Very very active chinchilla

[yoolee328]

Hello!
So I recently took in two male chinchillas (8 wk+ old).
One of them is pretty calm most times, but the other one is very very hyper (not sure if that's the word).
He's very friendly, and very loveable but when I watch him play, I worry for his safety.
He does what I guess you call "wall surfing", but sometimes he would look like he's flying inside the cage. He basically likes to make loud sounds and bounce off everything, and I'm not sure if it's safe?
I have Martin's Highrise cage, and everything is replaced with wood ledges or fleece. So I'm not worried about his feet getting caught on the ground, but it still scares me so much.
Any suggestions? I'm planning on adding more ledges and corner shelves so it doesn't look like he's attempting some freelance bouncing everywhere without support. Anything else I can do?

Thank you

Btw, I love this site. I read so many threads here before bringing my two chinchillas home!

 

[Amethyst]

Most kits are full of energy, they will grow out of it to some extent, but chins are high energy critters. Your best bet for now though is to make extra sure that he can't fall more then a foot, so over lap everything, so lots of shelves, ledges, and hammocks to catch the little one if he falls. Depending on what you are using for bedding, either put extra amounts of shavings down on the floor of the cage or if you use fleece put extra fleece down to help cushion any falls.
When I had kits I use to keep them in a smaller cage until they got bigger. I'm not sure you can do this with that cage but some people also just divide the cage in half, for example closing off one unit of a double Ferret Nation cage, making it shorter until the kits are bigger.

Also, since you only mentioned in the cage, hopefully you know not to allow out of cage playtime until they are at least 6 months. Kits can over do it (ending up over heated, over exhausted, and/or have a sudden drop in blood sugar), and being hyper combined with the clumsiness of kits make it more likely for them to get hurt if allowed free running time. Once they are 6 months or older they can have some out of cage time in a chin proofed area, and even a wheel. Both those things should help burn off extra energy, but for now they need to use their energy for growing.

Another thing to mention, most chins (not just kits) love to make a lot of noise, and many like having bells in their cage.

 

[Godofgods]

Several things to address here. First off, where did you get these chins from? Most chins arnt weened form momma until 8 weeks old. Some may be it a week earlier depending on the condition of the kit and of momma. But the kit is usually kept for observation for a while after that to make sure he is eating and drinking on his own.

Im not personally familiar with Martin's Highrise cage. But kits are quite small and can fit through bars very easily. Bar spacing for kits should be 1/2" or less, other wise they can escape from the cage.

Kits also shouldnt rly come out for play time until around 6 months old. They need to focus there energy into growth. They are also a lot more susceptible to over exertion and over heating at a younger age. They often dont know when to stop.

Kits are also quite clumsy at times and are still learning distance and there capabilities. So they are prone to misjudging and falling when going from ledge to ledge at a young age. A fall can hurt them. So if your using ledges make sure that they are placed in a manner that should they fall, it is a very short one, or have something like a chin safe hammock to break the fall. They are quite fragile.

As for a chin wall surfing or popcorning, that is pretty normal. Many chins do that. (Youtube often times is not a good place for info. But using to demonstrate these two terms)

 

[yoolee328]

Hello!
Thank you for all of these great responses!
To first state both of your questions, I am not letting any of my chins out of the cage. I'm just concerned about how active one of them get inside. I guess the jumping and running around wildly is scaring me for their safety, so I'm just asking if it's normal. I'm guessing it is?

Secondly, I got them from a well-known local breeder, and both of them are older than 8 weeks.

The Martin's Cage I got is 30x18x48, and theres a middle floor. So its not like they fall from way top to bottom. I covered most grounds with wood and fleece so there's no wire on the floor.

Ooh. Quick question for you, Amethyst. What kind of bell toy should I get? I know I can order them online, but can you get a safe one from petstore? I saw that some bird toys are safe, and I know they have more bird toys then small animal toys...

Thanks again, guys

 

[Godofgods]

it can be normal for them to be overly energetic. It depends on the chin. Some are more inclined to be hyper while others might just sit in the back and watch.