worry too much but monitor your pets every day. I kind of went through that after I had a chinchilla that did get sick and I had to put him to sleep. To make matters worse my new pet did have problems but it was very minor and treatable (coccidiosis that was treated with antibiotics and replacing the wood in the cage). They really are just like any other pet and they will thrive when you care for them.

The fact is the chances your chinchillas will get sick from stress is low unless you do something extreme like put their cage in a room full of screaming cats for days on end. (or a couple visits from an aggressive dog) They will probably will never get a fungal infection and if you never take them out of their cage they will still live to be a good age. It would defeat the purpose of having pets but it's true. You can feed them hay only too, not the best thing for them, but they'll survive. My biggest worry with my pet is fear of injury when he is outside the cage and ironically the only time I've ever had one injured was inside the cage and as bad as it was it healed on its own with basic first aid.

One of the things that helps me is that I actually keep a chart of my chinchilla's health. I try to write in it every day. I estimate how much he eats in the morning, weigh him on scale, check the consistency of his poop before I sweep it up, and even measure his water bottle level. In addition to that I have a wheel counter that gives me an idea of his activity level. I also look him over when I have him out. I note if there's anything unusual, if he's had watery eyes, or is unusually vocal or jumpy or behaviors I'm not familiar with, even if it's just a mental note. What I've found is that many things turn out to be normal and I've long forgotten that I thought there was a problem to begin with. If there is a pattern of something negative (like his weight is falling with his food consumption) then I still don't worry unless it goes on for several days because there will be inconsistencies and fluctuations.

Hanging around this board isn't always good for that either but keep in mind that our chinchilla board is where people come when they have problems. Think of the thousands of others out there that don't.

Yes i do understand ugh its just scary to think that they can get sick