Strange Noise every night!

[4luvofchins]

So for the last 3 weeks or so, my chinny Dusty has been making this LOUD squeal. It's not the barking noise they make when scared or caught off guard, I know what that one means. This is just a loud screech, like he's in pain. He does it EVERY night at about the SAME time, between 3:30 and 5:30 am. It is so loud it usually wakes me from a dead sleep. I jump up and go look and he's just hopping around like nothing is wrong, no blood, no fur loss, no injury, eating fine, drinking tons. I'm so at a loss! I don't know why he is doing it. His cage is currently next to the cage of his cage mate Raisin (who has been requiring feeding and water via a dropper since his teeth problems a few months ago, and can't seem to go back into the big cage as they have been separated too long.) Does anyone have any insight into why my chinny keeps doing this. He usually only squeals once a night but last night he did it 2 or 3 times. I would appreciate some insight! It bothers me that I don't know why he does this.

 

[Chibigirl]

Could he be getting angry at the other chin in the other cage? I know mine barks in her sleep/makes soft squeals, but I've listened to the other sound clips when they are angry/upset and they sound like they would be very unsettling. I've also heard a sound that almost sounds like a loud squeal with a "Kack" in there and mine does it when she wants something. My mom was taking care of her for a week and was shocked when she told me she "squealed loudly" at her because she hadn't been let out in two days. Maybe he's angry that you're asleep and he wants to play, I don't know :/ that's all I can think of if he's not hurt.

 

[Peep_erz]

one of my boys does that too. Not so much in the new house but he loved to do it at the apartment. I think he gets enjoyment out of seeing me jump up and run to the cage in the middle of the night.

 

[Ippo456]

My Tubby also makes this strange squeal like nothing I've heard before.
I tried finding out what the noise means but I couldn't find a similar audio of it online.
I figured he just does this to annoy me. He only makes this noise at night when I'm sleeping. He also barks in his sleep, which I've learned to ignore.

 

[4luvofchins]

My Tubby also makes this strange squeal like nothing I've heard before.
I tried finding out what the noise means but I couldn't find a similar audio of it online.
I figured he just does this to annoy me. He only makes this noise at night when I'm sleeping. He also barks in his sleep, which I've learned to ignore.

Ya, i'm just kind of ignoring it, since nothing else seems to be wrong. I tried to get my 2 boys back together, but they faught and sprayed each other....I don't know. I'll just play it out.

 

[Ash]

Ya, i'm just kind of ignoring it, since nothing else seems to be wrong. I tried to get my 2 boys back together, but they faught and sprayed each other....I don't know. I'll just play it out.

Are you sure they're boys? Males don't really have the ability to spray (though they try to, but it more often comes out as a dribble). Females more often spray.

 

[Chibigirl]

I would double check that your boys are actually boys. From what I've heard only females really spray

 

[sinfulcindylou]

Boys CAN spray LOL. One of the boys I got when I had the rescue was pretty good at it-
About the sound I get a crazy screeching noise from my boys from time to time- I think it's probably a result of one of them startling a cage mate... but I haven't exactly pin pointed it yet either. I just know it only comes from one, maybe two of my boys in my cage that houses the trio. The two single boys I have now have never made the noise as far as i know.

 

[Anna]

Oh, man, my chin Ralphy does that. It sounds like he's going MEEEEEEEEE! it also sounds really surprised. When I run up to check on him he's just sitting on his food dish like nothing is wrong.

 

[Brynnaviere]

My Butters does this too, worries us sick! During the night we will hear a loud bang! Like he hit his head or something or even just jumped somewhere and then he will squeal loudly as if in pain. Of course we rush to his aid and he just looks at us like nothings wrong. I'm hoping its just him wanting attention, and not that he is hurting himself all the time! Because we are at a loss as far as what to do to prevent it.

 

[Ash]

Boys CAN spray LOL. One of the boys I got when I had the rescue was pretty good at it-
About the sound I get a crazy screeching noise from my boys from time to time- I think it's probably a result of one of them startling a cage mate... but I haven't exactly pin pointed it yet either. I just know it only comes from one, maybe two of my boys in my cage that houses the trio. The two single boys I have now have never made the noise as far as i know.

Yes, they can spray, but it's not very common, so it's best to double check just to be sure.

 

[Ippo456]

Boys can spray. Tubby has sprayed me once and has shown me that he's not scared to spray me again if he needs to.

 

[4luvofchins]

Oh there is no doubt in my mind that my boys are boys. They have the man junk and I do hair ring checks. But yes, my boy can spray.

 

[frisky860]

My chin makes this sound too around 3 am. Scared the crap outa me the first time I heard it. And I check on him as well, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. Just sitting around and eating his hay. I think he just does it for attention. haha.

 

[suzi1780]

So for the last 3 weeks or so, my chinny Dusty has been making this LOUD squeal. It's not the barking noise they make when scared or caught off guard, I know what that one means. This is just a loud screech, like he's in pain. He does it EVERY night at about the SAME time, between 3:30 and 5:30 am. It is so loud it usually wakes me from a dead sleep. I jump up and go look and he's just hopping around like nothing is wrong, no blood, no fur loss, no injury, eating fine, drinking tons. I'm so at a loss! I don't know why he is doing it. His cage is currently next to the cage of his cage mate Raisin (who has been requiring feeding and water via a dropper since his teeth problems a few months ago, and can't seem to go back into the big cage as they have been separated too long.) Does anyone have any insight into why my chinny keeps doing this. He usually only squeals once a night but last night he did it 2 or 3 times. I would appreciate some insight! It bothers me that I don't know why he does this.

This maybe what you meant by the scared or caught off guard noise - but is it like the warning call on http://www.chinchilla-sounds.de/warn_e.htm if so, my girls will do it sometimes at night, first couple of times it scared me and I came running and they just looked at me like "Hey Mom, since you are up can we have a cookie?" now I just ingore them. Can't say why they do it, maybe because they hear an unfamiliar noise or who knows, maybe just for the heck of it

Here is another example, but this one is a "chin having a nightmare" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_9lfCfZr9k

 

[Sinfonian]

Pythagoras went through a phase similar to what you are describing. I never observed any stimuli that coincided with his squealing other than me sleeping (absence of stimuli, I suppose), so I came to the conclusion that he was whining/trying to get attention. At first I would give him a scritch and sometimes hold him for a while, but it wasn't until I began to ignore him that the squealing behavior stopped.