One More Day!

Nimbus's birthday is TOMORROW!!!! 

I cannot begin to explain how excited I am. I'm really hoping that everything goes well tomorrow at the vet. I don't know how I'll be able to handle getting more bad news. We've been waiting so long for this moment, and if I can't give Nimbus a dust bath tomorrow after the appointment, I might I will break down and cry! Most likely in the vet's office!

It's been a long, slow process of recovery. And in every single moment, Nimbus has been the bravest little chinchilla in the world. He's suffered through all the vet visits, all the medications and the surgery itself without turning against humanity into a sour, angry critter and never once faltered in his love for play time. If anything, he's friendlier and more tolerant of human interaction! With everything he went through, Nimbus never slowed down. He's an amazing creature.

I'm still deciding what I want to do tomorrow. His vet appointment isn't until - this is going to suck - 2:45 in the afternoon. Yes, a 2:45 appointment for a nocturnal animal. This could be the last straw for Nimbus!

In all honesty, I haven't really prepared for his birthday. I've had my head in the clouds trying to get this whole job situation in control. Sadly, I was unable to travel to Kentucky yesterday due to bad weather... which means I'm in a bad mood. I looked forward to that trip for a week because I really need a break from this town. The interview is rescheduled for the end of next week, so I do have that to look forward to. It's not a closed door, just a postponed one. In the meantime, I sit at home caring for Sansa as she tears up the house wanting to go outside. The post operation paperwork for her spay surgery says she can't go outside until Monday, but I don't know how much more I can take. During the day, I keep her from hurting herself by detaching her from the curtains hanging over the door window, which she climbs like a clawed monkey. Then, in the evenings before bed, I sit on the floor in front of the chinchilla cage to bodily block her from Nimbus when he's put up between play times. Furthermore, I found bloody diarrhea in the litter box this morning. I'm 99% sure it belongs to Sansa, but you never know when something goes wrong like we found out with Nimbus. So, it could be Sparta! I'm on the look-out for the culprit, and I'm praying it doesn't end in a vet visit.

We're certainly going to celebrate tomorrow with that huge dust bath (vet willing), but I wish I could give him something unexpected like a different type of hanging toy. Still, money is tight, and this town is small. There aren't a lot of choices for small pet products. Well, the only way to know is to get in the car and head to town.

To the store!!

* * * * 

I've just returned from the store with birthday paraphernalia in hand. I must have stood in the small pet aisle of our local little pet shop for over half an hour. There just isn't anything there for chinchillas. Well, there is, but it's not chin safe. There were treat mixes full of dry fruit and nuts. There were hanging toys with all sorts of dye and unlabeled woods. I thought about getting the Ball Pen, like a McDonald's play area filled with those colored balls, but they're made of plastic and I wasn't sure if Nimbus would even bother with it. Then, I looked at carriers because of the recent vet visits and we might be moving. According to the packaging, it's suggested that you buy a wire cage that fits inside as well as the carrier (I see what you did there, Super Pet!). Aside from the fact that the pet store didn't have any of the smaller cages, I couldn't afford to buy both anyway. In the end, I found a grass play mat right as I was headed for the door. What luck! It was a very reasonable price, and Nimbus's current play mat is a disastrous health hazard because he pees on it. This one is made for a full-grown rabbit. I plan to cut it into two and place one in the usual spot and the other on a lower level. 

I know he'll love it because he always loves a good play mat, but I was disappointed as I walked out of the store. I love to spoil my pets, and I wish I had the financial resources to do it. I promised myself that when I get a job, Nimbus will get the birthday gift he deserves for being my awesome "bunny squirrel." Also on the list of items to save up for once I get that awesome job is a larger cage. But, that comes much later. 

In the back of my head, I know Nimbus will be overjoyed just to have the dust bath. He doesn't need more things in his cage to know that I love him. For the past couple of days, I've noticed his fur is becoming oily and separating. That dust bath will be the ultimate gift, and I hope to score The Squeak of Happiness. 

Chris and I will also celebrate with a double fudge chocolate cake! I shall try my best to make a little chinchilla face on top, but let's not get our hopes up. Nimbus, meanwhile, will be presented with a raisin on a plate! And, he will think it is the greatest day ever!

Vet Says Nimbus is on the Mend!

What do you know?? It's snowing again, and it's actually sticking!! The forecast predicted that we'll get 2-4 inches! That's pretty intense for these lower elevations in the valley. It looks like most of the Southeast will be slammed with snow. My mother and grandparents down in the northern part of South Carolina are expected to get just as much snow.

I'm excited to announce that our vet appointment this morning was nothing but good news!! Nimbus's injury is looking significantly better since Thursday, Jan. 23. The cut is beginning to scab over, and Dr. Wall estimated that everything should be back to normal in 10 days. That puts us at February 7 --- NIMBUS'S BIRTHDAY!!!!! That would be the greatest birthday present in the world: a happy, healthy Nimbus needing no medication and able to take a dust bath once again. I'd love to give him a dust bath for his birthday!

Speaking of medication, Chris and I got more good news when we discovered just how much Nimbus loves the taste of his antibiotics. Now, we don't have to hold him down. Instead, I sleepily stumble into the living room in the mornings and put the syringe near his mouth. He sucks it down while simultaneously chewing the plastic syringe. I think he takes the medicine just to chew on a new plastic object! Sneaky chinchilla! The evening dose is just as easy, except it doesn't interrupt my sleep. Thank goodness. I absolutely hated holding him down, which is the scenario that happened at the vet this morning. A poor vet assistant had chinchilla fur all over him! That stuff sticks to everything. Hopefully, he can get it off his uniform.

