Chinchilla sleep and cage cleaning

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kissesnpopcorn

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Joined
Jul 21, 2012
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5
Location
UK
I just my chinchilla 2 days ago. I read everywhere that while he gets used to the new home, it is best not to let him out of the cage coz then when you try to put them back, he'll be scared. So now I don't know how to clean the cage? Will he be okay being there for a week or so, with it not clean?

The other question is to do with sleep. I am seriously worried I haven't seen my chin sleep. What conditions do they prefer to sleep? Dark like humans or light? I tried both and he doesn't seem to sleep.

Everywhere says you should spend a lot of time around your chinchilla cage for him to get used to you, so is it ok I put him in the living room, where I do my work? And then move the cage to the other room, or would you say him staying In the same room is essential?
 
I have my main cage in my living room, then a few more around the house. They usually spend all their time in the living room, but sometimes for different reasons they go to a different cage in the home. I think that moving him from one room to another in the same cage should be fine. As long as the room is not too hot/noisy.
 
i personally wouldn't recommend moving the cage around. If the chin needs to get used to a new environment, contently changing that environment wont help. Of course, what type of cage you have might play a part in that to. I have a big FN cage. And my chins get freaked out when the cage is moved at all. If its just for cleaning the cage then you have to do what you have to do. But i wouldn't recommend it as a normal day activity unless their fine with it. (i no mine arnt) It all matter with how comfortable the chin is with it. Some are fine, some will panic.

As for sleeping preferences. Again, a lot of chins are different. They all have their own likes and dislikes. My 5 chins mostly prefer the closed in hut i made for them. Its quite, dark, and only one entrance so they can feel more secure in it. As a result, giving that secure feeling, its also where they run if their suddenly paniced.

But sometimes they come up with some unexpected sleeping areas. Houdini likes to climb the cage bars and crawl inside a shelf liner. His sisters followed in his footsteps. Iv even had Sophie fall asleep on her wheel lol. But overall they like their hut.

Do you have a picture of your cage at all? Might help some ppl give you more specific helpful hints as to changing it. Sometimes if i cant let my chins out, ill have to put them in my small pet carrier if i need them out of the cage.
 
Chinchillas can sleep with their eyes open, and usually will if they're not entirely comfortable yet. So, if you see him sitting really still and it looks like he's just staring off into space, he's probably sleeping. Mine sleep when it's dark or light, they don't seem picky. But, when they're more deeply asleep it's usually light in the room because it's daytime (and we have windows). Also, if he has a hidey house and stays in there for a while, he's probably sleeping.
 
kissesnpopcorn, when I first got my chinchilla I never saw her eyes close, but eventually she began to sleep with her eyes completely shut. I assume when your chinchilla bonds with you they will feel safe enough to close their eyes.

As far as advice on taking out your chinchilla from the cage, please observe your chinchilla. They all have different personalities. You need to actually watch the chinchilla to see if they're happy or unhappy to determine if it's okay to take them out of their cage. My chinchilla happily approaches the vacuum when it's on, so maybe you can vacuum the cage while your chinchilla is still inside.

DoGooder
 
Well, I feel terrible now coz I think I interrupted his sleep several times. I guess this explains why sometimes he seems to jump when he see me, even though I had been standing by the cage for minutes. Another quick question. Is it normal for them to do this kinda cough or hiccup noise (5-6 consecutive ones) while sleeping? Coz he just did it and I thn he's asleep coz he's not acknowledging me. I know the "bark" sound and this is slightly different
 
The cage will be fine if you don't clean it for a week. If you can when you clean the cage leave the chin in the cage. It will help him get used to you. Mine always stay in their cages. Unless they decide to escape but i have caught on to some of there tricks. Lol Or I'm giving it a good scrub down.
My guess is that he is sleeping and you don't know it. Mine sleep all day. Soon enough he will adjust to your schedule. He will be fine being in the living and then moved to another room. :)

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kissesnpopcorn said:
I guess this explains why sometimes he seems to jump when he see me, even though I had been standing by the cage for minutes.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about all chins, but i no my chins are extremely jumpy the first hour or so after waking up for what ever reason. (Especially the girls)
 
My boys make noise when they are asleep sometimes, it's usually a warning call. From what I gathered a lot of chins do this. I like to think they are having a bad dream, but who knows.
 
The sound he is making is probably the warning call. He probably heard something that worried him and he felt he needed to warn the rest of the herd. Single chins will still warn the herd even though there is no other chinchilla near them. They often call in their sleep.
 
Ok, so I decided not to take him out of the cage, and try to clean it when he's inside, while trying to make sure he doesnt jump out coz if he does, i dont think he'll enjoy me chasing after him for him to come back in. Now I have another questions:
1. I've been spending every free time I have around the cage, trying to bond, and he seemed to be getting interested and coming close to the side where I sit, so I tried the trick of putting my hand inside the cage with his food pellets. I first try from outside the cage to make sure he is interested in food at that time, but once my hand is inside, he is more interested in trying to chew it, then eating the food. Is this normal, and though the teeth are small, I'm afraid if I let him, he mite bite and actually break the skin.

Thanks in advance
 
Chins chew. Thats what they do. Its also a way for them to get used to or test certain things. Even after 5 years, my first chin still chews on my finger or my finger nail. And all the others do to.

Of course their is a chance they could break skin. Either to much pressure or if their young. Young chins lack experience and seem to have even sharper teeth. If it gets past the curious nibble and starts to hurt, let him know. No need to be aggressive or scare him or anything, just let him know theirs a limit.

--

The only time iv had blood drawn from a chin, was from a really young one in a petsmart. Some ppl were looking at taking him home, so i went over to offer my input (and see the chin!!!). That chin was so friendly it was unbelievable. And he was a curious little thing to. Nibbling on everything he could. But his teeth were so sharp they drew blood. And i honestly never even felt it. I just looked down and noticed it. But it was clear that the chin meant absolutely no harm at all.

And my first chin loves getting his stomach scratched. And while doing it he will often nibbles on my finger. Once in a while he just gets so into it that he seems to lose focus and use a bit more pressure. Again, no harm was intended from the guy.

Just two examples to show that not all actions are intended to be aggressive/violent.
 
i know that you shouldnt do this but maybe you should actually just clean the cage while he is asleep and just put him in a playpen
 
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