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    TOP CHINCHILLA MARKETED PRODUCTS TO AVOID!

    Posted by Jennifer Snyder on Fri, Oct 02, 2009 @ 08:01 PM
      
      
      
      

    Although many items at a pet store may be marketed for a chinchilla, they may not be chinchilla safe products. Here are a list of products to steer clear of that can be harmful or even fatal for your chinchilla.

    chinchilla plastic exercise ball

     

    1. Plastic Exercise Ball-These round plastics pet ball are very dangerous have caused many deaths in chinchillas. They have poor ventelation so they become hot. As everone reading this foum should be awate chinchillas are very heat sensitive. These platic balls very easily cause chinchillas to overheat and go into heat stroke.

    2. Mesh Small Pet Exercise Wheel With Spokes- Many chinchillas have ended up with broken legs and severed limbs due to getting their feet caught in the spokes of these wheel. A safe alternative would be the flying saucer wheels.

    3. Pine/Cedar Wood Chip Bedding- The problems with softwood shavings such as pine and cedar stem from the natural, armotic chemicals called phenols that give the woods their natural aroma. These phenols interact with the liver and respiratory system in the body, potentially producing unwanted and harmful side-effects.

    4. Wired hay feeder-  Hay feeders run similar risks to the problem with the mesh wheel. Your chinchilla can eaily get a foot stuck in the mesh and get injured. I have also read in forums chinchillas crawling inside of them and getting stuck. (Thank you for the submission Rosemary!)


    I am continuing to think of things to avoid, but was wondering if you have any specific ones in mind? I would love to have a complete list to help the chinchilla community. Please put suggests in the comments section below.


    Thanks!

    Jennifer

     


    Tags: 

    Comments

    What about the wood 'shelves' that are made of pine? Are those bad for them too? 
     
     
     
    Also those citra chews. Find so much misleading infor on this stuff. 
     
     
     
    We use aspen bedding...having been told that THAT is safe...sure hope so!! 
     
     
     
    BTW, we bought the Balls, and don't use them now!! Read about how they could over heat so easily... 
     
     
     
    Also, our chins won't use the flying saucer? Any ideas to get them to?
    Posted @ Friday, October 02, 2009 10:54 PM by Kelly
    Thank you for sharing this information with us chinchilla pet owners. I would like to add one chinchilla item to your existing list and that's the wired hay feeder for chinchilla cages. One of my chinchillas got to running so fast inside her cage that she bounded off one of the sides of the cage and caught her hind foot in the hay feeder. Fortunately this happened in my presence and I was able to rescue her before she injured herself. I no longer use anything that is made of wire and has to be hooked to the inside of the chinchilla cages.
    Posted @ Saturday, October 03, 2009 3:59 PM by Rosemary Buchanan
    Kelly, Mine didn't get how to use the wheel at first either, once he got the hang of it he LOVED it. I used a treat to get him on top of it and coaxed him to move forward with the treat. He started running on it, was a little spooked and jumped off. Then he hoped back on and tried it again. After he realized what it was for he was on it all the time. One of those balls came with this rescue chinchilla we had a few years back. Before I realized how dangerous they could be I tried it a couple of time. Chinchillas hate them anyways. I would check that link above on the wood bedding. It can be tough when they market things that you think are safe and they are not.
    Posted @ Saturday, October 03, 2009 4:51 PM by Jennifer Snyder
    Rosemary that you for that great submission I will also add it to the list above. Thank goodness you were present when it happened and your chinchilla avoided injury! I recall people in chinchilla forums with horror stories from those hay feeders.
    Posted @ Saturday, October 03, 2009 4:53 PM by Jennifer Snyder
    Also Rosemary do you happen to have a link to a picture of the one that you had problems with? I would like to add it so people know exactly what to look out for. Thanks again!
    Posted @ Saturday, October 03, 2009 5:02 PM by Jennifer Snyder
    Pretty much any of the pellets w/ the treats mixed in. 
     
    Ramps made of mesh wire (can get limbs stuck). 
     
    The entire line of Snak-Shak items, and most treats found at Pet Stores.
    Posted @ Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:24 PM by Laura
    THANK YOU for posting these! Those exercise balls are such a death trap. Also, I have read horror stories about certain in-cage feeders where chinchillas have become trapped inside and either overheated or suffocated. All your chin really needs for food is a ceramic bowl on the bottom level and, for hay, I suggest using a bin that hangs on the outside of the cage where the chin pulls the hay through the wires. 
     
