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

An Interesting Article about Chinchillas

I decided to scroll through Google News to see if there were any interesting articles about chinchillas. Maybe there was a new discovery, a recent recommendation on care or a newsworthy chinchilla-related incident in the past few weeks. Here's what I found:

This is an article from The Standard in China. The story, titled "How raisin got my chins wagging," is written by Georgina Noyce, and it was published on January 14. The narrative provides a quick look at how chinchillas can pick up specific phrases from their owners.

"Laughing at a recent article about owner/trainers who have taught their border collie to understand more than 1,000 words - including elements of grammar, based on the use of the dog's toys - I looked down at my lot and wondered where to start.

In the past, my chinchillas (chins) learned a few basic words - bed, home, raisin, no, up, down, here - and all the dogs and cats have a basic grasp of the words most relevant to them."

Read the rest of the story HERE!

Follow Us on Twitter

This may seem silly, but I've created a Twitter account for Come Chill with the Chinchilla. You can now follow us by searching for Nimbus Menz or @ChillWithNimbus.

I'll tweet links for the new blog posts, photos, tips, random happening throughout the day with Nimbus as well as retweet tweets from other organizations like Oxbow Animal Health, Petfinder, Pet Emergency Guide, Humane Society and PetSmart (Is it Pet Smart, Pets Mart or Pet's Mart?? Does anyone know?).

You can also follow my personal Twitter - although I'm on it intermittently - by searching for Lex Menz or @StarStruckHotel. I tweet the photos used on this blog and the new posts. That makes up the most of my tweets these days, but I try to throw in a personal sentence or two for my aunt, who reads my Twitter. She's not a social media person, so she doesn't have a Twitter and isn't on Facebook. In order to keep up with my day-to-day life, she checks out my Twitter and reads this blog since we can't be on the phone every day.

So, if you'd like, follow us and send us a line. I know it's easier to follow someone on Twitter than Blogger, especially if you don't have a Gmail account. After several tries, I finally added the ChillWithNimbus account onto my Twitter app for my phone. That was hilariously difficult. The end result was changing my password.

* * * *

If you're interested in learning a bit more about me, I was raised in a small town outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Our house was always filled with animals. We've owned several cats, a turtle, a lizard, a snake, a hermit crab, hamsters, dogs, a guinea pig, a miniature goat, and salt and freshwater fish. Aside from our domestic pets, my mother has rescued injured wildlife and raised monarch butterflies to release for the Mexico migration. I might as well have "animal lover" in my DNA as my mom instilled in me such a passion for nature at a young age. While kids my age were watching "Doug" and "Hey Arnold," I was watching "The Crocodile Hunter" along with its various spin-offs and "The Jeff Corwin Experience."

By the time I was 7, I had created my own zoo on paper. Sadly, I never followed my dream of becoming a zookeeper or owning a zoo (at least not yet), but I still tap into my passion for animals every day. There are my beloved pets, of course. There's this blog, which has really created a deeper bond and fascination with Nimbus. Then, there's my local "business" Fins & Fur Pet Sitting. One day, I'll write a memoir about my pet sitting experiences. There's never been a dull job! 

Volunteering at a cat rescue

In tenth grade, I started going by Lex after leaving a private school I attended for nine years. It was at my new high school that I fell in love with journalism - the career choice I'm pursuing now that I've graduated from Western Carolina University. I enjoy the behind-the-scenes view you are allowed to get through immersion in reporting, and I don't feel that print journalism is a dying field, especially not in smaller towns like the one I currently live in.

One of my favorite newspaper issues

With my free time, I enjoy writing what I hope will be published novels one day (as cliche as that sounds), painting pottery, boogie boarding at the Outer Banks, visiting zoos across the United States, reading (some favorites are "The Time Traveler's Wife," "Vulpes the Red Fox," "The Great Gatsby," "Three Weeks with my Brother" ...you can find me on GoodReads), participating in community theatre, volunteering at the animal shelter and watching as many movies as possible! 

The promo poster for the musical "Brigadoon." I played Jane.

That's a small picture of me and my life outside of Nimbus and Sparta. Right now, we live a quiet existence in the Appalachian Mountains beside a bubbling stream. Hopefully, we'll be moving soon to start the next phase of "The First Adult Job."

