Chinchillas

[Hazel]

Does anyone have a chinchilla? Anyone know anything about chinchillas and rabbits living together? I'm looking into getting a chinchilla possibly, but only if they do well with buns.

Thanks in advance for any info,

 

[trailsend]

I used to have a Chin named Chi Chi - and when he was out during playtime with my buns, they didn't have any troubles, they just never showed any interest in each other... there would be the occassional sniff but that was it.

 

[Hazel]

Thanks! Do you think if I PM'd you I could get some info on chinchillas? It's hard to find a good website with all of the info I want,

 

[trailsend]

Sure - I'll try and help

 

[undergunfire]

Do you mean live in a cage together or be in the same room together...in separate cages?

It is never very smart to allow bunnies and another species interact together, unless under very strict supervision. I am super careful about my rats when they are out playing...thankfully, they do not even try to go into the NIC cages. One tiny little thump from a rabbit or nip can send my ratties straight to the emergency vet...or even death.

I do know that chins have very specific care requirements and I highly suggest joining a chin forum to find out everything there is to know about them .

Also, I would find a chin breeder. It really hurts when you get a delicate animal from the pet store (even the ones in rescues are originally from the pet store)....only to have to spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on their vet care later in life....because of their very poor breeding. Even pet store animals make amazing pets, but a hefty vet fund and possible heart break in the future (as the animal ages)....is something you should be very prepaired for.

I have also read some where that the best pet chins are the ones that are socialized from the time they are born. All chins (and other pets) coming from pet stores originally came from "mill breeders"...who breed the doe and buck until their deaths...and the only times any of the animals are touched is when they are being thrown into a bin to be transported to a store.


I just reread my post and I hope I don't come off as harsh! I just know chins take a bit of care and are pretty special animals .

Let me know if you need any help locating a breeder or rescue in your area.

 

[undergunfire]

I searched a little because I am bored. I found a couple Chin breeders in NC:

http://www.lilsugarchinchillas.com/home.html
http://www.brighteyedchinchillas.com/index.html * I like them!


I'm still searching, too .

 

[trailsend]

undergunfire - you are right when you say they are special and need lots of care. I relate them to Pdogs in that regard- they need lots of special care and attention from their people.

 

[undergunfire]

trailsend wrote:

undergunfire - you are right when you say they are special and need lots of care. I relate them to Pdogs in that regard- they need lots of special care and attention from their people.

I've seen videos of them "bouncing" around rooms, my gosh (!)....I thought the bunnies got major air doing binkies .

 

[Hazel]

Ack! I had a whole post and it was wiped out. In essence it said:

~Doing researching
~same room, not cage, haha, multi-story is not an option for my buns,
~rabbit-savvy vet chinchilla-savvy too,
~doesn't come off as harsh, comes off as caring about the animal

Basically I would never get a pet without doing major research first. And I feel like I sometimes come off as harsh when I tell people about buns because I want them to realize how much of a responsibility they are

Thanks for the links, I was actually going to say I'd love some links because maybe you'd find some I wouldn't!

 

[Hazel]

undergunfire wrote:

I searched a little because I am bored. I found a couple Chin breeders in NC:

http://www.lilsugarchinchillas.com/home.html
http://www.brighteyedchinchillas.com/index.html * I like them!


I'm still searching, too .

Bright eyed is practically down the road too!!!

 

[undergunfire]

Hazel wrote:

undergunfire wrote:

I searched a little because I am bored. I found a couple Chin breeders in NC:

http://www.lilsugarchinchillas.com/home.html
http://www.brighteyedchinchillas.com/index.html * I like them!


I'm still searching, too .

Bright eyed is practically down the road too!!!

That is awesome! They said babies were due in April, but then keep them for 12 weeks....so in June they will have babies. That would be awesome for you...it would give you more time to plan and think....and reserve one now .

