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[Jenova]

We moved the room around so that the chinchillas were not next to the TV because they were kicking sand and poos all over it, as they do. And also so the cages are nearer the door and easier to take to the bathroom to be cleaned. Since moving them Chong has become very reclusive, hardly leaving his box. He's still eating, drinking, pooing, but usually he spends all night from when we turn the light off to go to sleep banging on the handle of his cage. All the toys I give him and this is his favourite. But since we moved him he hasn't been. Is he just a little disorientated? I've been giving him extra attention and rewarding him for leaving his box. Slowly he's been coming out for more time each day but I think I've traumatised or upset him. I can't move him back so do you have any suggestions what I can do?

Edit: Just a side note because I thought of it. I like to keep the window open to cool the room down if I can, rather than use the air con. Is this better/worse for the chinchillas? Is it okay if there is a slight breeze?

[shadowborne]

From my experiences, all year of them, leaving the window open for a nice gentle breeze is ok as long as they are not next to the window having the breeze go over them. As for the moving your chin might be a little out of it because the cage was moved from where they were used to it being. Silver used to do this up till about 4 months ago and the best thing to do is exactly what you are doing. Comfort the chin and reward it for coming out and just have patience. Best thing to do right now as the chin might be a little scared and unused to the cage being moved.

[Jenova]

Now I'm getting really worried. He seems to have stopped eating as much, but he's still pooing and drinking fine. He's also eating his hay. He's still really quiet and not himself. I'm going to clean out his cage so I can properly check if he's pooing and give the breeder a ring. Hopefully she will offer to come over and check him out or I will take him to the vets. My poor baby. I gave him two raisins today to try and get his belly going.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Some will pout over a move but it would sure be nice to have the breeder have a look.
It could be something else, and nothing to do with the move at all.That would be my worry. You know your chins best.
If it's just the move and he's eating hay and passing droppings ok I'd just give him time to settle.
Try to keep everything else/ his routine the same.
Keep us posted.

[nemue]

Are there any tips for cage moving?  I know in the summer I"m going to have to move them to the basement.  It's only hot here for a couple weeks out of the year, so maybe July and August they'll be down there.  I don't want there permanently as there's no fresh air, and it's the basement (it's finished but not hte nicest room).   I want to make sure when I do it I do it right! 

Keep us posted on Chong.   :-[

[Jenova]

Right, first of all thanks for the advice.
I've cleaned his cage and put the dust bath in there permanently for now because it's something he loves. I had him out in his ball for a few minutes and then out with Cheech to free run in the room. He was sneaking up on her as normal but she was a little vicious towards him. He still doesn't seem to have touched his food but I gave him about three pieces of the alt. food I use as treats and he is eating hay and he is pooing although they are small. He was definitely more lively after the run, he's asleep now but they generally wake up about 3am and go to sleep about 7-10am. He seems to be getting marginally better every day which is why I'm not as worried as I could be, although I still am worried. It's the fact that he's not eating and he usually has such a big appetite. I will keep you posted.

Cheech doesn't mind what we do, she's so laid back. I can change her cage around, move her, whatever, but Chong is a little bit more touchy. He's currently asleep with his head poking out of his house which is better than before when he was right at the back.

[Beth]

Yes, please keep us posted about the little guy! 

I'm sure he'll be just fine!   

[Jenova]

Another update:

I can get him to eat a little bit of food by hand feeding him a different brand. Because he thinks it's a treat he will eat about three pieces. He'll eat raisins, hay, and today I covered a few pieces of his normal food in raisin pulp and he ate a few of the small pieces thinking they were raisins, but when I chanced a bigger piece he realised and ate the raisin off the outside like corn on the cob and left the rest. He seems slightly livelier but I'm worried that without food he could suffer. What I plan to do is buy some of the chinchilla food that has treats in it. The breeder says she would never normally give it to chinchillas as they only eat the treat etc, but that sometimes if one refuses to eat that can get them excited about food again. He doesn't seem 'ill' and his poos seem fine and they're getting bigger, he seems like he's just being stubborn. I hope that's all it is.

