Dramatic behavior change, fur pulling

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Xaurnel

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
19
Location
Florida
This is a rather long post, heads up. I took my chinchillas to two different vets and they both say they’re fine. I’ll try to attach pictures after this but they’re on my phone and I’m on desktop.

TL;DR: I hate to say that I was not taking care of my chinchillas over the first six years I had them due to ignorance. They didn’t live neglected or bad lives by any means, but they ate Kaytee Fiesta Chow and had paper bedding. They have a two tier Ferret Nation cage. A few months ago I tried to switch my girls from Kaytee Fiesta Chow to Owbow Garden Variety when I learned about how bad Kaytee was for them. TWO MONTHS after making the full switch my white mosaic chinchilla, Tina, suddenly had an enormous patch of fur missing between her shoulder blades and a strip of fur on her tail. My grey chinchilla, Aretha, was also missing a strip of fur on her tail. I was very worried and took them immediately to the vet. They said they were bartering for treats and to switch back. I didn’t want to, but decided to do 50/50 of Kaytee and Oxbow. A month and a half ago, I moved out of my parents house and switched from paper bedding to fleece. I also adopted a very docile cat. I thought Aretha was acting weird a few weeks in. She started barking some nights for almost an hour or more. She’d stay sitting on top of her wooden hut and just stay there. I took her to a vet here in the new city I moved to and the vet here said they both looked beautiful. Both vets have said it’s anxiety related. Aretha is 1.1lb and Tina is 1.25lb. Today I found clumps of her fur in the cage Aretha’s missing a nickel sized patch near the base of her tail. There’s been no change in their environment. She’s anxious and I don’t know what to do.

Now for those that want/need the detailed version, here it is. Please use the TL;DR for reference in some areas. I'm sorry for the length.

I purchased Aretha and Tina from Petland for my 16th birthday. I know, boo Petland. I’ve learned quite a lot over the past few years. They were a bonded pair and they had been in the pet store for months… They needed a home. Thankfully they stopped selling chinchillas after these two. Originally they lived in my room but they were too loud at night (Tina does some hardcore crossfit on her wheel) so we moved them to the den. My house was pretty quiet so it wasn’t a problem. They also lived with my dog, a yellow Labrador. Tina actually put Riley in her place when I was introducing him – this full grown Labrador dropped to the ground and showed her his belly after sniffing her. He knew the pecking order when getting treats and always got his last. On the rare occasion he’d sniff the cage and they’d sniff back. They also never cared when my neighbor’s Great Danes gave their cage a curious sniffover. So they’re good with other animals. I used paper bedding, timothy hay, and Kaytee pellets the entire time. They were happy and healthy.

I joined some chinchilla groups on Facebook in late 2018 and found out I was doing some things wrong. I was upset and decided to try to make things right. I got them treatless food and tried to adjust their diets. Tina was the problem child during this time. She’d look at the bowl, then me, then back at the bowl, then back at me, then she’d throw a violent tantrum consisting of kicking up bedding and throwing around toys. After two months she finally stopped her bull**** and I thought I finally beat her (metaphorically) into submission. Shortly after that is when I noticed Tina had an ENORMOUS patch of fur missing on her back. It was so large that I could see her skin without blowing on it and noticed a gap whenever she leaned over for food. I freaked out and with the miniscule chance it might be ring worm (and because wtf was going on) I rushed her to the vet. To make matters worse it was finals week and I was moving in a week. The vet they’ve been seeing since I got them said they’re both healthy and were bartering with me to get their old food. So I started doing 50/50 or 25/75 mixes to try to get them to cut the **** while still getting something healthy in them.

