# Chinchilla



## nougat (Jun 3, 2010)

A woman had an ad up on Craigslist to get rid of her chinchilla. She had two brothers, one of them was starting to be more dominate over the other and she was worried they would fight to the death. The supposedly aggressive chinchilla, never bonded with her, wouldn't come over to her, and may have bitten her -she wasn't very clear- but she punished it by setting it outside for awhile in 93 degree heat (they can't survive past 75 degrees). She said in her ad if no one came to pick up the chinchilla by 9 p.m. she was going to pelt it or possibly set it free out in the wild.

A lot of people came after her, calling animal abuse shelters and reporting her. At first I offered to give it a home without the rehoming fee. She was asking for $60 and wouldn't budge. So it was either pay the rehoming fee, or she might go through with releasing it outside or having it pelted. It was emotional blackmail.










I adopted this 4 month old chinchilla tonight. He will have a great home and be taken care of 

I didn't know what to do with him once I got him home. So I closed off half of my ferret nation cage with my ferrets up on top, and gave the chin the lower half. I've been researching all night on how to care for chins. Oh my god dust baths are expensive. Do you guys think I can let the chin run on a Carolina Storm Wheel or should I get one of those steel/wood ones?


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

Chins chew, so you're better off getting a different wheel for yours 

He is so cute though!

What a horrible woman, I hope she gets arrested for what she did to him!

I love chins, they are adorable, but I don't think I can deal with how much attention, space, etc that they require, especially with a cat and a hedgie.

Good for you for rescuing him! I'm glad he has found a lovely home


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Kudos to you for saving this adorable chin  ! A good chin site is Chins n Hedgies
http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/index.php
A metal wheel would probably be best since chins will chew on stuff.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Please move him out of the half FN that the ferrets are in and get him his own cage in another room. Ferrets are predators and chins prey and living that close to ferrets could stress him to death.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

As already mentioned... I highly recommend to visit and join the Chins-n-Hedgies web forum. Read through the many FAQs on that site on how to care for chinchillas. You will learn a lot very fast on that site. http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com.

While chinchilla wheels are expensive, they are well worth the money. Take a look at the Quality Cage Company. The sell both Chin Spins (you'll want the 15" model) and metal flying saucers. Both are highly recommended chinchilla wheels.

I also will second getting that chinchilla away from your ferrets. He is likely already stressed from a new home, and being that close to ferrets will stress him even more.

Visit CnH. People over there are very friendly, you'll see some familiar names, and will learn a ton as it is an excellent resource for all things chinchilla. You will also find folks who sell dust and its cheaper and better quality stuff than you find in pet stores.


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## nougat (Jun 3, 2010)

I bought another ferret nation cage this morning but it will take about two weeks until it gets here. 

One of the ferrets we took in awhile ago came with a cage of his own. He has a good temperament and gets along with the other ferrets during play time. I could move him into the ferret's FN cage, and give his cage to the chinchilla, temporarily. He has one of those green and purple ferret cages, with plastic shelves that I could replace with ledges. How about that?

I love Chins-n-Hedgies. I've bookmarked so much info on ledges, daybeds, hay feeders, hideouts and bass pans, I don't even know where to begin. I just wish the forum was more organized like HHC is. And I think I already saw Nancy on there.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

You are an angel, and that woman is a monster. Thank you for getting him out of there, you saved his life.


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## HedgeMom (Nov 7, 2008)

Make sure you are truly prepared to keep this chin for the rest of his life. Chins can live up to 30 years, with 12 to 20 the average for well kept animals. They must be kept at 72 degrees or less with no wiggle room. They must have high quality pellet, high quality hay at all times. They do not get food treats with the exception of rose hips and chamomile flowers. Apple or willow sticks are safe treats. They must be dusted two to three times a week and dust is a killer for electronics. It goes everywhere. 

They poop non stop. They must have a wheel. Everything for a chinchilla must be chew proof or chin safe and they are always expensive. Vets are hard to find and very expensive-more so than hedgehogs. And chins hide illness so it's never minor when you see it. 

If any of this throws you for a loop, turn him over to rescue before he bonds to you.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

I think Hedgehom cover it well. I may also add be prepared for tooth problem (specially if he doesn't have good lineage). I did experienced that with my (which became my ex-b/f's chin) chin. In the end we had to put it to sleep cause it was really serious, expensive and that surgery wouldn't cure him anyway.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

That lady needs to be pelted or be "set free" and see if she can survive in the wild be herself with no help from anyone! :x 
You are so kind to have saved him! :mrgreen:


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## nougat (Jun 3, 2010)

HedgeMom said:


> Make sure you are truly prepared to keep this chin for the rest of his life. Chins can live up to 30 years, with 12 to 20 the average for well kept animals. They must be kept at 72 degrees or less with no wiggle room. They must have high quality pellet, high quality hay at all times. They do not get food treats with the exception of rose hips and chamomile flowers. Apple or willow sticks are safe treats. They must be dusted two to three times a week and dust is a killer for electronics. It goes everywhere.
> 
> They poop non stop. They must have a wheel. Everything for a chinchilla must be chew proof or chin safe and they are always expensive. Vets are hard to find and very expensive-more so than hedgehogs. And chins hide illness so it's never minor when you see it.
> 
> If any of this throws you for a loop, turn him over to rescue before he bonds to you.


I just want to thank everyone for their advice and support.

I'm going to give this a lot of thought HedgeMom. When I read they could live 12-20 years, that did concern me. I don't know if I can commit to 20-30 years of my life, I'll be in my 40's or 50's by then. What if I find I can't care for him, or what if something happens to me. I know it's typical that exotics like chinchillas bounce around from rehome to rehome - that's no way for any animal to live. I couldn't do that.

I had him out tonight for few hours and I can already tell he's warming up to me. He's great, I'd like to keep him but I also want to think about what's best for him. I'm only 23 years old, I don't know where I'll be in 5 years let alone 20 or 30.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I think it was a great thing you did rescuing the chin, what a horrible woman to have threatened such a thing. He's lucky you saved him


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## HedgeMom (Nov 7, 2008)

nougat said:


> I'm only 23 years old, I don't know where I'll be in 5 years let alone 20 or 30.


Most of the rescue chins I've taken in are 5 to 7 years of age for this exact reason. At your age, so much of your future is up in the air. You most likely will move several more times before buying a home so you need to find pet friendly rentals, you change relationships and you have other significant life changes.

Fiaspice had a very good point about dental issues. I just recently lost a 12 year old rescue to malocclusion. That was after I spend over 900 dollars on a veterinary dentist to help the issue.


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