LibbyLou93
Well-known member
I always hear of these "teenage" chinchillas and how they act out in those months. Well I'd like to know when this occurs and what it may entail?
I always hear of these "teenage" chinchillas and how they act out in those months. Well I'd like to know when this occurs and what it may entail?
I know each chin is different and it obviously starts at different times but is there any idea of what length of time it seems to last that you've seen in your experience?
To sum up chinchilla teenage years "Bad Chin".
Crash went from "Wuv me?" to "B**** I do wha' I wan'!" "Mother may I?" polite little boy to James Dean "Rebel w/out a Cause", tearing around the cage, Spiderchin climbing up the bars, picking fights w/ Crash.
The behavior changes I saw were mostly dominance-related, though around 8 mo. or so I saw the need to start providing a "cuddle" buddy for Cervantes to save me from having to wash his fleece hammock every... single... night. (I even told him he'd wear it out, grow hair on his palms, and go blind, but he didn't listen.) However, I also have only males b/c I didn't want to deal w/ more frequent hormone related mood swings in females. One of us PMSing in the house is enough thankyouverymuch.
If I'm scritching her the wrong way she'll kack or push my fingers away. If she doesn't think she's getting enough attention she'll shake the cage bars and chew the spring that hold her lid on. ..The most annoying thing by far is that she started digging a few months ago. I fill her bowl up, she digs her pellets out; I put a clean liner in, she digs half of it up; I let her out for playtime, she tries to dig the carpeting up from where it meets the wall.
If i block the way he's like a bull pawing the ground. Throwing bedding behind him.
Crash went from "Wuv me?" to "B**** I do wha' I wan'!" He's 3 and still has that "I don't need you" attitude. Cervantes too, went from a "Mother may I?" polite little boy to James Dean "Rebel w/out a Cause", tearing around the cage, Spiderchin climbing up the bars, picking fights w/ Crash. Not sure if he's changed any in the last 2 years since my ex kept him, but I hope he has b/c he got to be quite a handful at times.
Part of it is just becoming comfortable in their environment and part of it is hormones. I would assume that the hormones part is worse in some ways when there are both sexes in the same home/barn. The behavior changes I saw were mostly dominance-related, though around 8 mo. or so I saw the need to start providing a "cuddle" buddy for Cervantes to save me from having to wash his fleece hammock every... single... night. (I even told him he'd wear it out, grow hair on his palms, and go blind, but he didn't listen.) However, I also have only males b/c I didn't want to deal w/ more frequent hormone related mood swings in females. One of us PMSing in the house is enough thankyouverymuch.
Durring play time I'll read her things (typically forums on this site :neener and if I stop reading oooy vey. Starts talking to me saying "mommy keep reading to me please"
Pythagoras is almost 2 years old, and I haven't noticed any changes in his personality since he was a kit.
Awww!!!!!! How did you figure out she liked being read to? I'd love to try that with my chins.
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