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[chocolateandcrayons]

I'm at a complete loss! 

Hi everyone!  I'm new here, and new to chins.  I’ve toyed with the idea of getting one for probably at least five years and we finally happened on the opportunity to adopt two well-cared for little boys from a woman who was having some unfortunate pregnancy difficulties and felt it best to rehome them.  They're about 1 1/2 yrs old and they're brothers.  They were treated well, handled often and are generally pretty tame.  We also got their huge [bird] cage (3hx3wx2d, roughly – lots of vertical room) so I think they're set up pretty well.  We’ve had them for a few months now.  I think we brought them home in October.

What we absolutely can not figure out is how to handle playtime.  We have one that's more shy at first (also slightly larger and slower), Echo, and one that isn't shy at all but is ALWAYS on the move, Whiskey.  We really want to play WITH them.  We have four kids and that’s generally how we end the night with them.  We get out the boys and we all sit and have some fun being chinchilla gyms.  We let the kids play and then my husband I WANTED to let the chins have their own run time while he and I play a game or something before bed.  That way everyone gets what they need.  But our one guy just won’t stop trying to escape. 

We can’t put him in the kitchen because he can use door handles and such to jump up onto the counters.  We bought a playpen but that only partially works because it took him all of about ten minutes to realize we’re much taller than the kids and he can just jump off of us to try to get higher.  We bought a cover for the playpen but that makes it really dark and cramped in there.  I cut up some coroplast and attached it to the top of the playpen (where it can’t be chewed) to make it about 12”-14” taller all around.  We tried it without a cover, but again, Whiskey is just using me to try to get out.  And I can contain him easily enough by not letting him jump, telling him ‘no’, not sitting too near the edge.  It’s just disheartening because that’s all he wants to do. 

I feel like maybe he’s bored and wants some adventure (or toys).  But anything I give him, he just uses to try to gain height to jump out.  We’ve actually seen him use his brother as a step stool to try to get a better jump.    I’ve seen some COOL toys out there and we have tons of little cardboard toys we’ve built but all he wants to do is escape.  Eventually he tires himself out and gives up but he spends all his free time just trying to jump out of the playpen. Shouldn’t there be more to life?  What am I not giving him?

I hear all of you talking about chin-proofing a room and just letting them roam but I honestly don’t know I would begin to chin-proof our home.  Echo got away from me one day and it took me an hour to get him out from under the couch  And that’s probably less than a two-inch gap.  How are you guys doing this?  What materials are you using?  How do you keep them from getting under beds, behind bookshelves, etc?  I think my older daughter’s room is the best candidate so far but they could still shimmy behind the bed.

I just want to give him enough room that he can enjoy playing and not spend so much time just trying to get away.  I see all these chins on YouTube happily in their pens with their toys and ours will just sit there and line up his jumps.  You can actually see him working it out in his head. 

[chinclub]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new chinchillas!  Remember, chinchillas are capable of jumping 7 feet straight up.  The more time he spends out of the cage the higher he will learn to jump.  You can't contain a chinchilla with gates or pens without a top for long.  Chinchillas are also like toddlers.  Their attention span with toys is very small and they always want to be where they can't be.  Have you considered chin-proofing the bathroom?  That is usually the easiest.  Make sure all cleaners are safely in the cabinet and close the toilet lid.  Put in the chinchillas and some toys and close the door.

[Squirrel_Butt]

Plug the gap under the bathroom door too. If one should escape, it will be a tough time trying to catch them. They HATE to be chased.

[Jo Ann]

   Glad to see you here at the Chinchilla Club Forum and Welcome to the Wonderful World of Chinchillas!
To quote you

They were treated well, handled often and are generally pretty tame.

 Keep this practice up ... they can become wild or unsociable easily, if ignored.  If left unattended in a room to play ... this is not so much play time as it will become considered another "bigger cage" for them if they are being left alone to play in that room all by themselves.   They will come to consider it 'their big cage' and feel you are punishing them when you put them back in their own cage, because it is smaller.  When you play with them and stay with them during playtime in this room ... the room is like a 'park' they get to visit, not like their home they live in most of the time. Keep this room and playtime a special treat for them, not just another bigger cage.  

