Sunday, November 23, 2008

General Chinchilla Information

How to Keep Your Chinchilla Healthy with Pellets and Hay

Chinchillas eat food differently than any other animal out there. They are very small and it takes the time to process their food. If you are planning on getting a pet chinchilla you need to be aware of some facts. Chinchillas need pellets to survive. This is about the only thing that they can eat without having digestive problems. There are other foods that Chinchillas can eat, but these are the most beneficial to their digestive system and will give them the least amount of problems.

Other tips and facts to keep your Chinchilla healthy are as follows:

Make sure that if you are buying Chinchilla food, that you do so through a breeder and refrain from buying pellets from a store. You have to make sure that when you buy Chinchilla food that you are buying it from someone who knows that they are dealing with. Make sure that when you get Chinchilla food that it includes these ingredients: Wheat germ, alfalfa meal, oats, soybean oil meal, corn and addition vitamins and minerals. Make sure that when you are going to buy Chinchilla pellets that you get the longer type pellets so your Chinchilla can have an easy time eating it.

Other facts regarding keeping Chinchilla's healthy should be noted. You have to make sure that when you feed your Chinchilla that you do so on a regular basis. Do not be afraid to overfeed your Chinchilla. You can give it plants of food and water. It will stop eating when it is full, but if you forget to feed it, you could be doing it harm by making it stressed.

Other facts pertaining to feeding Chinchillas are important too. When feeing a Chinchilla you should make sure that you do so in the same fashion daily. Set up a feeding device that you can use to provide them with their daily meals. You can use a bowl or a feeding device, it doesn't really matter, just so long as they know where there next meal is going to be every day. Make sure that you keep a Chinchillas diet complete with pellets that are low in fat and contain plenty of fiber. If for some reason, you can't find pellets that are for Chinchillas, you can also use rabbit pellets. They are very similar and will work well.

Fact: Hay is good for Chinchillas. It is rich in fiber and will give them plenty of food to eat. Make sure that if you get a Chinchilla, that you make sure that the Hay you use is free of mold and chemicals. You want to keep the Hay as pure as possible and make sure that you get alfalfa or timothy hay. You can either buy big cubes of hay or you can buy it just in small bags. it is probably easier for a Chinchilla to eat just hay from the bags. If you cannot use hay, you should try Chinchilla grass.

Any of these tips and facts will help you keep your Chinchilla very healthy and happy.


How to Keep Your Chinchilla in Shape

Here are some facts on how to keep your Chinchilla in shape by getting them the proper exercise equipment that they need. Make sure that when you start looking for Chinchilla exercise items, that you get your Chinchilla a wheel. Make sure that you find them a wheel that is not too big for them, but fits their cage and their bodies appropriately. Make sure that you also try and find a chew toy or two for your Chinchilla, so that they can exercises their teeth and jaws.

If you are planning on getting your Chinchilla into shape, and you have just bought it an exercise wheel and you find that it is not really interested right now, don't worry. It sometimes takes a little while for a Chinchilla to get adjusted to its new surrounding. You have to give the Chinchilla some time to try it out and to find out what works for it. By doing so, you are not forcing your Chinchilla to do anything that it doesn't want to do. Eventually it will explore it's new wheel and hop on it and use it daily because it will give the Chinchilla a chance to do something new rather than just sit around all the time.

Another fact you will need to know about keeping your Chinchilla in shape is, you will need to be aware that they will need to get out and run as much as they can. The will need a lot of exercise and will need a stable running surface to walk and climb on. Make sure that whatever is in their cage is sufficient. Make sure that you get your Chinchilla something that is going to help them develop strength in the long run. Make sure that when you do let them out to run around that they are not climbing on a surface that will allow them to get their limbs caught up in anything.

If you plan on getting a chew toy or anything for that matter, that you want to put into the cage for the Chinchilla, make sure that you do not get things that are plastic. If you do this, you will put the Chinchilla at risk for developing indigestion problems. You will want to stay away from these things at all costs. If you are going to get a wheel, do not get a plastic one, or a metal one with spokes. Make sure that you get your Chinchilla a safe wheel, something that will not cause it harm in any way.

All of these tips and facts will help you keep your Chinchilla stronger and healthier, much longer.


Curing Health Problems in Chinchillas

In this article you will learn some facts how to keep a Chinchilla healthy and prevent it from developing health problems down the road in its lifetime. The best measure to help keep Chinchillas well and living longer is to prevent them from getting into anything that will make them ill. You want to make sure that they always have enough good food and water. You want to also make sure that you always keep their living areas clean. Make sure you do not allow insects and other things to accumulate around the Chinchilla causing it to get ill. Chinchillas are very small animals and do not have a very strong digestive system, so if you are keeping them in areas where there is contamination, the likelihood is that they will get sick and die.

