|
Post by randomname on Oct 7, 2016 14:10:24 GMT
no, not yet. Sent a message, keeping my fingers crossed. Told them I have good references from the RSPCA, my vet, The blue cross & local rescues if they want them. They can also call in & check up on them in the future. Hopefully that'll convince them. Between you & me, I'm kinda already in love, really hope this works out.
That's what I thought too skardsen, I'd be happy to offer a bit more if that sweetens the deal. Won't mention it yet though! Must stop checking for a reply every 5 mins though, gonna be a long weekend I fear!
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Oct 7, 2016 16:12:33 GMT
I just HATE that waiting and waiting to hear back! I hope they won't leave you hanging!
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 7, 2016 16:29:15 GMT
The gumtree duo has replied, said they're still available. It'll cost around £70 in taxis for me to get them. they're the other side of the county. Really want the white ones, & they're sooo close. Have sent a message via preloved & a direct text, hopefully they'll be getting in from work & texting me back really soon.
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 7, 2016 16:42:58 GMT
eeeeeeeee the darlington one has replied!! will let you know how it goes... at least I know they're still available I got a tingly tummy!!
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 7, 2016 17:17:22 GMT
Looks like the commune has 2 more members!!!!!! Bringing them over Monday
|
|
|
Post by skardsen on Oct 7, 2016 17:48:00 GMT
Well, that was lucky. Everything just fell into place for me when I first started looking for mine, and it looks like you got the same break. The first ad I replied to was for my 2 girls.
If you want a comfy hideaway, my chins really took to the luxury snooze cube I got them. It looks small but 2 chins can easily fit inside. It's very well cushioned, can be hung up, or is somewhat sturdy enough to stand up. It's also handcrafted and very high quality. I got it from fuzzbutt.co.uk and I'll be getting one for the degus too.
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Oct 7, 2016 23:20:04 GMT
WOO HOO!!! Congratulations!!!
|
|
|
Post by skardsen on Oct 8, 2016 8:06:50 GMT
They're really bright white, just like the belly of other chins. I'm guessing it's a mutation that causes the colouration from their belly fur to be their full coat. The best thing about that white is it's just as vibrant as fresh snow, probably to help camouflage them up in the mountains, where they live in the wild.
Now you're stuck in the waiting game, haha. The hardest part is responding to the ads and waiting to hear back. When I asked about my girls, I think I checked my phone every 5 minutes, because I wanted to reply immediately if they got back to me, so I seemed enthusiastic. The worst part about that for me, is that the previous owner told me they'd been viewed before by someone else, and that he was waiting to hear back whether they wanted them or not. I think he might've just been saying that though, heh. I had to wait about a week for the previous owner to get back in the country before I could view them, and oh those days seemed to take forever to pass. I wanted to post here about it at the time, but I felt like it might jinxed it, haha.
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 8, 2016 9:55:41 GMT
From the little research I've done, Wilson Whites were the first mutation to be seen in captivity. All white genes come from Wilson whites. I think they may be mosaics but haven't seen them yet. Think they have silver guard hair patches from what I can see. Not that I care what they look like, makes no difference to me. They do look like little clouds with hands & faces though! Lady seems nice, said she has new puppy so hasn't got time for the chins (& I'm proud to say I didn't call her a tw*t!!) She says she'll bring them over Monday evening, if I like them (hahahahaha) she'll bring cage over. She really should just bring cage over anyway. Am super excited, really hope this works out. Sorry for hi - jacking your thread skardsen, has gone off at a tangent somewhat! Have to say, since Dave died, I've always said I'd love to get to know another chin, but I hadn't done anything about it. Since you got your two, I've been soo jealous, it's bought back a lot of memories & I started missing Dave all over again. Then you tip the scales with the suggestions... & look what happens?!!
|
|
|
Post by Emziedee on Oct 8, 2016 10:58:14 GMT
I'm so excited for you ! One day I may join in and get some Chins too! Hahaha this is contagious
|
|
|
Post by skardsen on Oct 8, 2016 11:24:51 GMT
randomname Oh that's ok, because now that means I'm not the only one posting in the chinchilla section, haha. You know how chins shake their tails sometimes when preparing to leap or wall jump? Been trying to catch Floss doing that on video for ages now. I think it'd make just about everyone melt if they saw her doing it.
