Comments | chinchillin: fostering a biting chinchilla

calyxia in chinchillin

fostering a biting chinchilla

Jun 07, 2011 22:23

Hi all :) It looks like this fri/sat I will be picking up my first chinchilla foster. As I've never had one before (I almost got one about three months ago and started reading up on them then) I'd like to make sure I've got the basics down and perhaps info on biting. I don't know if he nibbles or if he BITES, but it looks like I'll be finding out. ( Read more... )

Comments 5

surprisesex June 8 2011, 03:14:04 UTC

Lots of people don't bathe daily. I do but with not very much dust. One raisin a day. A marble stone is great for summer, and definitely keep the temp around 70. I let mine out an hour a day, but they are destructive. I like letting them run around and be stimulated though and I'm not sure bathrooms are really that fun for them. The bathroom will also get humid after showers and stuff, so he'll have to be moved around a lot (plus many like to watch tv).

Blowing in their face is a good way to discourage behavior (one of my girls is a serious pee-er). First I would try yelping to teach young ones when they are biting too hard. They do use their teeth a bit to taste but you can tell when they're really biting down.

Avoid plastic in the cage. Flying saucers are great wheels. Make sure he has a little house. The cage shouldn't be all wire. I made my own shelves for most of my cages out of kiln-dried pine. They love wooden tubes from chincessories.com. Also the hay box is helpful to have.

calyxia June 8 2011, 03:16:30 UTC

I think I'm going to put one of my two tv's in the room for him. Besides, while the hamster probably won't care, the guineas may like it. :)

Thanks so much! I'm really kind of excited...I'm almost 31, and chins are one of the few animals I've never had. It's really rare I get a new species to learn and love.

surprisesex June 8 2011, 03:20:19 UTC

They are entertaining pets. But yeah...don't let them around nice furniture, make sure books are at least 4 feet high, cover or move wires out of their reach...and close the toilet seat! lol

gneville2 June 8 2011, 06:31:11 UTC

They are wrecking machines so watch any platic you might have out and about. They love a nibble on any wood furniture I have and my skirting boards and have developed a taste for the radiator lol.

I don't bath daily either - do you know about clumps of loose fair needing removing before they get infected?

Also keep an eye on their teeth :)

I'm excited for you. I love my chins and think they are a brilliant pet / companion.

shatters June 8 2011, 08:21:32 UTC

You can also give them rose hips rather than raisins, it's healthier! :3 I'd avoid putting them in the bathroom because humidity is not ideal for them.

You can also go to http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/index.php a lot of there are veteran chinchilla owners and the forum has plenty of good threads about health, hygiene, etc.