Here's a video of Nimbus taking his medication. Chris doesn't know how to work my camera, so the middle part is quite blurry, but you can see how easily Nimbus slurps up the antibiotics!

Also, check out Nimbus's new Get-Well-Soon toy!! He took to it quickly and chews it on a regular basis! Hooray! One of the hardest parts of shopping for your pets is determining if they're actually going to like it. I've bought too many cat toys that are completely ignored. But, I've learned my lesson now. Going to the store, I can recognize Sparta's tastes in fun and usually don't go wrong anymore in the toy department.

Carrot toss toy made of handwoven hay

So What Happened to Nimbus?

There's a poll going on to the right of your screen that asks what you think happened to Nimbus. His accident of a cut under his arm which required stitches is still a completely mystery. There are several different scenarios I can come up with, but each one of them has some sort of loophole that doesn't add up.

The night at REACH Animal Hospital was a crazy blur of events that I'd rather forget. There wasn't time to ask as many questions as I'd have liked about what was going on. Instead, it was lot of paperwork being shoved my way requesting permission for the next procedure and verifying that I understood how much the cost would go up if I did sign. So, I sent an email to Dr. Gibson on Sunday asking specific questions.

1. What did the cut look like exactly?
2. Were there other scrapes around it, like what a cat's paw would leave behind?
3. Why didn't we see any blood at home or on the way to REACH?
4. Was the cut deep or just on the surface?
5. How many stitches did it take?

Today, I got a response.

"I'm so glad to hear that Nimbus is doing well. The laceration could have been from a cat claw, a sharp piece of metal, or something similar. Chinchillas have very fragile skin. There is no way to know what caused it. There was exposed muscle under the cut but the cut was just through the skin. Most cuts don't bleed a lot unless a large blood vessel is cut as well."

Well, now I know the extent of the injury, but I'm back at square one. I can't just bubble wrap the entire house, so what do I do? I must closely examine the situation.

Scenario A: Sansa the cat made a grab at him. As much as I may want to put the blame on Sansa, I don't think she's the culprit. To blame Sansa is the easy way out. It relieves any guilt I will feel when I do give her up to a new home. However, I can't imagine how she would have made such a cut. From that night, I remember that Nimbus was out playing. When he was put up for a break, Sansa was let out of Chris's bedroom. She made an attempt at swiping at Nimbus, so she was promptly locked up again. I can't remember if she actually touched the cage, but if she had, she would have hit Nimbus's left side. His cut is on the upper part of his right arm. The cut starts on one side of his bicep then travels underneath the arm where the scapula connects to the humerus in humans (I don't know if chinchilla bones go by the same name). So, basically, his armpit. Now, how could Sansa have possibly stuck her claws into the cage, raked Nimbus's skin under his upper arm (which is typically buried deep into his thick chest fur) and on his right side?? When Nimbus sits on his lava ledge, he exposes his left side to the front cage wall. If he showed his right side, his face would be right up against the right cage wall. And unless Nimbus was pressed firmly against the cage wall, Sansa would not be able to get her claws close enough to lock under his arm like that. So, there's that.

Sansa in the snow yesterday.

Scenario B: He cut himself on his cage.This is the only plausible explanation I can come up with. So, his cage is made of metal... all metal. Looking at the actual cage itself, Nimbus would have cut himself on one of two things: the latches that hold the door closed or the rings that keep the cage together. At first glance, nothing seemed to be out of place. But, when Chris and I looked again a few days later, we saw some rings that weren't put on properly. Thanks for that, my darling ex... Anyway, to put on these little metal rings, you need a special tool that is shipped with the cage from Martin's Cages. Securing the rings is - excuse my language - an absolute bitch of a job! And if you're sick and tired of doing it... then you tend to slack off and just get it around the bars enough to where the walls will stay together. Should the rings not be fully tightened, the sharp edges are left exposed, pointing inside and outside the cage. I hope that makes some sense. (We just returned from the stitches-removing vet visit, and it did not end well... I'm a bit frazzled at the moment.) So, if one of the rings were exposed and Nimbus reached up with his arms against the cage wall, as he does regularly to get my attention, it is possible that when he brought his arm down that he caught a ring underneath his right arm and cut himself. But, we just saw the wound today clearly at the vet. It is right up under his armpit. To go that far back into his arm would mean that Nimbus plastered himself against a cage wall and dragged himself down back to the floor instead of pulling back and collecting his paws together like normal. Another loophole to this idea is that the rings hold together the walls and floors. How would a chinchilla stick his body that close to the corner of a cage to injure his arm? Same thing with the door latches, but they curve downward. If he were to cut himself on the door latch, the injury would have been on the top of his arm. I just... Argh, this is frustrating!

The door latches on Nimbus's cage, which is currently in its recovery set-up

Scenario C: The sharp edge of a toy. What if Nimbus jumped up to the third level of his cage (technically the fourth floor) and caught his arm on the corner of his Chinchiller? Sometimes, the Chinchiller hangs off the edge the top floor just a little. Could he have cut his underarm on the corner of the granite slab as he jumped up to sit on it? Chris is now examining the Chinchiller. No, it's too dull as we discovered. Chris raked the corner of the Chinchiller across his arm. Oh dear gosh, I pray he never does that again! I feel woozy now. While the Chinchiller may be a possibility, it's still unlikely. Looking at his other toys, none of them have sharp edges because that'd be dangerous. He has his hanging chew toy, two wooden logs, a Chinnie Buddy, hay play mat aaannnddd, yeah, that's it. He also has a beloved plush rabbit puppet, but of course, that's soft and cuddly. I've got nothing, absolutely nothing!

