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tessapixie

tessapixie

Magical Girl
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
20
Location
Demarest, NJ
Hey, guys! I just joined the forum and I just got a chinchilla today. I've wanted one for about seven years and have done research on care and such, but there's still so much to learn, especially since all chinchillas are different. Any help would be much appreciated. Her name is Amaris, she's a six month old female, and adorable. Unfortunately I ended up witnessing a sound I never wanted to hear. The barking. I had tried to give her a treat and she barked at me. I guess I tried too soon? I quickly backed off, and have just been sitting in front of the cage trying to just talk to her. She's been active around her cage, eating, and pooping normally but I just don't want to end up scaring her like that again. I really do want a strong bond and friendship with her. How can I amend this? Thanks! :)
 
Eh, my chins bark when the wind blows. It doesn't mean you messed anything up. Just let her settle in for a a little bit, keep talking to her and being around her cage, and she'll be okay.

Welcome to the forum. :)
 
Welcome to the forum. Just give her time. Keep talking to her and hanging out around her cage. One of my girls barks when the a/c comes on. She's not right in her furry little head.
 
One of our boys distrusted us for weeks when we first got him - if our hands got near the cage, he'd start barking like a clown car alarm lol. Your kiddo will be fine, just try to limit putting your hand in the cage for a while & sit by the cage talking to her for a while each night. When she starts to show interest, open the door a bit and hold your hand to the opening, let her come to you to investigate. With chins, patience is key: they're prey animals, so I've found that it's best to move at their own pace and let them dictate the momentum of the bonding process. It's quite normal for them to be wary at first, but once they learn that you're not trying to eat them (ESPECIALLY once they learn to associate you with food, baths, etc) they will likely be your little sidekick. Congrats on your first chin! and welcome to the community
 
When I brought Julio home, he made the most horrible squeal (warning bark) in the middle of the night.

My hubs and I both jumped out of bed expecting the worse. I thought I was going to find him hanging from his wooden bridge or on ground with a broken something.

Turned on the light and he was just sitting looking back at us like "what u want?"
Then he started peeping for treats. (Like Seriously? Little dude) haha

He had one other night were he did a few barks (sounded like a squeak toy)
Once again, I rushed to his cage same as last time only to find his puffy butt just sitting there.

It took him about a week to warm up to us.
I did get a stern "Knack!" In that week.
He was sitting on his corner shelf just looking out so I went to give him chin scritches.
Um yeh, big no no.
He Knacked so loud It made me jump.
If chin language has curse words, I probably got the F bomb that day.
I felt so bad.
For the first couple weeks, if I looked like I was going to touch him, he would knack.
I just took it slow and didn't push the issue.

As we bonded, the knacks stopped. He loves scritches and will move his head around so I can get the itchy spots.

I would have never seen myself as owning a rodent animal, but these guys are so awesome. Julio has been best little easy going side kick ever.
Incredibly smart.
Granted they dont cuddly like a dog , they still are adorably affectionate.

I'm so happy for you and your new chin.
This forum is awesome. Big welcomes to you here!

:)
 
Thank you all so, so much for your kind words and helpful advice! She allowed me to give her ear and chin scratches this morning while I was tidying up her cage! I wanted to give her a treat for allowing me to do so, but she still runs away. Do any of your chinchillas shy away front treats? Maybe she just doesn't like raisins? I just feel bad for scaring her all the time.
 
Sorry for double posting but I got her to eat the raisin. However, I had to kind of drop it in her cage. I tried to approach her with it, and she got afraid. I just wanted to reward her for letting me give her scratches this morning. I also didn't give her a full raisin. I know those aren't the best. I broke off a small piece for her. :)
 
Super exciting, congratulations! Bonding can take a long time, and there's always more to learn, especially as you learn more about your fur baby and her idiosyncrasies. I have a blog (http://lychinchillas.com/favorite-topics/) that may be helpful to you - of course, this forum is also absolutely amazing and has tons of information!
 
