The "Am I Doing It Right" Thread

[TheHermit]

Just so you know, this is gonna be long.

Hey! I introduced myself in the breeding threads, but my name is Kailan and I have had my chin for 3 weeks. She was abandoned at my place of work and I took her home with no doubts that she was meant for me. I have named her Pika, and yes it is for Pikachu... I wonder how often you get that lol.

I just want to make sure that I am taking care of her properly. I've done my research but its always good to get the approval of experience chin owners or breeders.

First off, I know my caging is not appropriate. She is in a very basic guinea pig cage with two shelves, and one's not even a shelf, it's a "pirate bridge" accessory that spans the width of the cage. It's just soft rope, she sleeps on it often. I have a good cage for her, a double level Critter Nation with all the fixings, but it's occupied by my 4 rats and as sad as it is I have to wait for them to pass on to move her in (I can't move them out, it wouldn't feel fair).
I feed her Oxbow pellets for Chinchillas which is made from Alfalfa, so I give her Timothy hay (also by Oxbow). Her treats are Papaya Toppings by Kaytee (just dried papaya and food coloring are the listed ingredients). I give her the same water I drink, filtered with Brita from the tap.
I haven't found a wheel big enough for her yet, so I let her free range for 2 hours a night inside my bedroom. Im scared she may be pregnant (I can't see ANY reason why else she was dumped, other than her caretaker passed away, she is so healthy and social and doesn't nip at all!) so I open her cage door just inside my bedroom door and leave the cage there so she can go back in as she pleases and I can close the door when it's time for bed. In my bedroom I have a Little Tykes green mountain meant for toddlers that my rats love, and she jumps to the top or tunnels through it. The tube for my rats is too small for her so I got her a big one, and for Christmas for all my girls to share, I got a decent 3 level cat tower (not too tall). Is the cat tower unsafe? If she jumped from the top I'm concerned she might hurt herself, unless if they jump willingly, they have better coordination?

So that's caging, food and exercise covered. I just have some questions about behavior.

Pika likes to poop in her food dish. I don't understand why. I know they eat their feces, but I didn't expect her to be so organized about it. If I empty her food dish and put new food inside (as I do once a day) she spends a good 15 minutes sitting on the top of her food dish, then once she's satisfied with how much she's pooped in it, she hops off, turns around and starts eating poop and pellets like it's her own salad or something. Is this normal? Should I removed the "soiled" a few times a day?

Also at night, she randomly makes the "fear" noise. I have no other animals that vocalize. She did it a few times the first few days when she was free ranging and I made a sudden move. Are chins afraid of the dark often? If it's silent, dark, warm and nothings moving why would she make the "ungh ungh ungh" noise?

Is it true that chins sleep on their sides when they have bloat AND when they are pregnant? Do they sleep on their sides at all if they are healthy and not pregnant?

Thank you for taking the time to read this and reply if you do. I try to keep things short but... it never works out that way.

 

[chocochin]

Well first I'd like to say that it's wonderful you've opened your home to an abandoned pet of unknown health and temperament! Even better that she sounds like a great chin !
I can't answer all of your questions, but I can say a couple things..
Papaya is not a recommended treat for Chins. Safe treats include one unsweetened cheerio, a pinch of oats, or unsweetened shredded wheat, as long as these are not given every day. Stay away from fruit or anything with sugar, as they can have harmful effects on chinchillas in the long term. Other than that her diet sounds perfect.
I'm not sure why she is doing the weird thing with pooping in her bowl but it made me laugh "like it's her own salad or something" hahaha. Hopefully it doesn't indicate anything is wrong, but someone else probably has more experience with that. The only suggestion that I have is perhaps get a different food bowl for her, and leave her current one in their like a litte "poop bowl" and see if that saves you from having to clean it..but if she's doing solely because she wants to mix her poops and food, then I have no idea.
The noise at night is common in a lot of Chins. They are known to make it just because they think they've heard something, or really for no reason at all. If you go to her cage every time she barks then she may keep doing it to get your attention as well.
Oh, and as far as the rope bridge..I don't think any types of rope are recommended for Chins. I don't know if you can find a better bridge or shelf for her, but if she decides to nibble on it one day it could cause serious problems in her digestive tract.
Lastly, if you think there is any chance that she is pregnant, make sure your cage bars are proofed for babies. I believe that is 1/2" by 1/2" at the largest spacing. I'm sure the breeding forum can help you with how to do that properly, but there are so many stories of escaped newborns, and most of them don't end well.
Okay well, that's all I got. Hopefully someone can answer the rest! Good luck with your chin girl, and maybe your chin babies!

 

[chinmom2012]

I have seen my chin make that noise while he is asleep as well as awake. The noise while he is asleep might be chinnie nightmares? But I think he makes the noise while he's awake just to make sure we haven't forgotten he's there. lol

 

[Lirana]

She spends a good 15 minutes sitting on the top of her food dish, then once she's satisfied with how much she's pooped in it, she hops off, turns around and starts eating poop and pellets like it's her own salad or something.

:rofl:

OMG, this killed me. Absolutely dying! Too funny. I have no suggestions for this particular behavior.

As for sleeping on their sides, Mochi sleeps on her side all of the time. She's definitely not pregnant. I read somewhere (don't remember where) that chins sleep on their sides when they're comfortable with their surroundings. So I've been taking it as a good sign (I've only had her a week and a half).

I also read that some chins will get lonely, and that if you put soft vocal music on at night, it will "keep them company." I know you can't believe everything you read, but I have a "Mochi mix" that I put on for her when I go to bed in case it's true. It's loud enough to be audible, but soft enough to sleep through in case she wants a nap.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Sleeping on their side just means that they feel safe. They don't feel like they need to run at the drop of a hat.

Most chins will poop in their bowl if given half a chance. You might try a "j" or gravity feeder. A hooded bird feeder would work, too. The idea is to keep them from sitting in the bowl. If they can't park their little rear end on the bowl, the poop won't get in the food.

I know I said this in the breeding section, but I feel it needs said again. A pregnant chinchilla should not have free roam of your room and especially not for hours.

Most chinchillas will make the warning sound during the night and/or in their sleep. They are just warn the herd because they thought that they heard something. In your case, your chinchilla is warning you.

Oh, and they love quiet music.

 

[Maggie:-)]

Maggie sleeps on her side a lot. She never did it until we had her for a few months and she was comfortable with us so I'm pretty sure it just means they are comfortable with there surroundings.
I put her food bowl as close to the top of the cage as possible so that she cannot sit on it and poop in it.

 

[becky20]

Sounds like you in a similar situation I was in about 2 months ago. I was looking into getting a chinchilla and someone called me and ended up giving me a chin for free (which I thought was very strange that someone would just give their pet away without asking me any questions) turns out the only reason he was trying to get rid of her is because she's pregnant. As far as your chin laying on her side it is a sign of pregnancy but chins who aren't pregnant lay on their side as well. If she is pregnant gestation is 101-111 days and you won't know for sure if she's pregnant for 90 days you'll notice that you'll be able to see her nipples so about a week or 2 before she goes into labor. If you really want to know ahead of time if she's pregnant for sure take her to a chinchilla experienced vet (that's how I found about Gizmo is pregnant she has about 3-4 weeks left to go!) Pooping in her food is normal mine does it all the time and my vet said it's ok. Good luck with your new chinchilla