Shortly after that I moved. I moved to a city an hour away to go to university. They came with me before I brought the adopted cat over. When we moved I kept their cage, of course, but changed their bedding from having paper bedding to fleece bedding I bought. So much easier, I wish I was allowed to do it years ago. I noticed Aretha staying in one place for most of the day on top of her wooden hut and she’d start barking a lot at night for no apparent reason. Fresh food, fresh hay, fresh water, fleece was reasonably clean (I vacuum every day but there’s no keeping up with all the poo). I thought maybe she was used to more noise in the house with people going about their business so before I’d leave for the day I’d use Alexa to turn on a quiet gently spoken podcase to play through the day.

I adopted Cry Baby from the shelter I volunteered at for a year. I was going to be living alone and frankly the chinchillas just weren’t enough company to keep my depression at bay. I THOROUGHLY screened the cats at the shelter to find one I felt was lazy and failed to adopt their hunter instincts. She’s a bit chunky and rather lazy and while she liked wand toys she never went after a toy moving fast across the floor. She’s a talkative kitty and I’m so happy with her. She’s already helped me a lot with the mental health struggles that come with moving to a new city. There was no issue when I brought her home and she seemed to be adjusted immediately. The first time she approached the cage (my apartment is 1B1B and only has two real rooms, no isolating the girls) Tina lunged at the bars and kacked at her and she went running. That theme seems to have held because she normally just watches them from a distance, though I have caught her once or twice sitting on the TV stand next to their cage. She’s never tried to stick her paws in the bars (not that they would fit) or antagonized them in any way, just watched ChinTube. Most of the time they don’t even notice her. I don’t think Cry would act any differently when I’m gone. Even so, I’m planning on creating a curtain attached by velco to go around the bottom half of the cage for if the ladies wanted privacy.

And for those curious, I always put Cry in another room before I open the cage. Even if it’s just to give them new food.

Aretha doesn’t really bark anymore but had a barking episode last week at around 2AM. Today when giving them some fresh hay I found a big clump of fur at the bottom of the cage. I checked her over and she seemed fine except for a big bald spot above the base of her tail around the size of a nickel when I blew air on her. I can’t get a picture of it because I’m by myself and can’t get a picture of the awkward area alone. They’re currently having play time in my bedroom and happily running around like nothing’s wrong. I’m very worried about Aretha’s change in behavior. She’s always been smaller and more skittish than Tina but this is brand new behavior that started before I even moved. It hurts to watch her suffer anxiety like this and I wonder if it’s because I changed their lifestyle after so long. I’ve considered changing everything back to the way it was, but I want them to live the healthiest lifestyle that I can possibly provide them.

They’re only six, but these issues have made me start wondering what I’m going to do when one of them passes. They’re bonded. I have a feeling it will be Aretha whenever it happens because she’s always been a tiny and weak thing. Tina is visibly and physically much stronger and is also the dominant one of the two. What would I even do? I don’t want to have these thoughts. Two exotic vets have said she’s perfectly healthy and it’s anxiety related.

Please help. How can I make her less anxious? Thank you for your time.

Side note, I found Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Chinchilla Food at the pet store in my new town. I purchased it and am planning to try it because I’m so desperate to get something healthy other than hay into them and it seems they are DEAD SET on Kaytee.
 
Chinchilla pulling fur. Anxiety?

This is a rather long post, heads up. I took my chinchillas to two different vets and they both say they’re fine. I’ll try to attach pictures after this but they’re on my phone and I’m on desktop.


TL;DR: I hate to say that I was not taking care of my chinchillas over the first six years I had them due to ignorance. They didn’t live neglected or bad lives by any means, but they ate Kaytee Fiesta Chow and had paper bedding. They have a two tier Ferret Nation cage. A few months ago I tried to switch my girls from Kaytee Fiesta Chow to Owbow Garden Variety when I learned about how bad Kaytee was for them. TWO MONTHS after making the full switch my white mosaic chinchilla, Tina, suddenly had an enormous patch of fur missing between her shoulder blades and a strip of fur on her tail. My grey chinchilla, Aretha, was also missing a strip of fur on her tail. I was very worried and took them immediately to the vet. They said they were bartering for treats and to switch back. I didn’t want to, but decided to do 50/50 of Kaytee and Oxbow. A month and a half ago, I moved out of my parents house and switched from paper bedding to fleece. I also adopted a very docile cat. I thought Aretha was acting weird a few weeks in. She started barking some nights for almost an hour or more. She’d stay sitting on top of her wooden hut and just stay there. I took her to a vet here in the new city I moved to and the vet here said they both looked beautiful. Both vets have said it’s anxiety related. Aretha is 1.1lb and Tina is 1.25lb. Today I found clumps of her fur in the cage Aretha’s missing a nickel sized patch near the base of her tail. There’s been no change in their environment. She’s anxious and I don’t know what to do.