Hope you enjoy the Twitter feed, and keep checking in here. I appreciate all of your advice about Nimbus's injury. He has boundless energy, and he's actually taking his new medication quite well. I still worry, but he looks like he's on the right track to full recovery. 

The sign for my zoo!

A Turn for the Worst

My grandmother often complains about doctors and how they don't know anything helpful or accurate. She's dead certain that they're quacks, and in a small way, I believe her. I definitely felt this way heading to the emergency vet with Nimbus. Something just didn't sit right with me during the examination and after they handed him back to us. I should have trusted that feeling... Unfortunately, I was right.

Yesterday was supposed to be a happy day of celebration, dusts baths and relief. Nimbus was going to get his stitches out, and life would be restored to normal. No more corralling him on the bed. No more syringes with nasty medicine. No more stress.

Photo from http://scdocorg.files.wordpress.com

We entered our local vet to the great enjoyment of everyone there. Most had never seen a chinchilla nor petted its soft fur. Nimbus was a celebrity! One veterinarian assistant said, "I didn't know what it was until I looked it up on the Internet just now."

When Nimbus's fans settled down, Dr. Wall and two assistants held him down to examine his stitches... Except, there were no stitches!

Every single one had popped out, or Nimbus had taken them out. Not that it would have mattered if he did. By the size of Dr. Wall's frown, I knew REACH had messed up.

The wound was completely exposed. Although Chris and I had seen several stitches on Nimbus's arm two days before, they were gone now. The last one sat on the exam table with a tuft of fluffy gray fur attached to it. I had to turn away, and I began to feel my legs give way at the horrible sight of it. Nothing had healed. Nothing was better. We were right back the start of all.

Dr. Wall explained that REACH had used the wrong type of stitches, ones that require some very tight tying and glue to hold the knots in place. Dr. Wall insinuated that REACH should have known better and didn't understand why those were used. I had shelled out hundreds of dollars to that emergency vet with nothing to show for it except worthless medical assistance. In my opinion, REACH's only help was discovering Nimbus didn't have a sprained or broken leg. Everything else was shredded money.

Photo from chinchillaclub.com

Dr. Wall wanted the wound to remain open instead of putting Nimbus through stitches again. By looking at the cut, he noticed that there was healthy pink tissue regenerating and that the injury should scab over and heal on its own. He prescribed us two weeks of antibiotics - here we go again with that one - and scheduled us an appointment for next Tuesday.

"If the wound starts to open more, you need to bring him back in," he said.

As I carried Nimbus in the cat carrier out to the car, I didn't feel the biting winds and finger-aching cold. I was already numb from such disappointment, stress and worry. I couldn't believe it. I also felt an overwhelming, choking anger boiling up my throat. The wrong stitches??? THE WRONG STITCHES?!?! What does that even mean, "the wrong stitches??" If that's the reputation of those stitches, that they need glue to just hold the knots in place, why on earth were they used on my chinchilla in the first place??!?!?!

Angry and in tears, the ride home was very silent.  I put Nimbus back in his cage, told him to go to sleep and get some rest, then went out into the living room to stare at a wall. My mind tried to process this tragedy, this horrible mistake. Dr. Wall said he'd need 2 more weeks of recovery time with medication through syringe twice a day! No dust bath. No playtime. When he said no playtime, I stood up.

"He has to be able to play," I said. "A chinchilla's health and happiness depend on him being able to run around and explore."

I said this to Chris later, "If anything, Nimbus is going to hurt himself more by trying to get out of the cage and throwing tantrums by flying around and banging against the walls."

Dr. Wall relented, thankfully. However, Nimbus will no longer play in my room or on the bed. Instead, we have created the perfect, safe chin play area we possibly could in the living room. No more running into the kitchen. No more jumping up on the bookshelf. No more sneaking behind the couch, thanks to a lot of cardboard alcohol boxes Chris picked up from the ABC store. Nimbus can hop around on the carpet, chew on his toys, and that's it! Still, he can't have a dust bath. There's no way we can allow Blue Cloud dust to get into that open injury.

