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[cuculet]

Hi All,

I am new here and I have a chin since December 2011. He is almost 7 month old i think (the pet store owner could not tell me for sure).
I think i spoiled him too much. He is calling me when he needs attention and that's ok. He called me when the got stuck behind the furniture or in other places.
Sometimes he is calling me at night and each time i am going to him and pet him for few minutes.

2 nights ago he called me, i talked to him and told him to sleep and tried to go to sleep myself. I did not even touch the pillow with my head and he called me again. I went to him and pet him.
Went back to bed and after 5 min he started screaming again. He just sits in front of the cage door looking at me and calls me. I did not get out of bed and he kept barking for another 2 hours at an interval of 10 min. After that i get out of bed and pet him for few min. When i got back in bed he started again and continued like this for almost an hour.

The cage is 3 meters from my bed. He can see me and knows i'm there.
Last night it was ok, he let me sleep in peace.

Is he a spoiled little fur ball? Should i be worried if he calls me all night? If i let him out of the cage he is the happiest chin alive. His poop is ok, he drinks water, he eats well and he plays alot. I see no sign of illness.
You can see photos of him uploaded by me today.

What is your opinion about this?

Thanks
Dan

[GrayRodent]

Yes that is very spoiled. I have a parrot who started to do the same thing but got over it. With animals like this sometimes the best thing to do is ignore them for a while and not react to it. Just make sure he is okay first. Chinchillas like set routines and this could becoming part of his routine. It sounds like you have an exceptionally tame one.

[chinclub]

Hi Dan,
You have been very well trained by your chinchilla!    The good news is that he has bonded hard with you and he loves you.  He wants to be with you all of the time.  And he has learned that if he calls you come. I have always said that having a chinchilla is like having a toddler and this is the same sort of thing.  If you know he is safe and comfortable it is ok to ignore his cries.  It might be hard to do at first,    but you need your sleep.  The first few nights might be long ones but soon he will learn that you are not going to come and he will eventually give up.  To make things easier on him you might start giving him a new toy that is only in his cage at night.  Or rotate his toys each night, or feed him his hay only at night...  Anything to make the nighttime cage more interesting than the daytime cage to help keep him busy during the night.   I can tell you are a great chinchilla parent.  Good job!!

[cuculet]

Thanks for your answers, ill try to find a way to keep him busy at night. What toy would you suggest?

[chinclub]

Mine like wooden handing toys.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

That's so sweet 

[cuculet]

Last night i gave him a piece of wood from a small house i got for him. i accidentally stepped on it before he could even use it so i gave him a big piece of it.
He was happy and chewed on it all night. He called 2 times but i did not go to him. After 15 min i went and pet him a little and then he was happy with his wooden "toy" till morning.

Do you think i should get him out of the cage in the morning?
My usual schedule during the week is:
- Leave home at 8:00
- Come home at 19:00 - 20:00 depending on how much i do overtime at work.

He is out of the cage from the moment i enter the apartment and till i go to sleep usually at 1:00 in the night.
I was thinking i could get him out in the morning for 30 min but i am afraid it will be too short for him.

Dan

[Squirrel_Butt]

My oldest calls me too. When he wants attention he plays with his water bottle and chews the cage bars.

[CrazyChinLady]

OMG - that is tooooo cute. I would probably do the same as you, and now your chinny knows it.  It crys, you run..Your chin's got you wrapped! I'm jealous - I've had mine for 5 years and they never talk to me, although one of them mumbles to herself during playtime.  My 'mumbling' more opinionated little girl likes to 'back talk' me though.  While and ONLY while I am talking, she silently talks away - that mouth just a going. The minute I stop, she does too.  I will tell her "You're not funny.." She will flap those lips just enough syllables to equal my words.....
I said "boo." Her mouth silently opened and closed one time (one 'chin' word).
I do heard them bark at night every now and then, but they have their own bedroom down the hall, and if I peek in during the day, I get this 'how dare you' look.

Have fun with that little fuzball

[jaime_riri]

lol it's funny because mine are that spoiled too! I've tried everything to keep them entertained at night and I've made their enclosure a ridiculous size and all that works for a while. The problem is that they're smart little buggers and they get bored after a while. I don't want to put them in another room. Even though they keep me awake I like to have them close. So, like a crazy person, I have moved my bed right next to their cage so I can reach out and pet their noses through the bars. They still make noise occasionally but I think that it's just when they bother each other. Having them right next to me seems to have appeased them otherwise.