Chinchillas are so cute. I know someone who had 1 and he was the sweetest little guy. I always wondered about the dust getting in their eyes. It seems like it would hurt if they got it in there. But I do understand that they can't take a water bath.
Its good to put out info for chins, and i use small pet select hay myself, but some of the information in this video is wrong. Which, sadly, is not uncommon to see. As chins are not as well known or researched as a dog or cat are. And there is an abundance of bad info out there that keeps getting circulated. Making getting the correct info out there all the harder. 1. Not all chins are social. There are some chins that are personable but many of them are not and would rather be left alone. On the same topic, chins dont all need other chin companions. They do well as single animals. In fact, some even prefer it and will not get along with other chins. This is a mentality that many ppl have trouble making that adjustment to as many of the common pets do need companionship. - That being said, chins can have other chin companions as long as they get along (and preferably are same sex), and some chins do enjoy being petted a lot. Many of my chins take it a step further and really enjoy being petted... but only at certain spots. And will freak out if you touch a spot they dont like. - Every chin has there own personality and there own likes and dislikes. 2. Chins do not need to be out of there cage running for 30-60 min a day. This is just false. And in some cases very hazardous. The number one reason for chins getting injured is form out of cage time. Even more, the mass out of cage time can raise there body temps to highly unsafe levels. Dont forget all that fur on there. Also, it can cause there blood sugar level to crash which can cause even more medical issues. - Chins do NOT require any out of cage time. This is just another mentality that hard for us to understand. In fact iv had some chins that refuse to leave there cages. Other times when iv let a cage of multiple chins out, they would start fighting with each other. Once out of that cage, that dominance chain they live with can be broken. Causing some chins to start fighting with each other. None of these possibilities are any good. - IF you're going to let a chin out, make sure its in a safe a space as you can. And limit it to 5-15 mins. 3. Chins do NOT need huge cages. The mentalitiy of 'more is better' does not apply to chins. Chins are den dwelling prey animals. They like having a small, safe, secure area. In fact, to big a cage can cause some chins to panic as there feeling of security is gone. Each chin will react differently of course, but bigger is not always better. - That being said, you do not have to go with a very small cage automatically. You can go for a middle ground. Double Ferret nation and double Critter nation cages are very popular among chin owners. If you look at the size of that cage, its pretty good. You should be able to do a lot with something that size. You can ever do a single level for a chin and be fine, size wise. - So bigger is not always better. - And remember the more room available, the more you want to make sure you have shelves or hammocks or other such things in ther cage. You do not want a chin to be able to get up high and fall off all the way to the ground and injure themselves. You want things that can break the fall and help prevent this. The DFN cage is broken into two levels which helps out this very issue. 4. The video showed a dog coming face to face with a chin. Please... do NOT do this. Its very dangerous, no matter 'how great and clam and love and special' your other animal is.. do not do this. It only take a single swipe to cause massive damage. Many animals, like cats and rabbits, also carry bacteria's that are naturally present in there saliva or on there claws, that are potentially deadly to chins. So if the physical damage of swipe doesnt do it, the bacteria can. There are just so many things that can go wrong letting other animals come face to face with your chin. - I have long since lost count of the amount of ppl that do not heed this warning and then come back crying because something happened and there chin was injured or killed. It is not worth it! Dont do it! 5. You mentioned a hay hanger for the lose hay. While many hay hangers are a decent option, i took note of the one shown in this video. It had a number of small to medium sizes holes in the front. Just about the size of a chin head/neck. Which means its right there for them to get there head/neck caught in it. When this happens, chin naturally panic and flail about. They could injure themselves doing this, they could paralyze themselves doing this, or they could even break there neck doing this. So never use anything with a hole the size of a chin head on it. Either make the holes much bigger, or get a different design all together. 6. Lastly.. While i havnt checked the ingredients of the hay/apple treat you showed in the video; it is worth noting that chins should NOT have any Fruits or veggies. This included apples. There bodies can not process the natural sugars in fruits and veggies. Them eating them can lead to a lot of internal organ issues. Things you might not see on the surface or right away, but can do major damage inside the bodies. Significantly lowering there life expectancy and there quality of life. - For similar reasons, chins should NOT have seeds or nuts either. That being said, treats like apple twigs (grown, harvested, and prepared properly) make great treats. But remember, they are chewing the bark off the twigs, they are not eating any bit of actual fruit. Just some chin info ive learned after almost 2 decades of chins. And i hope this helps some owners and some chins out there to be able to lead a longer and healthier life!
Usually, you cant. They usually do as the please. But they often will pick a corner or to to pee at. Thats where you can put a litter pan and hopefully they will start peeing in that. - But some are stubborn and wont use one.
Thanks!
So helpful!
Chinchillas are so cute. I know someone who had 1 and he was the sweetest little guy.