Photo from annarboranimalhospital.com

That afternoon, Chris went to pick up the medication. However, the WalMart pharmacy said they didn't have it.

"But, the vet called me this morning and told me it was ready," I told Chris on the phone.

Still, there was no medication. This morning on my way out the door, I called the vet again.

"Yes, my chinchilla Nimbus was prescribed medication by Dr. Wall yesterday. When we went to pick it up, WalMart didn't have it."

"Ok," replied the receptionist. "I'll take care of that. I'll call them right now."

Six hours later, Chris returned to the gigantic chain store to pick up the medication. The pharmacy said they didn't have it. So, I called the vet again. They answered that WalMart had told them it was ready to be picked up. My temper started to flare. On the phone, I sharply told Chris to get aggressive and get that medication.

Poor Chris stood in line and at the counter trying to convince these people they had Nimbus's medication for 30 minutes! Once again, we encountered the chinchilla conumdrum. I think there needs to be a Chinchilla Awareness campaign. The guy helping Chris had no clue what a chinchilla was or why we were giving it a generic form of bactrim. Finally, they located our medication. And, here's why it was missing for two days:

Yeah, that's not how you spell my last name.

What Chris should have said to the pharmacy was, "I know with complete certainty that there is no other medication back there prescribed to the first name of Nimbus. Can you please search for Nimbus?"

It's just been roadblock after roadblock. At this point, I just want Nimbus to get better. Please, please, let him get better. I want my beautiful chinchilla to be happy and healthy again, to be able to roll around in his beloved dust bathtub, to scamper through the house, to use the bedroom door in order to "wall surf." He acts fine, but what if it gets infected? What if he suddenly becomes sicker in the middle of the night? I can't take him back to REACH. I would never. And, there's only so much money left in my bank account. What if that runs out before he gets better? How do you choose between not spending money and your pet's life? My mind can't stop reeling from all the "What ifs?" At this rate, both Nimbus and I will be sick, one from an injury and the other from stress.

Photo from clipartof.com

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

Heading to the Vet (Video)

Notice how happy and excited we are on the way to the vet. It's Day 10, and Nimbus was going to get his stitches out. As I try to put him in the carrier, you can hear his angry, defensive noise. However, the trip back from the vet was not so happy. Actually, it was very silent and involved a lot of tears.

Nimbus is still alive and quite alert. However, we hit a huge snag in his recovery. We're looking at another 2 weeks. I'll explain in a second post. Meanwhile, here's us heading to the animal hospital 15 minutes up the road. If you can't view the video, try this link that will take you directly to it on YouTube.

Attack of the Nimbus

Nimbus knows who his mommy is. Everyone else is just everyone else to him. Chinchillas are quite loyal creatures, and even Chris, who has lived in this house since October, has difficulty getting Nimbus to interact with him. I'm not at the level of training Nimbus to do tricks or pick him up without difficulty (like the girl in the video below), but I can tell that he's bonded with me and only me... to a certain extent.

A perfect example is when my friend Morgan visited one night. Morgan is this drop dead gorgeous girl, who I had English classes with. We graduated together last month, and since then, she is living her life to the fullest. On a whim, she moved to the Virgin Islands and has been boating, chilling on the beaches and taking her life in a completely unexpected direction. She actually invited me to go with her. I was stunned and humbled by the offer, but I knew Nimbus would be miserable in the heat and noise of such a place. Sparta, too, but it was Nimbus I worried about. I declined, but I still think about what if... I actually found a posting for a reporter opening at a newspaper in the Virgin Islands. I might have shot myself in the foot for not jumping at that chance.

Anyway, Morgan always found Nimbus to be "creepy," and I can see how she came to that conclusion, in a way. Here is this fuzzy large rodent hopping around anywhere he pleases with an odd bristly tail. Nimbus doesn't understand the concept of personal boundaries and once he got over his sense of apprehension at this stranger in his territory, he wanted to investigate and check her out. Well, Morgan wasn't too keen on that, especially not with a chinchilla's preferred method of investigation.