Some other facts about health problems that Chinchillas can develop are as follows:

Chinchillas can develop constipation very easily by having a bad or imbalanced diet. You will know if they are constipated by noting their bowels as well as bowel movements. If you can detect that their bowels are dry and small and even strangely misshapen with foul odor, you will know that your Chinchilla has constipation. A way that you can solve this is by feeding it more water and even giving it raisins. But only a few raisins.

Another problem that your Chinchilla can run into is bloating. You can notice that your Chinchilla is having problems with bloating and their bowels have a mucous on them. If their bowels are sticky then you will also note that there is a problem. If you notice this as being a problem just make sure that you give them more time to get out and exercise and fresher food and water.

Chinchillas can also get diarrhea. How you can be aware of this is by noting whether or not their bowels look like a grape. If their bowels stick or not, will also let you know if they are constipated. Diarrhea usually occurs when you are feeding your Chinchilla bad food or water. If the food has mold in it, it will get sick. If the water has algae in it, it will also get sick.

Chinchillas can also suffer from seizures and cramping. This can happen through lack of exercise or if they get injured. If your Chinchilla has a lack of calcium, this will also be why. You can tell if they have a lack of calcium by looking at the color of their teeth. If your Chinchilla gets injured, you may also experience a seizure with them as well.


How to Discipline a Chinchilla

Here are some facts on how to discipline your pet Chinchilla. Chinchillas are very sensitive animals. Make sure that if you want to discipline your Chinchilla that you do so by speaking nicely to it. Never hit or yell at your Chinchilla, because you could cause it to have a heart attack or something more serious. They are very fragile beings and do not take well to verbal or physical abuse. You would probably kill them very fast by doing either.

Chinchillas are already naturally very fearful. Never hurt a Chinchilla intentionally or you can cause irreversible emotional or physical damage. If you do these things, you could also face the risk of having the Chinchilla lash out at you, or biting you or even other people. Make sure to never blow on your chinchilla or in its face. You will aggravate it as well as spread germs to it that its natural immune system cannot defend.

When a Chinchilla feels threatened, it will actually urinate on you. So, if you ever find that your Chinchilla is doing something irate, make sure that you stop and note what you did to make it do such things, and prevent it from happening in the future.

If you can be nice to your Chinchilla and be patient with them, they will be much better pets. If they do something wrong, just make sure that you show them how to correct their actions by calmly showing them that they shouldn't do something. Perhaps, do not give them a treat if they do something wrong. As long as you are compassionate to your pet and you show them the respect that they deserve, the will adjust to the ways that you want them to behave on their own. This is the only way in which you can properly help your Chinchilla learn anything. Any other way that you try and discipline them will just destroy them emotionally.

Make sure that when working with your Chinchilla, that you just let it be itself. The chinchilla is an exotic pet and is not something that is like a normal cat or dog. It is not as responsive as either of them. It is actually more responsive which means you have to be more sensitive and even tempered or you could do some serious damage to your Chinchilla. The facts are, Chinchillas are a great pet, but they do live in a world of their own that cannot be tamed under r any east circumstances.


How to Find a Good Babysitter for Your Pet Chinchilla

Here are some facts on how to find a good babysitter for your pet Chinchilla.

You already know that your pet Chinchilla must be taken care of properly because it is not like any other animal that out there. It is exotic and requires special care and attention, and any disturbance in its living arrangement could spell disaster or even death. Even the slightest energy change can make a Chinchilla very upset.

If you are planning on going away on a vacation, I would suggest that you start your Chinchilla pet sitter search very early on. If you are looking for someone to help you take care of your Chinchilla quickly, chances are that you might get someone who maybe is not quite qualified to do so. Make sure that you spend some time trying to find someone who has experience in dealing with exotic animals. The first best place to check is a pet store. You may even be able to drop your pet off down there for a fee.

If you do not have a local pet store in your area, you could also do a search for The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters to help you take care of your animal. Normally they will have someone who can directly come to your house and take care of your pet without any issues. You could probably get them to do a multitude of tasks for you that will help your pet, light making sure they are not too hot or cold and that the lighting is right throughout the day.

You can also put out a classified ad in the newspaper to see if there is anyone that has any experience with looking after Chinchillas. The likelihood is that you will probably find someone because a lot of people do like Chinchillas as pets. You could also consult a local veterinarian for more assistance in finding someone who can look after your pet properly. Finding a sitter for your pet is no different than finding a sitter for your kid. You need to know who is right for you and you have to know in your heart.

Once you have found someone to take care of your Chinchilla, make sure that they are fully aware of the duties for taking care of your Chinchilla. Make sure that they know not to bring them into contact with anything unsanitary or any other pets, because they could be creating a hazard. Make sure you leave contact information on how to get your pet treated if any such incident were to occur.