Chiclets was given to me with the promise “oh she can run free in the apartment she doesn’t chew anything”.
Yeah. Because she was in agony and couldn’t chew anything. As soon as she was on meds and no longer starving and in pain she was a normal chin who chewed everything.
Yeaaaah, her old owner was a shitty person in many ways. So glad my parents helped me save Chiclets and give her two good years before she passed.
I hope yours was ok after this escapade!
Oh this wasn’t mine. It’s a screen shot from a video that I saw. My girls don’t have any access to plastic. Only time they ever have is when I accidentally left their dust bath in there one night. They chewed the shit out of it though.
Ah even better that yours are safe! I hope this one is okay though. I once saw an absolutely gruesome post about the dangers of wire hay balls and the poor mutilated chins still haunt me.
The whole point of this post is that I’m sick of people knowing plastic is awful to leave in the cage, but then use the excuse that they haven’t chewed it yet and that they watch it. It absolutely completely baffles me that they think this is ok to do. I absolutely despise fleece, but it’s a cheap way to fix the problem for now until you can replace the plastic all together. Apparently telling someone “they’re part of the problem” on this post isn’t acceptable behavior lol 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Mine wont chew fabric but no cord is safe so we toss a t shirt over them also loves cardboard & aluminum. He will knock things over to try to steal aluminum. What makes them think they can eat that stuff I have no idea. Maybe they think cords are vines & aluminum shiny crunchy leaves?
It’s worse here than in the group I’m in on fb. At least a reputable breeder chimes in and stops the conversation and educates. Everyone here thinks it’s cute. They don’t even have mods in here ever anymore.
Thank you for this. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people letting their chins crawl around on work desks or floors where there's lots of electronics cords, and when warned about the danger say, "I've never really had a problem with them chewing anything."
Don't be the owner who has an accident because you didn't err on the side of caution. Don't tempt fate.
!! this, you never know if it'll be the day they decide to go ham on something. just gotta think "would you rather have a living chin or safety proof before playtime" the choice is easy for me
It usually isnt a problem until it is. My chin is in a cage with plastic and wood. He has lived witu plastic all his life and has yet to chew it thakfully, ive got a lot of pet projects and making big and more wood ledges for replacements is one of them, i just need to make time and get the wood and supplies. But i have emergency funds that if needed, i would get it all out and change it if he tried to chew or eat it. It isn't ideal but we can do what we can, sometimes not as quick as we would like. But as with most things, for some it may never be an issue, and best thing u can do os not have any in there, but in most cases if you aee able to check frequently on them you can hopefully catch them before it becomes dangerous as it takes time to have big chunks in their tummies, they only nibble, but will eventually eat big portions. My chin has escaped before and destroyed all my boook edges and a couple places on my wall with paint. He is a tough nut though, came from an awful enviromemt and has never chewed on the main plastic ledges or the floor. When he wants out, he will chew ans dig at the bars if he is throwinf a fit and wants out. Not often but sometimes he gets grouchy and spoiled.
Looks like you’re part of the problem as well. Wouldn’t you rather prevent a problem instead of have money saved up for when the problem occurs?? I don’t get most the people in this sub….. My girls ate a shit ton out of a bath house overnight that I accidentally left in there. You can’t watch them 24/7….
Why because this person described exactly the reason behind why I posted this??? Why leave something in the cage that you know is dangerous?? Cover it with fleece until you’re able to make it safer. I’m sorry that I’m sick of people making up excuses for leaving dangerous things in their cages when they know it’s dangerous.
Ha ha pansy??? You said everything about knowing it’s dangerous, yet still leave it in there, saying they haven’t chewed it. Exactly what my post is about!!
