I think my chin is lonely

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M

Maighen

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I'm a new chin owner...I have a year old male named Bailey. I believe he is lonely...he makes like crying noises a lot. He does eat and drink and loves to come out and be held...that is when he is the quietest. I don't know much about his previous owner or if he had a cage buddy because I got him from my sisters friend who was just going to let die! I guess I am his angel:). I got him a big cage...and bought 3-4 books about chinchillas...but I don't know if I should get him a cage buddy or not. Any help would be great!!!!
 
He may or may not be lonely. He may just be making the crying noises because he's nervous or bored.

If you want to give him something to cuddle with, you can make or buy a cuddle buddy. Basically that's a stuffed animal with no loose threads, plastic eyes, noses, etc. that he can climb over or lay on. It's definitely not the same thing as a real friend, but for some chins it works well.

That's not to say you can't get him a same sex cage mate, just throwing out an extra option to try first.
 
I feel so bad. I try to spend a lot of time with him...but I've read that you should leave them to sleep between 7am-5pm and play with them after 5pm. But he doesn't seem to sleep and I've had him checked by an exotic vet and was told he is in great health! If I bought a small stuffed animal...and took the eyes and such off...would that work?
 
You could do that Maighen, just be careful of what the stuffing is and that the material is safe.

There are also people here in the classifieds section who make cuddle buddies for chins. They are generally made out of fleece (no loose threads) and have some eyes sewn on through stitching rather than buttons.

A lot of baby stuffies are good too, because they can't have the plastic stuff on them or a baby might chew them off and ingest them or choke on them, so quite a few of them are just flat material with eyes and nose stitched on.

And, btw, your chin will be fine if you wake him up to play during the day. I used to do it all the time when I was able to give all my chins run time in a playpen. They would wake right up, run their little feet off, then go back to sleep when I put them in their cages. If the only time you have to play with him is during the day, then go ahead and play with him.
 
I will look into the classified sections here for one. My husband thinks Bailey was abused but he is really friendly and isn't really scared of us. It took a couple days of course for him to get used of us and the new smells and noises here....which I totally expected. If I were to get him a cage buddy of the same sex...would older or younger be better? And where should I introduce them? In Baileys cage or outside of the cage? I just don't want him to be sad.
 
It usually works better with adding a younger cage mate, but that isn't always the rule. Sometimes adult animals can be introduced just as successfully with a little time and patience.

There are different ways to introduce a chin, for instance I use a show cage in a larger cage, and if you do a search under intro or introductions you should be able to find several threads relating to that and maybe pick the one that might work best for you.

Remember to follow a 30 day quarantine when bringing a new animal into the house though, before you attempt an introduction. :)
 
Okay thank you very much. I stumbled upon this website and its been a great help thus far!
 
My chin is up and down during the day and doesn't follow a 7a.m. - 5p.m. sleep schedule. If you can spend time during the day at home, you'll be able to observe his sleep patterns and can interact with him when he's up. I've gone in and accidently awakened my chin on several occasions. If she is in the mood to interact, she will come right to me.

I have several stuffed animals of various sizes in my cage. For the most part, she doesn't pay them much attention, but she will relocate them once in a while. You could always try a toy buddy first to see if that helps your chin, before you make the decision to bring in a second chin that your boy may or may not get along with.
 
I think the toy buddy is the best way to go for now anyways. He just seems like he is crying and it breaks my heart. But when I go in his room....he stops....and I'll open his cage...pet him and he'll come out and sit on my foot and try to hold on as I walk. I just don't think he sleeps....he is always crying....it seems like all day and night.
 
I just don't think he sleeps at all. I am always hearing him crying and I just don't know why. I go in and he stops...I open his cage....he comes out and sits on my foot and likes to try to hold on while I walk. I will try a toy/stuffed cage buddy for now.....I hope it works!
 