LYChinchillas said:
Super exciting, congratulations! Bonding can take a long time, and there's always more to learn, especially as you learn more about your fur baby and her idiosyncrasies. I have a blog (http://lychinchillas.com/favorite-topics/) that may be helpful to you - of course, this forum is also absolutely amazing and has tons of information!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! Great blog!
 
Congratulations! Chins have their own personalities. One of my chins is always on the go, doesn't mind being picked up. Loves to jump, will jump from knee to shoulders to head over and over, can jump from the floor to the counters in the bathroom. But she does not like to be held standing still or have any scratching anywhere. Our other chin is more skittish, does not like to be picked up, but does like to have the top of her head scratched and is more mischievous. Yesterday my son had her out in an enclosed hallway and put his glasses on the floor. That furball came up to the glasses and sniffed them and took off with them and wouldn't give them up, holding onto the glasses with teeth and paws. She scratched one of the lenses pretty bad, we will have to replace it.
 
Aw. I'm a little wary about taking Amaris into the bathroom due to the bathtub, sink, and toilet. That's a lot of places for her to get wet. How do yours behave when they're in there? She started to give me the affection nibbles last night and she's letting me pet her while standing still. I'd say that's a good thing, right? I'm sorry to hear about the glasses, Julio. I hope that they can get fixed soon! I've also noticed that Amaris can be quite active during the day and not as much at night? Is this normal? She's currently chewing on her toy right now and it's 11:00 AM here.
 
Raisins shouldn't be given at all. Her body can't process them... Rosehips are a good alternative as well as other treats. I'm sure you could find a list on here. Welcome & Congrats on your baby!
 
tessapixie said:
Sorry for double posting but I got her to eat the raisin. However, I had to kind of drop it in her cage. I tried to approach her with it, and she got afraid. I just wanted to reward her for letting me give her scratches this morning. I also didn't give her a full raisin. I know those aren't the best. I broke off a small piece for her. :)
Click to expand...

I just wanted to mention, it's best to not give raisins at all, they are way too high in sugar. Chinchillas aren't designed to handle sugars (think diabetic), and almost all chinchilla pellets already have sugar in them, so even a little bit more in the form of fruit is adding up in their diet. Much better options are a cheerio, a piece of shredded wheat, rose hips, rose petals, rose blossoms, or a tiny pinch of slow cook oats. The rose stuff can be bought from vendors on here as well as from organic health food stores. Or better yet, use pieces of hay or chew sticks, or hand feed pellets, that way you can give unlimited.

As for the being more active in the day, chinchillas aren't really nocturnal, so they actually are awake mostly during the morning and evening. They tend to sleep during the warmest and coolest parts of the day/night. But they do get up through out the day to have a bite to eat or a sip to drink. They also do to some extent adapt to their owner's scheduled, so if you normally go visit with them at a certain time or get up or get home at a certain time they learn that and will be up and waiting (most of the time hoping for a treat, lol).

Since you've had her for such a short time (most chins take at least a week to get settled in), I would try to slow things down. It's great that she lets you pet her, but you are still new. I know it's hard to wait, they are so cute, but if you just sit and talk to her, making no motion to pet her, let her come to you. She will learn that you don't mean any harm and just because you are there doesn't mean a hand is coming for her.
 
Thank you both for the tip about the raisins. I won't give her those anymore and will get rosehips. Would I have to break the rosehip apart when feeding it to her? How big can it be? Do chinchillas snore? She just made a sound that is similar to that? o_O
 
My chin you turns his nose up at whole rose hips. I read somewhere that some chins don't like the fuzzy seeds inside them.

Rose hips are about the size of a marble and super hard to break by hand. Julio was able to break them up even if they were whole. He just prefers sans seeds.
i usually buy them already broken up and sifted through.

If you use crushed pieces vs one big one, it can really draw out that one treat quota.

I like to use some of the bits and hide them in Julio's house. It gives him something constructive to do if I can't take him out.
 
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Welcome to chin parenthood! :)

I second the crushed rose hips, although not all chins like them. A treat that is universally loved at my house is mini shredded wheat (use the non-frosted kind). I split them in half and pass them out. It's fun to treat your chins, but it's easy to overdo it.

Have fun with your little one.
 
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