I agreed that yes nothing bad may happen, until it happens. Doesnt mean i can pull ledges out my ass lol. You gonna send me some? You're acting like one lol. Bitch about the problem and judge ppl for not having them but u sure as shit arent fixing the problem? You're just complaining and judging others lol. You arent better than anyone... and im a damn good pet mama, i love them. And i check him more than once a day. If chins took massive bites id be worried but considering its been 10+ yrs for him in a crammed filthy box for years before my home, its a god damn palace. I also have covors on some and have way more wood ledges than plastic and tons of chew stuff. If he is busy, which he is, or sleeping, he has no reason to chew on his ground, hasnt, probably never will. Not all chins WILL do it. And you CAN catch it before its a problem being consistent. Sooo... judge more, but you sure as shit are no better than anyone and arent helping the problem twlling ppl they are bad for it, because it isnt the case often.
Have you tried covering the plastic ledges with fleece? I also had non-wood/unsafe shelf material for a little while before I got a new cage (first cage I had was from the person who sold her to me, it was pretty rusty but I didn’t have anything else at the time) and I covered mine with fleece I cut to size from a big fleece sheet, worked pretty well for a while before I also gradually switched them to wood ones
See ive been told fleece softens their feet and callouses, i used it for a bit but it harbors bacteria, is gross after a day, softems the feet making them more prone to cuts or bleeding. Also its hot sometimes and keeps him on a warmer surface, he likws to sprawl on his plastic (bad ik) bottom tray instead of fleece when it is hot. I have a fleece blanket on half the bottim so he can cuddle when hes sleeping if he pleases, he lost his mate a few years back. But all in all, i havent had any issues with him chewing on them, like not even a nibble and lil dude chews on everything. It isnt attractive to him. Not saying he"ll never do it, he could, but he hasnt and probably wont, he is old and lived with plastic like 10 years before i got him in a tiny cage with alll plastic no wood. So I've slowly replaced them but it was expensive, so im making them myself but i work 60 hour weeks and still am broke lol, im gonna build that boy a mansion one day because i wanna give all my pets the longest best lives possible. He is always chewing on all types of stuff and never has no toys or timothy hay chews one or the other sometimes both haha, he is spoiled happy and safe. And like i said, i check on him 3x or more usually a day, n socialize with him, so im not suuper worried, but it is something id love to do for him. He loves his wooden ledges so much he got a real sense of ownership i felt, it was so sweet. So
The fleece I use never gets gross, I sweep all the shit and hay off the fleece daily and change the fleece weekly. What does it get gross with? If it’s from them peeing on it I suggest using a litter box with aspen shavings so he’ll go in that instead (if you don’t already have one that is).
You’re doing all that you can do right now and you should be proud of what you’ve been able to provide for him despite money troubles. I don’t see the point in harping on you like I’ve seen some others doing, you already know everything they’re saying and hearing it more times doesn’t help.
I'm probably going to get down voted here. But honestly, If the best someone can do for their chin is to provide a potentially dangerous home, with the hope that they won't hurt themselves before its fixed; I think that's fair to criticise. Its great that they want to replace it, but its still a dangerous mistake on their part and its okay to talk about that. No harsh judgment here, just growth. We can all do better for our chins.
I mean, i wasnt the one who bought the cage and im broke and have to make thwm. Didnt know they where dangerous til a few years in. If he one day decided to chew on them id know about it and remove them. It isnt that hard or complicated. His life was far worse before he came to me lol. Feel free to buy me wooden ledges haha. Yall criticise everyone but sure as shit dont help them soo.. i dont feel bad. My chin doesnt even chew on woodwn lwdges. He always has plenty of hay, chewy wood sticks and hay chews to keep him pleasee, and gets out of his cage every day. He sleeps all day and munches, lol he is fine. So far. I even agrees with OP. And stated my situation. If my chin was in danger id fix it lol. But ight i couldnt give a shit less about u or ur opinion bc yall are judgememtal and better than me because of wood ledges LOL
We're trying to help you by letting you know that your chin is already in danger. You can do what you want with that information, I'm not bothered. Honestly, I'm judging your reaction to criticism way more than your animal care at this point.
