Chinchillas.org






                                  

Chinchilla Community Forums

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Chinchilla not using his chew toys?  (Read 1102 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Dex21

  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Appreciation points: 1
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 57
  • # of Chins: 1
  • Status: Pet owner
  • member
    • View Profile
Chinchilla not using his chew toys?
« on: June 24, 2015, 04:36:09 PM »

Hey guys, sorry to bombard this forum with all of these questions but I had another question.  I have recently noticed that Dex (while he has a bunch of chew toys including wood chews, apple orchard sticks, lava/wood hanging chews, lava ledges, and a wooden ledge), he really only chews on the apple orchard sticks and the wood chews (though once he chews the wood ones for a day he doesn't chew them anymore).  I know that chinchillas need to constantly chew on toys, so is there anything I can do to get him to like his chew toys more?  Or does someone recommend a certain chew toy that has given them success?  Thanks again guys!
Logged

BLS Chins

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Appreciation points: 103
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 265
  • # of Chins: 35ish
  • Status: breeder
  • member
    • View Profile
    • BLS Chins
Re: Chinchilla not using his chew toys?
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2015, 05:24:12 PM »

They get plenty of wear from hay and pellets. Chews are just for their enjoyment more than anything else. If he likes Apple twigs, then just get more of those. They have personally preferences just like people do
Logged
BLS Chins
Hobby breeder and rescue in south central pa
specializing in ebony, tan, goldbar, standard and black velvets

sarahspins

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Appreciation points: 0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2
  • # of Chins: 1
  • Status: pet owner
  • member
    • View Profile
Re: Chinchilla not using his chew toys?
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2015, 05:52:19 PM »

I have recently noticed that Dex (while he has a bunch of chew toys including wood chews, apple orchard sticks, lava/wood hanging chews, lava ledges, and a wooden ledge), he really only chews on the apple orchard sticks and the wood chews (though once he chews the wood ones for a day he doesn't chew them anymore).  I know that chinchillas need to constantly chew on toys, so is there anything I can do to get him to like his chew toys more?

If these are all petstore toys/chews that may be why... they tend to be bland/stale compared to what you'll get from chin-specific vendors, and I agree with BSL that a proper diet with good quality hay and pellets is really more critical for proper tooth wear than the "extras" - those are mainly for enrichment and our own entertainment.  With apple twigs/sticks, most chins aren't interested in them after they've stripped the bark off, so if that is what you are seeing, that's fairly normal.  Mine will eventually nibble the sticks in their hanging toys after stripping the bark off, but it takes them a while.

Pumice certainly isn't a necessity - my chins will nibble on theirs, but that's about it, they don't really chew on it much.  They do from time to time go bananas with the one blue cloud rock they have access too during playtime, but that's because it essentially lets them make their own bath dust, which is hilarious to watch their futile attempts to bathe in what little dust they create - but if I let them dust immediately during playtime, they don't care about the rock at all.

To be honest the things in my cage that seem to get chewed the most are their wood ledges :)
Logged

Dex21

  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Appreciation points: 1
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 57
  • # of Chins: 1
  • Status: Pet owner
  • member
    • View Profile
Re: Chinchilla not using his chew toys?
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2015, 11:33:36 AM »

Thanks so much guys!  :)
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up