Chinchillas and TV volume

[chinchie]

I'm planning on getting a pair of chinchillas either from a good previous owner or breeder and want to keep them in my living room. But I'm worried that the TV will stress them out when I'm watching an action movie or if a scene is suddenly loud. The speakers would be facing away from their cage, and their cage would be around 2-2.4m away from the speakers in a little gap between two chimneys. Can't keep them anywhere else as it will either be too quiet for them or too in the sun. Would they be alright in your opinion?

For the record my other choice was a pair or trio of degus but I think their hearing is more sensitive than chinchillas'? I know that chinchillas are similar to us but are sensitive to low pitch/frequency sounds, which I believe are emitted during bass e.g. explosions or bass drops in movies.

 

[Amethyst]

Unless you have your tv volume up very loud it shouldn't be a problem. I watch movies, shows, play video games (including action/fighting games) and stuff on my computer daily, and my chins are just a couple feet from my desk, less then 3 feet from a speaker. I'm sure just like us it probably does give them a little bit of a scare when a big explosion happens or something, but don't completely freak out. My guys will sit by the side of the cage and actually enjoy watching most things. I also regularly play music, my chins seem to have a preference for heavy metal and rock, lol, anything with a good strong bass it seems.

 

[tunes]

My macaw screams loud enough to be heard over a block away. The chins pay absolutely no attention to him at all.

 

[chinchie]

Unless you have your tv volume up very loud it shouldn't be a problem. I watch movies, shows, play video games (including action/fighting games) and stuff on my computer daily, and my chins are just a couple feet from my desk, less then 3 feet from a speaker. I'm sure just like us it probably does give them a little bit of a scare when a big explosion happens or something, but don't completely freak out. My guys will sit by the side of the cage and actually enjoy watching most things. I also regularly play music, my chins seem to have a preference for heavy metal and rock, lol, anything with a good strong bass it seems.

My macaw screams loud enough to be heard over a block away. The chins pay absolutely no attention to him at all.

Wow you guys have some interesting chinchillas and setups haha, thanks for addressing my concerns

 

[DawnStar]

Haha, my chins are in the "office" which is now dubbed "Chin Room"- hehehe. My dogs ALWAYS play in the morning..like run around chasing each other barking in the house.. and heaven forbid a car park in front on the street or the mail person come by.. Also, the chins don't even move when I bring a vacuum in there to clean. I do shush the puppies when I can but I'm sure it's fine. My friend has her chin in her living room with dogs/cats running around and everyone ignores everyone. I think you'd be fine unless you frequently use a blow horn in your festivities ^_^ .

Macaw though- LOL- whoa!

 

[chinchie]

Haha, my chins are in the "office" which is now dubbed "Chin Room"- hehehe. My dogs ALWAYS play in the morning..like run around chasing each other barking in the house.. and heaven forbid a car park in front on the street or the mail person come by.. Also, the chins don't even move when I bring a vacuum in there to clean. I do shush the puppies when I can but I'm sure it's fine. My friend has her chin in her living room with dogs/cats running around and everyone ignores everyone. I think you'd be fine unless you frequently use a blow horn in your festivities ^_^ .

Macaw though- LOL- whoa!

Oh man you must have some extremely peaceful chinchillas to tolerate dogs barking and running around!

I've found someone relatively near me giving away their pair of 5 year old males due to a change of working hours and they feel they won't be able to care for them as much. From talking to them online they seem like a good owner but is there anything that could go wrong or anything I should look out for before buying from them? They're kept in their living room and are supposedly friendly with good health, and I'm going to go have a look at them on Monday. If the chins are perfect then I'm hoping to get the owners to agree to me picking them up on the weekend. How would I go about bringing both of them home in a 2 hour car journey? I would also have their toys and accessories but will put them into a brand new cage at my home.

 

[DawnStar]

Oh man you must have some extremely peaceful chinchillas to tolerate dogs barking and running around!