Nimbus sitting on his Chinchiller. A bad photo, I apologize.

Scenario D: He did it to himself. I'm not even sure what I mean by that. Is it possible for him to accidentally cut himself with his teeth? Surely, Nimbus would realize how much pressure to apply while grooming himself. So, I'm throwing out Scenario D completely.

Scenario E: He cut his arm on an object in his play area. I have scowered every corner of the living room and kitchen. I found nothing. I found nothing!! At first, I suspected the keys on the "Random Objects Table." But, the cut would have been jagged and needed a significant amount of pressure to cause such a wound as Dr. Gibson described. It couldn't have been the bookshelf, the DVD tower, any of the cat toys, the couch, the dining table, his dust bathtub, the dining chairs, the television, the cat food bin, and we pick up all of our belongings off the floor. Now, if he somehow escaped into the bathroom, well then, it couldn't be the toilet paper package, the paper towel package, the litter box or the toilet. I'm running out of objects in the house. My second gut feeling belonged to the cat tree, which Nimbus can run under and will occasionally jump on the first level. He comes in contact with five of the actual scratching posts. The rope circling the posts are held together by staples and glue. I've had to replace one post because of deterioration and exposure of the staples (see lighter scratching post in photo below). The other posts are safe. I ran my hands over all the posts that Nimbus is around. I felt no staples, no sharp edges, nothing that could hurt him.

Sparta's cat scratching tower

There must be something that I'm missing, some scenario that's staring me right in the face. I pray it's not his cage, the one place he spends the most time. And, I certainly hope it wasn't one of us, though how we scratched him doesn't draw any likelihood in my mind. Which leaves only one question, the one question I've been asking myself constantly and posting in this blog repeatedly: How do I keep Nimbus safe from harm when I can't find the source?

Taken by Chris

Recovery Update

Nimbus is doing well these days. Tomorrow, he will take the last of his pain killers/anti-inflammatory medication. The antibacterial will end on Monday evening. Last night, we noticed his purple stitches were more prominently showing, and Chris suggested that as the wound closed that they were being pushed out. But, I'm worried that he's messing with them. We can't watch him 24/7, but what if he does pull them out? We'll be back to where we started. It's just a headache.

He gets his stitches taken out on Thursday at 8:45 a.m. So, we have just under a week left to go. I've been slowly adding features back into his cage. Yesterday morning, I screwed in his pink lava ledge, which he's been very appreciative of. I also moved his metal hay holder, which dangles from the ceiling on a chain, to its normal location beside the lava ledge. He loves sitting up there, munching on hay. I also placed his Chinchiller back on the top floor next to his cuddle ledge. Gradually, his life is returning to normal. Personally, I believe the faster the better, but I don't want him to become overwhelmed.

For not taking a full body dust bath, his fur is surprisingly fluffy and clean. I'm sure he's grooming himself more without that dust bath. Furthermore, I know I complained earlier about losing our bond because I was sick and had to stay away from him. I shouldn't have complained. This injury has brought us closer together, but if that's what it took for him to bond, then I'd rather have never bonded at all. At least then he would have stayed safe and healthy.

Nimbus recovering.  His lava ledge and hay feeder are on the right.

The World of Chin Toys - The Best and Safest

Hey, everyone! I'm sorry I'm so late with this post. I clearly was not expecting Nimbus to be injured... how can anyone expect that? It's still such a shock to me. I can't figure out what happened, and I grow more frustrated every minute.

Nimbus is doing much better and takes his medicine easier. I think he now expects it, which breaks my heart. I hate holding him down for Chris to shove those hard syringes past his teeth. Luckily, he drinks it down instead of trying to spit it back at Chris. He spends the day sleeping in various spots in his cage and listening to his playlist. Some songs include "Coyotes" by Don Edwards, "Message for the Queen" from 300, "I Remember" by Stephen Sondheim, "Maybe Today" by Carbon Leaf and "Ribs" by Lorde.

I promised you all a post about safe toys for a chinchilla after leaving you hanging with poisonous toys. So here we are at last. I'll try to separate toys from cage accessories, but some go hand-in-hand.

The Oxbow Timothy products are wonderful toys to entertain and chew for chinchillas. Nimbus's first house was a Timothy bungalow. Now, it serves as a toy since he chewed himself a "sun roof." He enjoys sliding into the bungalow then popping his head out of the opening to survey his surroundings. He's like a chinchilla submarine. Try the lounger, the carrot, the play mat, the tunnel and other cool toys that your chin can nibble away at... instead of, you know, your copy of The Hobbit or your suede shoes. Many are considered toss toys and can be used in and outside the cage.

Nimbus's bungalow

Ware Willow Barbell Chew Toys are inexpensive and fun. Two balls of willow are woven together and attached by a willow stick. They come in different sizes to use for chinchillas, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits.

Any type of nesting toy like a chubby nest or lounger should be safe and also offer another chewing product to maintain healthy teeth. Just double check what type of hay is used. Timothy hay is the only hay that should be used in a chinchilla's staple diet. Other hays, like alfalfa, are to be used as treats, not everyday food. If you choose a toy made out a hay other than Timothy, you need to use to sparingly.

