How To Re-home Your Chinchilla
How To Keep Your Chinchilla From Suffering In The Heat
Heat and high humidity are not kind to chinchillas. Their bodies cannot survive grueling heat and high temperatures. Their thickness of their fur is higher than other animals. In fact, they have the highest thickness of fur than any land animal worldwide. It is the thickness of their fur that causes them to be resistant towards heat, especially high heat and humidity. If they come in contact with this, they can suffer from brain damage or heat stroke.
It is important that your pet chinchilla be kept inside a controlled climate in order to survive. You will need an air conditioning unit if the temperatures reach 70 degrees or above. The air conditioning unit should also have an auto function, where it will turn on and off by itself. Having fans is not enough to cool them. However, a ceiling fan is good for cold air circulation.
If your chinchilla takes in too much heat, they can suffer from heat prostration. Heat prostration is when your pet is lying on their side with labored breathing. They feel like they want to give up because this is too much for them to bear. Don’t allow your pet to stay in that position. Pick up the chinchilla carefully and gently. Keep your pet mobile and moving. Provide massages and head rubs. In the interim, while you’re still trying to keep your pet going, make sure you have the temperature lowered; otherwise, they may not make it after all.
Use a cloth and make sure it is not fringed or has any loose strings. Put it in the freezer to cover your frozen items. Then put your pet in there for few minute intervals. Leave the door slightly ajar. Put your pet’s feet on the cloth so it won’t touch the metal in the freezer. Spray mists of lukewarm or cool water on your pet’s body, stopping at the neck. After your pet becomes alert, use a towel to lightly dry their body. Make sure you’re in a cool room while you’re doing this. Provide a dust bath after they are completely dry.
If you keep your chinchilla in the basement, they will need a dehumidifier. They cannot stay anywhere where the humidity is high because it will create a fungus, which is harmful. The pet will also need an instrument like a thermometer that measures the temperature and humidity levels. These levels must be continuously watched to make sure they stay at a comfortable temperature for your pet.
During the winter season, the temperature should not be more than 70 degrees. The humidity should not be more than 80 percent where your chinchilla is existing. The sum of the two is not to go past 150. If it does, your pet is in danger for brain damage and death.
Other ways you can keep your chinchilla cool are providing them with frozen fruit bars. These are good for them to take small nibbles from. Ice cubes put in a bowl that won’t spill are good, also. Your pet should have a consistent supply of fresh water. No matter how you do it, make sure that your pet is properly cared for during the times of heat and humidity.
How To Keep Your Chinchilla’s Cage Clean And Safe
Before you put your pet chinchilla in their cage, it must be cleaned thoroughly. Once they’ve made it their home, you should clean it at least once a week. To keep the cage smelling fresh, you can use baby cornstarch powder or baking soda (preferably the Arm Hammer brand). It should be sprinkled in the areas where they urinate. Usually, your pet won’t venture into those areas, but if they do, they may contact a fungus.
If your pet’s cage has solid flooring, the bedding needs to constantly stay fresh. Keep the flooring area clean and use a disinfectant for the area. Pull-out litter pans that have a wire mesh may be in conflict with solid flooring. If the flooring is wire-based, make sure that you have shelves and mats installed to give your pet relief from standing on the wire mesh.
If you’re cleaning your pet’s cage at in your shower or outside, you must use disinfectant by scrubbing the cage with pet-safe cleaner soaked brush. Make sure you scrub the cage thoroughly and with lots of elbow grease. Only use hot water to rinse; it is easier to use something that sprays it off, like a hose or a shower attachment. Be sure that the cage is completely dry after rinsing. Any damp spots can produce mold or fungus, which would be detrimental to your pet.
It is strongly suggested that an opaque sheet is used around your pet’s cage. This is to contain the dust and other mess that is in the cage. It is also used as a barrier to chinchilla conflicts, in particular from the opposite gender. The sheet gives them the assurance that their area is safe and secure. It also shields them from some of the light during the daytime.
The mesh in the chinchilla’s cage should be no more than 1 by 1/2 on the sides and 1/2 by 1/2 on the flooring area. Do not get any mesh that exceeds those measurements; it is dangerous for your pet. If you’re not sure about the cage measurements or recommendations, do a search online for assistance. Because they’re so active, having ample room to run around is crucial. If you install mesh that is more than what’s required, you risk the chance of your chinchilla breaking the leg or foot bones if it gets caught in the mesh. The legs and feet are the most fragile parts of their body.
If your pet does experience difficulty with the mesh, they can suffer the loss of their legs and feet. They can also experience stress from being in the state of being caught up in the mesh. If this stress is not relieved and they remained trapped, your pet can succumb from shock related to the stress. Some chinchillas won’t even run around in the cage if they sense that there is too much mesh in there. Somehow they have a sense of their surroundings and know when they can move about freely. Not until they know their area is safe will they resume activity in the cage.
How To Re-home Your Chinchilla
Re-homing your chinchilla is not necessarily a delight to accomplish. However, if you are in a situation where you can no longer properly care for your chinchilla, the best thing to do is to seek out someone who can give it the love and care that they need. It will break your heart to let your pet go, especially if you’ve become bonded to it. It’s also better if you let someone else handle it rather than let it suffer and die.
You can start your search by placing classified advertisements in the section designated for exotic animals or chinchillas. Make sure you let them know that there is an adoption fee attached. You should set the fee at a starting price of $50.00. It has been advised that you should set it higher than that. This way, you will weed out the freebie seekers or cheapos. These types of people are usually not interested in taking care of a chinchilla; they just want to purchase it for their own corrupt whims.
The purpose of the adoption fees are to see if the candidate can properly and is financially able to take care of an exotic pet such as a chinchilla. Chinchillas need routine care not only from you, but also from a specialized veterinarian. When you’re dealing with specialties, that usually costs more than general things. If the interested person has an adverse reaction to the fees, then that’s a strike against him. You’ll know that they’re not interested in the chinchilla’s well being. You want to make sure that the person getting your pet is the most qualified.
Find out how long this person has been taking care of chinchillas. Did they keep them healthy and active? Ask them what kind of food did they feed them. Let them know what brand of pellets and hay you used, in the event it’s different from what they use for their pets. If they already have a chinchilla, will they try to get them together as mates?
Find out more information about trying to have more than one chinchilla in the same household. Find out about their veterinarian and how he or she takes care of their chinchilla(s). Does he or she have the best interest of the pet in mind? If the person were to go on vacation or had an emergency, is there someone available who is knowledgeable in taking care of chinchillas?
If they can answer your concerns and you feel comfortable with them, then your chinchilla may have a new owner and a new home. Before the prospect signs on the dotted line, take your chinchilla over there to see if they will adapt to their new environment.
The place should be clean and free from a lot of noise. Chinchillas aren’t comfortable with excessive noise in their domain and it’s easy for them to get infections. See how your pet interacts with them. If they do well and pass the test, then you probably have a winner. If your pet clams up and doesn’t get comfortable, then you may have to continue looking.