I always wondered about the dust getting in their eyes. It seems like it would hurt if they got it in there. But I do understand that they can't take a water bath.
dust in there eyes can cause eye irritation. But they are usually good at making sure it doesn't get in there.
Its good to put out info for chins, and i use small pet select hay myself, but some of the information in this video is wrong. Which, sadly, is not uncommon to see. As chins are not as well known or researched as a dog or cat are. And there is an abundance of bad info out there that keeps getting circulated. Making getting the correct info out there all the harder.
1. Not all chins are social. There are some chins that are personable but many of them are not and would rather be left alone. On the same topic, chins dont all need other chin companions. They do well as single animals. In fact, some even prefer it and will not get along with other chins. This is a mentality that many ppl have trouble making that adjustment to as many of the common pets do need companionship. - That being said, chins can have other chin companions as long as they get along (and preferably are same sex), and some chins do enjoy being petted a lot. Many of my chins take it a step further and really enjoy being petted... but only at certain spots. And will freak out if you touch a spot they dont like. - Every chin has there own personality and there own likes and dislikes.
2. Chins do not need to be out of there cage running for 30-60 min a day. This is just false. And in some cases very hazardous. The number one reason for chins getting injured is form out of cage time. Even more, the mass out of cage time can raise there body temps to highly unsafe levels. Dont forget all that fur on there. Also, it can cause there blood sugar level to crash which can cause even more medical issues. - Chins do NOT require any out of cage time. This is just another mentality that hard for us to understand. In fact iv had some chins that refuse to leave there cages. Other times when iv let a cage of multiple chins out, they would start fighting with each other. Once out of that cage, that dominance chain they live with can be broken. Causing some chins to start fighting with each other. None of these possibilities are any good. - IF you're going to let a chin out, make sure its in a safe a space as you can. And limit it to 5-15 mins.
3. Chins do NOT need huge cages. The mentalitiy of 'more is better' does not apply to chins. Chins are den dwelling prey animals. They like having a small, safe, secure area. In fact, to big a cage can cause some chins to panic as there feeling of security is gone. Each chin will react differently of course, but bigger is not always better. - That being said, you do not have to go with a very small cage automatically. You can go for a middle ground. Double Ferret nation and double Critter nation cages are very popular among chin owners. If you look at the size of that cage, its pretty good. You should be able to do a lot with something that size. You can ever do a single level for a chin and be fine, size wise. - So bigger is not always better. - And remember the more room available, the more you want to make sure you have shelves or hammocks or other such things in ther cage. You do not want a chin to be able to get up high and fall off all the way to the ground and injure themselves. You want things that can break the fall and help prevent this. The DFN cage is broken into two levels which helps out this very issue.
4. The video showed a dog coming face to face with a chin. Please... do NOT do this. Its very dangerous, no matter 'how great and clam and love and special' your other animal is.. do not do this. It only take a single swipe to cause massive damage. Many animals, like cats and rabbits, also carry bacteria's that are naturally present in there saliva or on there claws, that are potentially deadly to chins. So if the physical damage of swipe doesnt do it, the bacteria can. There are just so many things that can go wrong letting other animals come face to face with your chin. - I have long since lost count of the amount of ppl that do not heed this warning and then come back crying because something happened and there chin was injured or killed. It is not worth it! Dont do it!
5. You mentioned a hay hanger for the lose hay. While many hay hangers are a decent option, i took note of the one shown in this video. It had a number of small to medium sizes holes in the front. Just about the size of a chin head/neck. Which means its right there for them to get there head/neck caught in it. When this happens, chin naturally panic and flail about. They could injure themselves doing this, they could paralyze themselves doing this, or they could even break there neck doing this. So never use anything with a hole the size of a chin head on it. Either make the holes much bigger, or get a different design all together.
6. Lastly.. While i havnt checked the ingredients of the hay/apple treat you showed in the video; it is worth noting that chins should NOT have any Fruits or veggies. This included apples. There bodies can not process the natural sugars in fruits and veggies. Them eating them can lead to a lot of internal organ issues. Things you might not see on the surface or right away, but can do major damage inside the bodies. Significantly lowering there life expectancy and there quality of life. - For similar reasons, chins should NOT have seeds or nuts either.
That being said, treats like apple twigs (grown, harvested, and prepared properly) make great treats. But remember, they are chewing the bark off the twigs, they are not eating any bit of actual fruit.
Just some chin info ive learned after almost 2 decades of chins. And i hope this helps some owners and some chins out there to be able to lead a longer and healthier life!
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How did you train them to use litter box?
Usually, you cant. They usually do as the please. But they often will pick a corner or to to pee at. Thats where you can put a litter pan and hopefully they will start peeing in that. - But some are stubborn and wont use one.