One of my favorite toys is the woven play mat by Super Pet. At only $5, the play mat provides your pet with three things. The first is that it's made of Timothy hay for more chewing. Secondly, little wooden stars and hearts are sewn into the mat for a different type of chewing. Finally, it's a great place to sleep. Nimbus loves rolling on his side and taking a nap on his mat. If your chin soils it, the mat is easy to cut. Nimbus's is missing a corner because he used it to pee on it too much. Now, it's safe for him to use again. He's on his second mat because he loves them so much.

Photo from petsmart.com/product

Hanging toys are great for entertainment, keeping those ever growing teeth in check and decorating your cage. Nimbus's favorite hangs down by a wooden hook and boasts one pumice stone and four wooden circles. I dangle it beside the top floor of his cage, so he can bat it around and exercise in order to chew it. The pumice stone is his favorite, which is great because he refuses to eat a regular pumice stone. That boxy rock just sits in his cage. Very annoying! Chinchilla City has some very interesting hanging toys, including the "chinshroom," which is half of a coconut shell and a vine stem, The Carnival, Pumice Wreath and Loop the Loop. TJ's Chinchilla Supplies also has fun, decorative variations. Chins want to do more than chew on a willow stick or nibble on a pumice stone. With hanging toys, they are presented with a challenge, which usually includes different types of chewing material.

The Alien from TJ's Chinchilla Supplies

If you'd like to help out chinchilla adoption agencies and rescues, you can always check your favorite site to see if they have a store. As you all know, I love Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue. I just love them! I trust their information, and they have a wonderful little store. For $16, you can get a Purple Pail of Goodies. In this pail you'll find, treats, chewing sticks of different woods, a wreath, a key chain for you, Timothy hay and a pumice stone. They carry lava ledges, Timothy twists, some toss toys, hanging toys like the Cactus Twist, baskets and a large willow cube.

Chinny Buddies!!!! It's fun to say, and they're just adorable! I said in a previous post that Nimbus doesn't enjoy his... well, more for me! I love it! It's just too cute. Pick one of five colors to either match your furry friend or give the cage a splash of of something new. They're the same size as a chinchilla (there are also mini Chinny Buddies), and each one is handmade out of fleece. If you can't purchase a bonding pair, this little playmate can provide company during the day when you're not around. However, Nimbus choose a different kind of companion, but that's a story for another day.

Nimbus and his Chinny Buddy

Then there are playhouses!! Let's bust out the fun outside the cage with mazes, ramps, boxes, cubes, tubes and oh so many places to hide. Twilight Chinchillas has some very innovative playhouses to get that lazy chin moving, chewing and exploring. Hide Cheerios in the tubes or purchase additional ramps from other stores to create your own unique chinchilla castle!!

I hope these products give you ideas and options of fun toys your chinchilla will enjoy. Just because they can't be colorful with a bunch of dyes and plastic doesn't mean you have to settle for colorless, plain wooden woven balls or chew sticks. There is an entire world of chin safe toys and activities to keep both of you entertained and help with bonding. Happy trails and enjoy!!

The World of Chin Toys - The Poisons and Death Traps

PLAY TIME! I love picking out toys for my pets. Sadly, my pets are never as excited about the toys as I am (except when it comes to Sparta and his cat nip), but I feel like I'm buying presents for myself. Own up! You love that you get to play with them, too, while spending time with your animals. The other day I came home with a flyer toy for Sparta and Sansa, which has interchangeable ends like the feathers, the streamers and the fuzzy tail. I hope I explained that toy right. I feel like I've only created a vague image. However, it is a fascinating toy as Sansa will do back flips in the air trying to catch the feathers or fuzzy tail. It also helps distract her from Nimbus's cage at night.

For chinchillas, toys have specific regulations for safety reasons. Chinchillas have such sensitive digestive systems that many toys found in Petsmart or other pet stores which have chinchilla images on them are actually very dangerous for them. Chew blocks with dyes and specific treats will more likely hurt them than create fun play time. I'm going to take a random, unnamed super pet store and go through some of their products. This means I cannot post links, but I will post links to safe, entertaining toys from chinchilla specific stores in a future post.

Not to Buy:

