Chin Chirps?

So, I am a new owner of a kit, who is just six months old. Brought him home and I can tell he is scared out of his mind. I know this is typical, as they have to get used to their surroundings, which can take time.

However, last night my husband fell asleep in the living room (where I have our little guy's cage right now so he can see us and get used to us). At 3:30 a.m., little chin started making noises, and from what I read, were chirps. Do you think he felt threatened that hubby was sleeping in the same room as him?

I felt really bad for him. I don't want him to be so terrified of us. He has been sitting on his middle ledge in the corner, sometimes grabbing onto the bars on his cage and just sitting like that. I sit down next to the cage and talk to him right when I get home from work and as I pass by him in a very gentle voice. Does it sound like I'm doing things okay and it'll just take time? Sorry this is such a noob question. I just really want to start out new chin and my relationship on the right foot.

Hi there! Congrats on your new baby!

Here is a resource to help you identify the sounds your chinchilla makes:

http://www.cheekychinchillas.com/chinsounds.html

Was it barking, maybe?

I just wrote a post about my chinchilla barking in the middle of the night. I thought the same thing, maybe he doesn't want me sleeping in his "space".. lol. It is pretty common for chins to bark once in a while. Sometimes they hear a loud noise and get scared, or they want to put out a warning call and sometimes they do it for reasons we don't know. My guess is he is just getting used to his new environment. It takes a little while for a chin to settle down and get used to being in a new home with new people. Sounds like you are doing everything right. It does take time. Maybe try to offer him a little treat, like a plain cheerio or a few plain oats (not the quick oats, the regular kind). Just take things slow and he will come around.

if its 'barking' that hes doing, it could be a number of reasons. He could just be scared in general, he might have heard something that startled him (they have great hearing and can hear well past the walls of the room. It could be something as simple as a car door down the street being shut.) Or he might have just had a bad dream.

Sometimes they can bark if something is irritating them. For example, my chins hated when me dad would talk when they were trying to sleep. They would stick there head out of the hut and start barking at him.

Thanks, guys! He made some noises again last night, but it definitely wasn't the same as two nights ago. Two nights ago it sounded like a call.

Tried to offer him a treat last night and then tried a treat this morning. He was close to taking the treat this morning, but then got scared and hopped away. I set it down and had to leave for work. Should I keep trying to offer treats? I just don't want to push it, but I don't want to ignore him either. This has got to be the hardest part!

Poor baby! As already stated, he's probably just getting used to the very new environment. Was he housed with other chins when you got him, or is he used to being by himself? Also, does he have a few places in his cage to hide? My chins would be lost without their houses and tubes, lol. Talking through the cage is a good start--I definitely wouldn't try to take him out and play with him yet. Your patience will pay off!

Carleigh said:

Poor baby! As already stated, he's probably just getting used to the very new environment. Was he housed with other chins when you got him, or is he used to being by himself? Also, does he have a few places in his cage to hide? My chins would be lost without their houses and tubes, lol. Talking through the cage is a good start--I definitely wouldn't try to take him out and play with him yet. Your patience will pay off!

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He was by himself! He does have a few places, but I haven't seen him go in them yet! He usually sits on the middle ledge in his cage and just watches us!

Jaiyla said:

He was by himself! He does have a few places, but I haven't seen him go in them yet! He usually sits on the middle ledge in his cage and just watches us!

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They usually do while adjusting. They don't know whats going on or around them, so they are going to watch everything. As they get used to things, they will start to develop safe zones in the cage. For my chins, its there hut. When anything happens, that where the run to.

If you have an Androd phone, there's a free app called Chincilla Translator. (Yeah they didn't spell it right.) I don't know how accurate it is, but it's helped me better understand the sounds my chin makes. It has a handful of pre-recorded noises with a brief description of what each sound roughly means; I took some time to listen to them alone away from my chin so I didn't disturb him and it's helped me to get a better idea of what his little noises mean. It should help you as well by deciphering what he's actually trying to say.

And yes, they do take a while to adjust to their surroundings. He may feel comfortable being able to see everything around him until he knows it is safe. Just give him sometime and keep slowly introducting yourself to him. I use to read mine bedtime stories at night before bed.

We call the bar hold "holding on for safety." Our tan chinchilla does it all the time and kind of half sleeps.

Our other chin makes a ton of noises. She kacks, growls, chirps, makes hilarious little wobbly toy animal sounds... all kinds of stuff. A lot of time you can tell by the body language what they mean. I lifted her her fleece and exposed her to the light yesterday. I got an earful.

If you haven't already, I'd start bribing him with sticks. It certainly made our little Cinnamon come around to liking us more. I buy mine from Whimsy's Chinchilla Menagerie and both chins love them. (Even the one that is unimpressed with sticks)

I think what you're currently doing sounds good. Little and often and consistency. I've started to try getting my chin out of her cage and back in again in a way other than picking her up. I'm using a wicker tray with oats on. 10 minutes of patience last night got her from quickly grabbing an oat off the tray, to full on hopping onto it OUTSIDE her cage. Slowly and surely you make progress It's extremely rewarding when you begin to win their trust. However, I've had my chin for 8 months and have got to know her personality. In the early days she would push my hand away if she didn't want interaction! They seem to be quite good at conveying how they feel and what they want, IF we're prepared to listen to them

Good luck!

FayeEsquire said:

I took some time to listen to them alone away from my chin so I didn't disturb him and it's helped me to get a better idea of what his little noises mean.

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Yea, thats a good idea. I played some chin sounds on my computer before, and boy did i get a reaction (unintended) from them. They came running out of the hut, fully alert and staring right at me.

Like the others have said, just give him time. Spend time talking to him. I used to read to my girls when they first came to live with me. They all settled in just fine, and all at their own pace. Now I come home to three beggars staring at me.

You should give him a sleeping box ( mine has three in her cage) so he can also hid and have a safe place . Give him raisins they love them , but only two a day.put him in a room so he does feel exposed , threading like that . Don't keep him by a window. Barking is normal , sometimes it a warning or they are bored .