[Beth]

Aw, the little guy.  I hope that the new brand of chin food will help! I've noticed with Lulu, though, when I had bought a brand like that (with the treats in it) she would pick the treats out and leave the rest.  But maybe just the slightly different flavor of the changed food will bring him around.  I really hope so!  Good luck and keep us posted.

[nemue]

When I got my girls they were fed a food with treats.  I still give it to them as only this week did I feel they were ready for more changes.  The pellets have sugar in them, so just be careful what you're buying.  We're going to the vet today to get new food, and I can't wait to get them something decent!  maybe you could just mix oat in with his food, our food has that and they love it!

[paulfg]

Sorry about your situation. We moved our girl Abby a few weeks after we got her but she had become so comfortable with her spot in the family room near the steps leading to the upstairs that she always looked for us and would greet us in the morning when we awoke.  We put her int he living room and she shut down andstopped eating and being her active self. It was truly a great job of pouting but we relented and have enjoyed her in the family room for the past 3+ years. Hard to give into her! 

I hope your situation resolves - was he extremely happy in the other location? Did he watch TV?  Maybe that helped him feel comfortable?  We have 5 chins and they all have crazy personalitie!  Sometimes I think that they own the home and we just live with them! Our only boy Max comes out around 6 PM every night for about an hour to visit his girlfriends.  When the clocks changed "his clock" didn't so now at 5 on the dot heris ready to come out!  He is funny.  They are a lot of fun!  Good luck!

[Jenova]

He likes to watch TV and now he can because he's opposite it, before he was next to it and flicking sand and poos into it. He and Cheech are in the same position to each other, so he goes to the same place to see her.

I got the new food and he left the treats and ate the pellets! well one or two of them. I also tried oats and he seems to love those. I mixed them in with the food and he ate them out of there ignoring the food. This has lead me to believe it may be a problem with his teeth, perhaps the molars and the hard food is hurting him. I soaked some of his food and tried to give it to him but he sniffed it and looked away. I put a bit of raisin on the soaked food and he ate it a little but when he tasted the pellet he threw it away. I am currently soaking a monkey nut for him, I just want him to eat, but I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow. He will happily eat fruit but I can't give him too much. He gets his raisin every day so at least he's eating that. Also I don't want to upset his stomach by giving him too many new things.

I don't want to move the room back in case it was the move that upset him. It took us two days in all and the cages had to be in the middle of the room while we did it. It's a mammoth task and I don't want to stress him out even more.

[Jenova]

Took him to the vets. She was really good, gave him something to stimulate his gut, some pain killers in case it is his teeth and some fluids. She checked his stomach, which was fine and his teeth which looked fine. If nothing improves he'll have an x-ray on his teeth. But after we left he did eat some hay. I was also given some liquid food, which he seemed to like this morning but I had to persuade him a little this evening. He also had some more of the stuff to get his digestion going. But she also said I could give him fruit baby food, what do you think of that? He's looking a little better.

[Beth]

I'm so happy to hear he's on the road to recovery!  I'm sure other more experienced chinsters will give good advice about the baby food.  He must love it!   

[Jenova]

I did make a decision, I gave him some of the baby food. I chose one myself so I knew all the ingredients are safe. I know fresh - rather than dried - food isn't the best for chinchillas but not eating at all is even worse. He did love it. He's had 1 - 2ml of the recovery food twice yesterday and once this morning as well as some more of the medicine and when I gave him some fresh hay this morning he ate it himself. I also put five pieces of the 'treat' food in his box last night and four of them were gone this morning. Fingers crossed he ate them. His food in his bowl looked like he's had a rummage in there but I'm not sure if he ate anything or not. I'm syringe feeding him the recovery food and although I have the force the first little bit on him he will drink/eat the first 1ml happily. Then I usually give him a little of the baby food and another 1ml of the recovery food, followed by a raisin this morning. I'm not sure if he was still just chewing afterwards but it sounded like he was grinding his teeth.

I don't want it to be his teeth, but if he is just being awkward I am so worried about what he's going to be like when we move house in a few months, and it's not like we have any choice, the landlady wants to move her daughter in here and she's told us we have to leave. But on a lighter note Chong was really lively this morning so hopefully he really is on the road to recovery.