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[Mindy.Chin]

Hey guys, so I just got my first Chinchilla a couple days ago. I have been leaving her alone since I got her to let her settle in, only sitting outside the cage and cooing at her. But since she has been here, she has been really... mopey. She just sits in one corner, looking at the floor all day. I finally tried giving her a raisin yesterday, and she wouldn't eat it. She is eating her regular food and hay, but not very much. So I was just wondering if this is common in chinchillas adjusting to a new home, or is she depressed? Is there any way I can make her feel more comfortable? I don't like seeing her like this..


((Oh, and the woman I bought her from said she has been housed with a boy for the last three months, so there is a slight possibility she might be pregnant... Don't know is that helps or not.))

[chinclub]

Did she spend any time at the old place without the male before you got her?  I would be curious to know if she acted this way there.  Chinchillas bond very strong with one another so when you separate them they grieve just as a human would.  It could be that your chinchilla is just not dealing well with the change without her partner.

Have you observed her from afar at night?  It could be that she is more nocturnal than most and is just sleepy when you are sitting with her.

[Mindy.Chin]

I honestly don't know.. I had arrangements weeks in advance to pick her up from her previous owner, and the woman I got her from failed to even tell me she had a cage mate until I had already paid the money for Mindy (sketchy, right?). I keep her in my room in the basement with me (Because it is the coldest room in the house), and it is usually dark, but I try to keep the light on during the day, and turn it off at night. She seems slightly more active at night, but not much. I bought her all kinds of toys, and I should have my room chin-proofed by the end of today, so she will be allowed to roam around a bunch. I have just been talking to her through the cage, but when I go to feed her or move something in her cage, she gets a little freaked out by my hand. I have made no attempt to pick her up or handle her since I got her. Do you think she will cheer up a little once the room is safe for her and she can get out and play?

Also, if she does end up being pregnant, how will I know? I am a first time chinchilla owner, and like all new chinchilla owners, I am a little worried that I am not going to be able give her the home she really needs/deserves.

[chinclub]

If she is eating and drinking fine I think she will be fine.  You need to think about how you are going to get her back in the cage after play time.  Usually I suggest you have bonded in the cage before you let them out.  Otherwise you will have to chase her to get her in and that will make her more afraid of you.  However, if the cage is on the ground you could gentle urge her toward the cage and let her go in herself.  The less you scare her before you are bonded the better.

Unfortunately,  you won't know she is pregnant until a baby shows up.  There are ways to tell such as regular weighing but it isn't worth the stress and if this is her first littler and she only has one you may still miss the signs.

[Mindy.Chin]

Yeah, she is doing a little better now. She is willing to take treats from me now and comes up to the cage when I'm talking to her. And the area she gets to play in is in the same area as her cage, so I'm willing to watch her until she goes back in on her own...

And yeah, I will just prepare for it, whether she is or not (So it's not one morning, 'crap the babies are here! What do I do?!') . Maybe I will set up a nest-type area for her to rest and have her baby, or babies.

[Squirrel_Butt]

I had the vet take an x-ray of Raisin because I knew she may have been pregnant when I got her. We saw the 2 kits in her. She was 2/3 pregnant when I got her. When she is a week or 2 from giving birth, she will drink more water than usual.

[GracesChoice]

I just got my Tellee, and i'm happy ot see this post, because i have been worrying too. she is very quiet in her cage. and i haven't seen her eat. but she is pooping and peeing, so i'm pretty such she is eating and drinking when i'm not around. i do let her out of the cage everyday for a run. sometimes she runs around, others she just kinda hides under the couch lol. but she lets me hold her and such. then hops away. catching her is still a bit of an issue. but i never chase. just kinda keep trying when she comes close to me. eventually we get it lol

[ohio chinny]

as a note somthing to think about with possible babies on the way is the spacing on the cage bars, you might want to get some mesh or somthing ahead of time in case this happens, the little (cute) buggers can fit through spaces WAY smaller than you'd expect, and it dosnt take long (a couple weeks maby) before they become expert escape artists.   they can litterally fit through a 1 inch by 1 inch hole,     so for the mesh, i'd get 1/2 inch spacing, thats what we ended up getting to make a temporary cage for our little furball, in the regular cage (1" by 2" holes) as soon as he could get up and about, it was like keeping water in a siv, we ended up putting card boerd around all the sides, and after he figured out how to climb, we had to put a towel over the top! (and we had to keep him there in the regular cage for 3 whole months untill he was weaned) i laugh at it now, but it was a real pain at the time i'd have to catch him every day after getting home from school, before bed, and sometimes befor school too, and that was WITH the cardbord gard

ps. those little guys are FAST and hard to catch

[Debbie.nl.ca]

A good idea is to tap on your dust bath container so they get use to the sound. Then when you want them to go home just tap and they will come. If you use a container that you can put your hand over the opening it makes it real easy. I like candy jars or a Tupperware type with a hole in the side.