Bi-Polar Chin?

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ariana077

Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Messages
16
Location
Madison, WI
So I know some of you responded to my other thread on the New Owner thread, and while this is similar, it is more behavioral. So I've now had Henry for about a month, he was doing really well. He'd run all over me while I did my homework and on my laptop and come sit on my head. He was SUPER friendly. Recently I've noticed a very strange behavioral 180. I get home and he knows I'm going to let him out after I get situated. He comes right to the cage, is excited and begging to be let out. I'll let him out and he'll hop around my lap for a bit and then run off in a corner or something and start bounding around the room. But about 30 minutes after he's been out he will go under my bed (futon) and just sit under there and not move. If I get on the floor and try to coax him out or talk to him he simply starts whining (it's a depressing noise, it almost is as if I'm squeezing him!) He'll do this for hours, I've tried ignoring him, I've tried scratching him, but he just is persistent. But I usually end up picking him up and putting him back in his cage (which he clearly is not a fan of!). Then if I let him out after he is in his cage (because he begs like a puppy and runs around trying to get my attention) he'll be fine for awhile and either be normal or go back under my futon and pout. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, is it possible that he's sick or still scared of me? I feel like if he was scared he would always be scared and wouldn't be excited to see me or come bounding on my lap at all? I'm not really sure. Would appreciate any and all help anyone can give me! THanks :)

Ariana
 
he's not pouting under the futon, he's tired from playing and having a rest. if you were able to ever peek at him under there without disturbing him, you'd maybe find him snoozing at times. he's telling you that he's done playing when he goes under the futon. the whining, is it like a short squeak repeated, or more like a growling sort of noise?

what i would do is cut his play time a little bit shorter, just a few minutes before he usually heads under the futon, pick him up and put him in his cage. every time he is out and has been running around, check his ears for redness or veins showing, check his feet to see if they feel warm. those things will tell you he is too hot and is very uncomfortable. chins getting too warm can get heat stroke very easily, and die from it.

you have an air conditioner running to keep the room he is in at 70 degrees maximum, right?
 
I thought about this too, but it's never the second time I let him out or after he's been playing around for awhile, it's always right away that he goes under there and just starts whining (it's not a growl it's definitely like a whining noise that a dog would make when pouting). Do you think that possibly he played all day in the cage or something that he's already tired himself out?
 
I'm wondering if the "whining" sound your hearing is actually the chinchilla "happy" noise, since it sounds somewhat like a whimper. It confused me the first time I heard it. As for staying under the futon, all of the chinchillas I've ever owned love cave-like spaces. When I sit on my knees, they love to hide in the "tunnel" made by the space under me. It is possible he just really likes it under there.
 
Hm...I'll have to look up the sound again, I could be confusing it but it seems to sound like he's hurt. Yet another example, last night when I came home he refused to come out from under the futon. He whined and cried and finally I had to just pick him up and put him back in the cage. But tonight when I came home he's been bounding all around the room, coming and sitting on my head and what not. It's so strange....


Also, does anyone know if that lime spray is okay to use? I found it on amazon for furniture, apparently it just has a bitter lime taste so they won't chew on things?
 
i dont no about Lime specificly. And i dont doubt every chin is diffrent. But i was recommended a spray call Fooey by a breeded a few years back. A bitter spray to try and get my chins to stop eating the wall... It didnt help at all. All of my chins could care less.
 
ariana077 said:
So I know some of you responded to my other thread on the New Owner thread, and while this is similar, it is more behavioral. So I've now had Henry for about a month, he was doing really well. He'd run all over me while I did my homework and on my laptop and come sit on my head. He was SUPER friendly. Recently I've noticed a very strange behavioral 180. I get home and he knows I'm going to let him out after I get situated. He comes right to the cage, is excited and begging to be let out. I'll let him out and he'll hop around my lap for a bit and then run off in a corner or something and start bounding around the room. But about 30 minutes after he's been out he will go under my bed (futon) and just sit under there and not move. If I get on the floor and try to coax him out or talk to him he simply starts whining (it's a depressing noise, it almost is as if I'm squeezing him!) He'll do this for hours, I've tried ignoring him, I've tried scratching him, but he just is persistent. But I usually end up picking him up and putting him back in his cage (which he clearly is not a fan of!). Then if I let him out after he is in his cage (because he begs like a puppy and runs around trying to get my attention) he'll be fine for awhile and either be normal or go back under my futon and pout. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, is it possible that he's sick or still scared of me? I feel like if he was scared he would always be scared and wouldn't be excited to see me or come bounding on my lap at all? I'm not really sure. Would appreciate any and all help anyone can give me! THanks :)

Ariana
Click to expand...

Everything you've described sounds like normal chin behavior. Chins are like humans, they change. They have good days, bad days, good weeks, bad weeks etc...
 
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