Chinchilla Pees Everywhere!

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rreynolds0501

New member
Joined
Jan 31, 2017
Messages
1
Hi there,

I've been trying to research like crazy on this topic and decided to forget it and come here to ask the experts!

I have a 3.5 yr male chinchilla. He "came home" to me when he was a little over a year and a half years old (meaning some people I knew didn't want him anymore so I took him in). At the first apartment we lived in he had normal chin behavior...at least based off of what I read on here anyway. About 7 months ago we moved to a new apartment in a new state. The apartment was brand new so new scents and no new animal smells (like those from pets who lived in the apartment before). Fred, my chinchilla, absolutely LOVES the apartment. He seemed very happy about the new wooden floors (running and popcorning all over the place) and all the new walls to wall surf off of.

It wasn't until recently he began peeing all over the place. The floor, the new couch, everywhere! He never did it at the apartment before so I was wondering if maybe it was a territorial thing? New stuff that he wants to claim? He'll pee on the couch whether you're sitting there or not... I mean there have been a couple of times where my boyfriend and I had to dodge the stream as he sat there with a menacing look on his face! lol And then when I would go to clean it up he'd get mad at me and attack the paper towel or cloth I was using to clean it up with! He's been caught trying to lick it up as well... =/

Also my boyfriend noticed that when I leave the room to practice yoga in another room, Fred goes nuts aggressively chewing and peeing on everything. He and my boyfriend are buds so I'm not sure why he acts like this when I'm not around. He seems super healthy and happy so I'm just hoping this is normal behavior? This and the peeing thing has been sudden and only began since we moved to this new place. Otherwise he's the sweetest, cutest, onery little thing lol

Anyway, thanks in advance for any feedback. I know only one other person who has a chin and her and I are learning about these adorable critters together haha so I'm glad you are here to ask!
 
how long have you been at this new place? Its possible hes not adjusted to it yet. Sounds like he might be stressed a little.

That being said, i had a girl that used to use her litter box very well. Then woke up one day and decided 'to **** with it'. Its been a few years now and she still doesnt bother using it ><
 
First, I wouldn't really call any chinchillas truly litter trained anyway, you basically have to work with them to put the litter pan where they want to pee. Also not all chins pee in one spot, and as Godofgods said, it's not uncommon for them to decide one day for no reason to not want to pee in one spot anymore. They aren't like a cat where peeing in places other then the litter box is a sign of an issue, my current two aren't pee trained and will pee pretty much where ever they are when in the cage. If they are out of the cage they will either go back to the cage or find somewhere else to pee if the cage isn't accessible.
It could be a territory thing, making everything smell like him probably makes him feel safer. How long did you wait before letting him out in the new place? It's best to give chins at least a week to settle in, it allows them to get use to all the new sights, sounds, and smells. Another thought is did any new noisy neighbors moved in when this started? Particularly one with noisy animals like dogs that bark or people that yell? That can cause him to feel more insecure.

How long are you leaving him out? Chins don't actually need hours of playtime, and that can be a very long time to expect them to hold it too. Normally if one of my chins pees I take it as a sign they have been out too long and need to go back to their cage. I would try leaving him in his cage for a few day and do a full cleaning of the house where ever he has peed to make sure you got the smell and pee completely out. It's possible he still smells the pee from before. Also give him shorter play times so that he gets use to only peeing in the cage not all over where ever he feels like it.

Chewing on things is normal chin behavior, they have to pretty much chew all the time, so it's up to you to make sure everything he has access to is safe to chew. I'm not sure why he would go crazy when you leave, but are you more the rule giver/enforcer? Maybe he just thinks he can get away with it more when you are gone.
 
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