Snack Times, Poop Times and Email Times

Who else has a chinchilla who is excellent at treat begging?

*raises hand*

Wally loooovvves to guilt me after playtime for a treat because she was a good girl. As her "momma", it's my job to just say no! Treats and snacks make us feel better but a chinchilla doesn't need special goodies and too much can, in fact, be very harmful. Chinchilla bellies are super sensitive and there are way more things that they CANNOT eat than what they can. A chinchilla's diet is often the reason for health issues for new chin owners because they simply are not aware or not told what is safe and what is not. Pet store employees are often misguided and manufacturers will often put a chinchilla on their packaging even though it is absolutely NOT chin safe.

Here are a few quick guidelines for new owners on the diet of a chinchilla. Please be aware that this is just a quick guide list and there are many resources out there that are much more specific as to what is safe and what is not.

Chinchilla Safe Treats, Chews, and Food:

• Apple Wood, which is Wally's favorite in skinny twiglet form.
• Organic, natural Goji Berries. They're very little and chewy. Wally adores them but I give her one maybe once a month or so.
• Organic, whole Rose Buds. Wally and I call them "flowers" and she perks up when I say the word. I'll give her one flower every other week.
• Organic, natural Rose Hips. They're a nice source of vitamin C, which is good for their little teeth. Wally has both whole and crushed Rose Hips. I used the crushed for her "training" because the pieces are so tiny and Wally felt like she was getting more than she actually was.
• Natural Pumice Stones. Very good for their teeth but I have a hard time getting Wally to be interested in them. She's a very picky chewer. I prefer always going for the natural rather than a flavor (they come in many varieties) just to be sure I'm not giving her anything harmful. 
• Timmothy Hay! Give it freely and give them lots!! Wally is forever the most nitpicky little girl in the world and I had to scour the world for a hay that she would actually eat. I've found that the Premium 2nd Cut Timmothy Hay from Quality Mutation Chinchillas is the only hay Wally will actually seek out to nibble. 
• Oxbow or Mazuri pellets. The two leading chinchilla pellets. I have always special ordered Wally's Mazuri food, even prior to getting her, and have had no issues. Some chin owners have said that Mazuri has lead to soft poop in their babies and found that (slowly) switching to Oxbow helped remedy that problem.

Mistywaterwoman has an excellent FAQ site containing all you need to know about what is safe to feed your chinchilla. I recommend going there and reading everything possible.

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In the past few months I have received quite a few applications for adoption and fostering but every time I try to reply, my emails are bounced back. I would really love to reply to all of the applicants but I can't if you are putting in the wrong email addresses. Please, when filling out the forms, be sure you have imputed your CORRECT email address. 

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I don't really have much to say about poop other than, MY GOODNESS! Wally is amazing at throwing poop across the room. Her mansion sits in the corner of our bedroom and I'll find a little poopy way across the room from where she is. I don't know how she does it but it's amazing! 

I also think she's begun potty training herself. Lately, she's been using a little bed she has as a place to poop. I have never heard of this. Have you? I know a chinchilla can be trained to pee in a certain spot, but poop? Her shelves and flooring have hardly any poop on them but that little bed? It'll be filled by morning. Weirder yet? I thought it was because she was sleeping/spending most of her time there... but no. It's just used for poop collecting. She's the strangest little girl. 

What are some of the weird things your chinchillas do? Leave a comment! I'd love to hear your stories. 

Spring, Priming and Quick Grooming Tips

Ah, spring is finally starting to spring around here and Wally and I are so excited! Wally is so anxious that she is in her beginning stages of priming. She's started blowing fur and I've been finding it stuck to my chapstick. It's just how it is!

I was ill prepared the first time the seasons changed and Wally's fur was absolutely everywhere so here are some quick tips I've picked up that seem to be helping us deal a little bit better this time:

Dust Baths - The rolling in the dust over and over will loosen up the fur and make the grooming process a little easier. Plus, it's fun! I allow Wally to hop in and out as many times as she wants on grooming days. The smoothness of the dust makes combing easier for me and the rolling fun times gives her a nice little break from being picked at by me.

Combing - Wally isn't super keen on being combed even though I couldn't be gentler with her. I use a regular old black tailcomb gotten from Sally's because the teeth are wider than chinchilla combs and I want to be as nice to her as possible. It will grab a good, fair amount of the loose fur that occured during her bath. We have a bit of a routine in which Wally will take a bath, hop in my lap, let me comb her for a few swipes and then she hops back into her bath. We do the process over and over and I find that allowing her to bathe between comb swipes helps the fur loosen up easier and it eliminates temper tantrums from Wally.

Fingers - After running through with the comb a few times I find that simply (and super gently) lightly pinching the bits of Wally's fur that stick up and pulling will easily lift out the "pickies". Wally hates that word, by the way. Pickies! She's prone to get them mostly on her butt and has little problems with allowing me to pick the pickies as long as I get all of her itches while I'm there.

Lint Rollers - I've yet to try this because Wally's priming isn't super bad yet but I read a creative little idea to just use a sticky lint roller (you can stock up at your local dollar store) to grab the loose fur off of her body super easily. I'll absolutely be trying this in hopes it goes over a little better than the comb. 

Be Consistent - It isn't always easy, especially if your chinchilla hates being handled (Wally loves to snuggle so I'm lucky) but try to do this routine once a week while they're blowing fur to keep the crazy fur flying around the room to a minimum. You won't be rid of it but it seems to help in our house.

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Please remember that the change in seasons will be bringing in the warmer weather. Now is the time to make sure your air conditioning is working and ready to go when you need it for the hot summer months. We have to be sure to keep our chinchilla's world nice and cool.

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Now, a little bit of business: We are still looking for people willing to be foster homes. If you're interested in helping out, please go to the foster page and then send off an email stating your interest and we will get back to you right away.

If you cannot foster but still would like to help out you can donate via the link to the right. You can also send an email to christine@thedustbin.com and tell me what you'd like to do! Any help and support is greatly appreciated.

Holiday Time at Rescues

It's the time of year when everyone is heading to malls across the world to find the perfect gift for a special someone. If you're like me, you prefer to skip the hustle and will do your shopping online. The deals are amazing and it's a lot cozier to shop in your pajamas. 

This holiday season, I urge everyone to be thoughtful when choosing a gift. We all know every little kid wants a dog (I wanted a unicorn) but parents, please think about what will happen to the animal after the excitement wears off. Giving a living creature as a gift is not always the best idea. 

Here at The Dust Bin we have seen many websites and ads saying that chinchillas "make excellent gifts" and are "low maintenance" and "great for a college student". These are all FALSE statements and are used as a way to entice those who simply don't know the commitment involved with caring for a chinchilla. It's a very sad business ploy and is not only deceiving for the buyer but is harmful to the animal who runs a higher risk of being neglected and given up or sold just a few months later.

There is a wonderful website made by Mistywaterwoman that has more information on the care and behavior of chinchillas than you can shake a stick at. Please visit, read all of it and then decide if a chinchilla is right for you or your family before you make an impulse buy at a pet shop. Do your part in keeping these animals from being neglected and surrendered simply by educating yourself. 

Even though The Dust Bin is focused on the rescuing and care of chinchillas, we love all of the animals of the world from the tiniest little robo hamster to the most enormous elephant. Loving and caring for an animal can be one of the greatest joys but it is a commitment and should not be entered into lightly. A life should not be given as a "gift".

If you feel like you are ready for the commitment and love that it takes, please adopt. So many animals across the country are in shelters and rescues right now and I know they would be thankful for a forever home.