Now for those that want/need the detailed version, here it is. Please use the TL;DR for reference in some areas. I'm sorry for the length.


I purchased Aretha and Tina from Petland for my 16th birthday. I know, boo Petland. I’ve learned quite a lot over the past few years. They were a bonded pair and they had been in the pet store for months… They needed a home. Thankfully they stopped selling chinchillas after these two. Originally they lived in my room but they were too loud at night (Tina does some hardcore crossfit on her wheel) so we moved them to the den. My house was pretty quiet so it wasn’t a problem. They also lived with my dog, a yellow Labrador. Tina actually put Riley in her place when I was introducing him – this full grown Labrador dropped to the ground and showed her his belly after sniffing her. He knew the pecking order when getting treats and always got his last. On the rare occasion he’d sniff the cage and they’d sniff back. They also never cared when my neighbor’s Great Danes gave their cage a curious sniffover. So they’re good with other animals. I used paper bedding, timothy hay, and Kaytee pellets the entire time. They were happy and healthy.


I joined some chinchilla groups on Facebook in late 2018 and found out I was doing some things wrong. I was upset and decided to try to make things right. I got them treatless food and tried to adjust their diets. Tina was the problem child during this time. She’d look at the bowl, then me, then back at the bowl, then back at me, then she’d throw a violent tantrum consisting of kicking up bedding and throwing around toys. After two months she finally stopped her bull**** and I thought I finally beat her (metaphorically) into submission. Shortly after that is when I noticed Tina had an ENORMOUS patch of fur missing on her back. It was so large that I could see her skin without blowing on it and noticed a gap whenever she leaned over for food. I freaked out and with the miniscule chance it might be ring worm (and because wtf was going on) I rushed her to the vet. To make matters worse it was finals week and I was moving in a week. The vet they’ve been seeing since I got them said they’re both healthy and were bartering with me to get their old food. So I started doing 50/50 or 25/75 mixes to try to get them to cut the **** while still getting something healthy in them.


Shortly after that I moved. I moved to a city an hour away to go to university. They came with me before I brought the adopted cat over. When we moved I kept their cage, of course, but changed their bedding from having paper bedding to fleece bedding I bought. So much easier, I wish I was allowed to do it years ago. I noticed Aretha staying in one place for most of the day on top of her wooden hut and she’d start barking a lot at night for no apparent reason. Fresh food, fresh hay, fresh water, fleece was reasonably clean (I vacuum every day but there’s no keeping up with all the poo). I thought maybe she was used to more noise in the house with people going about their business so before I’d leave for the day I’d use Alexa to turn on a quiet gently spoken podcase to play through the day.


I adopted Cry Baby from the shelter I volunteered at for a year. I was going to be living alone and frankly the chinchillas just weren’t enough company to keep my depression at bay. I THOROUGHLY screened the cats at the shelter to find one I felt was lazy and failed to adopt their hunter instincts. She’s a bit chunky and rather lazy and while she liked wand toys she never went after a toy moving fast across the floor. She’s a talkative kitty and I’m so happy with her. She’s already helped me a lot with the mental health struggles that come with moving to a new city. There was no issue when I brought her home and she seemed to be adjusted immediately. The first time she approached the cage (my apartment is 1B1B and only has two real rooms, no isolating the girls) Tina lunged at the bars and kacked at her and she went running. That theme seems to have held because she normally just watches them from a distance, though I have caught her once or twice sitting on the TV stand next to their cage. She’s never tried to stick her paws in the bars (not that they would fit) or antagonized them in any way, just watched ChinTube. Most of the time they don’t even notice her. I don’t think Cry would act any differently when I’m gone. Even so, I’m planning on creating a curtain attached by velco to go around the bottom half of the cage for if the ladies wanted privacy.