Chins can sleep with their eyes open so he probably is sleeping; you just didn't realize that he is. The crying that he makes could be the chinchilla alert sound. They do this when they feel the need to alert the colony. Mine do it all the time. It's a series of calls and it does sound sad. Since you have shown him that you will come when he does it, he may be using it to get attention from you. Many a chin has trained his human in this manner.
 
How long have you had him, hon? How is he outfitted in the way of chewing toys? Does he have a nice big wheel?

What you're describing sounds like what one of my two does when his 'brother' is out of sight, or if he hasn't seen me in a while and wants lovings (and by "a while" I mean like 45 minutes). If Bailey was kept in a very busy room/bedroom in his last home but isn't around as much of the action in your house, it could be that he's curious about "what he's missing". He could also still be a little nervous if you haven't had him very long. It took one of mine all of his quarantine period plus a few weeks to get used to our routine, since it was different from the rescue where he lived before he came home with us, and probably more different still than the house where he was born. Keeping plenty of things to chew and a wheel in there for him can help him be less dependant on you in the mean time.

Oh, and welcome to the boards. :)
 
Cuddlebug- I never thought that he could be sleeping with his eyes open. He has made the sounds since the day I brought him home.

3CsMommy- I got him this past Sunday...I don't know much about his previous home since my sister got him from a friend and brought him to me. He is really friendly...I just don't know if there was a cage buddy who he is missing!
 
Since you've only had him a week, I wouldn't worry too much. It can take a *long* time for a chin to get used to a new environment. Definitely give him more time before you worry too much, but the buddy certainly won't hurt. Does he have chew toys and a wheel? If not, check the classified ads section here to find some good ones reasonably priced. Then, buzz by the FAQs to make sure you're doing the best you can for him in regards to food, hay, water, etc. There's so much misinformation out there about keeping chinchillas, I take every opportunity I can to triple check what the experts say, and with several hundred combined years of breeding experience, the users on this forum count as experts to me. :)
 
Well I was reading almost every chinchilla book I could get my hands on at the pet store but Tunes from here told me to toss them :) So I did!!! I would like to consider a cage buddy for him...but its hard to find breeders here in New Hampshire. But since I don't know a lot about them yet....I want to give myself time to learn. I've been buzzing around this website...reading a lot of good questions with even better answers! I stumbled upon this site when I was doing a search on google. I just don't want him to be unhappy....
 
Could you describe the noise? Its easy to mistake one call for another.

One of my girls (Petra) When I first brought her home would make this very distressing wheezing cough bark that was part crying when she was sleeping. Scared the bejesus out of me and my Roommates (really brought out the fatherly instincts in them kinda cute really) We never for sure figured it out, we to this day think its nightmares. She seems unfazed and loves getting scritched afterward. She still does it about once a month. I've had her coming up on three years.

Nyx makes noise pretty much constantly, day and night. Soft chirps to loud barks... she has a wole repitoire of noise. She does it while she's sprawled eyes closed passed out asleep. She'll tell you alsorts of stories. He may just be talking in his sleep during the day.

Personally I think is probably as 3C'sMommy said and he just wants to know what you are doing. He probably feels left out if he is more used to being apart of the action. But seeing as you've only had him four days he needs more time to settle in andget used to your schedule.

Congrats on your new Chin!
 
Its like squeaking loudly...sorry I don't know really how to describe it. Could there be a chance that he has left behind a cage buddy? I've been considering calling my sister and seeing if she can get a hold of the friend and find out. Bailey has warmed up to me a great deal and doesn't run away until he knows play time is over.
 
That is such a great site!

As for loud squeeking sounds as if its just him trying to get your attention. When i said he needs time get used to you I didn't mean he was afraid out you. I should have put that differently, he needs to get used to his new enviroment and all the new smells and sounds. Mine call to me when they here me get home or if I'm in the kitchen.

I should also clarify, Nyx lives alone, she has never had a cagemate and she still makes noise all the time and Petra wo is in the same room NEVER talks to her. He might not be looking for a lost cagemate and there is no garentee he will want one.
 
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