 

[Hazel]

That's what I was thinking. I'll have to talk to Ryan though... he's a baby for colors. He loves certain colors for bunnies and had mentioned something similar for chinchillas... haha. If that doesn't work out, I definitely don't mind driving a little farther for a chin. Gah, they're so adorable. And the more I look, the more it seems like they make great pets.

And I lucked out. I happened to find a chinchilla website similar to ours. I was looking at chinchillas on youtube and the user had posted the site!! TRAIL! You mentioned you would like to join a site like that, so here's the link:

http://anntwo.proboards105.com/index.cgi


Hope that works,

 

[undergunfire]

Hazel wrote:

I'll have to talk to Ryan though

Lol! When I saw this I was like, "Wait, am I reading my own post?". I am always having to "talk to Ryan"....he's my fiance!

:laughsmiley:

 

[Hazel]

LMAO! Well my Ryan isn't my fiance... yet, but we've been dating for 2 1/2 years and we own our buns together...so we'll see, hahaha We don't want to get engaged until after college anyway so we've got at least another year to go before then.

 

[undergunfire]

Hazel wrote:

LMAO! Well my Ryan isn't my fiance... yet, but we've been dating for 2 1/2 years and we own our buns together...so we'll see, hahaha We don't want to get engaged until after college anyway so we've got at least another year to go before then.

Ryan and I have also been together for 2 1/2 years . We are engaged, but who knows when our wedding will be, we really aren't in a rush. Right now we are saving up for our first rented house in May/June...we live with his mom right now, which is kind of like living with your grandma :lookaround...she is 56, had Ryan when she was 38.

 

[Hazel]

My mom turns 56 next week, haha. She had me when she was 35,

And as to my original question of chinchillas and buns together, I found a bunch of people on the board have them together and they pretty much tend to ignore each other, which is perfectly ok, haha.

 

[undergunfire]

Hazel wrote:

My mom turns 56 next week, haha. She had me when she was 35,

And as to my original question of chinchillas and buns together, I found a bunch of people on the board have them together and they pretty much tend to ignore each other, which is perfectly ok, haha.

His mom is very "old timer-ish". She talks like an old lady and talks about things and goes on and on and on about them. She's kind of an odd ball. I think Ryan and I would BOTH get along with her better when we see her once a week or something for dinner .


Anyway, it would be fine for the cages to be in the same area, but it would probably be smart to not let them roam around together, outside of their cages. An accident can happen quickly...all buns and chins are different.

 

[Hazel]

Oh, I definitely wouldn't start them out together, in fact, what I was thinking was to let Hazel and the chinchilla out together first and see how they do. Hazel is a very chill bun, she likes all animals and people. Before Flopsy ruined it, she cuddled with Ryan's mother's cats and she and my dog Nellie would sniff each other, Hazel even let her lick her... It was adorable. Flopsy would be the one I was worried about, she's a grump. She's the one who traumatized my dogs towards rabbits and who humped Ryan's cats into submission so they won't go around Hazel anymore, .

That way I can also see how the chin does with buns,

 

[jordiwes]

Hello!

I have two bonded bunnies and two bonded foster chins. Chinchillas are awesome animals, but I wouldn't house them with bunnies, or let them free roam with bunnies.

If you think bunnies chew, it's nothing compared to chins. And chins don't litter train like bunnies do. Well they pee in one spot but when they are out, their pellets are everywhere!

Also, they have different nutritional requirements. Chins are basically free-fed, with a higher calcium feed than buns. Also, chins are nocturnal, so they would keep your bun up all night.

But I can't see any harm in letting them play together. When my chins escape and make their way up to the bunny room, they just run around like little tasmanian devils and the bunnies just stare like "what the heck was that"?

Here is a site I really like: http://www.chincare.com

Here is a video of my butterball crazy chin:

http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w6/jordiwes/?action=view&current=Picture061-1.flv

 

[PepnFluff]

Woah hes a nut lol did you see how fast he runs WOAH! i didnt think something that small could run so fast...You get amazed everyday lol hes soo cute to i really want one.