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AnnaBananaBelle_

New member
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
Messages
1
Location
Raleigh, NC
Hi! I just adopted a little guy from PetSmart today! I have been doing a lot of reading up on chinchillas, and I wanted to know how long people generally wait to take them out of their cage to play? He is 3 months old, and already very active in his cage! He is hopping around, and seems very comfortable! I have let him sniff my hand a few times, and he seemed curious! I don't want to rush it though, because I want to make sure I develop a good relationship with my new friend! I am thinking of naming him Sascha, but I want to get a feel for his personality first! :) any tips welcomed!!!!

Thank you,
Anna
 
chins can take a while to warm up to the environment as well as the ppl. My recent chin i took in took about 2 months to start to adjust. That being said, chins under 6 months rly shouldn't be out for play time. They need to focus there energy on growing. Also they dont know there limits to well and can easily over heart them selves which can cause some damage. So your better off leaving him in the cage for a while.

side note: what kind of cage is it? More specifically, what is the bar spacing on the cage? Chins that young/small can fit through 1 inch space bars. Or potentially worse, try and get stuck. In which case they panic and flail about.
 
I say just keep doing it when he gets used to your hand, place him in ur hand but still in the cage. If he gets scared he can just jump off and land in his cage. It took mine a week to adjust but that is also because they are somewhat older and their previous owners held them a lot and got them used to new people weekly. Just take it little by little. When they are this young, get them used to chopped up fruits and veggies. It will help them in the long run. Look up a list of what are good/bad foods for them to eat.
 
I would go slow with your new friend. Many people swear by taking a few days to a week and just sitting next to the cage and talking to or reading to their chin- allowing them to get used to your voice. Then put your hand in the cage for a bit and move on to touching the chin. Take your time. As was mentioned above, a chin that is 3 months old should have little if any out-of-cage playtime; they need all of the calories they eat for growth.
Young chinchillas under 6 months old should not be given treats (other than an apple stick) because it can mess with their gut/digestion. And do not give your chins chopped up fruits and veggies at any age for the same reason. Chins should only be fed hay and pellets for the first 6 months or so. Adding occasional safe treats- sticks, non-sugared shredded wheat or rose hips is okay later on.
 
Congrats on your new friend! Just a few things... Take your time, go slowly and at their pace. Rushing can do more harm than good. Also, please don't ever give fruits or veggies to your chin. Or those yogurt treats either. Chins can get very very sick from those sweet or dairy foods. If you would like a safe treat, try rose hips, shredded wheat pieces, or a small amount of a different type of hay- but not one with dried veggies added.

At that age, I wouldn't have any out of cage time- they are still clumsy that young and can get hurt. Also, you would be amazed at the size hole a fuzzy can fit through. I can tell you it isn't fun to cut your wall open to rescue an overly curious critter.

But with some time and trust, they bring the most joy to our lives. Grats again!!
 
Just to add in something here; I also got my chinchillas from PetSmart. The man there told me that company policy is that they don't send animals to stores to be sold until they are at least four months old, though. I knew my chinchillas had been there two months, so I immediately assumed they were six months old.

However, if your's are truly 3 months old and the man I talked to was wrong, does anyone have any idea how I could tell how old my chinchilla is at all? I know it doesn't really matter, and I know that it's probably impossible to find out, but now I'm curious.
 
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As someone who used to work for petsmart I can absolutely tell you that some of the chins came in younger than that. Most big box store employees couldn't tell the difference anyways.
 
unless you know the birthday there is no real way to know exactly how old they are. You only take a best guess.
 
I just wanted to comment that I like your name. I have a chinchilla named Anabel, but I always call her Annie Banannie
 
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