     
     
    I also agree with the other comments here - wire ramps should be removed. They can be dangerous and are unnecessary at best. There are VERY few things I find adequately safe for chinchillas at pet stores, in fact. I currently only purchase timothy hay there. For safe treats to buy online, check out the "Product Reviews" link on the menu bar above. 
     
     
     
    To Kelly, pine shelving is safe so long as it is kiln-dried pine. Fresh pine is toxic. And yes, Aspen bedding is safe for chinchillas.
    Posted @ Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:49 AM by Amanda S.
    I bought a saucer excercise wheel for my chin and have had absolutely no problems with it. 
     
    Once they get used to using them, they use it all the time. 
     
    The person that invented that wheel is a chin rescue breeder that lives near my home town. They even send you extra ball bearings to replace them when they get bad or worn. My chin usually gets his excercise by letting him out to run around the small house we have and we have chin proofed our house. Compared to the other excercise wheels that we inspected before buying, I feel that this one is the safest.
    Posted @ Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:49 PM by Teresa M
    Oh Wow very cool that the inventor is your neighbor. I would love to have him write an article on the process of inventing the wheel and his background. It is an AMAZING product. I have 1 in one of my cages and they all pick it up with time. My little ebony has it now. I have been meaning to buy a couple more. They are pricey, but they are quality and seem to last forever.It is also very safe. I have never heard of any issues with this one. You think the inventor would care to write a brief article? That would be SO COOL!
    Posted @ Thursday, December 03, 2009 8:25 AM by Jennifer Snyder
    My chinchilla loves her exercise ball?
    Posted @ Tuesday, February 16, 2010 10:32 PM by Brittany Lynn Valdez
    Hey Brittany, 
     
     
     
    It's not that the chinchilla won't *like* the ball, the problem is that they become quickly and easily overheated and go into heat stroke. There is not enough ventilation and the chinchilla will generate heat exercising. If you care for your chin, please discontinue use of the exercise ball and, instead, set up a safe area for her to run around in :) If this is not possible, a metal exercise wheel will work too.
    Posted @ Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:19 PM by Amanda S.
    I have a problem now. After reading this I got rid of the plastic ball. and stuck a in the cage running wheel. and she hates it, she doesn't run at all and whenever i let her play in my room, she just jumps in her ball and try's to run. Ive tried treats, and she still doesn't use it? any suggestions?
    Posted @ Wednesday, March 03, 2010 8:18 AM by Monica
    Hi Monica, 
     
    It sounds like your chinnie was used to the ball. It took my chinchillas a little while to learn to use their wheel and I had to coax them with treats. I would recommend giving the wheel some time/ Even if your chinchilla loved the plastic ball, I know several owners have had problems with the product and would still not recommend taking the risk. I tossed mine when I read up on it.
    Posted @ Wednesday, March 03, 2010 9:19 AM by Jennifer Snyder
    Plastic water bottles! 
     
    I absentmindedly gave my first chin the same one that I used for my rabbit (after cleaning it throughly, of course), not realizing that Chinchillas are much more avid chewers than other rodents, and he ended up chewing a hole into it and felt like crap for about a week, refusing to eat, thus causing me to have to take him to the vet. I went back to my pet store and got a glass one with a metal protective cover for the plastic part that screws onto the bottom and I haven't had issues since. I know that most people know this but I cannot count the amount of pet stores that still try to market plastic water bottles in the chinchilla section and for naive new chin owners (particularly know-it-alls like myself) it needs to be mentioned.
    Posted @ Monday, June 14, 2010 11:58 AM by Julia
    Hello, 
     
    I have a large chinchilla. Honestly the largest one I have ever seen. We tried the ball when we first got him and that was just a big mess he would poop and then just get it all in his hair. Then I bought him a saucer and he would just use it as a toilet. He would get in it pee and then get off. I tried and tried to get him to run on it and he just will not. He is 4 years old now and I am wanting to find him a safer way to exercise beside just in my bath room. We have a old house with many places he could get stuck so the bathroom is the only safe room to let him out in and it is a little room. Does anyone have any Idea???? I have thought about buying him a baby play pen with a net top but that still seems kind of small. 
     
    Any advice would be great. We adopted him last Christmas at 3 years old so he is around 4 yrs old now.  
     