Photo from quickmeme.com

Chinchillas discover the world through their whiskers and teeth. Their eyesight is poor, and if the object isn't moving, they really can't see it very well. There have been many occasions when Nimbus was joyfully running through the house and then BAM. He smacked right into a table leg because he couldn't see it coming. Horrible yet hilarious at the same time. So in order to get a sense of what they're up against, chinchillas will nibble. I know this, but Morgan didn't. Or, at least she didn't understand what that meant. There's a huge difference between a chinchilla bite and an exploratory nibble. Nimbus has drawn blood in two instances. My ex and Chris made a move he didn't like, and because he wasn't bonded to them, he showed them his displeasure. Nimbus has bitten me but never too hard. This happened a lot when giving him his medication, especially in the morning when he was sleeping. However, there seems to always be some restraint in those bites. It's more like a warning of "Don't mess with me right now" instead of a defense mechanism like "I'm protecting myself. Try that again, and you'll regret it." I think Morgan was under the impression that any contact with Nimbus's teeth meant he was about to attack. Really, she's a dog person, and I think Nimbus was intimidating. It's strange to watch a rabbit-squirrel-kangaroo like animal hopping around a living room. And when he takes off in a burst of energy, it's frighteningly stupefying.

Well, when Nimbus went to nibble Morgan to officially greet her, Morgan wasn't having any of it. She told me another one of our friends had texted her to come over. So, we prepared to leave. I sat on the floor of the living room near Nimbus's cage to eat a bowl of cereal before we left. Meanwhile, Morgan headed back to the couch from the kitchen where she'd dropped her beer bottle in the recycling bin. She walked toward the couch in her black stilettos to grab her purse and phone. By pure coincidence, Nimbus happened to be bouncing from the couch to the kitchen on whatever mission he'd planned. He and Morgan met in the middle of the living room. It was the classic trying to step around each other, but both taking steps to the same side. They went left. They went right. They went left again.

Finally, Nimbus grew pissed. This person was standing in his way and wouldn't let him pass. So, he attacked!

Nimbus has a very unusual way of attacking someone when they're standing above him. He goes for the feet. It's happened to me a couple of times. If I try to move Nimbus away from a book or DVD case that he's chewing and he's particularly fed up with my scoldings, he goes for the feet when I'm standing. It's basically him scrabbling at my socks with his front paws while making the angry chirping/barking noise. One day I'll get a video of him doing that because describing the sound just doesn't do it justice. The experience isn't painful or damaging in any way. I think it's hilarious! Well, Morgan didn't see it that way.

In reference to Achmed the Dead Terrorist ("SOB" is used in the linked video)

Still sitting on the floor, I watched as Nimbus dove at Morgan's feet to begin his attack. She screamed and ran.

"LEX! GET IT! GET IT! IT'S ATTACKING ME! OH MY GOSH, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

Morgan dashed between the kitchen counter and the dining table (my living and kitchen are connected as one room) and hid herself behind my roommate.

"I'm so sorry," she said to Chris as she clung to his shoulders. "I know I don't know you, but that thing was attacking me." She turned to me. "Lex, get it! Put it up. Oh my gosh, it's coming this way!"

I was trying not to slosh milk everywhere because I was laughing that hard. I shook my head, sputtering. "I can't. I can't breathe!" I laughed.

When my laughter settled, I set the bowl of cereal aside and reached out to Chris. "Hand me the Chinchiller," I said, referring to the granite rock that keeps chinchillas cool. Chris turned toward the refrigerator where we keep one at all times. This left Morgan completely exposed.

"No, no!" she cried, pointing. "He's under the table! He's under the table."

I burst out laughing again. "I see him," I answered. "I said Chinchiller. It's his rock thing."

Chris moved past Morgan and handed me the Chinchiller, and I handed him the warm one from the cage to put in the fridge. After I replaced the Chinchiller, I went for Nimbus and got him safely into his cage. Morgan, however, was scarred for life. She never came over to the house again... and maybe that was because she never had the time or something along those lines, but I believe it was because of Nimbus.

I still can't help laughing at this story, and I've been chuckling this whole time as I write it. Morgan tells this story often, but she does leave out the part about shuddering behind my roommate and shrieking about the rodent on the loose! Obviously, Nimbus has some attitude issues, but he always provides entertainment. I'm sorry, Morgan!! He's just a bit impatient. To any other friends that want to come over, I'd let the chinchilla have the right-of-way!!!