I've found someone relatively near me giving away their pair of 5 year old males due to a change of working hours and they feel they won't be able to care for them as much. From talking to them online they seem like a good owner but is there anything that could go wrong or anything I should look out for before buying from them? They're kept in their living room and are supposedly friendly with good health, and I'm going to go have a look at them on Monday. If the chins are perfect then I'm hoping to get the owners to agree to me picking them up on the weekend. How would I go about bringing both of them home in a 2 hour car journey? I would also have their toys and accessories but will put them into a brand new cage at my home.

I went through something similar. My advice on transport would be an animal carrier (like a cat or dog carrier). I showed up and they were put in shoeboxes -- was definitely a short transport but they kept trying to chew out! I wouldn't want that again.

I would recommend a vet check up with x-rays...I was promised mine were in good health and unfortunately one had a mass in her belly and developed bronchitis (clinically unsure if the two are related). She passed away and it was the hardest crash course in small animal care! I would have never known about the mass had I not been adamant about an x-ray. The peace of mind for my surviving chins was worth the cost. EDIT: Just b/c I recommend the vet check up/x-ray doesn't mean it's a necessity, just advice based on my own experience if I were to do it all over again.

I'm sure more experienced people can chime in about physical characteristics or any red flags on first meeting--- but from my vet, they should have an hourglass feel . I don't feel an hourglass with mine-LOL chunky monkeys but she says they are!

I think something you can watch out the owner interacts with them.. like not grabbing them by the nape of their neck like a bunny or something. I struggled at first to build trust b/c I think they were just grabbed by a kiddo for a while.

I hope this helped!

 

[chinchie]

I went through something similar. My advice on transport would be an animal carrier (like a cat or dog carrier). I showed up and they were put in shoeboxes -- was definitely a short transport but they kept trying to chew out! I wouldn't want that again.

I would recommend a vet check up with x-rays...I was promised mine were in good health and unfortunately one had a mass in her belly and developed bronchitis (clinically unsure if the two are related). She passed away and it was the hardest crash course in small animal care! I would have never known about the mass had I not been adamant about an x-ray. The peace of mind for my surviving chins was worth the cost. EDIT: Just b/c I recommend the vet check up/x-ray doesn't mean it's a necessity, just advice based on my own experience if I were to do it all over again.

I'm sure more experienced people can chime in about physical characteristics or any red flags on first meeting--- but from my vet, they should have an hourglass feel . I don't feel an hourglass with mine-LOL chunky monkeys but she says they are!

I think something you can watch out the owner interacts with them.. like not grabbing them by the nape of their neck like a bunny or something. I struggled at first to build trust b/c I think they were just grabbed by a kiddo for a while.

I hope this helped!

Sorry for the loss of your chinchilla I knew I had to get a normal vet checkup but I didn't know about getting an x-ray done as well, so thank you for telling me that. And good lord I can't even imagine someone picking them up from their scruff :O will definitely look out for that too. Thank you for the tips!

 

[chinchie]

Sorry for another post. Turns out the 5 year old pair may go to someone else tomorrow but I'm hoping that doesn't happen as I've already bought the train tickets to go see them on Monday As an alternative I've found a reputable breeder that's selling a pair of 3 month old brothers. However as they're babies I'm a bit unsure of getting them after reading people's opinions on this forum and others about how baby chins are too energetic and will go through a bratty teenage phase and could become permanently agressive. I've asked a few hobby/show breeders about this puberty phase and they said they've never had that problem or it doesn't happen if I handle the babies regularly. So who do I believe?
Also I was recommended getting the Thickets House cage for them until they grow bigger and then buy a bigger cage, but I've found the
Metal Rockford Double Rat Ferret Chinchilla Cage
It has 1cm bar spacing and 2 separate levels each 76cm high, so I could keep them in the bottom level for a few months and then open up the top level too once they're big enough. Is this a better idea?

 

[Amethyst]

I'm not sure what you mean by too energetic. Kits are more energetic then an adult, just like little kids vs adult, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing and only last for about the first 6 months or so (so like the first couple months you will have them). They can't have out of cage playtime so that can also add to the hyper activity. Also they all go through puberty but not all go through a bratty/moody stage. It's very much like a human, some people's teenage stage is worse then others, each chin is an individual. I've had kits that went kinda moody for a few months but mellowed back out, and some that didn't really change at all. I've also have one that we got as a young kit and she was the sweetest cuddly chin. The breeder handled her and we handled her daily, but when she hit puberty and she no longer liked to cuddle. She didn't became aggressive or anything, just moody and no longer cuddly, she still loved us and loved to play with us. I really all comes don't to individual personality.

