I just bought one and I would like to know 2 things based on personal experience.
1. Did your chinchilla like running around in an exercise ball.
2. They make cages especially for chinchillas with solid hard plastic shelves.(Super Pet) %f you have had one of these cages, did your chinchilla chew the shelves up?
Answers:
I loved my chinchilla...I miss him... but yes mine loved his excercise ball. i would put him in it while i was in the kitchen cooking and he would follow me around the kitchen. About the cage...I made sure he had chew toys so he never chewed on the cage itself. but if they get bored then they will chew on the cage. good luck and i hope you enjoy your new friend.
My chinny is a wonderful little girl and loves to run around. I gave her the ball and, after a little timidity, she ended up loving it. I liked it because it also protected her from the cats. PLus you can put her almost anywhere in the house and not worry.
I have a house like that and I added a wooden house and, while she has almost eaten her way through two houses, she leaves the plastic alone for the most part. I think she enjoys the extra room. Plus you can put a lot of colorful chew toys andthat will distract them from the boring plastic.
Hope this helps!
I just came back from visiting a chinchilla at a school!! Literally ten minutes ago.
She loved running around in the huge exercise ball. She would run toward the window and look out. It only takes a few minutes for them to adjust to the ball.
There is a cage for her, and it is huge. There is one shelf with a ramp and house for her. Of course there is food and water.
The shelf was hard, and she only chewed on the ramp to dull her teeth. Not bad chewing though.
i hope you love your new chinchilla!! What is her/his name? The one I just played with is called Sasha.
I have a chinchilla, and I absolutly love him, and I'm sure you will too! I have not bought the exercise ball, because a lady at the pet store told me that they're not good for them because it can break their tail, but I've actually been thinking about getting him one because if they were so bad, they wouldn't make them, right? What I've been doing is letting him run around our spare bedroom, but be careful because they chew EVERYTHING, especially cords! His cage does have the hard, plastic shelves and he has never chewed on it. He has plenty of wooden chew things so he hasn't chewed the shelves at all.
I own several chinchillas and I personally would not use a exercise ball chins can not sweat and they are highly susceptible to heat stroke, I have heard to many horror stories about chins dieing in them, as for the plastic shelves yes he is going to chew on them and no it is not safe for him, replace them with pine shelves.
1. An exercise ball is one of the worst "toys" you can purchase for a chinchilla for two reasons: (1) chinchillas need to jump during their exercise period. The "open exercise" (which should only occur in a chin-proof area- ask if you need to know more specifics on this) allows chinchillas to strengthen their rear leg muscles. Without the freedom to jump in a safe area outside the cage, a chin might strain a muscle if they ever attempt to do so (and almost every chinchilla owner has had a moment of instinct/escape/or curiosity from their control). Secondly, a chinchilla cannot, CANNOT exercise in an area that is not climate-controlled. NO MATTER how cold of an area/state/country you live in, a few degrees of climate can kill a chinchilla. Plastic is very hot- imagine running on a treadmill for 30 minutes with no ventilation and wearing a fur coat! That is what your chinchilla goes through when using a "running ball"- do not trust these "toys."
2. Plastic shelves are not the greatest item for chins to chew on. First, only certain types of plastic-coated cages can be trusted. Second, if you cannot afford to order a chinchilla cage (again- chain pet stores are very misinformed and provide bad products outside of timothy hay and Mazurie pellets), then buy a chin-safe cage after doing some research, and use wooden shelves. The biggest mistake is to buy a chinchilla cage with a wire bottom! This can cause broken toes, "bumble foot", and a host of other problems.
I hope this information helps- I have been researching chinchilla welfare for a few years and my mother is a certified exotic vet that has regular chinchilla clients. I spoke with her about this question to make sure I gave the right advice, but the most important thing is to find an experienced chinchilla vet and check for references!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment