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JennaLynne

New member
Joined
Mar 23, 2016
Messages
2
Hello. I'm typing this on my phone so please forgive any typos. I've been wanting a Chinchilla for years and reading this website off and on for about a year now. Thinking I was pretty prepared, mt husband got me mt first Chin for valentine's day along with a massive cage and accessories. I picked the Chin out from the pet store. (Please don't judge). I held 3 of them and this one had the greatest personality, just came right to me and let me hold him and pet him. Whenever the door was opened he didn't run away like the others but would come right to the door and hop out.
More reading since I got my chin (3 days ago) has convinced me I must have gotten pretty lucky. There was no initial period of having him warm up to me, from the first day he jumped on my hand right of the cage. He let's my daughters (both teenagers) hold him as well as my husband. Not for long periods of time but at least 5-10min. I sit on the bathroom floor with him twice a day and let him run around and he crawls all over me, popcorns and takes a dust bath.
But all that said, I do have some questions. First of all, do you think he's pretty young to be so warmed up to me already? They couldn't tell me how old he was at the store. He's on the smaller side so I'm wondering if he's young and that's why. Have you all heard of chins doing this?
Second, how much time does he need? Everywhere says spend lots of time with him, but what does that mean? I work nights 3 nights a week, hubby works days. If I take him out in the evening for 30min before work, then in the am when I get home for about an hour, then on days off make it longer in the evening, is that good? I spent about 2 hours in the bathroom with him tonight. I'd sat on the floor and was trying to do paperwork but he kept coming up to chew on my papers and folders so I had to just give up on that lol. Is there such a thing as too much time? By the way, he doesn't seem to really be nocturnal much either. I was good with the nocturnal part because I'm nocturnal also lol, but he seems less nocturnal than me! Like right now, he's sleeping and has been for the past few hours. It's almost 4am.
Third question, we got him this cute little hanging fleece house with holes in it to climb and hide in. 2 parts to this question. 1, he just goes in it to pee. Why is he peeing in the fleece house and how do I get him to pee in the littER box I set up in the cage? 2. He always sleeps out in the open. He also has a wooden house he can go into and a hammock and pretty much just sleeps out in the middle if the cage floor (covered in fleece) or at the end of one of the ramps. Is that weird? Why doesn't he like his houses?

Thanks in advance for the help. I've been googling to try to find this info for hours and couldn't come up with anything.
P.S. we also got him one of those little purse pet carrier type things. He doesn't seem to mind it, but how can I tell if he likes it? I've only taken him out in it once for about 20min.
 
Congrats on your new chin!

Okay, point by point:
1. Each chin is an individual with an individual personality. Yes, it does sound like you hit the jackpot with your guy being so open to you already, but that could just be his personality (good genes!). Your chin, despite his size, could be years old. There is no way of telling and the pet store can't tell you because their chins come from brokers who have no idea themselves. Some chins are just smaller. That "might" be a reason he's calmer, because he's older.

2. Spend as much time with him as you can, and don't panic if you can't spend every waking minute with him. Give him toys, a house, possibly a wheel (but you have to watch their weight carefully with wheels), and he'll be grateful for the time you do spend with him out of cage. If he lays down and is tired, that should give you an idea of whether you have him out too long or not. Also, if his weight fluctuates.

3. He doesn't like his house because he doesn't know it. Most breeders don't use houses. Their chins just exist in cages. It may take him a while to get used to it. As for litter training, find where he pees and put the pan there. He will eventually get the hang of it. You may need to take the fleece away for a little while until he figures out it isn't his litter box.

4. I would be careful of the purse carrier. They can overheat pretty easily in those.
 
1. As said every chin has their own personality. You really got lucky getting one that is so brave, especially as your first chin. Unfortunately there really is no real way to tell age, chins range from about 400g all the way up to 1200+g so unless he is only a few hundred grams he could be any age. I suggest buying a kitchen scale that measures in grams if you don't already have one to keep an eye on his weight. Weight loss is often the first sign of a problem since chins are so good at hiding illness. My current two warmed up to me very quick too, I was holding them at the farm feed/pet store (the owner was selling/rehoming them for someone who moved). I then had them out playing with in a couple hours after I got home. Age doesn't have as much to do with how quickly the bond, it has more to do with personality and with prior care, like if they were treated well or abused/neglected. Young chins actually often bond quicker because they haven't had anything bad happen.

2. I feel chins need at least an hour a day of attention everyday. That can be anything from just sitting and talking to him, to actually having him out to play. They don't need playtime everyday unless they are in a tiny cage too small for a chin. I would be careful with long play times too, watch for signs that he is getting tired to know when to put him away. A couple hours of playtime seems like a long time. They are like little kids, most will just play until they drop if you don't tell them they have to go to bed, lol. Also chins are not nocturnal, they are crepuscular, so they are most awake during the coolest parts of the day, around dawn and dusk, and sleep during the coldest and hots parts of the day. They do get up throughout the day for a few minutes for quick pee breaks and snacks though.

3. As said it's possible he doesn't know what the houses are for, and the fleece probably feels good to pee on, especially if you have fleece as your bedding. You need to train him to use the litter box, most chins just pee in one corner and it is as simple as you just putting the litter where they pee. However if your chin is like my current two, they just pee where ever they feel like it, it can take a lot more time and patients to teach them where to pee. There are a few ways to try to teach them, but it can take weeks. For example one way is to remove the fleece and cover the whole floor of the cage with shavings. Then slowly lessen the amount each cage cleaning until it's just in the corners, and hope he continues to just pee on the shavings, leave some soiled shavings each time to leave the scent. They aren't like cats though that can really be fully litter trained, and some decide even after using the litter box for years that they don't want to anymore. I personally just gave up and just have to wash the fleece more often. Some chins are also weird in that they will pee in fleece hammocks and houses, you can either wash them everyday, or just remove them.

Also sleeping in the middle of the floor in the open is a good sign, it means he feels comfortable. My guys never had fleece before I got them, so when I switched from shavings to fleece they seemed overjoyed at the comfort. At first they would sleep stretched out in the middle of the cage floor. The fleece is like one big cushy carpeting or a giant mattress compared to sleeping on shavings.

4. If you are talking about those fabric pet carriers, be careful. As said they can over heat in them, most are poorly ventilated, but chins can also chew out of them. A chin can squeeze though holes not much bigger then an inch, so he doesn't have to chew much to escape. Not to mention they aren't made of chin safe material so chewing and swallowing it can make him sick or die. A better option for carriers would be a metal one like the ones quality cage makes. https://qualitycage.com/products/single-cavy-carrier?variant=11071178628. I just use a cardboard box (like you get at a pet store to bring a pet home) to carry my guys from their cage to the dust bath or play room. If I ever have to bring them out of the house, like to the vet, I would use a small cage or a metal carrier (when I get one).
 
Thank you both so much for your replies! I've removed the house for now, but he doesn't pee in a particular spot that I've noticed yet which is kind of a bummer. Hubby and I have been looking at the Chin spin for a wheel because the one he has now is loud and keeps us up all night. You'd think he would get tired of it!
Anyway, thanks again, it made me feel a lot better about things. I'm in the bathroom with him now and he crawls all over me and jumps on my head lol
 
The Chin Wheel is a great wheel. You may also want to look at the Silver Surfer. I have both and it seems that the Silver Surfer spins a lot easier. The Chin Wheel seems heavier to me. The good thing about the Chin Wheel is that it has a wider running surface. Sound wise, they aren't silent but one could get used to the sounds.
 
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