Squirrel lovers unite! 33% versus 66%.
Thirdly, I seriously have to let the cat out the bag for the close-up picture guessing thing. It's a baby's toy.
So, you probably are kind of wondering if this is some sort of animal cruelty thing that has been fought over for a long time. Nope. Simply, this is something people don't realize realize at all when they first get their chinchilla. People think, "Aw, cute, a ball. My chinchilla will absolutely LOVE to run around in it......This must be a MUST-HAVE since hamsters and gerbils and other rodents need exercise balls for playing......Let's buy this too!" Those people don't understand chinchillas could seriously die if they go in the ball. Yep, seriously! Look it up and every chinchilla website agrees: "Absolutely NOT!"
(You can see why this is really non-debate-able!)
- Chinchillas get overheated VERY easily. Plastic balls are hot for chinchillas to be in.
- Chinchillas can get respiratory infections in a small ball filled with feces and urine.
- Chinchillas hop, not walk. A round sphere makes it impossible for them to get around normally which can damage the spine.
- Your pet chinchilla's 20-year life gets cut in half when always confined to a plastic ball!
- Chinchillas are, like rabbits, EXTREMELY social. Playing in a ball every time they come out of the cage can be boring and stressful, so let your chinchilla out in a safe room to play!
Chinchillas may like a basement or bathroom to play. Wood floors or linoleum are easy to clean in case of "accidents" and you can even try training them to use a litter box and supplying them with chewing material like safe wood or hay. Please don't keep your chinchilla confined in something all the time! After all, how would you feel if you had to be in something just to get exercise?? Pretty bad, I'm sure! Chinchillas are our pets and they deserve the best since they cannot speak for themselves. Please let your chinchilla live a long, healthy, and happy life. Use balls only for hamsters and gerbils! (even rats shouldn't be in balls!) Thanks for caring!
"Use balls only for hamsters and gerbils!"
ReplyDeleteNo, they should not be used for ANYONE. The same issues apply to them as well. Overheating, falling down stairs/landings and ramming into objects, being confined to an excrement-laden ball.