No, no, no! Photo from wag.com

1. Run-around balls - According to Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue, these are death traps. Not only are they made of plastic, which if eaten by a chinchilla is a health hazard, but they are suffocating. "I call it the 'Torture Ball', but many in the chinchilla community call it the 'Death Ball'. Get the picture? These balls do not allow air flow (despite the slits), and your chin can easily overheat. They are very unsafe for your chin. Your chin also poops and pees in them, which means that is getting tossed around as he is moving around. The chin also has no control when in one of these and can bang into furniture or fall down stairs. For those of you who have one of these and think your chin likes it, well -- he doesn't, he is trying to escape from it. Throw it away and find a better and safer way for your chin to get exercise." I didn't mean to quote this whole paragraph, but it's beautifully written and 100% true. 
2. All Living Things Rainbow Chews - This goes back to the fact that dyes are dangerous. They are advertised as "non-toxic," but they also boast fruit flavors. Where do the fruit flavors come from? Also, chinchillas don't eat fruit (although some suggest that a seedless apple piece on a rare basis is a cute treat idea). 
3. Super Pet Silent Spinner - I tried to use one of these with my hamster, and she absolutely despised it. With one side of the product blocked off with a wall, the side can rub on the side of the animal. Feisty Chinchilla points out that some buyers reviewed the product poorly due to "the wheels coming off the bearing. These are very poor quality overall and a safety risk to your chin and a waste of your money. Other unsafe running wheels are: Comfort Wheel by Super Pet and Run-A Rounds Exercise Wheel, which should never be given to your chin." 
4. Specific types of wood - Natural chews are, of course, made from different types of wood. Those types which can hurt a chin include "almond, apricot, beech, black locust, black lotus, blackwood, box elder, buckthorn, cashew, cedar, cherry, chestnut, china berry, Chinese snake tree, chokeberry, citrus woods - orange, lemon, grapefruit, etc., cypress, ebony, elderberry, eucalyptus, fir, ginkgo, hemlock, holly, honey, locust, hydrangea, juniper, kumquat, laurel, mahogany, mango, manufactured/glued woods like plywood or fiberboard, maple, mesquite, myrtle," according to TJ's Chinchilla Supplies. 
5. Cardboard from household products - Watching your chin nibble and roll around with a toilet paper tube may be adorable, but it's dangerous for two reasons. First, the cardboard is harmful to their digestive systems. Also, their heads may get caught in the small tubes. How would you get them out? By trying to slide a scissor blade between the chinchilla head and toilet paper roll? Or, take a knife and try not to cut too deep?
6. Plastic - Igloo homes, colored tubes and the fun constructive activity toys usually made for hamsters and gerbils are pure poison to a chin tummy. That goes for household items, too. Move the broom. Put the remote control on high counter. Ours sit on top of the DVD organizer where he can't reach... well, most of the time. Nimbus once climbed up the DVD organizer by pressing his feet against the DVDs and the wall to shimmy his way to the top. Never underestimate the power of chins! Hide your tennis shoes. Keep electrical cords out of reach with special covers or hidden spots. Our couch blocks the new ethernet cord, and the television cords are bundled together behind the TV. We can easily see if Nimbus pops between the TV and react quickly to get him out. Don't purchase a plastic water bottle. Move your cell phone. Yes, they'll go after everything.
7. Certain metals/fabrics - Brass, copper and zinc are not to be brought into a chinchilla's play area. Finally, cotton and leather are dangerous as well. So, pick up your sexy thigh-high leather boots. Plus, you don't want chisel teethmarks on the edges of your favorite party shoes. Believe me! I've made that mistake. My favorite work shoes look like I took a dull spoon and dug into the toe.

A happy, natural chinchilla environment. Photo from test.seocasestudy.org

Bath Time!

This is Nimbus's favorite time of day.

Watch the video HERE! Blogger is currently being difficult with video uploads.

It shouldn't be a daily activity for your chinchilla, but it is an enjoyable experience for both of you. Although, I will say that filming this video of Nimbus has left me with an itchy nose and tight lungs. I typically try to stay away when Nimbus is taking his bath because of the dust, but this video moment was too cute to pass up. According to Pawnation, "Too much time in the dust bath can dry out your chinchilla's skin, which manifests with scratching and dry patches, and can possibly irritate her nose or eyes. Meanwhile, not bathing enough is stressful to your pet; it can leave her more vulnerable to illness as clumping fur saps the creature's body heat, and dirt and oil in the coat create fertile ground for skin disease. Dirty fur can lead to a chinchilla chewing on her own fur; if she ingests too much, intestinal blockage may result." The website recommends a bath "1 to 3 times a week." I offer Nimbus a bath about 3 times a week, especially after a short span of illness, which I'll talk about soon. You can also reuse the dust for a 3-4 baths.

Nothing will make your chinchilla's coat shine like a bath in brand new dust! It will become fluffier, softer and take out the oil better than the animal himself can do in his own grooming.

I've used a couple different types of dust, and I typically don't see much of a difference between the different brands. Currently, I'm using Poof! Blue Cloud dust made by the company Oxbow Animal Health. Blue Cloud, according to other chin owners, is a preferred type of dust, and I personally love the Oxbow Animal Health company. I use them for Nimbus's food and treats as well as my hamster's food when she was alive. According to their website, "The sustainable collection process for Poof! Blue Cloud dust involves no strip mining, explosives or tunneling. A layer of the dust is left at the harvest location, promoting revegetation of natural plant life. Recycle Blue Cloud dust as a soil additive in your garden."

Do NOT, however, use chinchilla sand. It's not the same as chinchilla dust and is harmful for their fur and lungs. In the wild, chinchillas bathe in volcanic ash in their natural environment. Ground pumice in chinchilla dust recreates what chins would use in the wild. Sand, however, is coarse and does not pull out the oil in the skin like the dust. However, there are some chin owners who say that sand is ok. According to Chinchillas4Life, a rescue whose "aim is to find loving 'forever' homes for our healthy chins" and "provide sanctuary for those that are too poorly or old to be rehomed," "the sand you use must be proper Chinchilla sand such as Sepioliate (no other types of sand)." However, Oxbow does not sell bath sand, and I really do trust their company. They've never let me down with their products, either in safety/appropriateness for the animals or their quality.

Image from Amazon.com

Baby's First Day

The moment I saw Nimbus, known as Jack at the time, I absolutely fell in love.

On the 2-hour ride to Georgia, my former boyfriend and I carried out heated argument after heated argument. We weren't doing so great those days, and after adopting Nimbus, our relationship went straight downhill for multiple reasons. We broke up 3 months later. During the drive, I kept flip-flopping back and forth about whether to adopt a chinchilla. My head was filled with worry. What if I killed it right off the bat? What if it just up and died like my guinea pig Nibbles? What if I hated owning a chinchilla? I couldn't just send him back to the rescue. That would be irresponsible and mean to this poor chinchilla being carted back and forth from the rescue to his new home to back to the rescue. 

