| Things to know about your pet chinchilla |
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| Disclaimer - The following information is provided by the site owner as the practical application of chinchilla husbandry as I have learned it, in theory and practice. There is no warranty or liability for the contents of these pages. It is my opinion and is merely offered as a suggestion or possible solution. All information is solely that of the site owner and no ammends will be made. |
| Game time and safe toys |
| What games and toys can a chin play with? If you have a chin proof area or table, you can set up and obsticale course with little jumps, large PVC tubes and boxes to run around, through and hop on. You may also include some of the tips from the bottom of the enrichment page. Some chins have learned to ring a small bell. Hang the bell in the cage, and each time you hand them a treat, ring the bell. After a while, he may learn to ring the bell for attention. When thinking of games to play with a chin, keep them very simple and make sure what you are doing is not frightening to the animal. Single words when the chin is about to do a certain behavior, will condition the pet to do that on command. I know a young man that did this with his chin (it was almost a year old when he got the animal), and his pet learned to go to his dust bath, go back to his cage and come to his owner on command. Chins are highly motivated by food. All wooden toys must be made from safe woods. Hanging bird toys are often very well suited to chinchillas as long as they are ALL WOOD.. Hanging toys in the cage help keep them clean and in the chinchillas sight path. DO NOT give your chins plastic or rubber toys to chew on. The on exception would be Nyla Bones. These have been deemed safe by several sources. Pumice stone and compressed hay cubes can be drilled with an appropriate sized hole and also hung from the parrot/bird toys. Boxes, ramps, teepees and just about anything you can think of could be built from the pine or any safe wood, and the chins can play on or chew them. Apple or pear branches can be used to toys/treats (this can be ANY natural wood from the safe list. These must come from trees that are not treat with any sprays or insecticides. Wash in warm water and then in salt water. Allow to dry so there is no green wood and rinse again... dry again and use. Best not to use the fresh green wood, as some chins may gorge on it and make them sick. Supple branches could be woven in the sides of the cage to keep it in place and allow chins to chew longer. |
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