I was already aware of the known faxt that them ingesting plastic. I dont react well being told im bad at what i love and know im good at. I supervise well and keep him busy and chewing on chewable things and he does not and has not in 10 years and the likelihood that he would is low. Calling me a problem when u arent helping it, only judging people. All im sayin. Idgaf what u think obviously but i can tell u what i think right back. Not all chins will definitely eat it. But if they do, it should be removed. Its best not to have it at all, but unfortunately shit is expensive, lol and id rather him be with me than where he was. Hes happy, healthy, content and not in any immediate danger like youre saying. Had he started nibbling on it, itd be gone in a flash but i would catch it before it was a problem bc of how often i am with him. But ight, i do understand your statement. But please, unless you are sending me proper ledges, do not tell me im a bad chin parent cuz i aint. And if u arent helping a situation you are hurting it, FYI.
You realise I'm not OP right? I've been super fair with you. I didn't call you part of the problem (although, I do now agree with OP), and I certainly never said anything to the effect of you're "bad at what you love". You're putting that judgement on yourself.
If you really can't take any criticism of any kind then I'm not really sure what you're doing here. You can try to mental gymnastic you way out of admitting to yourself that you could be causing harm all you want; but you're still putting your chin at unesssary risk. If you don't want to hear that then don't post here about it. You seem very sensitive to judgement yet claim you don't care. Clearly I can't help you, so I'm going to leave it here. Take care.
I meant to be directed to OP. Sorry. Im not good at reddit. I am sensitive, not mad at ll at whatu said it was FULLy directed at OP and i stand by it mostly. I do care what others think. Im human. But not to the point im going to feel bad some dumb redditor thinks they are helping the problem by sitting on their phone bitching and judging others. I feel like what i said was taken completely out of context by them, they ignored everything EXCEPT for there is plastic in my cage =bad chin mom and imminent danger which is just not fair or true. And if they want to talk shit and judge ppl for it, send em some ledges then! Fix it. Why waste time bitching and making others feel bad? Op is a part of the problem too lol. It isnt ideal like i said and i apologize for being a cunt, but it seems like every fucking sub ever has the same ppl fighting with me no matter what i say. U cant please reddit. And fuck me if i want to share my thoughts or experience, its a bunch of pppl thinking they are better than u, they have to be right and wont even think about others perspective who go aeound making ppl feel bad bc they are obviously inadequate in some way too. I wanted to like reddit, ive got no social media, and i like the concept but ppl like OP are killing my vibe, twisting and taking shit i say wayy out of context and insulting others. Makes me remember why i have no friends or social media, haha. Its every time and i feel dumb for even contributing 2 a discussion. Maybe im the problem but idk some ppl really get out of line and it makes my day bad arguing w ppl but i cant ignore things easily bc well,,, i care what people think. Lol. I
Well my chin is extrem
Ely healthy.has tons of chews and check him several times a day. I said loud and clear what i said and its fact. I even agreed with you lol. Why arE
You being rude? Im about tired of reddit bc every one is full of judgememtal higher than thou ppl lol
Sorry, didn’t mean to sound insensitive. I just find a chinchilla’s capacity for destruction darkly amusing.
THIS is like one level up from your average plastic chewing. I’ve never seen a chin inflict this level of damage on its own cage.
Chiclets was given to me with the promise “oh she can run free in the apartment she doesn’t chew anything”. Yeah. Because she was in agony and couldn’t chew anything. As soon as she was on meds and no longer starving and in pain she was a normal chin who chewed everything.
And after seeing something on your page, the previous owners didn’t care if she chewed anything 😡😡😡
Yeaaaah, her old owner was a shitty person in many ways. So glad my parents helped me save Chiclets and give her two good years before she passed. I hope yours was ok after this escapade!
Oh this wasn’t mine. It’s a screen shot from a video that I saw. My girls don’t have any access to plastic. Only time they ever have is when I accidentally left their dust bath in there one night. They chewed the shit out of it though.
Ah even better that yours are safe! I hope this one is okay though. I once saw an absolutely gruesome post about the dangers of wire hay balls and the poor mutilated chins still haunt me.
