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[chewy]

The only change I have made was his bedding. When i bought him the place that I had bought him from gave me cedar bedding for him. I was talking about him with my science teacher not too long after I had gotten him and she told me that cedar wasnt good for him. So I just bought some Pine. That has been the only change.

[Leslie]

Chins will bite if you are holding them and they don't want to be held.  You might want to change the way you are holding him. 

This is what works for me: Make a flat hand and let him stand on it, against your body.  Now take your arm and wrap it loosely around him like a fence, and put your hand on your opposite shoulder.  Don't squeeze him, chinnie's don't like to be squeezed or squished or restrained.  They just want to sit and peer out over your arm.  If you make a fence with your arm, he will feel safe but not smushed, and he won't be able to bite your fingers.  Make sure you're wearning a long sleeve shirt so he can't bite your arm.  If he is still freaking out and biting you lots, he doesn't want to be held yet.  If you try this method over and over, he will start sitting for longer each time until you have built up some trust.

My chins will sit in my arms like this for a few minutes and then start getting restless.  They will let you know when they want down.  Very few chinchillas want to be hugged and held for more than a few minutes.

Good luck!

[ChinchillAZ]

I agree with Leslie that chins may bite to avoid being held, but I assumed you meant he was biting you when you weren't holding him.

The only change I have made was his bedding. When i bought him the place that I had bought him from gave me cedar bedding for him. I was talking about him with my science teacher not too long after I had gotten him and she told me that cedar wasnt good for him. So I just bought some Pine. That has been the only change.

Perhaps he has a URI (upper respiratory infection) brought on by being kept over cedar for so long?  Illness can also affect a chinchilla's behavior.

[chewy]

REally? Should I take him to the vet and get that checked out? :-\When he is in his cage he is always running and jumping and playing in his wheel and everything like that.

[ChinchillAZ]

REally? Should I take him to the vet and get that checked out?

It probably wouldn't hurt.  Unless he starts showing other symptoms, I wouldn't rush him to an emergency clinic, but setting up an appointment with an experienced chin vet would allow you to have him checked out so that you can be sure he's healthy and his biting isn't being caused by irritation from illness.

[chewy]

Okay I will have to look in the phonebook to look for one around here then! Thank you guys for all your help with this!

[ChinchillAZ]

You can find a list of experienced chinchilla vets at http://www.chinformation.org.   

[chewy]

Well I took him to the vet today and he said that he doesnt have anything rally wrong with him but he did say that his biting might be because he is maturing and is trying to show that he is dominant. The vet also said that I should look into getting him a female because of this. So now i have an excuse to get another one!!! 

[Joyce]

Hi Chewy,

  We have a 4 year old male chinchilla that bites.  He is a healthy, very small beige guy.  I wish I could talk to him about this whole thing and he could talk back and let me know just why he started to bite!    He was always a pretty nice little guy, then all of the sudden he just started to bite when you put your hand in his cage to give him hay or pellets, or anything for that matter.    It is very shocking to put your arm in his cage and have him fly out of nowhere to take a nip out of an arm or hand.  He pretty much attacks.  Mike and I have to draw straws every night to see who gets to feed Pat!!!!   
  We love him though and treat him just like the other chins here.  He had a rough start in life and I rescued him from a pet store years ago.    He had severe ringworm and we actually treated him for 6 months until it was all said & done.  He was sweet back then.
If you can get him to climb out on your arm then he'll let you hold him and give him rubs and HE LOVES IT!!!!  That is the funny thing.  He just hates anyone in his cage for some reason. 

[Jo Ann]

Sometimes they can become very territorial for no apparent reason.
    If he is OK outside the cage, but not with someone going inside the cage, something has him in a different frame of mind.
    Are any of the girls in season?
    If he were being hateful all the time (inside and out) I would think he might be getting sick ... sometimes they have big mood swings when they are getting sick .... but ... you said only when you put your hand inside the cage, so I would not think illness would be the cause.
    Hope he does a turn-a-round and gets friendly again soon.  Keep us posted!