Whiskey sounds like a 'normal' chinchilla ... they are naturally curious and love their freedom!  But, you are their chin-parents and responsible for keeping them safe ... as   as it may seem at times ... especially when they get loose.  
One of my Chin's favorite place to hide was inside the drawers of the filing cabinet and the dresser or chest of drawers ... tight spaces, but if they get in or under, they can travel from drawer to drawer from inside the shell of the cabinet.  I only found him when he rustled some papers.  

Placing their treats in a plastic container and shaking it before giving them a treat, lets them know something good and special is in your hand and they will get it if they come to you ... having them come to you is much more pleasant and safe, for you and the chins, than it would be to have to chase them down to catch them.     Treats are just that ... treats.  Something special to be given few and far in between.  To much is not good.

Chin-proofing:
#1 When attempting to chin-proof, get on the floor, seeing everything from their point of view, as well as your own.  Keep in mind, you'll still probably miss something, so watch them carefully at any and all times that they are out of their cage!
#2 Keep all doors and windows closed while your chin is out playing, he could run to another room when the door to that room is opened by you or someone on the other side of it.
#3 Keep a light weight baby blanket, sheet, pillow case, butter fly net or coi pond net handy to help catch him without hurting him. Their dust bath container is also a safe and enticing place for a chin to run where you can catch him.
#4 If he is stuck in a tight place, wear thick gloves ... he is scared and probably hurt and, for this reason only, may bite, when he normally would not do so.  First time I was bitten was when one of my little ones got stuck under the central air unit.  He was stuck, hurt, scared and could not get out.  Eventho I was helping him, it hurt, and in his defence ... he only did what came natural ... to attempt to protect himself.
  
Never scream at or hit a chin for biting ... figure out what you were doing wrong at the time, and don't do it again.  Tell him (in a sharp high-pitched tone) "no-no" and put him back in the cage.  Time out.  Chinchillas want attention and love ... the most productive way to make him stop something is to pull an immediate 'time out' in his cage or a small travel cage, not play with him again until the next day and he will usually figure it out very quickly.
 They love and want to be loved and will usually try to please you and will stop doing what you do not like, once they know what that is.  (Chewing is the exception ... chewing comes naturally and is a necessity for a chinchilla.)

The kitchen is an especially 'no-no' place for chinchillas.  Dishwater, tight places (under and behind stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers not to mention open/closed cabinet doors), hot elements, open containers of no-no food to eat, liquids to drink or fall into, and glass to brake and fall on.  Also, the kitchen can often be one of the hottest rooms in the home.

The bathroom is one of the easiest rooms to chin-proof.  Cover any hole that is 1" or more in diameter.  Never leave cleaners out (they are usually in plastic and chins love to chew)! Put away any tubes of toothpaste and medications as well as Efferdent and Alkaselzer.  Close the toilet bowl lid.  Empty the bathtub/shower/sink of all water and dry them ... chins should never get wet.  Do keep in mind: chinchillas love to chew ... anything ... including and especially (but not limited to) wood cabinets/doors/door frames and, last but not least, molding!  These are dangerous for your chins and expensive for you to have to replace. Chins should never be outside their cages unattended.  Playtime is funtime and should always be one-on-one time with you and the chinchillas.  This time is as much for you as it is for them ... I've never known a day a chinchilla could not make me smile.

If a chin gets loose ... they love to play hide 'n seek ... no sitting on the living room chairs or couches or beds until the little one is found ... they love to hide under and in dark places ... don't take the chance of squishing one!  

Any electrical wire that is exposed to air, and is not enclosed, is exposed to a chin ... they dearly love to chew ... no crispy critters, please!  Not to mention the cost of replacing electrical cords, computer cables and plug-in power strips.
Cover electrical outlets (toddler safe plastic plug covers) ... they love to stick their little paws into any small openings they can find, to see what is inside it ... plus ... if they were to spray ... liquid is a great conductor of electricity.

Keep your computer and other electronics in a different room ... chinchillas shed very little and is so fine it's hard to see, but, their very fine fur can find it's way inside your computers and TV air/cooling vents.

For chinchillas, books can be a special delight to chew, rip and eat ... but not at all safe and very expensive.  Same goes for boxes of pictures or albums.

Basically ... anything a chin can squeeze into, fall in, eat or drink (that is not healthy/safe for a chin), anything he can get his little paws in or on and anything he can sink his little teeth into needs to be safely stored away or guarded by you, when he is having playtime or escapes from his cage.  

   Jo Ann