Photo from cheezburger.com

Chilly Chinchilla Day

Oh boy!!! It is really coming down here!! In a matter of half an hour, we've got a good bit of snow sticking to the ground. And, it's that kind of snow that's perfect for snowballs and snowmen. Actually, I'm hoping Chris makes it home safely. He had to go to classes today at the university, and I'm hoping the roads aren't too bad so he can stock up on some groceries that don't require electricity to eat. And when he does safely come home, I have a few snowballs waiting for him!!! Muhahaha!!

Snow covering the walkway

Snowballs lying in wait for Chris!

Sansa doesn't know what to think.

Wonder how long we'll be snowed in!

Time to Eat!

Well, will you look outside?? It's snowing here! Not much, but it's the first snow we've seen this year. Supposedly, we'll get a good bit, and it'll actually stick according to our weather forecast.

Snow falling on the backyard.

Also, did you guys see the Seahawks vs. 49ers game?? Wow, how on earth did that happen? Chris and I were glued to the television and to Twitter, reading all the brilliant comments made by users. Some of my favorites:

Winston Whitehurst ‏@w_whitehurst

This game has me cringing like I'm watching a drunken man cross an icy street. #SFvsSEA

Rex Parker ‏@rexparker

I want to be able to end all my terrible arguments with "the call is not reviewable." #SEAvsSF

Sydney Nugent ‏@sydneynugent

Times I do the have to pee dance w/ audible shudder: when I really have to pee, a bug/spider on me, and really terrible injuries. #SFvsSEA

That was a tense game. I'm neither a Seahawks or 49ers fan, but I like keeping up with the games, and I'm glad I tuned into that. And by tuned in, I mean stream from the Internet. The Denver Broncos playoff game was broadcasted from a British server. During the commercial breaks, a British announcer would break down the game for all the British football (meaning soccer) fans in the UK. When I watched the Golden Globes, we were streaming from an Australian link. The commercials are fantastic!!!  Pet insurance, "put pork on your fork" and "never let a mate walk home drunk." Commercials aren't so bad when you're getting a variety you've never seen before. However, my favorite conversation from Golden Globes night was between me and Chris.

I was cheering for one of the winners, and Chris looked over and asked, "Did you vote?"

I stopped cheering and stared. "Vote for what?" I asked, hoping this wasn't going where I thought it was. But, it did.

"The Golden Globe winners."

I smacked my palm to my face then stared in wonder. "Chris... no... just no."

"What?" Chris asked. "I don't know about these things."

Anyway, back to Nimbus before someone gets hurt... The medication is completely done, which we're all appreciating. Dragging myself out of bed in the morning to hold down a sleepy, grumpy chinchilla is no one's idea of fun. Two more days until we get those stitches out. 

Food is an important aspect of your chinchilla's well being, if not the most important because of their sensitive stomachs. 

Their diet should consist of hay and really nothing but hay. They need pure Timothy hay and a pellet form of hay with added nutrients. And as you may have guessed, I go straight to Oxbow Animal Health. Oxbow Essentials - Chinchilla is created to fulfill every need for your chinchillas diet in pellet form. According to their website, the "premium ingredients" are Alfalfa Hay for beneficial fiber and protein, soy products for fiber, balanced protein, healthy fat and wheat as an ideal carbohydrate and energy source. Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue notes that the food provides chins with "brighter eyes" and "more energy."