And for those curious, I always put Cry in another room before I open the cage. Even if it’s just to give them new food.


Aretha doesn’t really bark anymore but had a barking episode last week at around 2AM. Today when giving them some fresh hay I found a big clump of fur at the bottom of the cage. I checked her over and she seemed fine except for a big bald spot above the base of her tail around the size of a nickel when I blew air on her. I can’t get a picture of it because I’m by myself and can’t get a picture of the awkward area alone. They’re currently having play time in my bedroom and happily running around like nothing’s wrong. I’m very worried about Aretha’s change in behavior. She’s always been smaller and more skittish than Tina but this is brand new behavior that started before I even moved. It hurts to watch her suffer anxiety like this and I wonder if it’s because I changed their lifestyle after so long. I’ve considered changing everything back to the way it was, but I want them to live the healthiest lifestyle that I can possibly provide them.


They’re only six, but these issues have made me start wondering what I’m going to do when one of them passes. They’re bonded. I have a feeling it will be Aretha whenever it happens because she’s always been a tiny and weak thing. Tina is visibly and physically much stronger and is also the dominant one of the two. What would I even do? I don’t want to have these thoughts. Two exotic vets have said she’s perfectly healthy and it’s anxiety related.


Please help. How can I make her less anxious? Thank you for your time.


Side note, I found Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Chinchilla Food at the pet store in my new town. I purchased it and am planning to try it because I’m so desperate to get something healthy other than hay into them and it seems they are DEAD SET on Kaytee.
 
Ok, first of all it sounds like fur slips, it's a defensive thing chins do if caught and has nothing to do with anxiety. They release the fur in that area so the attacker gets fur instead. My guess is either the chins are fighting or the cat is managing to squeeze her paw or at least claw in the cage after the chins. Perhaps what the vet was thinking is that it was fur chewing (also called barbering), which would look like you took scissors to the chin's fur, but that doesn't sound like what you are describing, or is it? If you upload pics you're best bet is to upload them onto a photo share site then link them, the attachment feature on the forum here doesn't always work.

My first guess would be the chins are fighting, likely both thinking the other has hogged all the treats. Do ever notice any chasing, barking, or any behavior like that? Also do you have two food bowls? It's very common for chins to fight over resources. The fur slips, the barking, and staying on the roof of the house, all make me think they are fighting. If that sounds right I would split them up, chins can fight to the death, so you need to take warning signs seriously.

It could also be the cat, though that doesn't explain the fur loss before the cat. I have FN cage too and my cats could very easily stick the tip of a paw in there, including my Maine Coon, so not small paws, lol. So unless your cat has unnaturally huge paws or a condition that makes his paws super swollen I think he can fit his paws in. Some people have solved the cat problem by zip tying hardware cloth (metal mesh) to the cage.

Although the Oxbow garden is better then the Kaytee food, it's still not that great, chins should not have fruits and vegetables. The Oxbow food that is actually a good quality diet is the Oxbow Essentials. Just eating hay is better then feeding them junk food, chinchillas can live on hay alone and should already make up the majority of their diet anyway. Hay is their primary food, pellets are just to supplement it and add nutrients that the hay may be lacking.

Rather then caving in to their tantrum I would just switch out the pellets for a healthy one and just provide plenty of hay. Think of it like a kid, you give them Lucky Charms everyday, then suddenly just give them Cheerios. Of course the kid is going to throw a fit, they want the marshmallows, or in this case the chins want the junk food treats.

