Normal Chin Behavior?

[misty]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and a pretty new chinchilla owner. We bought Misty about 2 months ago from a pet store, since I couldn't find a breeder nearby. She was very jumpy and did not want to be touched, but started to warm up to us and at least let us pet her.

My question is, she used to be very active in the evenings and at night, and even sometimes during the day but now sleeps almost 24/7. She has also become very jumpy, even jumpier than when we first brought her home. She has started nipping at me a little, and she used to just lick my hand. It has actually hurt a couple of times. She is eating well, actually more than ever, and her poop looks fine. She's filled out and now looks quite pear shaped, as my husband calls her. Is this normal for them to sleep so much, or should I be worried? I wondered if she is pregnant, but the pet store said it was two females in the cage, so don't know for sure if this is a possibility.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My 3 children adore her, and since we have some pet allergies here they have never had a pet, and would be devastated if something happened to Misty.

Thank you!!

 

[Siany]

Welcome to the forum

Im not sure about pregnancy...maybe others can help with that, you could always look for a good vet to check it out in case.

At playtime, do you have any toys out ?? things like boxes with holes in and tubes to run through. I sometimes scatter apple sticks around and encourage them to find them. Also my chinnies sleep all through the day and will occasionaly will get up to eat but they still look like they are sleeping over the bowl, when it starts going dark they wake up for a run, which is usually when i let them out. I wouldnt worry about your chinnie sleeping, it always seems mine are most of the time.

I would also think that with the nipping it could be shes tasting you, i wouldnt worry unless it draws blood (last night Lola bit my bf toe nail lol) I have also heard of chinnies licking peoples hands because they like the taste of hand cream.

 

[misty]

Thanks so much for the reply!

I'm kind of struggling with playtime right now. I tried putting her in the bathroom, but she chewed on the baseboard. I tried blocking of the family room, but she got behind the entertainment center and I was afraid she would chew on the electric cords. I think I might try the bathroom again and maybe put towels around the baseboards or something. She really doesn't seem to enjoy being out of the cage very much. She is very shy and gets scared easily. I bought her a ball, but she won't run in it so I just use it to as a safe place while I'm cleaning her cage.

I guess I'm just concerned because she used to be so much more active than she is now. I used to sit and watch her play after the kids went to bed, and she was hysterical! Now she barely uses her wheel, and doesn't run around the cage very much.

She does love to smell my hands! She was very interested in the strawberries I had cut up for the kids. I guess even after washing she could still smell them on me! She's such a sweetie, so I sure hope she's okay.

Thanks again

 

[Cuddlebug]

Some of what you have described could be symptoms of pregnancy, though I don't know why she would be jumpier than before. Pet shop frequently get it wrong on the gender of chinchillas, so there is a chance that she could have been with a male. I would make sure she is in a kit proof cage ASAP (wire spacing no larger than 1 inch by 1/2 inch.) and mark on your calendar 111 days from the date you got her. That will be the latest (give or take a few days) that she could deliver. If you make it past that point, then she was not pregnant.

Please do not put her in the ball again. Around the forum, they are known as death balls, because chinchillas overheat in them and die from heat stroke.

 

[partygirlha]

for play time many of us have play pens either the small pet play pens (but some chins will jump over them) or ones made from cardboard pannels
take a look here for some ideas
http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24803

 

[Siany]

I have had problems with my chinnies eating stuff, i have to pull the chairs out in the living room so that they are not toutching the wall because my chinnies will climb between the wall and chairs and eat the wallpaper. Also i block off the television with a wooden decorating table so they cant get to the wires, but i have to lean some pillows on the sides of the television because they figured out how to jump it.

If my chinnies start eating something they shouldnt i just call their names and tell them no, i also go over to them and get them away. I also have to cover the fireplace up with a blanket. Lola is only a small chinchilla which i think is due to the previous owners neglect, but being so small she can get where shes not supposed to. She has gotten in the chimney breast before by squeezing through a tiny gap in the fire place and she has also fallen behind the radiator.

Try sitting on the floor with her and let her run over your legs. Im glad Cuddlebug mentioned about the ball, chinchillas like to jump around and be cheeky but in a ball they are so restricted and as Cuddlebug said they can overheat.