Photo from drsfosterandsmith.com

Notice that the food has absolutely no nuts in the mix. Nuts are extremely dangerous for chinchillas. According to Chinchilla Chronicles, nuts and seeds are "extremely high in fat, protein and oils, which leads to calcium deficiency and liver damage." Forever Feisty agrees. They wrote, "You want to avoid these because they are loaded with fat and can cause fatty liver disease. Some say feeding sunflower seeds to your chin will give their coat a nice luster, but feeding a great diet and regular dust baths will do the same and is a much better way to keep your chin healthy. Fatty liver disease is a hidden killer in chins. It is something that you don't discover until after your chin has passed away if a necropsy (animal autopsy) is done." Other foods to avoid, which in most cases leads to death, include fresh and dried fruits, corn, tap water, pellet mixes, vegetables, salt spools (used mostly for hamsters) and craisins. Chinchillas cannot vomit, and if something disagrees with their stomachs, it can lead to bloating or diarrhea. Both are swift killers. Also, avoid Kayteee Fiesta, Kaytee Forti-Diet, Sunseed and Charlie Chinchilla, which use dyes and dried fruits/veggies, says Forever Feisty. These mixes look more like hamster food. Hamsters can handle and need all different types of foods to keep them healthy and happy. Their diet ranges to several types of food while a chinchilla's does not. Small mammal companies who make pellet mixes need to research more thoroughly the individual dietary needs of the animals they are advertising for.

I use Kaytee Timothy Hay, which although it is not a brand I support, I do enjoy their hay. I live in a small town. If I drive 30 minutes down the road, I can find Oxbow Essentials - Chinchilla food, but they don't carry Kaytee Timothy Hay. Instead, they carry an All Living Things bag that was just worthless. I don't know if I got a bad batch, but both Nimbus and I were disappointed. There were no strong stalks in the bag, which can't help me. I use a veggie basket for rabbits because Nimbus enjoys sitting on his lava ledge and nibbling the stalks dangling next to his head. I also use a small ceramic dust bath to hold his hay, and that was the only food bin I was able to use with All Living Things. Small, torn up pieces of hay fall right through the veggie basket, and Nimbus doesn't enjoy using the ceramic dust bath to eat from. He loves to get at the hay from all sides and lean on his toes to grab the strong stalks. All Living Things was just a disappointment. Instead, I drive over to our local pet store up the road to buy Kaytee. Fantastic stuff! It has the smaller pieces, as to be expected, but also plenty of strong stalks for Nimbus's enjoyment. I've never had a bad bag, so cheers to Kaytee. Be sure to always check that the hay is fresh and clean, no matter what brand you use. Moldy, wet hay is the death of a chinchilla, or any animal like horses.

Nimbus eating hay from the veggie basket.

Acceptable treats are all natural like dried rose hips. Organic whole dried oats, Oxbow Timothy Treats, Oxbow Barley Biscuits, hay cakes and plain Shredded Wheat are also acceptable, as listed by Forever Fesity. Nimbus's favorite treat are Cheerios. We try to only treat him once or twice a week. 

Now, raisins can be used but only in a medicinal way. Raisins are packed with sugar, so providing them as an everyday treat is a no-go. However, if your chinchilla expends too much energy and is suffering from a hypoglycemia/low blood sugar attack then raisins are the way to go. Slip him one raisin, and their sugar will return. Make sure to get them to some water and a Chinchiller, a cooling stone for chinchillas, soon after so that it doesn't happen again. Believe me, raisins work wonders for a hypoglycemic chinchilla. That energy exploding forth is unlike anything you've ever seen. I always keep a small box of raisins in my chinchilla medical kit.

Recently, I've begun feeding Nimbus Oxbow Natural Science - Digestive Support. He received more than necessary this past week because I wanted to make the medication didn't interfere with his digestive system. Now that he's off the medication, his intake of these hay pellets will significantly drop. We call them his "biscuits," and he loves them. But, that's no reason to give him more. I've seen less signs of stomach problems, which I had to deal with once or twice a month if he got into something he shouldn't. I also believe that it was a huge help during this past week. It's a treat, and it's healthy for him. I won't give him 1/2 a tab a day anymore, but it won't be so spaced out that his stomach won't expect it coming. Be advised, however. My gosh, do they stink.

In all honestly, if you're feeding your chin the right pellet mix and Timothy hay, your chin doesn't need any treats or supplements. He'll be perfectly fine with what he has. But, we all know as owners that giving your pet treats is fun. For me, it's been very helpful. One of the cutest tricks Nimbus will do is reach into the air for a Cheerio above his head. This was brilliant work on Chris's part who got him to do it the first time, and I was able to easily see his stitches and check on his wound without holding him down or hurting him. He loves those Cheerios!

Nimbus reaching for a Cheerio, the night before his surgery.