new chinchilla :D

[annm13339]

so i just got my chinchilla sunday night. the person i got him from said he is either 6 or 7 months old. I just want to make sure im doing everything right for him! i want him to be happy the first night we let him roam a little with us because he was not in the cage when we got him. i carried him upstairs right from the car. (they didnt have him in the cage). he wasnt too scared or anything. just sniffed and explored. we let him into the living room to explore since its bigger. he seemed to enjoy it. the next day i went out and got the dust bath stuff and some food. hes eating and drinking perfectly fine. yesterday he seemed a little, antisocial, but i think its just him not really being used to us yet. he hasnt bit anyone. only nibbled my finger but im guessing thats normal since ive read that they will do that.

we had the cage door open last night for a good 2 hours and he wouldnt come out. all he would do is hide in his house. it was around 8pm. at one point he would come out, look around, stand on his wood block thing that came with him, and just sit there. i eventually put his bath house in there without any dust because he had a dust bath the night before so i could bring him into the living room without having to move the whole cage. that worked perfectly fine once in the living room he ran around exploring everything. he would come up to me and my bf, snif us, let us pet him or scratch him for a second and then take off again. so from the looks of it he seems happy.

my only concern is that he never makes any noises. i thought chins make them all the time? hes very quiet. i havent heard him bark. i dont have any other animals though. the only noise i heard him make was last night when we put him back in his cage. he was standing on top of his house looking at us near the door and kind of whined for a slight second but then he stopped.

this is the food that i got for him
http://www.petco.com/product/112531/LM-Animal-Farms-Bonanza-Gourmet-Diet-Chinchilla-Food.aspx
he seems to like it alot. instead of raisins and such for a treat, ive been using the carrots from the feed. he really likes them. is that a good idea?

Ill take all the advise i can get. ive done alot of researching before i got him but im also still learning.

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

Some chins are more vocal, but for the most part they are quiet.
He should be on a plain pellet diet with hay and water, minimal treats like rose hips, rose buds, lots of chew sticks, no carrots, or other veggies!
I'd recommend Mazuri chinchilla pellets.

 

[lauralynne]

so i just got my chinchilla sunday night. the person i got him from said he is either 6 or 7 months old. I just want to make sure im doing everything right for him! i want him to be happy the first night we let him roam a little with us because he was not in the cage when we got him. i carried him upstairs right from the car. (they didnt have him in the cage). he wasnt too scared or anything. just sniffed and explored. we let him into the living room to explore since its bigger. he seemed to enjoy it. the next day i went out and got the dust bath stuff and some food. hes eating and drinking perfectly fine. yesterday he seemed a little, antisocial, but i think its just him not really being used to us yet. he hasnt bit anyone. only nibbled my finger but im guessing thats normal since ive read that they will do that.

The key thing is to make sure he's eating and drinking. If he's doing that, and producing lots of good poops, those are good signs. Let him settle in to his new environment. You can sit by his cage and talk/read to him, leave a radio or tv on, etc.

we had the cage door open last night for a good 2 hours and he wouldnt come out. all he would do is hide in his house. it was around 8pm. at one point he would come out, look around, stand on his wood block thing that came with him, and just sit there. i eventually put his bath house in there without any dust because he had a dust bath the night before so i could bring him into the living room without having to move the whole cage. that worked perfectly fine once in the living room he ran around exploring everything. he would come up to me and my bf, snif us, let us pet him or scratch him for a second and then take off again. so from the looks of it he seems happy.

Make sure any areas you are going to let him play in have been chin-proofed. No cords, plastic, unsafe items, etc.

my only concern is that he never makes any noises. i thought chins make them all the time? hes very quiet. i havent heard him bark. i dont have any other animals though. the only noise i heard him make was last night when we put him back in his cage. he was standing on top of his house looking at us near the door and kind of whined for a slight second but then he stopped.

Consider yourself lucky. I, too, have a quiet bunch. Some chins make lots of noise, and some don't.

this is the food that i got for him
http://www.petco.com/product/112531/LM-Animal-Farms-Bonanza-Gourmet-Diet-Chinchilla-Food.aspx
he seems to like it alot. instead of raisins and such for a treat, ive been using the carrots from the feed. he really likes them. is that a good idea?.

Nope, not a good feed. Pretty much anything with "extras" mixed in is a no-no. If you must buy from PetSmart, they sell Mazuri and Oxbow, which are both approved feeds. Other choices are Purina Rabbit Chow Show, Nutrena 16%, Manna Pro Show, and Tradition. Most all of these are available from vendors on the forum as well.

No fruits or veggies.

Safe treats are old fashioned oats (not instant), rolled oats, rose hips, safe wood chew sticks and some use a shredded wheat or cheerio sparingly.

Congratulations on your new addition.

 

[Dusty Foot Prints]

No fruits, no veggies, not ever.

Some chins are quiet. Our Annabelle hardly ever makes a sound, unless she's dreaming. Then she sounds like a squeaky dog toy, ha ha.

Spend lots of time reading on the forum. Most every question you could have, has already been answered.

 

[annm13339]

the bag of food that i got was something from a near by pet store to hold off until i can get somewhere with better food. thank you for the advice! ill definitely be taking it.

 

[lauralynne]

the bag of food that i got was something from a near by pet store to hold off until i can get somewhere with better food. thank you for the advice! ill definitely be taking it.

Be careful. Their digestive tracks are sensitive. You can't go switching food willy-nilly. Get a good feed and stick with it.

 

[mishellyshel]

some chins just take time getting acclimated to their environment.
because he is so young, i would watch how much out of cage time you provide him. you dont want to him to overheat (1st sign is pink ears).
i agree about the food, find a decent pellet only food and stick with it. no carrots.
sometimes chins are more vocal at certain times of day or situations. i have 1 crybaby that everytime i am in the room or leave the room he literally cries. and i have 1 who makes attention sounds every day. i have a couple mild chirpers for their friends and the rest really dont make much noise.

 

[Chris]

As far as sounds, I guess I have a real chatter box. Sebaschin will be 5 months old on the 24th. We got him when he was 2 months old For the first month, all we would hear was the shelves and cage floor as he bounced around. As he became more comfortable around us, he definitely became more vocal. My wife and I have recliners and sit on either side of his cage while we watch TV in the evenings. If we do not pay attention to him for a minute he will run back and forth calling for attention using just about every sound he can possibly make until we acknowledge him.