new realization about hanging out next to the cage

[danilinn]

Jonesy has been home for almost a month now, and me, her, and my husband have pretty well settled into our routines. She's not skittish with either of us anymore, dislikes being picked up, but once I do snuggles up on my arm or walks around on me. She's a big girl with lots of energy, so she has about 10 minutes of out-of-cage play every night, and when playtime is over, she doesn't struggle when I pick her up to put her back in her cage--a couple of times, she's even gone in by herself.
So I'd figured, until the other night, that we didn't need to hang out by her cage, since she was already fine with us. I was watching TV late at night, and I looked over at her. She was sitting in a spot that isn't a favorite of hers, on the 1st level, looking straight at the couch. Usually, she likes to sit on a 2' ledge and watch certain TV shows, and it struck me as a little weird. But no, she just kept on staring, so I walked over and opened her cage door, but she just tried to make a break for freedom; she didn't want to be petted.
I went back to the couch and got stared at for another five solid minutes.
So I grabbed a big pillow and my iced tea, and laid down on the floor next to her. She immediately started nibbling my hair, so I stuck a finger through the wire, and she started nibbling away at my nail. Every now and then, I put my face up against the wire, and she nibbled my nose or eyebrows.
When I got up and walked to the kitchen to get another iced tea, I got the same stare I got when I was on the couch.
I guess I'd been thinking all along that hanging out by her cage was just part of the bonding process, but I think to her, it's more like having me over to her place. (I guess that means she's coming over to my place when she gets couch playtime.)
Just thought it was interesting, and something others might not have thought of, too.

 

[liewwan]

Awww how adorable! It's like she's telling you "mom you forgot about me" hehehe. Sounds like she enjoyed all those attention and when she doesn't get it she is trying to give you the guilty look.

 

[danilinn]

Alena, it is SO working. as if it isn't bad enough that i fall sleep on the couch almost every night so we can see each other, now she's got me on the floor til 4 AM.
i never thought i'd be so delighted to peek in and find her sleeping.
and tomorrow, i'm going to my mom & dad's, which means that when i get home, she'll pretend i don't exist for a few hours. oh, the drama!

 

[Godofgods]

could try letting her be out a little longer. Or she might just be lonly and want some attention. But even in my cage of 3 girls, they will still do the same thing. Just hope up on their one perch and stare right at me.

 

[danilinn]

Godof, i'm not sure she's supposed to be out for longer. she'll be 4 months on the 10th, so some would say she shouldn't have any out-of-cage play yet. i kind of figured with her enormous cage, she can wear herself out bouncing around in there anyway, so a little living room exploration wouldn't be so bad. i like to get her back in the cage as soon as her paws start getting really warm.
she's a lot like a little kid, in that she doesn't want attention until she sees you get involved in doing something else. if i do it on the floor next to her cage, it seems to go over better. (and ah, that hardwood floor is just great to lie on. ha.)
it's good to know that they do the same thing in a colony. i'm not really planning to get a 2nd one, especially since she's such a little...feisty thing that she lost an ear in a fight before she ever got home. my degus were all fixed sibs (adopted that way), and they sort of treated me like the food machine and not much else. i'm continually impressed by how much more engaged Jones is than they were--i used to think it was because she's an only chin, but now i'm wondering if all that domestic breeding since 1927 hasn't had a big effect on personality that degus haven't had.

 

[Cuddlebug]

You are correct. She should not be having out of cage playtime until she is 6 months old, so I would not be making what little she is getting any longer.

 

[danilinn]

i wouldn't have done it at all, but she was so ****-bent on escaping her cage during petting time that i got tired of trying to estimate her trajectory so i could catch her without a big chase.
so, i figured a few minutes a night climbing the couch pillows would be better for her than her great escapes.
she's a bit of a chunk muffin, too, so i don't worry about her burning too many calories if it's just the two of us playing a little pillow hide-and-seek.

 

[Godofgods]

Sry, didnt realize she was only 4 months old'

i kind of figured with her enormous cage, she can wear herself out bouncing around in there anyway,

if yours is anything like my young ones... good luck with that'

 

[Caroline]

Ok, someone is going to need to provide some good solid scientific data to back up the fact that allowing a baby chinchilla a few minutes of exercise is bad for it. I am envisioning all these poor, frantic chinchillas mamas out in the wild trying to keep their overly active babies from hoping from rock to rock all night long. There must be a lot of very unhealthy baby chinchillas out in the wild as well from all of that exercise.

 

[ChinnyMom]

comparing chins in the wild to those we keep as pets is like comparing apples and oranges. chins in the wild have not been bred by humans and taken care of by humans for many generations.

i don't think a few minutes of couch hopping is going to hurt a young chin. long daily play sessions are not something i would advise though.

 

[liewwan]

Alena, it is SO working. as if it isn't bad enough that i fall sleep on the couch almost every night so we can see each other, now she's got me on the floor til 4 AM.
i never thought i'd be so delighted to peek in and find her sleeping.
and tomorrow, i'm going to my mom & dad's, which means that when i get home, she'll pretend i don't exist for a few hours. oh, the drama!

:rofl: drama queen already at 4 months old :rofl:
Well maybe get her a cuddle buddy? Some people on here makes ones that's pretty realistic.
Sometimes you'll just have to turn away and say "don't even think about it little girl" With lots of hopes she may learn that the guilty look won't work. However I have to say all 4 of mine still attempt to give the "guilty" look :impatient:

 

[danilinn]

ah, Alena, it works--i have to admit i kind of like the emotional reaction. it's not like she's been alone--my husband's with her when i'm gone.
in fact, saturday night, i went through the battery of questions, impressed that he'd checked her hay and pellets, and that she had a stick with bumpy things on it (yep, willow twig, good, that's a favorite).
and she usually has couch playtime around now...
his response was, "oh, she was already out for about 45 minutes today."
aaahhhh!
i got the same snub when i got home last night, but it was shorter than last time. so between me and free-for-all playtime, she picks me. she can guilt-trip me all she wants if she keeps that attitude!