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 8, 2016 11:27:00 GMT
A few cute pics & we're all infected! Everything is skardsen's fault!
Looking forward to seeing that, could watch your vids for hours on a loop! Do you know if there's much in the chinchilla nutrition section? Need a memory refresh. Know hay, forage & nuggets are ok, but no idea about things like seeds, oats, rosehips etc. The lady said she gives them raisins daily (grrr bad as Dave's previous owner who gave him dried apricots!) I recall a very occasional goji berry as being ok & very nutritious (but quite sugary) I'm not even sure what they need in terms of vitamins/minerals/fibre/carbs etc
|
|
|
Post by Emziedee on Oct 8, 2016 12:53:16 GMT
Can you imagine the babies - your boys with Skardsens girls 😱😍😱😱😱
|
|
|
Post by Emziedee on Oct 8, 2016 12:55:45 GMT
Wilson homo beigy mosaicy clouds of fluff ! I can't! 😩
|
|
|
Post by skardsen on Oct 8, 2016 13:50:18 GMT
randomname You know it's funny, the previous owner of my girls said that they like raisins every now and then, but to be careful because they both like to bite. They've never bitten me and they never show any interest in the raisins either. I didn't look on here for much nutrition info, just did a lot of searching on Google. It's pretty much almost identical to a degu diet, so unlimited nuggets and unlimited forage/hay. Mine don't eat much of the hay I give them, but I still give them it since even a little is good for them. Nutritional needs are the same as well, so high fibre, low fat, carbs and protein, added vitamin C, and the same 2:1.1 calcium/phosphorous ratio is needed. It's also important that they have constant access to their main source of food, as they can get very anxious if it's not given freely. It's a kind of security for them. They won't overeat so fill their food bowls all the way up. When it comes to treats, I've read a few times that seeds aren't safe because chins can't digest them properly. I've given my girls one or two sunflower seeds rarely, and it hasn't done them any harm. However, when you look on Rat Rations and such, they don't offer seeds for chins at all, so I'd lean towards not safe. There's a lot of contention on this one, with some swearing it's perfectly fine, and others saying not safe at all. The same is said about nuts, some claiming a nut once a month is fine, others saying not at all. I think when it comes to nuts though, this is down to the fat/protein content, so for me I'd say it's fine to give a rare, high calcium nut, such as hazelut, walnut (might be a bit too big a serving though), or macadamias. I really doubt you'll give a chinchilla a fatty liver from a rare nut. Rosehips are considered a safe treat if given rarely, although mine didn't show much interest. Puffed rice, pieces of unsalted ricecakes, millet sprays, very small amounts of oats, very small amount of dry pasta, and a mini shredded wheat are quite popular with the girls and are considered safe, but once again, keep it rare. My chins favourite treat though? The degus nuggets (Science Selective), which is great because there's no harm in giving them a couple of pieces every day. Emziedee I think we'd end up with white chins that have pink noses, feet and freckled ears.
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 8, 2016 14:06:25 GMT
that all sounds about right from what little I can remember. Unfortunately Dave always had teeth issues, food was difficult from the beginning. He never ate hay either, but neither will BB. Sometimes green oats work, sometimes not. Most of the online info I've seen seems to be no seeds, no nuts like you said. Do you have any idea what brand nuggets are best? My goos have a 1:1:1 mix of Rosewoods meadow menu, PAH & science selective - seems to enjoy it all. Should I do the same with the chins do you think? A mix of the top 3 chin pellets? I bet you £100 they're on that horrible Charlie Chinchilla mix, hate their Gertie Guinea pig & the rabbit & hamster foods too. Everyone uses it sadly. Dry pasta is a new one on me, interesting. I read a lot about cuttle fish being good but I question how natural that is & also as a vegan, if they don't need it, I'm not buying it. Dave had one years ago, never touched it. Just had a quick look at the chin nutrition forum, found that chins & goos both love spider plants! Totally new idea to me, but cheap & easy to do. I wonder if natnat is around, she seems to be one of the few active chinchilla posters left.
