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Post by Whimsy on Apr 18, 2011 19:15:31 GMT -5
Hey folks You're not going to believe this. We've been working all day to move the chins out of the bird cages they came in and into proper chin cages. In doing so we discovered there are actually 17 chinchillas, not 14. Not that it makes that much of a difference. The chins came in two large groups, a three tiered bird breeder set up, and a small carrier type cage for the humongous girl. Check out the difference between the boys' old set up compared to their new one. The breeder bird set up had nothing but a single very chewed duster in each of them. No shelves. Wire bottoms with cat litter in the pans. Attachments:
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Post by chinnymom on Apr 18, 2011 19:37:38 GMT -5
those fuzzbutts are in pure chinny heaven now!
but since you saw the very chewed plastic dust houses, why do they have plastic items in their new cages?
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Post by amutablefeather on Apr 18, 2011 19:53:09 GMT -5
Cat litter? That's a new one...
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Post by feistychins on Apr 18, 2011 23:16:02 GMT -5
Honestly, I'm not really sure. If it is possible, I don't know if the babies would miscarry or even survive.
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Post by Essentia on Apr 19, 2011 2:41:40 GMT -5
To me that kit looks very much like a dwarf. The smooshy face, tiny ears, etc. I'd like to see pictures of him as he grows.
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Post by Sharon on Apr 19, 2011 4:00:58 GMT -5
Oh, poor baby (and others). It looks like the little odd one just has poor fur quality. It's normal for babies to look like their heads are too big for their bodies, but usually they have thick fur to hide how small their bodies are. Hopefully it's something that will right itself with good nutrition.
It's really wonderful these poor creatures have someone knowledgeable to rescue them. Bravo, Whimsy!
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 19, 2011 5:09:05 GMT -5
those fuzzbutts are in pure chinny heaven now! but since you saw the very chewed plastic dust houses, why do they have plastic items in their new cages? Prior to coming here, the chins had noting BUT their dusters to chew on. Now they have a variety of wooden ledges, hay, chew toys, etc to nom. We're hoping the variety will give them better options than the plastic. Also, the plastic dusters that are in their cages now contain medicated dust. It's not a permanent fixture in their cages. And, with over 70 animals here, we have to make due with the materials on hand.
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 19, 2011 5:14:53 GMT -5
To me that kit looks very much like a dwarf. The smooshy face, tiny ears, etc. I'd like to see pictures of him as he grows. I can tell you for sure the kit is not a dwarf. Aside from the picture where her ears were folded back against her head, in reality she has very large ears and a very large pointed head, not blunt faced. Her body is long and lean, not compact and squat. I'll see if I can post another picture from a different angle. Her distinguishing feature is her odd fur. But then again, the people did say this entire group contains several generations of direct inbreeding.
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Post by Alison on Apr 19, 2011 8:52:46 GMT -5
They must be thinking they went to heaven to come to your place Whimsy and get proper food and things to chew
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Post by feistychins on Apr 19, 2011 10:26:59 GMT -5
Am I reading this correctly? You put medicated dust in with them now? If that is so.....what did you give them and why? Have you confirmed fungus in one of them?
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 19, 2011 11:43:53 GMT -5
Am I reading this correctly? You put medicated dust in with them now? If that is so.....what did you give them and why? Have you confirmed fungus in one of them? My apologies. "Medicated" was not the proper choice of terms. We use diatomacious earth whenever we suspect fungus on incoming chins and have had very good success with it clearing up a wide variety of fur and skin issues. The rings around the eyes and missing fur on some of the chins clued us in.
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 19, 2011 13:24:59 GMT -5
Another picture of the weird looking kit next to her much smaller peer. I believe the different angle will help show that she doesn't have the dwarf characteristics. Attachments:
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Kimberly
Full Member
Mom to 5 human kids, 1 chin-child and 2 dog-children
Posts: 211
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Post by Kimberly on Apr 19, 2011 13:30:42 GMT -5
Poor little squirrely girl! She's cute though, no matter what she is or isn't. She is still chinnie cute! You rescuers just amaze me with the amount of compassion and love you provide. I have tons of love but not enough space. I admire you Whimsy for taking in these now 17 babies!
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Post by feistychins on Apr 19, 2011 15:55:16 GMT -5
Well the little girls ears are definitely very large, but the fur on her body is not 'normal'.