I don't know what the thickets house cage is so I can't comment on that one, but personally I don't like the look of that cage you linked much, it has just one tiny door per level, it will make cleaning, getting the chin, and adding things a real pain. Just looking at that website the Metal Aventura HUGE Metal Rat Ferret Chinchilla Cage looks much better, at least it has bigger (half the cage) doors on the top and bottom, and it has solid floor pans rather then metal grating that could hurt feet.

 

[chinchie]

I'm not sure what you mean by too energetic. Kits are more energetic then an adult, just like little kids vs adult, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing and only last for about the first 6 months or so (so like the first couple months you will have them). They can't have out of cage playtime so that can also add to the hyper activity. Also they all go through puberty but not all go through a bratty/moody stage. It's very much like a human, some people's teenage stage is worse then others, each chin is an individual. I've had kits that went kinda moody for a few months but mellowed back out, and some that didn't really change at all. I've also have one that we got as a young kit and she was the sweetest cuddly chin. The breeder handled her and we handled her daily, but when she hit puberty and she no longer liked to cuddle. She didn't became aggressive or anything, just moody and no longer cuddly, she still loved us and loved to play with us. I really all comes don't to individual personality.

I don't know what the thickets house cage is so I can't comment on that one, but personally I don't like the look of that cage you linked much, it has just one tiny door per level, it will make cleaning, getting the chin, and adding things a real pain. Just looking at that website the Metal Aventura HUGE Metal Rat Ferret Chinchilla Cage looks much better, at least it has bigger (half the cage) doors on the top and bottom, and it has solid floor pans rather then metal grating that could hurt feet.

"Too energetic" is just what some people said as a negative, not what I actually consider a bad point heh. So if I get two baby chins then it's more likely at least one will remain somewhat sweet? I suppose it's the luck of the draw. Thanks for the other cage recommendation, it does look way more convenient and comfortable as you said. Since they can't have outside playtime until 6 months old, how do I interact with them outside the cage? Do they jump around or remain in your hand? The pictures the breeder put up show them posing on the sofa

 

[Amethyst]

"Too energetic" is just what some people said as a negative, not what I actually consider a bad point heh. So if I get two baby chins then it's more likely at least one will remain somewhat sweet? I suppose it's the luck of the draw. Thanks for the other cage recommendation, it does look way more convenient and comfortable as you said. Since they can't have outside playtime until 6 months old, how do I interact with them outside the cage? Do they jump around or remain in your hand? The pictures the breeder put up show them posing on the sofa

You can play with the kits in very controlled areas like on a sofa or chair, or in a small playpen where you can catch them quickly if they hop out of your hands, you can also hold them and play with them in the cage. Most don't like to be held so you do need to kind of corral them to make sure they don't bounce off. The main problem with play time is young kits can't regulate their body temp or blood sugar vary well, so they can over heat quickly or have a dangerous sudden drop in blood sugar if they over do it. 5-10 minutes of out of cage play a couple times a week is generally ok if they are really hyper, but keep a close eye on them and watch for any signs they might be tired or over heating. Another reason for controlled play is kits are clumsy, so they can easily hurt themselves (like a toddler) if you aren't careful.

 

[chinchie]

You can play with the kits in very controlled areas like on a sofa or chair, or in a small playpen where you can catch them quickly if they hop out of your hands, you can also hold them and play with them in the cage. Most don't like to be held so you do need to kind of corral them to make sure they don't bounce off. The main problem with play time is young kits can't regulate their body temp or blood sugar vary well, so they can over heat quickly or have a dangerous sudden drop in blood sugar if they over do it. 5-10 minutes of out of cage play a couple times a week is generally ok if they are really hyper, but keep a close eye on them and watch for any signs they might be tired or over heating. Another reason for controlled play is kits are clumsy, so they can easily hurt themselves (like a toddler) if you aren't careful.

That sounds reasonable and makes sense. I'll make sure to follow that if I get them