There are other options other then Oxbow, you don't have to just feed junk food (all Kaytee makes is low quality food), other good brands include Mazuri and Hubbard® Life Chinchilla Pellets (use to be called Tradition). Even some rabbit foods are actually pretty good, like mana pro show and purina rabbit chow show. Even though that Kaytee Forti-diet food looks to be just pellets, it contains corn, which not only can chins not really digest, but corn is prone to a type of mold that is deadly to chinchillas even in small amounts.
 
Yea definitely looks like a fur slip, or was ripped out, nothing to do with anxiety or bedding or food, and it's not fur chewing, something happened, someone did that to her. Based on the location, it looks like the other chin attacked her. Chins commonly go for the back of the neck to bite and kill the other, they try to sever the spine. I would seriously consider splitting the two up before one or both end up dead.

Unless you have someone else in your home that has access to them, parents, or siblings, or friends? Someone that might have done that to her maybe tried to pick her up by the back of the neck like scruffing a cat?
 
I can’t tell if my reply didn’t send or if it wasn’t approved. It should have appeared before the other two? Let me try again.

It appears when looking at the picture that it’s kind of chewed on and slipped.

I can’t imagine them fighting more than a little scrap. I’ve only heard one or two kacks when I’m out of the room, but when I’m in the room it’s always over something along the lines of “Hey, you stepped on me!” or arguing over who goes in the bath house first. Tina does tend to try to take treats away from Aretha and goes for the food bowl first. I have one food bowl but think you bring up a very good point and tomorrow I’ll pick up a second one. And a second water bottle, just to be safe. Tina’s been doing her normal business around the cage but often she’s on top of the hut with Aretha snuggling with her. They both instigate cuddles. They’ve been bonded since before I bought them. I had to bring Tina to the vet with Aretha this second time around because Aretha gets visibly uncomfortable in the carrier alone (crouched in a corner, tail curled in, head down, etc). She’s visibly more active and inquisitive of her surroundings when Tina is there. I couldn’t buy a second cage if they needed to be separated, the one cage I have is a tight fit in my 600sqft apartment. Although, I could separate the two levels. Would that work in a pinch?

I’ve never seen my cat try to put her paw up there for scale but thinking about it I suppose looking at cat paws there’s a good bit of fluff. The tip might fit. I still don’t think she’d try based on the behavior I’ve observed. I will still have to investigate the metal mesh idea.

I really want to switch them to an ideal diet but after the behavior displayed I’m very worried about what could happen next. I fill up their hay feeder every day and they eat the vast majority of it. They do seem to prefer pellets. I like your analogy of the chinchillas as cranky children, they certainly can be brats. If I were to measure, how much feed should I give them daily? I will start giving them two handfuls of hay, perhaps that will encourage them to eat more of it.

I will be returning the Kaytee Fortified after looking further into the corn issue. That’s disturbing. I want to get them on the Oxbow, it’s readily available at the stores here and I know it’s good for them. I just don’t want to see them, mainly Aretha, suffer anymore… I’m scared after what I’ve seen if that makes sense. In some other chinchilla forms I’ve had people suggest that I do a little cage makeover and get them some new toys to keep her busy. I hope with more hay and new things to be occupied with she won’t feel the need to do this.
 
if you have the critter nation model you can seperate the levels. You will notice a hook on the bottom level by the 3rd ramp and just flip the ramp over and hook it and your good to go. Let the two calm down from their fight if that is what it is and make them miss each other. See if seperated they will finally eat their food with no issues. And for treats try introducing them to rosehips. Its a lot healthier and they love them. Also buy some kiwi sticks cuz they also love those and it keeps them busy. If Tina goes on the wheel more often i would suggest putting her on the level with the wheel.
 