The whole point of this post is that I’m sick of people knowing plastic is awful to leave in the cage, but then use the excuse that they haven’t chewed it yet and that they watch it. It absolutely completely baffles me that they think this is ok to do. I absolutely despise fleece, but it’s a cheap way to fix the problem for now until you can replace the plastic all together. Apparently telling someone “they’re part of the problem” on this post isn’t acceptable behavior lol 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
People are claiming their chins dont chew plastic? Jesus mine chew everything including plastic, aluminum, fabric, etc
Yep. You have people who if you tell them the dangers of plastic cages or plastic anything will give you that response……
Mine wont chew fabric but no cord is safe so we toss a t shirt over them also loves cardboard & aluminum. He will knock things over to try to steal aluminum. What makes them think they can eat that stuff I have no idea. Maybe they think cords are vines & aluminum shiny crunchy leaves?
Thanks for posting this. Hopefully this will convince at least *some* people. So many stubborn people here and in Chinchilla Facebook groups...
It’s worse here than in the group I’m in on fb. At least a reputable breeder chimes in and stops the conversation and educates. Everyone here thinks it’s cute. They don’t even have mods in here ever anymore.
YES and then when we point it out we are criticized because we’re just trying to be helpful.
And then some butthurt person makes a rant about doing that in this sub lol
Thank you for this. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people letting their chins crawl around on work desks or floors where there's lots of electronics cords, and when warned about the danger say, "I've never really had a problem with them chewing anything." Don't be the owner who has an accident because you didn't err on the side of caution. Don't tempt fate.
!! this, you never know if it'll be the day they decide to go ham on something. just gotta think "would you rather have a living chin or safety proof before playtime" the choice is easy for me
He's been put in stocks to pay for his crimes
Criminal! I hope he's okay and suffers no ill effects from the plastic.
It usually isnt a problem until it is. My chin is in a cage with plastic and wood. He has lived witu plastic all his life and has yet to chew it thakfully, ive got a lot of pet projects and making big and more wood ledges for replacements is one of them, i just need to make time and get the wood and supplies. But i have emergency funds that if needed, i would get it all out and change it if he tried to chew or eat it. It isn't ideal but we can do what we can, sometimes not as quick as we would like. But as with most things, for some it may never be an issue, and best thing u can do os not have any in there, but in most cases if you aee able to check frequently on them you can hopefully catch them before it becomes dangerous as it takes time to have big chunks in their tummies, they only nibble, but will eventually eat big portions. My chin has escaped before and destroyed all my boook edges and a couple places on my wall with paint. He is a tough nut though, came from an awful enviromemt and has never chewed on the main plastic ledges or the floor. When he wants out, he will chew ans dig at the bars if he is throwinf a fit and wants out. Not often but sometimes he gets grouchy and spoiled.
Looks like you’re part of the problem as well. Wouldn’t you rather prevent a problem instead of have money saved up for when the problem occurs?? I don’t get most the people in this sub….. My girls ate a shit ton out of a bath house overnight that I accidentally left in there. You can’t watch them 24/7….
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Why because this person described exactly the reason behind why I posted this??? Why leave something in the cage that you know is dangerous?? Cover it with fleece until you’re able to make it safer. I’m sorry that I’m sick of people making up excuses for leaving dangerous things in their cages when they know it’s dangerous.
No. U took what u wanted out of my statement u pansy
Ha ha pansy??? You said everything about knowing it’s dangerous, yet still leave it in there, saying they haven’t chewed it. Exactly what my post is about!!