But all those worries disappeared when I saw this little puffball jumping and banging in this old birdcage. His twitching nose. His bristly tail. Those big eyes. Little rounded ears. I was sold, and when the woman asked me if I wanted to hold him, my heart started racing. It was a miracle I didn't drop him. Fifteen minutes later, he was zipped into my cat carrier and away we went. 

Within the first 10 minutes of owning him, I made the biggest mistake since we've been together.  Back home, we didn't have any chinchilla supplies. Instead, we wanted to make sure that yes, indeed we were adopting a chinchilla and wanted to have him with us when we picked out the cage. Choosing a chinchilla cage can be difficult because you need to look at several factors: 

1. Is the cage material safe if the chinchilla decides to chew it? 

2. Is the cage material chew proof? 

3. Is the bar spacing small enough that he won't get his paws stuck when he's jumping around the cage?

4. Is the cage sturdy enough to handle a bouncy chinchilla?

5. And, of course, is it big enough?

So, to purchase our new friend's supplies and food we went to the local Petsmart. Horrible, horrible idea!!!! It was Saturday. It was crowded. It was a tiny store. It was dog training day. Mass hysteria!!! 

Finding the cage was the most difficult part. The food, the bowls, the toys, I already knew what I needed and what I wanted, but because I wanted to keep my boyfriend involved in the life of Nimbus, the process was dragged out in picking out items. Then, there was the cage. As Nimbus sat in the cat carrier in the bottom of the cart with the bright fluorescent lights, barking dogs and screaming children, my boyfriend battled with the different cages by pulling them out of their boxes to make sure they were the right size. We settled on the Chinchilla Starter, which comes with the cage, a sample of food, a wooden house and some other goodies that I believe we threw out because they weren't actually chinchilla friendly. What I liked were the different levels, all of which were made of safe wood.

After that horrible experience, we took off home, and I watched Nimbus on my lap become more listless and angry. I actually thought he was going to die before we even walked in the house. He refused to sleep and kept walking around with dull eyes and laid back ears. These are not signs of a healthy or a happy chin. By the time we walked in the door, I wondered how much more time we had left with him. I set the carrier in the bathroom, and my boyfriend got to work on building the cage. When it was finished, I said, "It looks kind of small."

And, it did. When we placed Nimbus in the cage, his ears brushed the top of the cage when he sat on the top floor. He couldn't stand on his back feet. I placed his Chinny Buddy (unfortunately, I can't find a link for this) in the cage with him, which he stared at, and closed the door. At this time, the cats were released from their holding cells in separate bedrooms. They sniffed and sniffed at this new animal, and we reinforced the idea that this new creature was part of the family with the squirt bottle every time claws popped out. Then, we waited. 

A very angry Nimbus and his Chinny Buddy

In proper etiquette when bringing home a chinchilla, you should wait 3-4 days before opening the cage and letting him explore. I thought this was a horrible idea since they need daily exercise and playtime. In his cage, there was no way Nimbus could do that. Instead, he sulked and squished himself between the bottom of the wooden second floor and the top of his rounded woven grass bungalow (see right hand bottom corner below). He just sat there. I didn't see him sleep for days. In fact, it wasn't until I did some more research and draped a dark sheet over 3 walls of his enclosure that Nimbus finally felt secure in his surroundings. I highly recommend doing so.

The day before his new cage arrived

By the end of the second or third day, I couldn't take it anymore. He looked on the verge of dying. I couldn't tell what was wrong. It wasn't heat exhaustion. It wasn't intestinal blockage. It had to be plain, ole misery. I took a large square piece of Tupperware and filled it with Blue Cloud chinchilla dust. Holding the dust bath up to the cage door, I unhooked the latch and whispered to Nimbus. After a few minutes, he started to come out of the door. As soon as he realized what was in front of him, he dove into the dust bath and began flipping about.  I've never seen a creature so happy!! In fact, he even gave The Squeak!

The Squeak is the ultimate goal. You want to achieve The Squeak from your chin. It means they are the happiest they can be, and it is usually accompanied by popcorning. You'll know it when you see it, and it comes with a huge sense of accomplishment. It's not the little grunts of foraging and exploring but a high-pitched little squeak. It sounds similar to their sneezes.

After that bath, Nimbus's level of activity and interaction improved, mostly. But, there was still something missing, and it wasn't found until we bought the new cage! 

We've Now Arrived at the Chinchilla

We have explored the other popular small mammals as considerations for pets. Now, the chinchilla is left. If I ruled out all the other animals, you may think I chose the chinchilla because it's the easiest to care for and the least time consuming. You couldn't be more wrong. In fact, I probably choose the neediest one there is.

Pros - 

A chinchilla is an adorable, entertaining animal full of spunk, personality and energy. They have so much energy, in fact, that they can over exert themselves and have a hypoglycemic spell (low blood sugar). 

Chinchillas know their name and know their owners. Nimbus hates strangers, and for once, he'll run to his mommy (that's me) if there are strangers in the house until he grows used to their smell. Now, my friend Morgan...that's a different story and a different post. In time, chinchillas will learn to bond with their owners, but depending on the age, circumstances, treatment and personality of the chin, this can take longer that some owners have patience for. I, for one,  have had a very difficult time bonding with Nimbus because of his personality and his background. It's been an uphill battle, but I have seen positive improvement since February when I adopted him. 

Chinchillas are wonderfully clean animals. Their is no smell associated with them, not even their urine. They keep themselves well cleaned with dust baths and grooming using their saliva and agile little paws. 