    Beth
    Posted @ Monday, November 22, 2010 12:39 AM by Bethany
    I've had a chinchilla for 6 years now and I bought a huge cage for him. I bought some small wire mesh and zip tied it to the bottom of his cage so that most everything can fall thru to the bottom and that way he is not exposed to sawdust. I line the plastic bottom with newspapers and clean up is so easy. We bent the sides of the mesh down to fit inside the plastic bottom so he can't get hurt. I hope this helps somebody out there.
    Posted @ Monday, November 22, 2010 7:42 PM by Tmcgee
    Tmcgee, 
     
    I'm not sure but I think that they don't have to actually touch a product to have problems if it is fragrant. It can bother eyes and lungs. I don't know if sawdust has any fragrance issues but just thought I'd mention the problem. Cedar is probably the worst.
    Posted @ Wednesday, January 26, 2011 1:16 PM by Kelly H
    I swapped both my chinchilla cages to using a fleece bottom rather than any other type of bedding and it's been awesome! I've heard that chins won't chew fleece and even my most voracious chewer hasn't bothered it. I have a spare for each cage and, once a week, I take them out, shake them out (outside), and throw them in the washing machine. I clean the cage and put the spare fleece in the cage. Saves tons of money on bedding and tons of dust issues with bedding. Plus, it is a very soft place for the chins to "do their business" :) Urine soaks in and I've never noticed an odor or wetness.
    Posted @ Wednesday, January 26, 2011 1:21 PM by Kelly H
    Beth, 
     
    We have a pet fence. It comes with 5 panels but we also bought an extra 3 panels to add-on and make it larger. My daughter can sit in it and there's room for a chin to run in and climb over my daughter :) The fencing shouldn't be used without supervision, though, since the chins sometime tug on it and a smaller chin might get its nose stuck between the bars :)  
     
    The fence also comes with a cover which is supposed to be used on the bottom so that it collects any poop and you can just shake it out but I've put it on as a top cover when I've let the chins run in it outdoors just in case there are any wayward hawks around. Plus, the cover/bottom sort of binds the fence so it can't come apart...not that it ever has for us...I rarely use the cover/bottom. 
     
    The chins love to play on the grass outside. 
     
    I also take the fence apart (all panels are removable) and use it to block certain areas inside the house, usually my kitchen and bathrooms. Our kitchen doesn't have any doors so we block the exits to the dining room and main room using the panels. Helps to make a larger "safe" area for chins to play -- never leave chins unsupervised, though. 
     
    Just an FYI -- my SIL is a vet tech and she says they've seen several chins that have gotten into an open fireplace because the dust makes a great bath. They had burned their little feet on hot ashes :(
    Posted @ Wednesday, January 26, 2011 1:32 PM by Kelly H
    I have rescued a 2yr old chinchilla female. 
    One night she was running in her steel round wheel with a "L" frame to support it. I decided to check on her 3am to find her hanging by her wrist from the "L" shape frame support cross bar.  
    I took her to the vet found out that her wrist & shoulder is broken, $800.00 later.  
    I no longer use this wheel. Yet my other chinchilla 
    uses it all the time have not any problems with it. 
    I had bought a plastic wheel that attaches to the side of the cage this is a lot safer than the steel but as they run the wheel is more nosier as well as 
    vibrate more. BEWARE of steel wheel FRAMES!
    Posted @ Monday, May 23, 2011 4:19 PM by Carolyn
    I use to have a steel running wheel til one day my baby girl was on top one of them, she fell stuck out her paw got it caught in the side bracket on the side, I don't know how long she was hanging there. 
    In the morning I went in the room to check up on her & her mate to find her hanging by her wrist, I rushed her into a vet there the vet told me that she had lost all her feelings,nerves,torn muscules etc.. the vet said either wrap up her arm or have her shoulder taken off. The vet said the chin would live,have a perfect happy life, they deny me to phone to my mom for advice instead they corner me in the back room  
    (putting her down was not an option)  
    they said, so I said surgery hoping that it was the right decisions. What A Nite Mare! 
    Never let a vet talk you into any thing including surgery! After surgery i brought her home the pain for her was so painful 
    she cried morning & nite even with meds, I 
    brought her back to the vet for check ups, 
    when they took her into the back room they sedated her, by the time I got her home with in an hour she died. $600.00 later for every thing including pain meds.
    Posted @ Thursday, June 09, 2011 8:07 PM by Karlyn
    We bought the flying saucer for our daughters chincilla and he wont use it. I bought a round exercise ball that attaches to the cage and he wont use that either. Any ideas so he gets enough exercise?
    Posted @ Wednesday, June 22, 2011 12:50 PM by Victoria
    Hi! This article was helpful because I didn't know you couldn't use a wire hay feeder! And I was about to buy one. Thanks so much for ALL the helpful articles. But now I need to find a non-messy easy way to feed hay to the chinchilla I will be getting soon. Any ideas?
    Posted @ Saturday, July 16, 2011 1:30 PM by Jayne
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