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Post by clover on Apr 15, 2004 15:23:59 GMT 7
Chins shld not live in cages that are too big. Actually, there are experts in America who do set a limit on cage space. I know cos they were discussing it recently on the chin mailing list. Apparently, there were people who made very large cages for their chins, and accidents happened. The most frequent accident was falling from a great height plus spiral fractures. So they spoke abt it and capped a recommended height limit.
Chins may be agile, but they are not so nimble as to never ever fall in their lives. My own chins live in a 3 storey cage, and sometimes, they are a little clumsy. Really, they can fall down while playing and if the height is too much, it's real dangerous.
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Post by zhuzhu07 on Apr 17, 2004 8:35:05 GMT 7
yah but their cage is still so much bigger than gps cages cos they are bigger in size and they need space to jump? heehee
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Post by clover on Apr 17, 2004 20:14:23 GMT 7
lol I don't think chins are that much bigger than pigs! Maybe a little bit bigger la. Yes, they do need space to play, but that's the reason for floortime. Besides, chinchillas are limited to a play time of abt 30 min due to Sg climate. Many cases of chins dying from heat prostration in Sg, cos owners are careless and don't take note of the chin's exertions.
Unless your chin actually lives and plays in an air-con room, he must be watched over to make sure he doesn't overheat himself thru exercise.
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Post by zhuzhu07 on Apr 18, 2004 19:26:39 GMT 7
lol.. u mean like too much playing? but how r u going to control how much they can play when u r not at home?
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Post by clover on Apr 21, 2004 11:07:38 GMT 7
To chinchillas, play = exercise. Normally I'm not at home in the daytime, when it's the hottest. They actually sleep during the daytime, but all of them will wake up at night. Abt 8pm, when dinner is served, they are all awake.
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Post by zhuzhu07 on Apr 22, 2004 19:54:23 GMT 7
u mean they oni take one meal a day? but they mite play anytime how to control?
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Post by clover on Apr 23, 2004 14:55:06 GMT 7
Chinchillas are not animals that are active in the day. If I'm not wrong, their most active time is evening, like hamsters are active at night? I dunno the term for animals like that. Only know that nocturnal is for night-active animals. Feeding time and frequency is entirely up to chin owners. I feed once a day and it works for me. I don't understand by what you mean 'control'. You don't 'control' a chinchilla during playtime, like you control a remote toy. You simply limit his playtime if you feel his body is getting too hot. That's it. And you shld be able to see that their floortime is only at night, when I'm home. And if you're wondering what 'limit floortime' means, it simply means he goes back into his cage to sleep or eat or rest. They tend to be less jumpy and active once back in their cage, after a short run. They'll have worked out some energy during floortime. I have 1 violet male who is real acrobatic. lol He climbs the walls and leaps over objects at full speed, during his playtime. It's really fun to watch him.
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Post by hanoman on Apr 23, 2004 19:43:44 GMT 7
The chinchilla originated in America. To be exact South America (Peru maybe)
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Post by hanoman on Apr 23, 2004 19:46:41 GMT 7
Clover, I always want to buy chins. But looking at their price tag, very expensive. And chins has the longest life span among all small animal (20 years). I got few question, when you let them play outside their cage. Will they shit or pee anyhow? Let say the chins is playing on your bed, will the chin know he cant pee there. Can chins be toilet train? I know chins cage do not need bedding, and their cage is much more smaller, but a lot taller. I like chins a lot........ I like their cute face, and their round body and their nice fur. I want chins
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Post by clover on Apr 24, 2004 11:54:15 GMT 7
They originated from the high Andes of Bolivia and Peru to northern Chile and Argentina. Quoted from the book "All About Chinchillas". Chinchillas can be toilet-trained to pee on 1 spot within their cage, but their p-oo is another matter. Normally, they p-oo all over the place. They are not free-ranging pets, so they can't be toilet-trained when they are released outside for playtime. However, so far, none of my chins have pee pee outside during their floortime. They seem to prefer peeing in their cage. But they do drop p-oo here and there when they are out to play. Actually, most chin breeders I know do toilet-train their chins. The chins only pee in a pee pan, while they p-oo all over. But the rationale is that since p-oo is dry, it's easy to clean by just sweeping. This facilitates cleaning enormously (have heard this dozens of times from pp who keep more than 20 chins. Their cleaning is a snap compared to mine.) Bedding is up to the owner's preference. For me, I put alot of bedding for my chins. But it's also possible to only use a litter pan and there is no bedding in the cage. Normally, this is used if the chinchilla is toilet-trained to pee inside the pan. (A little similar to keeping a rabbit.) Actually, chin cages are not necessarily vertical rectangles. This topic has been discussed and debated many times in chin mailing lists and forums. Some experts actually advise a horizontal rectangle cage for chins, if you want them to exercise more. Jumping can be dangerous, no matter how agile a chin is. There are countless cases where chins have gotten injured and broken bones in falls. So they advise that if you wanna play safe, use a horizontal rectangle cage instead, or limit the cage to a max of 3 storeys. There are breeders who customise their chin cages, and I've alwiz loved those. They are big and relatively safe (cos of the many levels included all over, in an attempt to prevent falling), but they are very expensive. It costs more than $300 to make one. I've asked about it before, so I know. They are real beautiful and some are also customised for easy cleaning, but are really too expensive for me. These days, the price for chinchillas has dropped. It's possible to buy a lovely standard grey for $200 or less.
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Post by zhuzhu07 on Apr 25, 2004 8:06:25 GMT 7
i wanted to keep chins b4 but they were so ex.. and their cage so big!! so one cage can oni keep one chin? like tt take up alot of space if got more than one chin..
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Post by hanoman on Apr 25, 2004 8:46:40 GMT 7
Thanks Clover for the good info.
Zhu, its best to mate them together. So normally people will find a male and female and put them into one cage. And I heard from the shop keeper, chins are very picky animal. They wont accept any partner, they will choose their own partner. Once the partner been chosen, they will be bonded forever...... right clover?
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Post by zhuzhu07 on Apr 25, 2004 9:11:26 GMT 7
so means u have oni one chin n u decided to get him a new partner then u muz bring yr male chin along and let him take his pick at the pet shop??
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Post by hanoman on Apr 25, 2004 10:12:03 GMT 7
so means u have oni one chin n u decided to get him a new partner then u muz bring yr male chin along and let him take his pick at the pet shop?? Exactly! This is what the shop keeper told me. She said she will sell me this chins, and if you want to pair it. Just bring the chin to the shop, and she will get the best pair. Talking about after sales service....... But considering the chins at her shop is so expensive.
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Post by piggywiggymel on Apr 25, 2004 20:02:59 GMT 7
Yeah! I heard that too! My friend's brother had to bring his chin to the pet shop for pairing as well..hahaha..talk about picky...
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