Just had a quick look at their cage on that preloved ad - no wheel, only 1 shelter, no toys - looks clean, but pretty bare. They're gonna loove it here, already picked out a new tic tac wheel for them!
|
|
|
Post by skardsen on Oct 8, 2016 16:50:55 GMT
Luckily mine were on Science Selective for chinchillas before I got them, so I don't really see any harm in keeping them on that for a while. I have been adding some Rosewoods Meadow Menu, but only Fluff likes it and she only eats one a day. Either way though, I found Science Selective to be very well balanced for their nutritional needs, so if they're not on that already, I'd consider gradually moving them onto it. Just like degus, their digestive tract can't handle sudden changes to their diet, so make any changes slowly. I would only consider cuttlebone if they had an obvious serious calcium deficiency that needed treating straight away, otherwise they get what they need from the nuggets and forage. I haven't had any luck with giving them fresh basil but I haven't tried any other herbs just yet. As for woods to chew on, mine really enjoy willow and apple but haven't showed any interest with anything else. I might look into getting a spider plant.
The girls had a wheel in their previous home, but it was the plastic, 10.5 inch one you get a PAH. Luckily, they never used it. I'm not sure if they even could walk in a wheel that small. Their dust bath is also plastic and not really big enough for them to stretch out and roll around in, although they do like to squash together inside it sometimes (no idea how they both fit in there). They often just dig a bunch of it out and roll around on the cage floor instead. I wanted to get them a John Hopewell one but he doesn't make them any more.
|
|
|
Post by moletteuk on Oct 9, 2016 10:04:47 GMT
I just wanted to let you know I don't know anything specifically about Chinchilla feeding and we don't have any up to date or specialist info on the forum about chin feeding. It sounds weird to me that seeds aren't recommended, why would that be? Look out for resources recommending forage, this is the only unequivocably healthy food, so I would only trust sources that recommend it. German sources tend to have the most healthy and forward thinking info (and American usually the least). If anyone knows any german or is a whizz with the translator tools, I can recommend this site www.degupedia.de/forum/ Another good thing to do when thinking about diet is to research what they eat in the wild.
|
|
|
Post by skardsen on Oct 9, 2016 17:07:24 GMT
moletteuk There's just a lot of contention as to whether chins can actually digest seeds or not. I will say that I give mine a snippet of millet spray every day and it hasn't done them any harm. randomname One thing I often forget is how poor their eyesight can be. Floss was running around the room today, and even though I was in full view, she ran face first, at full sprint, into my knee. Poor thing got scared and I couldn't get her to go back in her cage after hours of waiting (they normally go back in when they're ready). I ended up having to pick her up which caused a little bit of furslip. She's ok though, just a little stressed out. Next time I'll be more mindful of it. The thing with her is that the longer she's out, the more excited she gets, so she eventually starts flying around the room and she's so quick.
|
|
|
Post by randomname on Oct 10, 2016 7:10:36 GMT
Found this website - www.chinchillachronicles.com/chinchilla_nutrition_food_and_diet.html seems like a good source of info. There is a bit about treats & seeds on this page www.chinchillachronicles.com/chinchilla_nutrition_food_and_diet_continued.htmlI suspect the very occasional sunflower seed might be ok, but it would set my mind at rest if I could find someone who already feeds their chins seeds with no ill effect. I think the ChinsRus forum is only accessible via their facebook page & I'm not on FB any more, but heard good things about the forum. I used to give Dave a bit of millet spray very occasionally too, no problems, but we were just desperate to get him eating. One tip my exotics vet gave me was that if they wouldn't take meds, a tiny bit of banana was ok, it's easy to inject meds into & easy for a sick chin to eat. Not a usual treat. I know they like fenugreek crunchies, but never met a critter that wouldn't eat them yet! Poor Floss, I can't help but laugh, we have a dopey dog who does stuff like that. So undignified, but funny (sorry) I'm going to take my landlady up on the offer to put a door up in my front room, currently it's open plan. Am a little wary of letting them out as Eddie the cat is a murderous hunter & all round sod. Have been up since 4am, all excited to meet my new boys tonight. Been a couple of years since I had the honour, am hoping they settle in & relax enough for an ear scratch soon, missed touching their soft beautiful fur. If I had room, I'd be looking for a cat & rabbit in rescue with chinchilla fur! Just realised my favourite kinds of animals are hairless & super fluffy... just like my favourite kinds of men!! lol Edit: omg! just threw up in excitement! what the hell?!! I am a 40yr old woman, not a 5yr old at xmas!! Not even sure if she's leaving them here tonight, or if I'm just meeting them. Jeez i AM superlame (as the kids call me)
|
|