[Z Car Barbie]

I just got to see a Chinchilla up close and in-person! Sorry, I'm making a big fuss over it, but I've never seen one before, other than in pix. I went to PetsMart, and to my surprise, they had 2 Chins for sale. They were just beautiful! I originally went there to buy Rusty some bloodworms and a heater, but, of course, I spent 2½ hours there, then 1 hour at Petco just looking at all of the pets. LOL!

The gray Chin looked a lot like a larger version of Jade's Mirage, but with big pointed ears. It just looked at me for the longest with that cute lil face. Awe!! Gosh, I didn't realize they were that expensive ... this one was $119! But, I just browsed through our Classifieds, and found one listing for $200. Is $100 about the average price to pay for a Chin from a breeder or pet store?

I so wish I could have one! It wouldn't be fair to it though, cuz I have 2 big doggies, and it wouldn't be able to play without fear. Plus, I have a hard enough time trying to find babysitters (no kennels for my pups - ). Rusty is easy ... just throw a bundle of Anacharis plants in his tank to feed on while I'm away for a few days, and he's set.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share my excitement with you. :tramp: And, I now see how Chins can win your heart with just one look. :heart:

 

[Jade]

:lol: Chins can range from $50 to $600+ depending upon the color and quality.

Mirage is actually a white ebony, rather than a standard grey - was the chin grey or white and grey?

Glad you enjoyed seeing them, they're really a neat animal. :yes:

 

[Z Car Barbie]

:lol: Chins can range from $50 to $600+ depending upon the color and quality.

Mirage is actually a white ebony, rather than a standard grey - was the chin grey or white and grey?

Glad you enjoyed seeing them, they're really a neat animal. :yes:

Thanks, Jade!

:yikes: Up to $600? Is it the size, age or type of the Chin, or all of the above, that can make it get up that high in price? Yes, this one was all gray, not like Mirage, but it reminded me of her because of it's other features. I am clueless as to the different types of Chins, but does being a solid gray make it less expensive? Do you think the one I saw was an adult? It was very big ... just guessing, about 7" wide (while sitting) and about 8-9" tall (including front leg height).

 

[Jade]

It was likely at least 6 months old if it were that size.

Price is dependent upon several factors. Rarity of the color is one of the major factors. For example, a 'solid violet' which is a cross between ebony and violet, would be quite a bit more expensive than a standard grey chinchilla. Quality plays another factor. A 'pet quality' grey chinchilla would probably be around $50-100. A show quality standard grey could go for as much as $300 or more, depending. Mirage, for example, comes from two proven show 1st place chinchillas and has a mix of 2 mutations, white and ebony; she would cost $250. It's really dependent upon many, many factors.

 

[Z Car Barbie]

Oh, wow! That's interesting. Thanks for the info., Jade. :bow:

Ummm, something else ... I saw another thread about making treats for Chins from store-bought ingredients. Do Chins like the same types of treats as rabbits? The reason I ask is cuz every year for Christmas, I make 12-15 batches of homemade dog treats and give them to my family and friends who have dogs. And, I know of some recipes for rabbits, but didn't know if they would be suitable for Chins (or safe, as far as the ingredients). If so, I'd be more than happy to post those recipes in another thread, if anyone is interested in making them for their Chins. (At least you'd know what's in them - lol).

 

[Jade]

Generally speaking, rabbit treats are safe for chinchillas. They do best on a 'boring' diet, however. I tend to stick to shredded wheat and hay varieties as 'treats' rather than sweets and such.

 

[Z Car Barbie]

Oh, cool! I'll go through those recipes and see if there's any that are healthier, as far as mostly wheat grains, barley and oats, and post the recipes in another thread for anyone who is interested. Thanks again.

***Edit: BTW, Chins like fruit & veggies too, right? Sorry for the silly question, but I know nothing about Chins. LOL!

 

[Jade]

Typically dried versions of fruits/veggies are better tolerated, yes.

 

[Z Car Barbie]

Thanks, Jade!

 

[DirtySouthChins]

Aweee sounds like you'll be hooked in no time :lol: With all the animals we have here, our Chinnies actually have their own room, Darren built a screen door so it stops the cats from getting there and we can let them out for play time w/out any worries
I see a new chinnie owner/addict in the future :rofl:

 

[Z Car Barbie]

Aweee sounds like you'll be hooked in no time :lol: With all the animals we have here, our Chinnies actually have their own room, Darren built a screen door so it stops the cats from getting there and we can let them out for play time w/out any worries
I see a new chinnie owner/addict in the future :rofl:

LOL! I soooo wish!!! How much play time does a Chin need? And, what do you do when you're on vacation? What I'd really love to have is a Flemish Giant Rabbit, which, from my research, it can get bigger than any other rabbit (bigger is better for me - lol). Is that true? How big is the largest known Chin breed? I feel that the larger it gets, it'd get along with my huge doggies better once it reaches adult size ... but, that'd be a big decision to make, considering that my dogs have never been around other animals. Would be a huge decision to make ... and figure out the alternatives if it doesn't work out ... and I REALLY want a Chin or Flem!!!! Oh, how I do!!! Is it possible?

 

[DirtySouthChins]

We usually let ours out for a min. of 20-60 minutes each night, but lately we have been on a wierd schedule, but I do try to at least give them 3-4 hours a week! When we go on vacation, we make arrangements with somebody that is trust worthy to care for our chinchillas. Chinchillas have to remain in a controlled temp. environment, usually between 60-70 degrees. As far as the size of chinchilla's it can vary, I know some breeders that have chins over 1000g and even up to 1200g the however there are some that may only weight 600-800g (which is an average).
Flemish giant bunnies are quite large, I posted a link in the bunny section with a girl holding a flemish giant and the bun was only only 3 months old! let me see if I can find that thread so you can get a general idea to their size.
Chinchillas are not specified in different breeds, they are specified by their color, you have the standard gray and then you have mutation colors, like ebony, tans, beige, white, violets, etc....