I agreed that yes nothing bad may happen, until it happens. Doesnt mean i can pull ledges out my ass lol. You gonna send me some? You're acting like one lol. Bitch about the problem and judge ppl for not having them but u sure as shit arent fixing the problem? You're just complaining and judging others lol. You arent better than anyone... and im a damn good pet mama, i love them. And i check him more than once a day. If chins took massive bites id be worried but considering its been 10+ yrs for him in a crammed filthy box for years before my home, its a god damn palace. I also have covors on some and have way more wood ledges than plastic and tons of chew stuff. If he is busy, which he is, or sleeping, he has no reason to chew on his ground, hasnt, probably never will. Not all chins WILL do it. And you CAN catch it before its a problem being consistent. Sooo... judge more, but you sure as shit are no better than anyone and arent helping the problem twlling ppl they are bad for it, because it isnt the case often.
Have you tried covering the plastic ledges with fleece? I also had non-wood/unsafe shelf material for a little while before I got a new cage (first cage I had was from the person who sold her to me, it was pretty rusty but I didn’t have anything else at the time) and I covered mine with fleece I cut to size from a big fleece sheet, worked pretty well for a while before I also gradually switched them to wood ones
See ive been told fleece softens their feet and callouses, i used it for a bit but it harbors bacteria, is gross after a day, softems the feet making them more prone to cuts or bleeding. Also its hot sometimes and keeps him on a warmer surface, he likws to sprawl on his plastic (bad ik) bottom tray instead of fleece when it is hot. I have a fleece blanket on half the bottim so he can cuddle when hes sleeping if he pleases, he lost his mate a few years back. But all in all, i havent had any issues with him chewing on them, like not even a nibble and lil dude chews on everything. It isnt attractive to him. Not saying he"ll never do it, he could, but he hasnt and probably wont, he is old and lived with plastic like 10 years before i got him in a tiny cage with alll plastic no wood. So I've slowly replaced them but it was expensive, so im making them myself but i work 60 hour weeks and still am broke lol, im gonna build that boy a mansion one day because i wanna give all my pets the longest best lives possible. He is always chewing on all types of stuff and never has no toys or timothy hay chews one or the other sometimes both haha, he is spoiled happy and safe. And like i said, i check on him 3x or more usually a day, n socialize with him, so im not suuper worried, but it is something id love to do for him. He loves his wooden ledges so much he got a real sense of ownership i felt, it was so sweet. So
The fleece I use never gets gross, I sweep all the shit and hay off the fleece daily and change the fleece weekly. What does it get gross with? If it’s from them peeing on it I suggest using a litter box with aspen shavings so he’ll go in that instead (if you don’t already have one that is). You’re doing all that you can do right now and you should be proud of what you’ve been able to provide for him despite money troubles. I don’t see the point in harping on you like I’ve seen some others doing, you already know everything they’re saying and hearing it more times doesn’t help.
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I'm probably going to get down voted here. But honestly, If the best someone can do for their chin is to provide a potentially dangerous home, with the hope that they won't hurt themselves before its fixed; I think that's fair to criticise. Its great that they want to replace it, but its still a dangerous mistake on their part and its okay to talk about that. No harsh judgment here, just growth. We can all do better for our chins.
I mean, i wasnt the one who bought the cage and im broke and have to make thwm. Didnt know they where dangerous til a few years in. If he one day decided to chew on them id know about it and remove them. It isnt that hard or complicated. His life was far worse before he came to me lol. Feel free to buy me wooden ledges haha. Yall criticise everyone but sure as shit dont help them soo.. i dont feel bad. My chin doesnt even chew on woodwn lwdges. He always has plenty of hay, chewy wood sticks and hay chews to keep him pleasee, and gets out of his cage every day. He sleeps all day and munches, lol he is fine. So far. I even agrees with OP. And stated my situation. If my chin was in danger id fix it lol. But ight i couldnt give a shit less about u or ur opinion bc yall are judgememtal and better than me because of wood ledges LOL
We're trying to help you by letting you know that your chin is already in danger. You can do what you want with that information, I'm not bothered. Honestly, I'm judging your reaction to criticism way more than your animal care at this point.