The DE surprises me. I assume you are adding it to the regular dust bath? Hasn't that caused eye and respiratory issues with chins you have used that with before seeing how you are not supposed to breath it? Just never heard of anyone using it for a chin before.......seems very risky, IMO.
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 19, 2011 18:31:59 GMT -5
Well the little girls ears are definitely very large, but the fur on her body is not 'normal'. The DE surprises me. I assume you are adding it to the regular dust bath? Hasn't that caused eye and respiratory issues with chins you have used that with before seeing how you are not supposed to breath it? Just never heard of anyone using it for a chin before.......seems very risky, IMO. We use diatomaceous earth mixed with Blue Cloud only when we need to treat new rescues for fungus. This homeopathic remedy is much safer to use than the man-made treatments. IMO Also, because DE combined with proper husbandry practices work so well we've never had to use it for an extensive period of time, there there have been no issues with respiratory or eye issues. So tell me, do you know of a "completely safe" treatment for fungus? I'd be interested in learning alternatives, if there are any.
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Post by feistychins on Apr 19, 2011 23:44:29 GMT -5
No I don't, but I wish I could give you a suggestion. Whenever I read about people being told to put foot powder in their chins bath for fungus...I cringe.
Thankfully I have never had a case of fungus here. I don't know how well it works and it is not natural, but Blue Kote has been used by some and they claim it clears it in about 5 days. Like I said though, I have never used it myself. Of course you have to 'paint' it on the infected area and you will have a purple chin until the fur grows out, but the chin is not rolling around in anything.
This is one of those things that is a bad situation no matter what and since you have so many to treat compounds it.
I know you said that the rehabilitation center did their best, but really, between the kit that is very unique and the fungus and obesity......they should not have kept animals they know nothing about.
I'm happy they are on the road to recovery now.
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 20, 2011 5:24:25 GMT -5
No I don't, but I wish I could give you a suggestion. Whenever I read about people being told to put foot powder in their chins bath for fungus...I cringe.
Thankfully I have never had a case of fungus here. I don't know how well it works and it is not natural, but Blue Kote has been used by some and they claim it clears it in about 5 days. Like I said though, I have never used it myself. Of course you have to 'paint' it on the infected area and you will have a purple chin until the fur grows out, but the chin is not rolling around in anything.
This is one of those things that is a bad situation no matter what and since you have so many to treat compounds it.
I know you said that the rehabilitation center did their best, but really, between the kit that is very unique and the fungus and obesity......they should not have kept animals they know nothing about.
I'm happy they are on the road to recovery now.[/quote]
*nods* And the state of the animals may be why they contacted us to surrender. At least that had mind to do that.
Now as for treating with diatomaceous earth...it is completely natural. It's totally natural. It comes directly from nature, just like Blue Cloud does. As a matter of fact, Blue Cloud chinchilla dust is a known carcinogen, yet we still use it now don't we? DE is not a chemical and while any powder can be dangerous to inhale, this at least has minimal risks compared to any other treatment I've encountered.
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Post by amutablefeather on Apr 20, 2011 15:25:43 GMT -5
Blue Cloud is a carcinogen? How risky is it to use? Should I be using some other dust for my girls? o.O
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Post by narnibird on Apr 21, 2011 2:21:42 GMT -5
She looks like Earnest Anselm did, at least to me. Here is his baby picture (4 months old). I can't find the one she posted in the ad for him. His fur laid flat, it was poofy in that picture, but usually it laid down, until he was about a year old. He was perfectly proportionate, just very, very small. Either way, she is cute! I hope she has a nice, long life full of love and wonder.
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Post by Whimsy on Apr 21, 2011 4:38:17 GMT -5
Blue Cloud is a carcinogen? How risky is it to use? Should I be using some other dust for my girls? o.O Blue Cloud (and other chin dusts) have been known to cause lung cancers in the people who, for the most part, raise thougsands of chins. I wouldn't worry about using it on your own chins. They were created to bathe in dust and are uniquely designed to live in that kind of environment. So no, you don't need to stop using Blue Cloud on your chins for fear of them getting cancer. I didn't intend to single out the Blue Cloud brand. I was simply making the statement that dust in itself poses potential problems even though it is "all natural". Also, I want to mention for anyone who is considering trying diatomaceous earth with their dust, I use FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth only. Not the kind used for gardens, not the kind used in pools.
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