Sleeping too much?

[hca1604]

I got 2 male chinchillas yesterday and they have been kept reasonably quiet while they settle in. They are 14 & 15 weeks old. Both from the same breeder and I am told they have been regularly handled. One is already being extremely friendly and inquisitive but the other is spending most of his time asleep in the corner. I have not attempted to take either out of the cage but I have spent some time standing with my hands in the cage for them to come to me. He has come to me a couple of times but seems to want to hide away and sleep. If I attempt to get near him he calls and jumps out of the way. Is this just a settling in/age/temperament thing or should I be considering other things? I have had lots of pets before but never Chins. I would hate to miss something important.

 

[Godofgods]

some chins can take a while to adjust; months. Some chins also hate to be bothered when they are sleeping or tired. Both of which could be going on. I would keep an eye on them for a while and see what else you notice.

 

[tina000]

I wouldn't worry about it. Often times younger chins sleep a ton because so much of their energy is being spent on growing. When I first brought home my two chins they slept so much for the first month I was terrified something was wrong with them so I emailed my breeder and posted about it here on this forum. My breeder told me it was normal for very young chins to sleep a lot much like how a young baby sleeps a lot or even a puppy. As long as they are not being let out for playtime yet they will be fine they just need to grow and get a bit stronger. Also because they are crepuscular they also could just be waking up after you fall asleep. Since they are most active at dawn and dusk naturally. I remember one night during their first week home I was worried because It was like 9:00pm and they were both sound asleep but later that same night I was woken up by them jumping around on their ledges at 3:00am in the morning. LOL