Teeth of Steel

3 MORE DAYS UNTIL NIMBUS'S BIRTHDAY!!!!! 

The house is buzzing with excitement these days. Nimbus's birthday is almost here. I still cannot believe I've owned him for a year now. All the moments of adorable-ness, all the moments of frustration, the destroyed remote buttons, the chewed homework, the stolen Hershey kisses, the flying pumice dust, the Cheerio tricks, all the moments of a fulfilling sense of companionship from owning a chinchilla. I won't lie. There were a lot of times I wondered why on earth had I adopted one of these crazy rodents. I wanted to give up. But, after this last month, I've realized just how much I love that ball of fluff. I'm a chinchilla lover now, but in reality, I'm a HUGE NIMBUS LOVER!! I may never own a chinchilla again, but I will always treasure whatever time I'm lucky enough to have with my Nimbus Cloud.

* * * * 

Chinchilla teeth can cut through anything, it seems like. Picture the scarab beetles from The Mummy (character spoiler in clip below). 

Ok, maybe they're not that bad, but the damage a chinchilla can cause is unbelievable. Arguably, the start-up costs will be the most expensive bills you pay for owning a chinchilla. In my opinion, it's damage control. Assuming your chinchilla never needs an emergency vet clinic visit like Nimbus, your chinchilla savings will go fast with the purchase of a sturdy cage and the accessories. However, once I move out of here, I'll be spending money on house repairs!!! 

This was where he first damaged the house.

This corner belongs in what is now Chris's bedroom. When I first moved into the house, it was my bedroom. But, when I chucked out my ex (We stayed in separate rooms. I don't know how people do this whole 100% living together in the same bed and all thing. Ya'll crazy and possess some insane patience!), I moved into the second bedroom, and the vacant room became the Chinchilla Room. It was such a relief. I could drop Nimbus off and let him run around without worrying about whether if he was under the oven or somewhere unsafe. He could no longer chew on my couch or get up on the kitchen counters via the couch. I would sit with him, working on my laptop or reading a book. However, I would also pop out to grab something to eat or homework I needed. I would take my time because Nimbus was safe and locked up in his special room. ...I returned to find him gnawing to China on the wall corner. The Chinchilla Room didn't last much longer for several reasons.

Baseboards are another treat. I hope I can paint this over with a few dabs of a similarly colored paint. It's not as noticeable as it looks. You can see Sansa's back leg on the left, and she's standing in the bathroom doorway. The baseboards face the washing machine/dryer. There's enough room for 1.5 persons to get through that little hallway. No one's really looking at the baseboards.

This next instance is my favorite because I didn't know it was scientifically possible! That is right next to the living room window overlooking the river.

It's mobile home wallpaper. That stuff is sucked tight into all the corners and seams of the house with tight perfection. There was no damage there before - no curled up edges, no miniscule tears. And then, here comes Nimbus. RIP! When I heard the noise, I whipped my head over and gaped at what I saw. How? What? But why?!? A beige strip stuck straight out of Nimbus's mouth, quivering from the motion of his whiskers. Then, he ate it like a potato chip!

Nimbus's teeth are not limited to walls and baseboards. They also greatly enjoy different objects and furniture in my living room. He either hates Will & Grace or that DVD box tastes like vanilla ice cream! 

My leather couch looks like a German Shepherd attacked it. Nope, just Nimbus.

I posted this on our Twitter page last night. I was sitting on the couch last night, and it was Chris who kept deterring Nimbus from getting behind the couch. Unbeknownst to me, the chinchilla wasn't attempting a behind-the-couch mission. He was chewing the heating pad cord draped down the back - something I'd completely forgotten about. If *someone* had just mentioned what the rodent was going after in the first place, we'd be spared a lot of grief, and I wouldn't need to purchase a new heating pad this week.

Finally, Nimbus's favorite not-allowed chew toy is a book or two. Clive Barker, Tolkien, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Irving, Rawlings... he doesn't mind. As long as it has pages and a spine, Nimbus is set on destroying a good book! To my English major friends, this is a punishable offense. Most likely by firing squad!

Clearly, I have more work ahead of me providing Nimbus with a safe household. You should not allow your chins to eat objects like these, and we try our best to discourage Nimbus from this activity. The couch is covered with blankets and pillows. The cat bed is pressed up against the bottom of the DVD shelf. We pay attention to where cords are in accordance to where Nimbus can reach. And, I say all this because I don't want you all to think I just let Nimbus jump around and get away with murder. These photos show past mistakes or lack of diligence on my part. Books, couches and DVDs are not snack items in any capacity. We do actually put out chew toys across the living room floor for him to play with, but it certainly doesn't look that way!

The point of this post was to get a laugh, a nod of understanding/sympathy and to ultimately point out (to a future owner) that if you're not in for the long haul, then a chinchilla is not a right pet for you. If you're in a smaller home with not many options for playrooms, these are what your belongings could look like. I didn't know this when I brought Nimbus into my home. I knew he'd chew, but I would have never pictured this. But, to me, they're just objects. As long as he never hurts himself, I'm not going to get upset over their destruction. I will discipline him and move him away, but the already inflicted damage doesn't cause me any concern. The heating pad... well, it was a disappointment, but its demise won't stop me from loving Nimbus. It's just one of the major aspects to consider before bringing in one of these bizarre, beautiful animals into your own. Chinchillas are not impulse buys!

Follow us on Twitter @ChillWithNimbus