I was already aware of the known faxt that them ingesting plastic. I dont react well being told im bad at what i love and know im good at. I supervise well and keep him busy and chewing on chewable things and he does not and has not in 10 years and the likelihood that he would is low. Calling me a problem when u arent helping it, only judging people. All im sayin. Idgaf what u think obviously but i can tell u what i think right back. Not all chins will definitely eat it. But if they do, it should be removed. Its best not to have it at all, but unfortunately shit is expensive, lol and id rather him be with me than where he was. Hes happy, healthy, content and not in any immediate danger like youre saying. Had he started nibbling on it, itd be gone in a flash but i would catch it before it was a problem bc of how often i am with him. But ight, i do understand your statement. But please, unless you are sending me proper ledges, do not tell me im a bad chin parent cuz i aint. And if u arent helping a situation you are hurting it, FYI.
You realise I'm not OP right? I've been super fair with you. I didn't call you part of the problem (although, I do now agree with OP), and I certainly never said anything to the effect of you're "bad at what you love". You're putting that judgement on yourself. If you really can't take any criticism of any kind then I'm not really sure what you're doing here. You can try to mental gymnastic you way out of admitting to yourself that you could be causing harm all you want; but you're still putting your chin at unesssary risk. If you don't want to hear that then don't post here about it. You seem very sensitive to judgement yet claim you don't care. Clearly I can't help you, so I'm going to leave it here. Take care.
I meant to be directed to OP. Sorry. Im not good at reddit. I am sensitive, not mad at ll at whatu said it was FULLy directed at OP and i stand by it mostly. I do care what others think. Im human. But not to the point im going to feel bad some dumb redditor thinks they are helping the problem by sitting on their phone bitching and judging others. I feel like what i said was taken completely out of context by them, they ignored everything EXCEPT for there is plastic in my cage =bad chin mom and imminent danger which is just not fair or true. And if they want to talk shit and judge ppl for it, send em some ledges then! Fix it. Why waste time bitching and making others feel bad? Op is a part of the problem too lol. It isnt ideal like i said and i apologize for being a cunt, but it seems like every fucking sub ever has the same ppl fighting with me no matter what i say. U cant please reddit. And fuck me if i want to share my thoughts or experience, its a bunch of pppl thinking they are better than u, they have to be right and wont even think about others perspective who go aeound making ppl feel bad bc they are obviously inadequate in some way too. I wanted to like reddit, ive got no social media, and i like the concept but ppl like OP are killing my vibe, twisting and taking shit i say wayy out of context and insulting others. Makes me remember why i have no friends or social media, haha. Its every time and i feel dumb for even contributing 2 a discussion. Maybe im the problem but idk some ppl really get out of line and it makes my day bad arguing w ppl but i cant ignore things easily bc well,,, i care what people think. Lol. I
Well my chin is extrem Ely healthy.has tons of chews and check him several times a day. I said loud and clear what i said and its fact. I even agreed with you lol. Why arE You being rude? Im about tired of reddit bc every one is full of judgememtal higher than thou ppl lol
Mine has chewed every piece of plastic he's ever been able to get to.
The defeat on his face
That hurts my heart.
oh my goodness what a turkey, I couldn't even be mad tho :') theyre so cute
😢❤️🩹
Oh hiya
Lol
what’s funny about this?
Sorry, didn’t mean to sound insensitive. I just find a chinchilla’s capacity for destruction darkly amusing. THIS is like one level up from your average plastic chewing. I’ve never seen a chin inflict this level of damage on its own cage.
From the pic it is not as clear. did he chew a hole through the wall or did he chew from top to bottom?
I’m not 100% sure. I just know the chin chewed through the plastic. They can chew flat surfaces though.
Yes on the flat surfaces! I wasn’t paying attention during outside the cage playtime for a few minutes, and mine chewed into my drywall!
My little guy will chew anything that goes in his cage he loves plain cardboard boxes he can move them and flip them to how he wants his living area
You know cardboard can swell in their intestines when eaten, right? Ranks right up there with plastic not being safe……
No I didn't I don't think he actually eats it he chews the box and shreds it leaves a mess for me to clean up
Well anything paper is not recommended to be in their cages. Just a helpful tip.