I had an avid fur chewer and can say 100% that your pictures are not fur chewing, they are fur slips. So not self inflicted. There is no way a chin can chew it's own neck fur either. Also they don't leave evidence of fur around the cage. My boy liked to keep his fur short and always ended up with a Mohawk down his back. So far it's not letting me send a picture. But I'd say definitely some argument between the two. Fur slips themselves are harmless but the fighting not so much. Hope the extra dishes help.
 
Hopefully the pictures work okay. I've never had a problem but I know they occur! The pictures are from when we first rescued him and we had many up's and down's with regards to his chewing. You'll see though- head and neck completely untouched because he can't reach and no bare spots- everything just butchered short. Chins are known to give their buddies haircuts sometimes but again we wouldn't usually see bald spots unless the other chin was upset and slipped it's fur.
 

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Yea definitely looks like a fur slip, or was ripped out, nothing to do with anxiety or bedding or food, and it's not fur chewing, something happened, someone did that to her. Based on the location, it looks like the other chin attacked her. Chins commonly go for the back of the neck to bite and kill the other, they try to sever the spine. I would seriously consider splitting the two up before one or both end up dead.

Unless you have someone else in your home that has access to them, parents, or siblings, or friends? Someone that might have done that to her maybe tried to pick her up by the back of the neck like scruffing a cat?

At the time I was living at my parent's house so my parents and brother would have had access to her. Now that you bring that up, my brother was starting to hang around with some new kids from school. It's not entirely out of the question for something to have happened. He knows how to handle the chinchillas but I could see him trying to grab her to stop her from jumping out of his hands or letting a friend hold her and that friend ****ing up. And I never found any fur in the cage when I cleaned it that week... He said he doesn't know anything but I'm not sure about that now.

I can't see Aretha attacking someone a day in her life. The only times she's ever bitten people were in situations where she was already scared. I've never seen her and Tina really fight and Aretha's never been the kind to stand up to Tina being pushy. But I'm planning on separating them for a few days. I can flip the ramp up and make it so they can still see each other but not access each other and I think that's what I'll do. When I went to the store they were out of glass bottles but I'll be checking another store tomorrow. Then I can do it.

Tina will get the level with the wheel and Aretha will be in the upper level, further away from the cat.

Fingers crossed. Thank you for your advice and support.
 
if you have the critter nation model you can seperate the levels. You will notice a hook on the bottom level by the 3rd ramp and just flip the ramp over and hook it and your good to go. Let the two calm down from their fight if that is what it is and make them miss each other. See if seperated they will finally eat their food with no issues. And for treats try introducing them to rosehips. Its a lot healthier and they love them. Also buy some kiwi sticks cuz they also love those and it keeps them busy. If Tina goes on the wheel more often i would suggest putting her on the level with the wheel.

I have the hook on my cage. I'm making plans to separate them once I have the proper amenities for them both. I'm going shopping tomorrow. Monday is fleece washing day, so Monday it shall be. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions on how long they should be separated?
 
I had an avid fur chewer and can say 100% that your pictures are not fur chewing, they are fur slips. So not self inflicted. There is no way a chin can chew it's own neck fur either. Also they don't leave evidence of fur around the cage. My boy liked to keep his fur short and always ended up with a Mohawk down his back. So far it's not letting me send a picture. But I'd say definitely some argument between the two. Fur slips themselves are harmless but the fighting not so much. Hope the extra dishes help.

Hopefully the pictures work okay. I've never had a problem but I know they occur! The pictures are from when we first rescued him and we had many up's and down's with regards to his chewing. You'll see though- head and neck completely untouched because he can't reach and no bare spots- everything just butchered short. Chins are known to give their buddies haircuts sometimes but again we wouldn't usually see bald spots unless the other chin was upset and slipped it's fur.


What a stylish boy! Haha.

It is a big difference looking at your picture. I thought Tina looked like it had been both chewed and pulled but now I think it was just pulled. I'm making plans to temporarily separate them by closing off the two levels. I'm hoping that space will be good for them and at the same time, they'll be reassured being able to see each other through the slats of the closed ramp if needed. I'll have the proper amenities put together by Monday. I'm not sure how long to keep them separated. A week seems too long seeing as they've spent their entire lives together, but I'm not sure. I was thinking about four days?
 