After the start up costs, chinchillas are cheap. My regular purchases are bedding ($20 or less), Oxbow pellets (about $18) and Timothy hay ($12-16). Bedding lasts about 4 weeks. Hay lasts a little less than a month, and the pellets last ove a month and a half. Toys bought a pet stores (Make sure they're chinchilla friendly first. Just because it has a chinchilla on the package does not mean that the product is safe for them.) are usually between $2-10. And, they don't need replacement toys that often because it takes so long to chew them. Treats are in the same price range and should only be given sparingly, so they don't run out quickly either. 

Chinchillas don't need much personal attention. Now, attention is not the same thing as time. Chinchillas do need a lot of time spent watching them when they play and cleaning their cage. What I mean is that if you need to work and you're in the room providing supervision, your chinchilla can roam during their daily 2-3 hours of playtime without much interaction from you. Right now, I'm working on this post while Nimbus is scampering about the living room. Chinchillas don't want to play fetch. They don't want to chase a piece of string. The greatest gift you can give your chinchilla is his space to explore and play how he sees fit. Nimbus and I do interact on a daily basis during times of feeding/giving treats, giving chin rubs and playing with his bunny puppet. Otherwise, chinchillas are loners when it comes to their humans. However, they do prefer mates or buddies. Nimbus has stuffed animals made out of felt or that are played with under supervision. He doesn't enjoy the company of other chinchillas and based on my experiences with him, he would probably fight any new chinchilla I brought into the house. I'll talk more about chin mates in the cons. 

Nimbus and his chinny buddy

Quiet is the word with chinchillas. They don't require wheels, so there's no squeaking all night long. They play quietly so you're not disturbed at night. Typically, they don't make any chirps or yips themselves. If Nimbus is frightened and/or angry, you can bet he's going to let you know about it. If he's dreaming, he'll bark, but otherwise your chinchilla is a quieter than a mouse. 

Cons - 

Chinchillas are destructive!!! In the months that I've had him, Nimbus has chewed the spines of multiple books, eaten my baseboards, peeled wallpaper from the wall (still haven't figured out how he even managed that), took chunks out of the Wii remote jackets, fallen in the toilet, left droppings everywhere, chewed through a phone cord, chewed through an Internet cable, left holes in my iPad cover, has chewed the TV remote's buttons down the bone, etc. Those little teeth are razor sharp chisels, and they can cut/chew/knaw through anything. If you don't mind having some odd-looking household items and vacuuming droppings every day, then you'll be just fine with a chin. 

Speaking of messes, I cannot fully explain the horrors of the dust bath. Yes, watching them roll around in the dust like a fuzzball with a tail is the cutest experience in the world! There's no denying that. But, the overwhelming, lung-suffocating quality of the bath dust is deplorable. If you suffer from asthma, do not adopt a chinchilla!! You won't be able to handle the dust bath, which a chinchilla needs multiple times a week to stay clean and happy. The dust covers every surface, and it is difficult to wipe off. Falling off the chinchilla with every bounce, it can soon cover the whole house. It's indescribable. There's dust on the couch. There's dust coating my bookshelf, my DVD shelf, my countertops. If I don't put up the dishes, I can hear a grainy scratching noise when they rub together. The little grains of ground pumice can be difficult to vacuum and will smear when you sweep it up. The dust and the destruction are huge factors that you need to be aware of. I was not prepared for the dust! I find the dust worse than the damage, even thought I rent my home. I'd much rather repair the little places Nimbus has chewed than breathe in that dust! See below... adorable but crazy!

Chinchillas need space. They require large cages, and they require lots of room to play. Most owners allow their chinchillas to play in the bathroom because there are no objects like the bookshelves and remotes that Nimbus has destroyed. However, I own a small bathroom with only one cabinet and a few shelves. My toilet paper, paper towels and extra outdoor extension cords sit on the floor. Also, Sparta's litterbox is located in the bathroom. Nimbus thinks that the litterbox is a giant dust bath with harder dust. Yes, folks, he's rolling in cat pee and feces. No, Nimbus, it's definitely not a dust bath! 

Like I stated before, chinchillas come in pairs. They can become very lonely, even to the point where it affects their health. If you cannot afford or don't have the time for two chins, you should look at other pets or find a chinchilla that doesn't enjoy the company of his own kind. Keep in mind, a loner chinchilla could equal a grumpy chinchilla. I've encountered a few adoption agencies that will not allow you to adopt one of their chinchillas unless you adopt two. At the rescue I used, Nimbus was on his own. The other chinchillas came in pairs, and it was essential to adopt not only two chinchillas but the two that were already bonded together. I cannot imagine caring for two chinchillas. Nimbus can be frustrating and a lot of hard work at times, so I know with full certainty I could not handle another chin. That would require double the food, double the treats, double the time and double the cage size. Here's what happens when you put together two chinchillas that don't get along or compete with each other for attention:

These Chilean rodents are mischievous and intelligent. For the first few months, Nimbus would hide behind the couch and chew on the ethernet cord. And for the first few months, I tried every way I could think of to keep him from behind the couch - putting pillows against the back and the wall, stuffing pillows between the couch back and the wall on the side, using cardboard boxes, putting the 40 lb. cat litter container between the couch and the wall. After three nights, Nimbus would find a way around each of my blockades. In his curiosity, he learned how to get under the oven from multiple entrances, by pushing aside tennis shoes crammed under the gap between the pan drawer and the floor. He taught himself to squeeze his furry body under the washing machine. His determination to succeed can rival a hospital intern hoping to make the cut of research assistant for the leading surgeon. This little animal has no fear and knows no boundaries. And, on occasion, this can lead to trouble and frustration for the poor owner! 

