Checking for Hair Rings on a recently acquired Chinchilla

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T

TheChinchillaDude

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
9
Hi everyone, new guy to the forums.
I just got a Chinchilla named Timmy with a cage from an owner who didn't want him anymore on Kijiji. (Canadian version of Craigslist) He's apparently just under 13 months old, and the owner obviously knew nothing about chinchillas, because he came with a plastic running ball (which the owner said he loved to run in all the time) and she said she used to take him out to on the deck during hot days so he could sit in the sun.:wacko:

I just spent the last several hours reading the FAQs and other threads on the forum, and I think I have a pretty good handle on what he needs now. He's in a 69 degree room, I swapped out his newspaper(!) bedding for a doubled over fleece blanket, and have taken out things like his plastic igloo and swapped them for a Timothy Hay bungalow.

Now, the issue is, I just caught him chewing at his junk. I read in the FAQ that this is a sign of a hair ring, and that he is old enough to have been needing hair ring checks for several months. I assume that the old owner didn't ever do this because they did so many other things wrong. But, the problem: I've only had Timmy for a few days, and he doesn't exactly trust me yet. He just hopped into my lap for the first time tonight, and he seemed pretty scared because he was shaking and breathing fast. So, I am worried he is going to jump away when I check him for hair rings. Should I do something in particular to keep him still? My girlfriend can hold him down while I check him.


tl;dr
How can I keep an energetic male who doesn't trust me still while I check him for hair rings? Is there a specific method to use?

And a side question- his cage is 5 feet high with staggered shelves and ramps between them, but I read that 2 feet high is a maximum. So, when I put up a shelf to separate the cage in two parts, should I make the bottom half or the top half 3 feet high?
 
male chins will often pleasure themselves, and that is probably what you were seeing, not him chewing.

i would wait until he is more comfortable with you before trying your first hair ring check. there is a thread on here with a video of a chin being checked for hair rings. now mind you, the chin in the video is very calm about it, and your chin may not react the same way, so burrito wrapping him may be necessary.

as for his cage, 5 feet tall is fine. just make sure the shelves are staggered in a way that he cannot fall the full height of his cage. you can put a wide shelf in about halfway up, or stretch a hammock across the middle to catch him if he should fall. (note! do not buy the ferret hammock from the pet stores, it isn't safe. chin hammocks need to be 100% fleece - many members here sell fleece items, so check out the classifieds.)
 
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The best way to do a hair ring check when you aren't familiar with them is to have someone help you. One to hold, one to check. If you absolutely can't get a volunteer for such a fun job, then you may find it easier to set him on a table top, grasp his tail firmly right up at the base right up by his butt, and lift his hind feet off the table. He will scrabble with his front feet, but because you have a hold of his back feet, he won't get anywhere. Then you have access to his penis and can attempt a hair ring check. It really is easier though for the first few times with a second person.

Quite honestly though, I rarely do hair ring checks and have never had an issue. If I see a male who is constantly going at himself, then I will do one. Regularly though, I do not. It would take me days to get through all the males here, and when I first started out and was super paranoid about it, I never found a hair ring on a male that was not in breeding anyway. So if he's brand new to you, then I would worry more about letting him settle in at this point. If he's really messing with himself constantly, then you can try the hair ring check and it is a good thing to learn, but otherwise I would just let him get used to his new (and better) home.

Welcome to CnH and congrats on the new chinnie. :)
 
I agree with ChinnyMom and Tunes that you should let him get adjusted to his new home first. That is the most important thing because you need to keep his stress level down. It's unlikely that it's a self-mutilation behavior, but as ChinnyMom said, it may be a self-pleasuring behavior.

When my chins were younger (when each reached a certain "puberty" age respectively) I saw them with their "manhood" in their mouths. It's really embarrassing when you have guests over! Haha! Anyway, it's normal.

But if he does seem to be chewing, what is he chewing at exactly? Does he have it extended? If not, is he chewing the fur around that area? It could be that he is beginning some fur-chewing behavior because of the stress. You'll know if that is the case though because the fur will look different - usually darker if he's a standard grey. But if that manhood is out (and you'll know because it's... *ahem*... big for their size) you may be able to see a ring.

IMHO, I'd say give him some time to adjust. Leave him alone for a couple of days. Don't handle him (but do check in to make sure he's eating, drinking, etc). Then take him out for a few playtimes. After he's a little more used to you, do the check. Have someone help... it's a LOT easier at first. And if your girlfriend or whoever helps you feels weird about it, just remember two things: One, it's for his health! And two... at least it's not a horse! Haha! (Believe me, I know from experience how yucky and uncomfortable it is to clean THOSE parts!)

Oh! And don't forget to give him a good, healthy treat for being a good boy while you check. ;)
 
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'll wait for a while, and keep an eye on his behavior.

I don't think he is a standard gray, the lady who owned him before said he was a mosaic... here's a photo. What kind of chinchilla is he?

 
Yes he is definitely a mosaic, or a white. A mosaic is a white with dark eyes and ears. Congrats on the cutie!
 
I don't know much about chinchilla colors, but I looked it up and looks as if he could be a white mosaic or a silver chinnie. :)

Congratulations on the gorgeous chin!
 
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