Snake Lady

[HotelMinion]

So I was at the pet store the other day, looking for a guinea pig to buy. I came in and saw some chinchillas instead OMG they were sooooo cute! I knew what they were but never actually saw them there before. So, I asked a worker to get one for me and started asking him questions, since I didn't know exactly what they ate, what sound they make, etc.
He answered everything and I told him that I wanted one to take. He said okay and went off to fill out some form and get a cage and equipment for it. I was soooo excited and happy. Then this old lady in her fifties comes up next to me, but didn't look at me when I looked at her, she was watching the critters.

"Hey...are they going to feed them to their snakes?" she said with this weird glint in her eye.

"Ummmm...no, I just bought one." I explained

"Hm, but they do feed them to their snakes," she informed me. "Either that, or they send them to labs to die."

She kept mumbling about labs and experiments. I also heard the word "coats". I backed away from this crazy snake lady, I mean who talks about these things to someone who just bought one? What a weirdo.

So I finally got one and took her home, and the cage was a pain in the butt to build, but now shes there and she's soooooo cute! Here's a picture of one in case anyone doesn't know.




Mine looks just like that one but even cuter! ^_^ Sorry for it's so big but didn't know how to resize it :/ I could just eat her up!

[Krivak]

...I could just eat her up!

Apparently, so could the snakes the lady was rambling on about!

Congrats!

[sms001]

Sorry for it's so big but didn't know how to resize it

easiest is to edit you post:

WIMG] url pic info here [/WIMG (but with the leading and trailing brackets.)

doesn't make it take up less bandwidth, but does scale it.

and 'grats on your new pet - they are just adorable. I wonder what was up with snake lady, weird.

[LillFilly]

Who-Wee, who would buy a chinchilla for snake food!? That's WAY too expensive!!!

Reminds me when I bought a new breeding rabbit, I almost got a chinchilla rabbit; they have the same color and texture fur, hence the name.

[AccountingDrone]

While yes they do use chinnys for coats, they will not be purchased at a pet store but from a breeding facility or bred onsite.

And yes they are seriously adorable. I love the way they sit there and look at you.

Small rodents are adorable - through the years my goddaughters have kept them from hamsters through guinea pigs, one squirrel that they rescued from my cat, a couple chipmonks and some lab rats they got at the end of the school year from the kindergarten class. Though I admit I am more a cat and dog person. [Though I lust after an akhal teke ... ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M08mHsMDYJU

[Ophbalance]

We considered them over the years. However, the fact that they lay down scent trails all over the house (it's they learn their environment) kinda put us off the idea. I've heard it can be... interesting... if you move furniture around, as they tend to run into things until they've laid down new trails .

[Plague*Star]

I came in and saw some chinchillas instead....So, I asked a worker to get one for me and started asking him questions, since I didn't know exactly what they ate, what sound they make, etc.

Please take some time and study what care a chin needs. Nothing that any person can't provide, but pet store people don't always know what is best for chins. The food and treats that most pet stores sell for chins will shorten their lifespan considerably. Please PM me if you would like some more info or have any questions.

P*S

[HiddenMica]

One of the main things with Chinchilla's is keeping them cool. They can get heat stroke and die easily in temps as low as 73 degrees. You want to keep them 60-70 degrees ideally. A strong AC unit in their room in the summer and away from any heaters in the winter is STRONGLY recommended. I had issues in my apartment on the third floor and my boy had a designated spot in my fridge he did not like during heat waves. There are marble slabs you can buy to cool and stick in their cage that some like. My boy never used his despite my best efforts to get him on it.

They do need timothy hay and chin food, I found that Oxbow is the the highest recommended. Apple sticks to chew on, they love them to prices, and they love dried fruit as treats but you want to stick away from things with added sugar or salt. Mine really loved dried cranberries that I got in a health food store so they didn't have anything added to them.

I never, ever had an issue with my chin marking, he was super well minded about that. They do like to chew though on soft plastics. He ate the thumb sticks of a couple game controllers. A weird on that will help with that, they sell it for rabbits, is a super spicy oil you can put on things. They will lick it and then not chew it. They do make some upset squeaks but it doesn't do any permanent damage.

They love rooms with carpets, gives them more traction to run. They tend to love being scritched but usually in their cage after play time. They aren't super cuddly when outside the cage because they want to jump and run around and if it's warm they don't like he body heat.

Another strong point, please don't get them wet! Their fur is so dense that it can't dry by itself and it can cause infections in their coat and make it literally rot off their bodies. They do LOVE their dust bath's though! Sand doesn't work as well as the dust because it's too thick to move easily in and out of their coat. Mine loved blue cloud, it was his favorite. Besides it's one of the best parts of a chinchilla! Watching him fluff around in his dust twice a week was the highlight of my day.

[HotelMinion]

Yeah afterwards I got on the internet and read everything I could about them, and they have a long lifespan. 15 yrs in captivity. I also know about the heat stroke and not getting them wet. Once I had to go out of town, and I asked my bro to look after her and I told him not to let her go above 70 degrees because of overheating, and he's usually pretty sensible, but IDK, he was in a bad mood, and turned on the heat to 80 degrees! I was mad at him for a long time, but at least I've learned my lesson to not let him look after her again! He likes to tease her by offering a nut to her and not letting go. Joke's on him because she's very strong and always gets the nut! :P

[Aethian]

One of my friends had one who had a favorite game. Run real fast on the carpet and then slide in the tile. Return back to the carpet and repeat. But he also liked being slid around the tile with a socked foot. I think he learned this from the toddler that liked to drag him. He was so lack that he didn't care.

[Bloodsoul]

Sounds like my favorite Dungeons & Dragons character in forty years. Granted, she would feed chinchillas to her fiendish viper just 'cause she's rich enough to do so; besides, a full snake is a healthy snake is a happy snake… and happy snakes produce the best venom, mua-ha-ha-ha!