New chin is too smart and quick for me

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I have two suggestion which might make the cage more interesting to him. First and easiest to do is get a cheap fleece throw and put it on top of the cage and let it drape down the back and sides. That will help him feel more secure in the cage. Second, invest in a bunch of wood shelves. Toss those now in the cage along with the ramps. Give him lots of different levels to keep him interested.
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Those are great suggestions. These suggestions and mine will cost some money but I think the rewards will be worth it.

DISCLAMER! There are so many more qualified people than me to help you and any of you out there can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

First. Looking at your cage door. I would try to make it more convenient to get in his cage. Maybe one longer piece of pine board. I built my own cage and more doors are almost at ground level so it is super easy for them to get in and out.

Also, there is almost nowhere for your little guy to get away from hard surfaces. As mentioned earlier I would make a fleece floor covering the size of the cage bottom. I have these for my cage and I rotate them out once a week. If that's not convenient for you maybe some pine shavings or another good floor covering material.

Both my Chins like to "disappear" during the day and its obvious this makes them feel secure. They both have a hammocks and one of my chins practically lives in it during the day so much so that sometimes I have to look at it closely to make sure she's there and by some miracle hasn't escaped her cage. I agree with you about the house you currently have. I inherited one of those when I got my first chin. She went in it but I think it was more out of desperation to hide, but I went to pine huts for both of them now and they LOVE them and it also gives them more to chew on and they both spend tons of time in those during the day to. Regardless its another way for them to hide and feel more secure.

Lastly, I think a lot of us completely underestimate how much chins LOVE to have things to chew on. Several months ago I built my own dual chamber cage, one cage so to speak for each chin as they don't get along. In an effort to make it look like a natural habitat I did some research on what tree branches were safe for chins to chew on. Come to find out the native birch here in Alaska is safe for them. I have a yard FULL of birch trees so I went out and got a lot of dead DRY tree branches and stuck them in their cages. I have never seen a chin go berserk the way they did over those branches. One of my chins chewed a solid birch branch an inch and a half thick right in two. I was amazed. They are constantly chewing on those branches and every few weeks I go out and get new ones. One great benefit from this is it has almost completely eliminated them wanting to chew on anything OUTSIDE the cage. Since I have done this I can't count on one had the times I have had to shoo one away from a chair leg or a base board. The point is I think to have an overwhelming amount of things for your chin to chew on. Its obviously great for their teeth and from what I have seen they just seem to love doing it. If you do this be sure to check out the branches that are safe. Some are and some aren't.

Hang in there. I can honestly say that my Chins are so awesome and have provided me with so many laughs. They are unlike any pet I have ever had. I take awesome care of them and as a result they are very social and will sit on my lap and let me pet them for several minutes at a stretch. But by the same token I am careful not to expect to much. But for the most part I can't imagine my life without them. Your little guy looks handsome by the way!

Kevin
 
Thanks for all the advice. I've tried all of it but still not having any luck. I've covered the majority of his cage with a white sheet, I do think he likes it because he is spending more time at the top of the cage during the day instead of sleeped in the bottom corner. I also took out the upper metal shelf and added a hammock and couple more wooden ledges. I didn't see him go in the hammock at all yesterday, but there was poop in it this morning so I'm assuming he went in it overnight.

I added the sheet on Saturday and made the changes to his cage while he had his playtime yesterday. He was out for and hour and a half and we barely got him back in the cage. He jumped in and out a few times but anytime we make even a slight movement towards the cage he comes back out. The dust bath technique failed again because he only stuck his head in.

We couldn't get him back in so we resorted to trying to "trap" him using a couple flattened boxes to corner him, but he's just too quick.

It's to the point now that when he is out of the cage there are times we can just look at him and he will take off running. Yet when he's running around he has no problem jumping on us.

I'm assuming that a big part of the problem is we think he was owned by a teacher for a few years before we got him, and we think he was kept in a classroom so he probably never got playtime, so that's why he never wants to go back in the cage. We also didn't get to bond with him when he was a baby so I'm sure that doesn't help.

