New cage,New behavior?

[KaylaD]

I have had my 7month old male chin Roo for about a week now, and he has been doing wonderful with me! Saturday I got a double ferret nation for him, I SCRUBBED and disinfected it. It has plastic trays, so I put fleece liners over them, and put two glass dishes with his usual kiln dried bedding, and two small pieces of fleece from his old cage that he had peed on. I didnt over do it just yet, and kept his cage pretty simple, until he gets more comfortable. But he doesnt seem to be eating or drinking much since he has been in it? I also couldnt fit it in his normal room, so its in my room for now until I chin proof a different room that will fit the cage, and be his play room, when he is out. So for my questions;
1)He does not seem to want to eat, drink, or even play/floor time that much? Could it just be the cage change and room change?
2)He doesnt seem to be interested in the upper entire half of the cage? I assume he just needs time to adjust?
3)His cage(also making my room) smell TERRIBLE! He has only been in the cage not quite two full days, and only in my room starting last night? Could it be the "smell" from stress/nerves I have heard they can release? Or is it his urine smelling so BAD from not drinking much water, that it is basically concentrated urine?
4)He is normally SO excited to see me in the evenings for play time, or just to sit on my lap and run all over me... He has not wanted much to do with me the last two days(since new cage), is it just stress?
5)Is there anything extra I can do to really help him feel more comfortable, until he gets used to his new cage?
Im sorry for such a long post and so many questions! I just really want to be sure my new baby is happy, healthy, and of course spoiled

 

[SeeleyAnne]

I think he is just acting this way because of all the new changes. You only had him for a week, so he was probably just starting to feel more comfortable at his new home with you, and then there was another change, when he got a new cage in a new room. So he is probably just a little stressed out, and trying to get used to his new surroundings. As for the smell, I am not sure what the reason is exactly. Maybe he is a little dehydrated, making his pee stink more, but I don't really know. I do know that when I switched my chins over from pine bedding to fleece, I noticed a big change in the smell. I think it's just from using fleece in general. The bedding helps mask the odor, so when they just pee on the fleece, it stinks

 

[Stackie]

You said this chin came from Shoots, correct? If so, I'm assuming he was kept in a smaller cage until you got him. New cages/surroundings in general are enough to make a chin nervous, and moving into a large cage like the FN can be really stressful for a chin who was used to small areas all his life. They are prey animals, so the security of a small, enclosed area helps them feel more comfortable. He probably feels vulnerable in all the new open space. Give him some time to adjust.

Chins are known to not eat/drink much when nervous. Try marking with a dry erase marker on his water bottle to see if the level goes down. As long as he is pooping, there isn't much cause for concern. In general healthy chins will not starve themselves. Just try putting his food bowl/hay close to where he likes to hang out.

Fleece smells really quick, I can notice a smell after about 2 days of it being in the cage and peed on.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

You might try limiting him to just the top or bottom for a little while and let him figure it out first. Lots of changes at once can make them nervous, but he'll be just fine likely. Keep an eye on the poos and if they get small and hard he's not drinking or eating enough.

 

[KaylaD]

Thank you all for replying! He seems to sort of limit him self to just the bottom? Lol I dont think the smell is the cage, fleece or urine? If I smell the fleece, it doesnt seem to smell badly? But in thr room/air you can absolutely smell something, bad! Its not quite a urine,amonia smell...but is? If that makes sense, Im not even sure how to describe it? And yes he was from Shoots, so a much smaller cage! And in almost a week I didnt need to clean that small cage from urine? And he was peeing on small pieces of fleece I had put in there, his first week....they didnt even have this smell?! What is it? Its so bad, it honestly about knocks you down walking into the room! IS it that scent I have read about?

 

[Stackie]

They like to back up to the corners of cages and pee outside them..check around the cage on the floor to see if he got some outside the cage.

The scent you have read about does not have an ammonia smell, it is more like burnt almonds and not constant.

 

[IowaChinLuvinChic]

Hopefully it's just a little nervousness from all the change! I consider myself a new owner as well, I adopted my first and so far only Chin 6 months ago, and just moved him into a brand new FN cage a couple days ago and notice he's been acting different as well. But he's a lil older, about 1.5 yrs and he's just being kinda bratty >.< acting a lil spoiled since we chain proofed the bedroom and he gets to come out more ... he has been biting at the cage bars and making more efforts to get our attention and then waits by the cage door like he's begging to be out. I am still learning and teaching my boyfriend what I learn as time goes by, and my boyfriend is definitely more of the spoiler than I am! He wants Fredward out all the time when he starts biting at the bars, and I told him I'd prefer to not let him train us on dictating his playtime, and that we need a more set schedule to his playtimes so he can adjust and throw his lil chin tantrums less frequently >.< but I've never noticed any foul odor with Fredward and he was only using shavings when we got him, we switched out to fleece within 1-2 weeks after adopting him and I've never smelled anything weird, he is potty trained to use his lil corner litter box though so maybe that's why I hope your lil guy calms down for ya!