They may only need a couple days apart, but I would wait until they are both eating the new pellet only food, you can still giving them playtime together if they don't show any signs of fighting. That way they don't get the idea that one is stealing all the treats, in case that was a problem. The food they both get has no treats, so they should hopefully get the idea that the other isn't stealing them, there wasn't any to begin with.

Oh, another thing I thought of, with the fur missing near her tail that you mentioned, it very well could have been the cat. My chins sit with their tails sticking out through the bars sometimes, very teasing to a cat, it looks like a toy. I realized it when I noticed one of my cats trying to paw at one of my chin's tails (I keep the door closed when I am not around so I know when and if they try to touch the chins or not), they know better, but you know cats are cats, lol. I know you said your cat is pretty lazy, but even a light tap of the tail by the cat with her paw could have cause the chin to slip some fur. Even if the cat didn't hurt her it could have startled her especially since it sounds like she is already on edge.
 
They may only need a couple days apart, but I would wait until they are both eating the new pellet only food, you can still giving them playtime together if they don't show any signs of fighting. That way they don't get the idea that one is stealing all the treats, in case that was a problem. The food they both get has no treats, so they should hopefully get the idea that the other isn't stealing them, there wasn't any to begin with.

Oh, another thing I thought of, with the fur missing near her tail that you mentioned, it very well could have been the cat. My chins sit with their tails sticking out through the bars sometimes, very teasing to a cat, it looks like a toy. I realized it when I noticed one of my cats trying to paw at one of my chin's tails (I keep the door closed when I am not around so I know when and if they try to touch the chins or not), they know better, but you know cats are cats, lol. I know you said your cat is pretty lazy, but even a light tap of the tail by the cat with her paw could have cause the chin to slip some fur. Even if the cat didn't hurt her it could have startled her especially since it sounds like she is already on edge.

I was thinking about this last night! I do have a ledge on the door of the cage on the bottom level. It is very possible that she was waffling and a curious little paw came along. I'll move that ledge to the top level door and next time I have a friend over I'll have them help me put some more ledges up on the back of the cage so there's no chance of another incident. Thank you so much for your guidance!
 
Separating the girls was delayed due to the sudden and tragic death of a family friend. Yesterday I saw that Tina was now missing more fur in the same place. But there weren't any big fur slips that I could see, just a little bit of fuzz here and there on the fleece.

Yesterday afternoon I put Tina on the bottom with the wheel and Aretha on top. Aretha seemed to be doing just fine but Tina was visibly upset. She was bouncing around the cage, trying to pull the ramp down, flinging her hay around. I noticed she began scratching and grooming herself a lot. Then she hid in a corner for the rest of the night.

This morning she kept chewing at a little piece of metal (the hook part that sticks out when folded up) that sticks out on the ramp so I tried putting a hanging toy in front of it and she chewed through the wooden hook in minutes. I was worried she'd wear it down until it was sharp. Aretha was also hiding inside of her hut. So I switched levels. When I put Tina in Aretha's level she immediately started digging in Aretha's used litter box. Aretha seemed fine on the lower level for a while but became reclusive. Now they're both cowering in hiding places. It's not "it's day time so I'm napping" hiding. They're curled up in little balls. I can see they're visibly distressed. I'm not sure what to do.

It seems especially weird that Tina would be the one so desperate to get back to Aretha when Tina was the one attacked.

Do I let them have play time together? Do I open the ramp again? They're very unhappy to be separated but I know they need a time out. The original plan was to isolate them for a full day and then have a little bit of play time every day outside the cage for a week. I knew they wouldn't do well separated for long but I didn't think it would be this bad. Now I'm not sure what to do.
 
