Before buying, consider whether.....
1)...Who in the household will be the primary caretaker of the chin.Chins need a special kind of care as they are unique animals. While they are relatively easy to maintain, they do need time out from you for playtime, and this may take up a considerable part of your night.
2)...The place where you intend to place your chin's cage in is appropriate. Open air balconies and places where there is direct sunlight are not recommended, especially so in S'pore's very hot and humid weather.There have been many cases of chins dying from heatstroke in our hot weather. When I was first getting Chinchi, a chin owner advised me to beware of the current hot weather and to keep an eye on my chin as her neighbour's two chins had recently died of heatstroke.
3)...Children who are going to handle the chins would be supervised or not. Chins love to nibble on things just to see what they are like and a child may be scared of a chin's little nip. Also, not all chins are cuddly and love to be held. Most chins are too frisky to stay still in your lap for long as they would rather explore their surroundings.
4)...The room or area in which you are going to let you chin loose in for playtime is chinproof. Playpens may work for a while....until your chin starts jumping over the playpen effortlessly and runs amok in your house.Chins, mine in particular, love bouncing off the walls and jumping incredible heights.It would not be advisable to let your chins loose in the balcony as they may try jumping over the parapet wall, and the possibility of them succeeding in doing so is very high... Chins will nibble on wires, carpets and wooden furniture... your house furniture may likely be destroyed over time.
5)...You have time to supervise their playtime.
6)...You want a nocturnal pet or a pet that is active in the daytime. Chins are nocturnal animals and are most active at night. You will be disappointed if you are expecting an active pet to play with during daytime.
7)...You are prepared for a lifetime commitment of potentially 10 years or more in keeping your chin. Chins have long lifespans, some live up to 15-20 years. It would not be fair to the chin if you were to give him away after the novelty of having chins wears off. The chin would have bonded with you by then and may have difficulty adjusting to its new environment. Furthermore, people prefer young, baby chins, not old ones which only have a few more years to live.
8)...There are other animals in your household. As chins sleep during the day, a noisy household where there may be dogs barking will interfere with the chin's sleeping period. It is not advisable to put your chin in the same cage as another small animal, eg rabbits or guinea pigs. In the first place,different animals have different diet needs. Secondly, you never know what may happen when you are not around to supervise them, eventhough they may get along great when you are around to observe them. Also, never trust to leave a dog or a cat alone with a chin, no matter how well they seem to get along under your supervision.
9)...You are prepared to take care of baby chins if you get a pair of male and female chins. While chins do not produce litters of 6 or more babies, the babies that your pair of chins do produce (could number in 1, 2 or even triplets) will need just as much care and love from you. Are you prepared to take on the responsibility of looking after a whole family of chins?
10)...You are prepared for the vet bills that may come if your chin were to suffer health problems. Not all vets are chin-savvy, especially since chins are relatively new pets in Singapore. hence, you must be sure to select the correct experienced vet for your chin, or a wrong diagnosis may be fatal to your chin.