 
Jo Ann

[chewy]

Yea there is and all black female at a local pet store atht i really want to get, BUT i have to convince my mom let me get a bigger cage because the one i have is just big enough for chewy! She has no problem with me getting him a girlfriend she just is concerned about cage size and chinchilla/new cage cost.So hopefully I get her for christmas! So if I do end up getting a female for him you guys will surely be the first to know!!!

[ChinchillAZ]

Yea there is and all black female at a local pet store atht i really want to get...

Please do not breed chinchillas that you purchase from a pet store.  Breeding is something you really need to investigate.  Your male WILL breed if you put him with a female, and breeding isn't something to take lightly.  I highly encourage you to read through http://www.chinformation.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11.

[Joyce]

Also something to always take into consideration when thinking you are going to pair up 2 chins...................ARE THEY GOING TO GET ALONG?  WILL I NEED 2 CAGES IN CASE THEY DO NOT GET ALONG? 

I had been doing research on breeding for quite some time and also speaking to experienced breeders on this topic.  Finally I decided to make the plunge!  So last year I got a very high quality standard female from Ralph Shoots.  I planned on introducing her to my gorgeous white ebony male (from a nice line) that I also got from a very reputable breeder.
Well, my white ebony male had other ideas!!!!  If I had left them together in a cage he would surely have killed her.  They NEVER got along!  Well there went that plan.  Good thing I had gotten a spare cage just in case.
As most of you know I did go on to introduce Mia to another great male and they had 2 gorgeous kits. 
BUT, as you also know.......I came very close to losing Mia.  It was a long road for us, and I feel truly blessed every day that I still have her.

I was scared by my experiences and chose NEVER to breed again.  Not to turn everyone off, but it just was my decision and breeding is not my thing.

As ChinchillAZ says "breeding isn't something to take lightly".

If you are at all concerned about costs you absolutely must have some money saved up in case anything goes wrong during your female's pregnancy and/or delivery.  And also thinking ahead to what the kits may need after they are born.  We spent a fortune when Mia was sick after she delivered.  We spent roughly $600, not to mention the time we spent hand feeding 2 kits for about 6 weeks.  Thank goodness I am a stay home chin mommy! 
There is SO MUCH to think about when anyone is considering breeding chinchillas.

[Jo Ann]

Hi~ I just bought my first Chinchilla about a month ago, and they told me he was a male and that he was 12 weeks old. ... he did say that his biting might be because he is maturing and is trying to show that he is dominant. ... The vet also said that I should look into getting him a female because of this. So now i have an excuse to get another one!!! ...   Yea there is and all black female at a local pet store at the i really want to get, BUT i have to convince my mom let me get a bigger cage because the one i have is just big enough for chewy! She has no problem with me getting him a girlfriend she just is concerned about cage size and chinchilla/new cage cost.

   According to your first post, your male chin would be about 16 weeks (3-1/2 months) old now.  That is to young to put into a breeding situation.  Anytime you place a male and a female together, that is a breeding situation, regardless of age after 10 weeks.  Males need to be about 9 months old before you put him into breeding.
   Where did you get the male chinchilla from?
If you get a female, you would have to have a second cage and they could not even have playtime together.
     Please, please do not breed a chinchilla that you do not have the family history on.  There could be heart murmurs, malocclusion, diabetes, or many other things back in the family history that could be hereditary and could kill the kits and/or make them suffer. 
     Know your breeder and your chinchilla's health history as well as it's genetic history before you breed or you could very well be leaving yourself wide open for heart break.  I'd rather we be honest with you now, than to have to feel sorry for an unhealthy kit or chin later.
     Please be a responsible breeder.

 
Jo Ann

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I would suggest your get another male.
If you get a young kit there is less of a chance they won't get along.
With only the two, they would rather have the company than be alone, and same sex works great here.
When you increase the numbers and add both sexes it's a whole different story.