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Well, seeing as the fur slips may have been from a careless person and the cat, and not the chins fighting it is possible they don't need to be separate. If it was the cat that touched/scared Tina being away from Aretha would be terrifying, so you may have separated the wrong animals.

I know this is completely opposite of separating them but, what about trying just keeping both in the top part of the cage until you can get the bottom unit sorted so the cat can't get to the chins at all (no tails sticking out or cat toes/claws able to get in). Also are they both eating the pellets ok now? Make sure you keep two of everything in the cage, two food bowls, water bottles, hay piles. Ideally in different areas not right next to each other, make it physically impossible for one chin to guard both at the same time. I have my setup, one water bottle on each side of the cage, a food bowl up top and one down on the bottom (though they rarely eat alone). Also, yes you can let them have playtime together, just keep an eye on them for any sign of a fight.

One possible explanation of why Tina would still want to be with Aretha if she attacked her would be chins are herd animals, and they do bond for life most of the time. So it would be very stressful to be alone if they are use to being with another chin. Even if Aretha was attacking Tina, the natural instinct of wanting to be with another chin could over ride the fear. Think of it like a submissive person in an abusive relationship, they stay because they still think that they are better off with them then on their own. Though it sounds more like Tina is looking to Aretha for protection and comfort, especially based on her reaction to being separated, which doesn't sound like a victim of fighting to me. She should be relieved to be away at first, not freaked out.

I'm sorry about the conflicting advice, trying to know what to do is not easy without actually being able to see what is going on myself. I can give you advice on what you say and describe, but at the end of the day you know your chins better and are actually there.
 
Well, seeing as the fur slips may have been from a careless person and the cat, and not the chins fighting it is possible they don't need to be separate. If it was the cat that touched/scared Tina being away from Aretha would be terrifying, so you may have separated the wrong animals.

I know this is completely opposite of separating them but, what about trying just keeping both in the top part of the cage until you can get the bottom unit sorted so the cat can't get to the chins at all (no tails sticking out or cat toes/claws able to get in). Also are they both eating the pellets ok now? Make sure you keep two of everything in the cage, two food bowls, water bottles, hay piles. Ideally in different areas not right next to each other, make it physically impossible for one chin to guard both at the same time. I have my setup, one water bottle on each side of the cage, a food bowl up top and one down on the bottom (though they rarely eat alone). Also, yes you can let them have playtime together, just keep an eye on them for any sign of a fight.

One possible explanation of why Tina would still want to be with Aretha if she attacked her would be chins are herd animals, and they do bond for life most of the time. So it would be very stressful to be alone if they are use to being with another chin. Even if Aretha was attacking Tina, the natural instinct of wanting to be with another chin could over ride the fear. Think of it like a submissive person in an abusive relationship, they stay because they still think that they are better off with them then on their own. Though it sounds more like Tina is looking to Aretha for protection and comfort, especially based on her reaction to being separated, which doesn't sound like a victim of fighting to me. She should be relieved to be away at first, not freaked out.

I'm sorry about the conflicting advice, trying to know what to do is not easy without actually being able to see what is going on myself. I can give you advice on what you say and describe, but at the end of the day you know your chins better and are actually there.


Don't be sorry at all. You've been a great comfort in this confusing time. I appreciate you very much. They're playing right now in my room and all is going well. There was a kack when I first put them in the carrier together. After they finish their play time I will try putting them on the top of the cage together. I'll stay out there and keep an eye on them. I knew moving would be tough on them but I didn't think it'd be this bad.

As I'm typing this, they're both cuddling inside my cat's open carrier I turned into a cave. Good sign!
 
Update for anyone curious!

The ladies have been reunited and are doing just fine. Tina's fur is growing back well. I'm working on getting them onto the Oxbow Essentials and am weaning them by using Kaytee treatless pellets as to not upset their stomachs. They now have two food bowls. I had two bottles, but the new one wasn't working and they seemed fine with one. I'm glad that everyone is doing better and I'm so grateful for the support I got here.

Thank you!
 
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