Here is the thread about rabbit sizes, if you scroll down you'll find the link I was mentioning above
http://www.paw-talk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=22866

 

[Z Car Barbie]

Ouuuuuhhhh! Thanks, for the info. and link, NavyWife! Oh, gosh, I'm wondering if I could ever have a Chin then ... my babysitters only know how to open the back door to let my dogs out, when to give them treats and feed them. My dogs will tell you themselves when they need out, expect a treat, or want to be feed - lol. The bunnies I had, one was litter box trained and so sweet and friendly, but he kept chewing on phone and lamp cords - so I gave him away (I was 17 years old at the time, and didn't know what to do, but didn't want him to die from electrical shock); the other one I got 2 years ago ... my dogs barked at her, which scared her, and I felt it was best to give her back to the pet shop. It was a bunny that my cousin's ex-fiancé had bought (with his money), then she ran off with another guy, and he ended up moving in with me for a few months and gave me the rabbit to care for. I put her in a 48" x 60" cage, and she wasn't friendly in the least bit toward me, so I was afraid to let her out of the cage, cuz she tried to bite me several times when I was changing her water and feeding her (pull-out tray on the extremely large cage helped when changing her bedding every day). I had her for 4 months, and finally decided it was best to just take her back to the pet shop. I begged the pet shop owner to take the bunny back and give her a good home, and she did ... made her a pet within her own home, cuz she couldn't resell her, not knowing of any problems she might have had since the time of sale. I'm so glad!

I think that if I get a baby Chin or Flem, then my dogs can get used to it with periodic, and well-supervised, exposure ... they need the gradual exposure, I think. Then when the animal gets bigger, my doggies just might grow to love it. BTW, my 76 and 94 lb. dogs have been housed within my home with other adult dogs that I've babysat from 2-7 days, weighing from 5 lbs. to 32 lbs.; even a stray 12 lb. Cockapoo that my doggies told me about, which made it's way under my fence, until I could reach the owner. My doggies got along with him just fine (no territory limits whatsoever - and they all slept in the bed with me). That's why I'm thinking I might can pull this off with a Chin or a Flemish that will become larger eventually. Kind of scary, but, I'd like to try it. What do all of you think about that? I'd really love to know your opinions before even attempting to get a Chin or Flem.

BTW, which would you consider less maintenance (including vacation time for someone else to have to worry about) ... the Chin or Flem?

 

[Chinchilla_Girl]

I have 11 chinchillas, 2 rabbits and 2 pitbulls. The chins have their own room that the dogs are not allowed to enter without me being in there and chins are NEVER out of their cages when the dogs are there. I close the chin room door most of the day to keep the dogs out as just their presence can stress out certain chins. The rabbits are housed in the livingroom and the dogs are around them all day long. Most of the time they ignore the rabbits and when I'm feeding/watering or cleaning cages, the dogs usually sit on the couch and watch. I've just now started to introduce the dogs and rabbits so both can be out playing. Dutchie is pretty calm and he'll sit on my lap with the dogs around without a problem. Lucky won't come out of his cage if the dogs are in the room. So, usually for bunny playtime, I put the dogs outside. You can have chins and dogs, but I wouldn't recommend letting them play together. Dogs are MUCH bigger than chins and can accidently hurt them. Most chin/dog owners let their chins out to play in a bathroom with the toilet lid down. That's what I did until we moved the chinnies into their own room. As for when we are away, I have 2 petsitters I know I can count on. One has several chins of her own along with dogs and cats. The other currently has no pets but used to have a chin (she gave it to me when she moved and couldn't have pets where she lives). If for some reason neither of them could pet sit, one of the vet techs at work does a lot of pet sitting and I know I can trust her with all the animals.

 

[Padfoot]

I have one question for you chin people.. hehe. When you let the chins out to play, you let them all out, even ones that are on different cages? Or just cagemates at a time? Are they very territorial and hard to introduce to a new cage mate or do they make friends easily with strange chins?

I haven't seen a chin, but I'm too a bit fascinated by them and have been following this thread.. hehe..

 

[Jade]

I have one question for you chin people.. hehe. When you let the chins out to play, you let them all out, even ones that are on different cages? Or just cagemates at a time? Are they very territorial and hard to introduce to a new cage mate or do they make friends easily with strange chins?

I haven't seen a chin, but I'm too a bit fascinated by them and have been following this thread.. hehe..

I typically let one cage out at a time. Female chins in particular can be territorial towards one another and I've had one lose 2 toes to other females through the cage wire.

You can do introductions, but they need to be done carefully. I have a detailed article on my site: http://www.chinnitude.com in the care section.

 

[Padfoot]

Hmmm.. kinda like gerbils in that aspect, then... Thanks! I'll have a look at your site. 8)

 

[Z Car Barbie]

Oh, thanks for the info., Mandie! Padfoot, you have a good question. I'm curious about that too. Also, Mandie, have you ever let your Chins and rabbits play together under close supervision?

**Edit: Oops ... just read Jade's post above ... I'm typing to slow today. LOL!

 

[Padfoot]

You have a great site Jade!!! Thanks for posting it!!! 8) I bookmarked it. hehe

 

[Jade]

:blush: Thanks!