Finally, these bundles of joy are delicate. It is easy for a chinchilla to get hurt or sick, and they require medical attention from a specialized vet. You need to make sure there's one in the area and that you're willing to pay the higher vet bills for seeing a specialist. You need to educate yourself on chinchilla health and medicine. Are your other pets cable of hurting the chinchilla? Are your children old enough to understand how delicate their bones are? Can you make sure that they can't poison themselves, etc? 

It's a lot to consider, and some days I wonder if Nimbus is worth it. But, then he swipes his nose with a little paw or pulls his whiskers to clean them or sits on my lap for a few minutes and watches TV with me. And, I know that he's worth every penny and I couldn't imagine life without him anymore.

"Whisker Cleaning Time"

A Chinchilla Christmas

Christmas is all wrapped up for us. The only thing left to do is take the garbage and recycling to the SRC and dump the tree out in the backyard. The poor tree! You can just about snap its branches because it's that dry. We watered it and everything, but it's had a hard life of cats and chinchillas running through it.

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve as I was traveling to see family yesterday. I was overly excited to share my first Christmas with Nimbus! Which means that I was not above taking Christmas pictures with him! The photo below was taken with him sitting inside a Santa hat. The mini hat was placed on his head via Photoshop. The cuteness kills me!

Christmas Nimbus

To Sparta the cat, it was just another day, which happened to include a bunch of paper on the floor. To Nimbus, it truly was Christmas!

As presents, Nimbus received a dietary health supplement and some treats, both created by Oxbow, a company I've trusted for years. As soon as the wrapping was off, I handed him one of the dietary supplement biscuits, and he took off with it to a place of safety, nibbling furiously. After finishing his treat, Nimbus was all over the place - playing with my gifts, dashing through the wrapping paper, chewing on Sparta's new scratching post. He was allowed to roam freely and participate like the family member that he is in our celebrations on Christmas Eve morning. Talk about mental and physical stimulation. He thoroughly enjoyed scrabbling in the crinkled wrapping paper and jumping in the boxes. I think my boyfriend was a little put off by the fact that I wasn't paying attention to the gift unwrapping because I was took enthralled in the hilarious antics of Nimbus. It almost makes me want to go to the store, buy more presents, wrap them and start all over again with a second Christmas Eve morning to watch Nimbus play.

Then, Nimbus grew naughty! As I was taking items out of my "stocking," really a paper bag, I heard a  strange rustling sound from the kitchen. Now, it's not unusual to hear a strange rustling noise when owning a chinchilla, particularly Nimbus. He is a naughty little critter with no bounds to how far he'll go with his mischief. When the rustling continued, I walked to the kitchen and immediately whispered to Chris to bring the camera.

Nimbus had burrowed into an open kitchen drawer and was in the process of exploring every utensil and measuring cup he saw. Rattling, banging and scratching erupted from this drawer as the chinchilla made his way through a maze of chewable plastic. After a photo was snapped, I began to pull the drawer out. Nimbus saw this as an invitation to crawl deeper into the drawer until everything but his tail disappeared into the darkness.
"Um, is there a way for him to get down back there? Like can he jump over the edge?" Chris asked.
I nodded. "Mm, yep. He could."
Thankfully, Nimbus found the height too much and came forward. As I reached for him, he bounced away and out of the drawer, landing on the linoleum kitchen floor with a plop and skittered into his cage. Chris moved to close the cage door while I stared down at the drawer of dishes.
"What's the matter?" Chris asked.
I continued to stare and shivered. All I could see were utensils tainted with chinchilla footprints. "We're going to have to wash all of these," I said. "Every single one!"

We're going to need to wash some dishes!

Meet the Guest of Honor

This is Nimbus. 

He is a two-year-old chinchilla I adopted from the Georgia Chinchilla Rescue. His past is a questionable one. All I know is that he used to be a stud chinchilla for a breeder then ended up at the rescue. He had very little human interaction growing up and even less during the months leading up to his transition to the rescue. The breeder's mother became ill, and all the chinchillas were neglected. I adopted him in February and have become a member to the very bizarre, fascinating and frustrating world of chinchilla ownership.

Let me set a disclaimer. These blog posts will be full of funny stories, opinions and recommendations about and for owning a chinchilla. I am not a specialist. I am not a veterinarian. I am a just a young adult who owns a chinchilla offering advice, recommendations, opinions and a good tale or two about my personal day-to-day experiences with my beloved Nimbus. Take any product promotion as my own 

favoring of particular products due to failures with others. No companies have asked me or pay me to promote their food, cages, etc. Most of the information I relay about temperature, care and sickness can be found elsewhere on chinchilla rescue and care websites. I particularly trust Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue, which has a rigorous adoption and volunteer process in order to own or work with their animals. They also provide very detailed advice and care instructions for this very picky and delicate exotic animal. 

That being said, I hope you enjoy this rather overwhelming adventure with me. Apparently, Nimbus and I, if he remains the healthy, robust chinchilla that he is, have at least a decade more together as owner and pet. Perhaps, it will help your endeavor with your chinchilla(s) or persuade/dissuade you from owning your own. Honestly, with all the stories I've already racked up after Nimbus came into my life, I wonder if it is a good idea for anyone to own a chinchilla. I can tell you that they will teach you responsibility, time management, to make time for the simple things, how to lift a washing machine, how to bribe using raisins, the true meaning of "animal care" and endless amounts of patience. 

So, here we go!