 

[misty]

I'm going to try chin proofing my bathroom again, thanks to the suggestions I've gotten. I still have a hard time getting Misty out of the cage though, and my bathroom is upstairs and her cage is downstairs.
Is grabbing her by the tail(close to her body) really the best way to pick her up? I hate that she won't just jump into my hands when I clean out her cage, and I am stuck trying to grab her everytime. Has anyone had this problem and had it get better over time?

Thanks again!!

 

[Brittany]

Is grabbing her by the tail(close to her body) really the best way to pick her up? I hate that she won't just jump into my hands when I clean out her cage, and I am stuck trying to grab her everytime. Has anyone had this problem and had it get better over time?

Thanks again!!

I start with the base of the tail, and as soon as I have a good hold I'll use my other hand to support the feet/body. Do you have a cat carrier by chance? Another suggestion would be to put some dust in a cat carrier. Have her jump into the carrier, and then transport her to the bathroom. gradually start removing the dust, and hopefully she'll associate the carrier with playtime. Then you won't have so many unpleasant confrontations.

 

[misty]

Thanks, that's a great idea! I don't have a carrier, but maybe I can use a small box until I get one.

 

[momenteller]

Hi Lisa,

I wouldn't worry about giving her playtime if it is hard on you and her to catch her. If you have time and patience, I would sit by the cage with the door open, try and get her to climb onto your hands. You may be able to build a bond with her that will make her easier to catch. I would also recommend trying to transport her in her dust bath. I agree that a playpen is a great investment if you don't want your chin to chew the walls, baseboards, etc.

 

[Airyn]

Is grabbing her by the tail(close to her body) really the best way to pick her up? I hate that she won't just jump into my hands when I clean out her cage, and I am stuck trying to grab her everytime. Has anyone had this problem and had it get better over time?

My oldest chin, Boji, doesn't have a tail, so there are definitely alternative methods. The biggest challenge is in allowing her the time necessary to build trust with you. I spent days with my arms in cages so that they could get used to my movement, my smell, how it felt to their little feet when they jumped on me, etc.

Since she already doesn't trust the grabbing, you could try resting your arm on the floor of the cage, palm down, and just wait for her to be curious enough to jump on your arm. Palm down is key, as your hands are already associated with the negative action of grabbing, so you want to break her of that. If it takes too long, a piece of her favorite wood hidden under your hand will work wonders, as she'll have to pry your fingers up to get to it. I'm not sure if all chins get this, but mine all understand pointing and tapping, so I would tap where I wanted them to hop until they got it. Then, I praised them and handed the wood over.

Once she's comfortable balancing on you, try lifting your arm up a few inches, allowing her to get used to your movements. She'll probably jump off initially, but with time and patience, she'll adjust. After that, it's all baby steps... lift her to a shelf. Let her jump on your arm from a shelf and move her to a different one, etc. They have really short attention spans and thrive on routine, so you'll probably need to break it up into 15 minute "training sessions" a few times a week at the same time each day. I always reward them at the end with a different piece of wood or a dust bath (time dependent, of course).

If you continue with baby steps, inch by inch, she'll learn to trust you and you should be able to carry her. The end goal is to have her balanced on one hand with her back against your chest. Your other hand should be in front of her, acting as a wall to shield her from falling or launching forward. It'll take a while, but in time, it's definitely possible.

Mine became wise to my dust bath capturing ways, so at this point, I'll sit on the floor and wait for one of them to jump up on my lap so that I can scoop them back against my chest. The key is to let them jump on your lap a few times before the capture so that they don't see it coming.

Of course, this doesn't work with all chins, but it does work with three of mine, so that's gotta count for something! The fourth is great about going home when I say "go home", probably because she really detests being touched.

Good luck!

 

[chinchatcomics]

Sounds like she's pregnant..there are great tips here on how to 'chinbaby proof' your cage!

 

[misty]

Thanks for the tips on getting her to warm up to me. I guess I will find out tomorrow when I take her to the vet if she's pregnant or not. And if she does have an eye infection, and I end up having to put eyedrops in her eyes, that's probably going to set me back on winning her trust.

So frustrating!!