Hello ^^ Chinchilla 411

[yin]

Hello everyone. :laugh: My boyfriend and I are picking up our first chinchilla in a few days. :applause: We have both been reading up on chinchillas, but i thought it would be a lot easier to ask all of you about chinchillas. ^^

I've never had one before, but have always wanted one. I know the basics: the nocturnal, noisy, require patience, need time to trust me, etc etc.

But is there anything else that you guys feel I need to know ASAP? :eek: Since I'm getting him soon, I want to be fully ready. ^^ Im soo excited! I want to do everything right. ^^ So please let me know! Thank you!!

[KyleWeiss]

Wow. Maybe someone else can help me add to the list, but for starters, welcome and keep coming back and searching through threads on here for any answers you might need. If they're not here, trust me, someone knows.

1.) Decent chinchilla cage (4'x4'x1.5' or so) (be wary as some chins are plastic chewers, and cages get pricey)
2.) Dust bath with apropriate bath sand
3.) Good pellet-only food, Mazuri, Oxbow, Kaytee Timothy Complete (don't use the other Kaytee stuff) with ceramic bowl. Treats should be low in sugar, unsweetened cheerios are popular if fed sparingly, like once a day.
4.) Wooden sleeping box for cage
5.) Good litter such as Carefresh
6.) Big, quality water bottle for fresh, daily water
7.) Appropriate wheel with solid surface and side-mounts (tail-safe design)
8.) Hay of Timothy and/or alfalfa (and a bowl to put it in)
9.) Chew materials like chew blocks or Lava Bites, Leap 'n Ledge
10.) A quiet place to sleep during the day (kidless, petless, bright)
11.) Vacuum and bags for scattered chin poos on floor (rechargable handy vacs rule for touch-ups)
12.) A "chin proof home" (wherever your chin comes out to play when he/she is socialized, block all holes, block all under-furniture, block off kitchen, vacuum carpet of debris, hide or pick up any electrical wires, etc)
13.) A good vet that is trained in treating chinchillas
14.) Playtime during the night, patience and attention.

I'm sure there's a lot of threads that are available under the "search" feature that will help get any details and experiences on any of the above things. Granted there is some opinion here, so keep that in mind. Certain things are factual, some are opinion, but the list I gave above is a basic start.

I expect, on behalf of all of us, to see pictures of your new friend. :)

Again, welcome.

KW

[yin]

awww thanks for replying so fast ^^ there will definitely be pictures hehehe. i think im in love with him already!!! and i havent even gotten him yet!! its only friday...i dont know if i can wait till monday! :|

[jeffbot]

I've got 2 chins and a loud metal wheel. I consider the wheel to be my alarm clock. So I wake up at 3, 4, and 5 am at times. ;) hehe....

[JBBinTex]

I read every post on this board going back about 5 months before we got Zeb. I come back every day and read. I found that to be the best way. After I read everything, then I ask questions. It has worked for me so far.

JB

[chinchilla_boy]

A good thread, although very short, was started 3 weeks ago about new chin owner care here (http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?p=630257#post630257). Some things you will already know, and other things you may not. Jesus Christ himself even joined in on the thread and threw in his two cents worth and is of biblical proportions. :rolleyes:

[yin]

i wish i had that much time JBB. but he suddenly decided to get one, got lucky and found one, and now...we'll be buying him. ^^ so..dont have 5 months to read everything. theres a lot of information, and a lot of it is redundant in the threads (of course). and since i dont have the time to sit here for the next couple night to read every single one of them...i thought i'd ask you guys. ^^ and thanks chinchilla boy for the thread link. ^^

[SilverKitty]

I don't know if it was stated yet but remember about the hair ring checks!

[JBBinTex]

I didn't read for five months. I scanned through and read posts going that far back. It really didn't take that long. I didn't find it redundant, as different people give different answers. That said, I would make sure you have a first aid kit put together. You never know when you might need it.

JB

[Tails]

Hey, I think you are going to make out fine with your new chin! I wouldn't worry, I got my first with some knowledge but definitely didn't know all the stuff I keep learning. As long as they are being cleaned, fed, and not neglected you chin is going to make out fine. He isn't going to suffer because you don't know every little thing there is to know: most don't! Just be sure to have a vet lined up in case of an emergency. What else? the long list that was already given supplied a lot of info. but I would have to say to get Timothy Hay and not Alfalfa. I can't remember who told me maybe a breeder? but Timothy is supposed to be better or something...? Also another helpful thing for when they come out play is wire covering for all your cords. You can get them at Chinworld- I think it come with 5 feet for $8 US, may be a little pricy but trust me worth it! Also for the days you aren't able to watch him as much with free time there are gigantic exercise balls you can get for him to roll around in. Another thing is my boys love any type of wood chews you can get to hang in their cage. A house is a must, my two love to sleep on top and the other little guy sleeps inside. Oh and I don't know whether you are in a house or an apartment but I'm in an apt. which gets quite hot so I keep a thermometer above their cage as they have to be kept between a certain level to avoid heat stroke etc.- between 60-80F. Do get the "leap-n" and "sleep-n" ledges as they don't take up room, and gives you chin more places to jump to and rest on. I think that's all because all the other ideas were listed! Good luck with your new one! :)