Lying on their side.. why is it bad?

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Aneesa's Muse

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I have been noticing that Phoenix sleeps on his side when he's in his hammock or even lying on a level... as he has fleece liners on a couple of levels and he bunches them up to make himself a pillow ..and he lies down.

Why is it bad? What is the indication?


Btw, sometimes he lies on his right side.. sometimes it's the left...
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know this being bad...just how he is comfy...On a lot of the suppliers sites they show photos of "happy customers" and a bunch of them are their sides...


I know that with females a change in sleeping positions (such as onto their side) can show that they are pregnant.


I don't think you have anything to worry about, especially if he isn't showing signs of being ill in any way...


But if someone has some other info, I'd love to know it:thumbsup:
 
Where did you hear it was bad? The only bad thing I can think of is if you were showing him his fur might be matted down more on the sides not as desirable. But that is just a cosmetic problem. And as mentioned some pregnant females lay on their sides.
 
Tinkerbell sleeps on her side from time to time and from what I've heard, it's ok and doesn't mean that anything is wrong.
 
It is not bad- just kind of scary to see the first time! A lot of times girls do it when they get pregnant too.
 
I think maybe you're thinking laying on side = illness. Most chins who lay on their side just lay on their side. It's just another sleeping position, even though they look dead when they do it (and cause your heart to do all kinds of strange things!). That is normal and healthy.

When they are ill, usually lying on the side in conjunction with lethargy, not eating, etc., is very bad. If they can't even sit up, then you know they are in big trouble. Most times when they reach this stage, there's not much you can do for them. It's like the last position before they expire.
 
Yes my Chinny-chin used to always sleep on his side until I got some hammacks. At first I thought he was dead the first time I saw him like that, it scared me half to death. Then I just realized that is how he sleeps, he's in normal position when he's awake.

And yes if they are doing it all day long, and appear sick, get them to a vet.
 
Thanks... Phoenix has hammocks ..and he sleeps on his side in those also. I must've just misunderstood the few threads that I read ..and lead me to believe it was a warning of some sort.

Thanks, Peggy.. your explanation makes me feel a lot more confident.

Stackie.. Phoenix does the "sexy pose" thing, too.... so silly, but sooo cute!
 
Aneesa's Muse said:
I have been noticing that Phoenix sleeps on his side ....

Why is it bad? What is the indication?
Click to expand...

tunes said:
I think maybe you're thinking laying on side = illness. Most chins who lay on their side just lay on their side. It's just another sleeping position, even though they look dead when they do it (and cause your heart to do all kinds of strange things!). That is normal and healthy.

When they are ill, usually lying on the side in conjunction with lethargy, not eating, etc., is very bad. If they can't even sit up, then you know they are in big trouble. Most times when they reach this stage, there's not much you can do for them. It's like the last position before they expire.
Click to expand...

When I got my first chin, the pet store told me to buy a book on chinchillas (can't remember who wrote it, but tossed it about a year later after I realized from very reliable sources that there was alot of discrepancies in it). I remember reading about chins laying on their side to mean that they are ill to very ill. But when my chin did this from the beginning of when I got him, and there was nothing wrong with him at that time, I was told that he just liked relaxing that way and that was it. So yes, thank you Peggy for clearing it up as well.
 
I have 1 that lays on her sides. At the beginning I thought she was dead because she wouldn't move even if I opened the door. I would call her and make a lot of noises then she would get up.
 
Laying on their sides can be indicative of overheating, but as long as you know that your home is cool enough, then that's not something you've got to worry about.

My chins lay in all sorts of dead-looking positions. It's just what they do, they love to scare the crud out of us!
 
We call that "playing dead" here. You'll get used to it in time. They are just relaxing and feel safe enough to lay in a more vulnerable position.
 
when my chins do that and im nervous if i go to walk over to the cage she pops up super fast lol then i feel bad for messing up her sleep
 
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