I'm considering upgrading to a critter nation two level cage hoping it will make him want to go back in his cage, but I don't want to spend all that money only to find out that it doesn't make a difference.
 
Sounds to me like it will take time. I think over time he will adjust to the new living situation. He probably feels an enourmouse amount of freedom in the gift you are giving him compared to being in a classroom. I bet he will settle in and be comfortable going back in the cage but it could be a really long while.
 
My little guy is getting more escape-centric as well. His wheel arrives today, so perhaps that will help. Mine used to belong to a guy who got a new job a couple months back and just didn't have time for the chinny. I suspect he didn't get out much if at all for those couple of months. I'm trying to get him on a schedule of half an hour in the morning and half an hour at night, but I seem to have little control over the length of time he's out. I've had to stop taking him out in the morning all together. I've been resisting using the fleece blanket, but it might be time to implement that. He wont even stop and enjoy scratched because all he wants to do is try to get away for playtime.
 
I just let Sampson in, my 4 year old Savannah, Him and Bea love to play catch me if you can. Sometimes Sam loose track where Bea has gone, so she'll jump and run past him so that he can give chase. After about a half hour, Bea finally joins her little sister in the cage. I usually let the girls out after work, a few hours before sunrises. By time I am ready for bed, so are the girls.
 
Kevin and Obcsed,

I just wanted to thank you guys for the advice, the advice you gave has made a huge difference. I guess it just took a couple days for him to adjust.

I draped a sheet over the sides and back of his cage, took out a metal shelf, added a hammock and a bunch of wooden ledges, and took out the plastic house and replaced it with a wooden house with a bottom.

He now goes back in his cage after about an hour all on his own. He doesn't try to run out when I walk over to close the door either. He even went in his cage when I was adjusting his shelves, he never would have done that before.

Thanks again!
 
That is GREAT news! The fact that he went in while you were adjusting his shelves speaks volumes about how much he like his cage now. He loves it and now he feels secure there. Great job for hanging in there!
 
So glad he likes his cage now. It really makes a world to difference when they are comfortable with their surroundings.
 
I've set up a secured are around meucci's cage and and it's been pretty easy to encourage him back in after half an hour to an hour. I still take him into the bathroom that I modified for him to be able to play in sometimes and have to catch him. I wish I knew how stressful being caught is to him. I'm getting better at it, chases never last more than 5 minutes, but I am wondering if the variety of the extra play space is worth the stress of getting chased around and caught :/

In other news the new wheel has been here for a month and he want's none of it. A couple days ago I tried to place him on the wheel with a tiny bit of raisin and an oat on it. It was like tying to stick two strongly positive magnets together. Should I take it out and put some other things to do in that spot or give him some more time?

...Anyone interested in buying a used flying saucer wheel?
 
I think the reason he is hard to catch in the bathroom is because he doesn't know what he is suppose to do. There is nowhere for him to go and he is just a little stressed because his cage isn't there and he can't go into it and his cage is his safety net. Given the opportunity he would almost surely go in his cage if he had the choice. Not sure what the circumstances are but Chins are creatures of habit. If you let him out to play where his cage is he will get more and more used to his surroundings and go back in his cage on his own, or for sure with a little gentle help from you. I let my chins out in the same area every day. They love it and its still exciting to them as if its the first time they have gotten out. Find out what area works for both of you then stick to it if possible.
As far as the saucer goes. I have one too and neither of my Chins will have anything to do with it so don't feel bad. My Chins personalities couldn't be more different. Its hard to believe that such a small critter can have its own individual personality but they do. I just find what works for them and don't get hung up on why this or why that. It sounds like you are making great progress!

Kevin
 
It sounds like you need a puppy play pen. Maybe you can put a small cage in the playpen with treats to lure him in when he has had enough play. Give him some boxes to explore. On youtube, a lady with rats kept their cage inside a portion of her room where her father built a tall barrier with a door. Even when they were out, they were always in this room within a room, so they were safe.
 
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