chinchilla stuff- a chinchilla family

[CalicoPrairie]

Akane, do you know whether blackberry branches are ok for chins? I've read that they are fine for rabbits, but there's not a lot of info on whether chins can munch on them or not. TIA!

 

[akane]

You want to really avoid excess greenery to chins because they are far more sensitive than rabbits but they should be fine with some berry plant canes or branches if you pull most of the leaves off. You can give the leaves to the rabbits. It actually works out well. The chins like the dry base parts of the plants and my other small animals want the greenery.

 

[CalicoPrairie]

You want to really avoid excess greenery to chins because they are far more sensitive than rabbits but they should be fine with some berry plant canes or branches if you pull most of the leaves off. You can give the leaves to the rabbits. It actually works out well. The chins like the dry base parts of the plants and my other small animals want the greenery.

Ok excellent, thanks Akane! I just swished some branches (no leaves) in salt water, then cut and baked them for 30 mins at 300 degrees in hopes to give them to the chins, but I wanted to be for sure before I offered them. Love your idea to give the leaves to the other animals and save the branches for the chins. We have plenty of fruit trees whose branches I have read are ok for chins (no stone fruit), and so it will be great to be able to possibly use the fresh leaves as well. Great idea and thanks again!

 

[akane]

Watch the salt content of things. Chinchillas are sensitive to salt and can go into seizure. The warning usually applies to giving chinchillas salt wheels or really crappy food full of salt so they get a large amount into their diet. Rinsing things with saltwater probably isn't a problem but something to consider.

 

[CalicoPrairie]

Watch the salt content of things. Chinchillas are sensitive to salt and can go into seizure. The warning usually applies to giving chinchillas salt wheels or really crappy food full of salt so they get a large amount into their diet. Rinsing things with saltwater probably isn't a problem but something to consider.

I was wondering about that. Still, I'm not sure I added enough, a little more than a few shakes in about a half gallon of water, which I was thinking maybe might not be enough to clean it well, but I was thinking that baking the sticks would kill whatever might be in them. Thanks!

 

[akane]

If I'm taking healthy wood from my backyard I actually don't do much to sterilize. I scrub it with a stiff brush under hot water, soak it in hot water for 12-24hrs, scrub anything more that comes off, and let it dry. The chinchillas love the stuff with the green layer fresh and not overly cooked away. There might be a slightly higher risk and I wouldn't do it from unfamiliar areas but from my own yard with no sign of pests or disease on the plants I think it's worth how much more the chins like it.

 

[CalicoPrairie]

If I'm taking healthy wood from my backyard I actually don't do much to sterilize. I scrub it with a stiff brush under hot water, soak it in hot water for 12-24hrs, scrub anything more that comes off, and let it dry. The chinchillas love the stuff with the green layer fresh and not overly cooked away. There might be a slightly higher risk and I wouldn't do it from unfamiliar areas but from my own yard with no sign of pests or disease on the plants I think it's worth how much more the chins like it.

Understandable for sure. We've only had our blackberry plants since winter, and though they have grown a ton since we first got them, we don't really know how they were treated before we got them at Home Depot or the local nursery, wherever we got them (can't remember).

Thank you for sharing your experience with me, Akane, I really appreciate your kind and informative way of explaining things. I haven't always experienced that on forums. *tips hat*

 

[akane]

Here is our latest little one that was born in Aug. with her family. Sleeping and then eating cheerios.








Keck is slightly concerned the allergy balls figured out how to get to the top of 6' cages above her baby but they are getting used to it. The first day they alarm barked for 2 hrs and now they just keep track of them carefully.

 

[CalicoPrairie]

Aw so adorable! <br /><br /> __________ Wed Sep 16, 2015 4:06 pm __________ <br /><br /> Hey Akane--I hope this is ok for me to ask chinchilla stuff here (again). I took my whole herd (5) of chins to the vet yesterday and two have bumblefoot for having lived on wire bottomed cages for their whole lives. From what I can tell, they are not horrible cases of bumblefoot, at least not compared to some of the pics I've seen online. Also, the feet aren't hot, scabby, no open sores or anything--it's more like they have cracks and my girl's feet are pink on the "heels" if that makes sense.

Dr. prescribed GenOne spray for their feet and the dosage is 2x/day for 7 days.....but when I look it up in the books and online, it seems like it is much more of a process to deal with than just spray a bit of medicine on it twice a day for a week. Is there anything else that I ought to be doing? Dr. didn't prescribe soaks or antibiotics or anything, which is fine if it's not needed, but for some reason it seems like those things are generally brought up as treatment, and I've found nothing about using GenOne for chins for bumblefoot or otherwise.

Since I'm new to chins, I'd like to get other chin owners' opinions on this, and if there is anything else I could/should be doing, I'd like to know that too.

Thanks!