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emilyx947

Chin Momma
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
1
I have had my chinchilla for 3 years and recently she has decided to chew on the metal bars of her cage instead of her toys or sticks that she used to enjoy. She will grab it in her teeth and rapidly shake the bar back and forth. It's very loud and will wake me up when I sleep. Is there a purpose for this? Is there something I can do to get her to stop? Please help!
 
She could be bored. She could be asking for attention. Hard to say why, but lots of chins do the same thing.
 
She could be bored. She could be asking for attention. Hard to say why, but lots of chins do the same thing.

I agree with this. How often do you let her out to play? I would also look at her teeth and make sure they look okay. My Chinchillas never did that. If her teeth look good and you are giving her adequate playtime everyday, then I would take her to the vet for a check up.
 
I would not take a chin to the vet because she's chewing on cage bars. It's a waste of time and money. They chew on bars because they are bored, not because they are sick.
 
I'm convinced one of mine does that just to get my attention! When I leave the room, he usually stops. I can see him from the other side, through the french doors :)
 
I would not take a chin to the vet because she's chewing on cage bars. It's a waste of time and money. They chew on bars because they are bored, not because they are sick.

I only advised a vet visit if the teeth didn’t look normal. Other wise I agreed with it just being bored.
 
I spoke wrong in my prior comment to that comment about not taking it to the vet for it being a waste of money. This is what I wanted to say and should have said...

I would not take a chin to the vet because she's chewing on cage bars. It's a waste of time and money. They chew on bars because they are bored, not because they are sick.

I only advised a vet visit for a check up (and they should have check ups anyways). After just losing both my Chinchillas in just two weeks of each other recently, I would not take anything that they do abnormal unseriously. And if you can’t afford checkups, then what are you gonna do in a real crisis. Checkups can prevent a lot of things if caught quick enough. It’s called being responsible. And I did agree with it probably being border. But again in my eyes after just losing 2 chinnies I would rather be safe than sorry.
 
My chin does this when my boyfriend gets home from work and we start setting up the room to let him out of his cage. It could be his way of telling you he wants more roam time
 
The only time I would take a chin to the vet if there was this type of symptom if I was treating bloat, or if you had a chin who has not eaten in a couple of days. Stasis produces a symptom of extreme chewing, the chin will frantically chew everything and anything.
 
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