Playtime with your chin

[Ingola]

I got a chin from a Pet Store 3weeks ago. I literally "rescued" that poor thing. She was sitting in the store window since last June!!! Nobody wanted her. How terrible is that? No toys, no treats, no hay,... She will be 1 in April.
Anyways, I would like to ask yours chin lovers, how much play do you spend with your chin daily?
Mine wakes up at 7-8pm, then I feed her and then I take her to the bathroom and let her bounce around for an hour every day. I am getting tired of this schedule because I feel I don't get any time for myself in the evening.
I am planning to buy her the wheel soon but I still think its not enough. She needs to come out from her cage too.
Do you guys do this too every night?
What is your routine with your chins?
Should I get her a friend?
Btw... My baseboards and cabinet and my wallpaper is getting to be chewed on, she does have sticks and boxes in the bathroom, but she just wants the baseboards
Thank you for your help!
Mom of Molly

 

[jess32247]

Chins don't need to come out on a daily bases, if at all. It's more of a luxury to let them spend time outside of the cage, but definitely not a necessity. It's perfectly fine not letting her out everyday or at all. A wheel isn't a necessity either, it's a luxury

I personally try to let my chin out everyday, but that's just me. I don't need too, but it's not a problem for me because I'm home all day doing just about nothing. Most of the time it's only for a hour or two, other times I just leave the cage open so she can go in and out all day. On top of that, she has a wheel she uses every night.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

I let my boys out almost every night, maybe 5 nights a week. they have a chin proof room so we don't use the bathroom. I just hang out in the room and do school work while they're having a good bounce. I think exercise for chins is quite important and they also have a flying saucer in their cage.
In terms of chins chewing on stuff, you can either get them a playpen or use cardboard to cover baseboard/walls when they're out playing.

 

[Newt]

Rosey gets out for 1/2 - 1 hour each night. To stop the baseboard chewing, put cardboard around your walls as a barrier. Works a treat!

Those chinnies always want to chew the things that are not meant for them!!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Chinchillas do not NEED playtime, but they do enjoy it. One thing that comes to mind is that if you cannot keep her from chewing on things, she is better off staying in her cage. Many chinchillas do not get playtime at all and they will not suffer from a lack of it.

 

[Ingola]

Thank you for all your replys.
The reason why I do take her out is because she bites the wire on the cage and makes these weeping noises. I feel like she bored. She just sits on the shelve and watches me. I will show you a pic. It's cute but heartbreaking.
If I let her out of cage I would not be able to catch her. I can't even catch her in the bathroom. I don't know how to tame her and make her to trust me.
Thx for the idea of covering the baseboards with cardboard
Ps: how do I attach a pic?

 

[Ingola]

Why does she do this every night?

Does my Molly want to come out?
Doesn't she like her cage?
Does she need a friend?
She stares at me like this every evening. Poor girl. She also makes weeping sounds...

 

[ZachMan]

I had the same problem, me getting done with my day at around 8, my chin mischief is just waking up. What i did is continued to take her out of the cage twice a day, 30 minute sessions each. But the main thing i did was custom make her a very large cage, so she has room to play where she sleeps.

 

[Cuddlebug]

She is asking for attention. It does not necessarily mean she wants to cone out. If you have to chase her to put her back in the cage, you are doing more harm to her trust than if you left her in it. Try giving her attention while she is in the cage. Let her crawl on your hads and arms, give her treats and scritches all while she is in her cage. Once she is used to you r hands you can try taking her out again.

 

[Ingola]

Thx guys for your reply
@ZachMan: I think her cage is large. The problem is that she only sits on 1 shelves and stares... Poor thing. She doesn't play. She doesn't do anything....

 

[mgonya]

She is precious. I take my girl out almost every night. Gives me a chance to bond with her. I usually entice her with her dust bowl and put her back in her cage after. She seems to sleep better after her free run also.