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Author Topic: My Chins recent behavioral habbits  (Read 2461 times)

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LaurenKrisitne

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My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« on: July 19, 2012, 06:59:58 PM »
Hey guys,

I am new to this forum stuff so sorry if this is a double post...

I recently just got a chinchilla, he's six years old. My friend wasn't able to attention him as often as she wanted so she had to give him away. Luckily I got him! He was pretty shy when we first got him and he would click at me. But this ended soon after because I wanted to always play with him, he was new.. But as time went on I noticed whenever I would try to take him out, he would click again and then starting this annoying trying to pee on me deal... He does this very often now but he also stomps at anyone who walks near his cage. Sometimes he's fine and lets me pet him through his cage but for the most part he runs around the cage and tries to pee on me...

I want to tame him more and play with him but he makes it very difficult to get him out!

When I do get him out, he sheds alot which I know is him being scared.. When I put him in his ball he runs around for 30 seconds then just sits there... does he not like it in there? Is that boring?

PLEASE HELP.. I want to enjoy my chinchilla...
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glafond

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2012, 07:40:00 PM »
Hello there:

I would not let him use a ball, chins can overheat in them.

Are you sure it is a male? Males generally do not pee on people, females are the ones who spray. You should have your chin sexed by a knowledgable vet or breeder in your area.

It seems as if you need to start bonding all over again.

Sit near the cage with door opened or not, let the chin come over to you and check you out. During this time do not try to grab it. After about a week of this, you can start trying to pet the chin. After a month I would say you could start attempting to hold him/her again. While letting chin check you out, you could offer him/her some treats, such as half a raisen once per day, shredded wheat (non sweetened), or rose petals/hips.

If you need any supplies checkout tjschinchillasupplies.com , I have bought many nice things from Jean.

Try not to scare it no matter what, make sure when you go to pick it up, it knows you are there, and you are not sneaking up on it.

This is all about building trust.

I hope this helps.
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LaurenKrisitne

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2012, 08:30:15 PM »
Thank you.. This does help. I try to always let him know I'm there and keep the door open... He has zero problem running out of the cage to roam my room without permission...  rofl

as for him being a she.... I might be pretty positive on hes a boy... lol unless girls have things that stick out too? haha..

I give him special treats I bought for him, dandelion treats, he loves them. When he's good and doesn't try to pee on me I give him one and then pet him.

Thank you again  :)
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GrayRodent

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2012, 03:00:32 PM »
It is likely you have a female chinchilla. Males are not known for spraying. Females do have a "urethral cone" that can appear to be more prominent than what you see with its male counterpart.
Here is an article that might help:

http://www.huggablepets.com/huggablepets/sexing.shtml

A thing you might want to know about chinchillas and other small animals is that they really like routine and if you can do things the same way and at the same times each day it helps to make them more comfortable. If your chin makes a habit of spraying you try not to react to it otherwise it can get worse if the animal learns it gets its way when it does that.

I agree a chinchilla ball is generally a bad idea because they are known to cause heat related deaths. Some chinchillas will not take to being held no matter what you do. In this case you've only had it a week so I wouldn't give up. Just wait at least a couple more weeks and try again making sure to hold both under the front limbs and the base of the tail so the animal feels secure and can't hurt itself by flailing. If your chin lets you pet it at the opening of the cage that is a good first step. It seems like chins (and other animals deepening on their disposition) go into a state of relocation shock that lasts for a week or two and then it's like they wake up which I think explains why you're having problems now instead of from the start. Also that clicking sound your chin makes is a sign of aggression. Back off when you hear this and before you get sprayed!
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LaurenKrisitne

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2012, 05:38:05 PM »
This is the awkward picture... lol

I'm pretty sure he's a he... But you guy tell me. :)

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lilchinchilla

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2012, 09:15:32 PM »
He's a boy. :)
The odd occasion you can find a boy who tries to pee on you, but they don't quite get the height or range in urine spraying as the girls do. Most of the time, they end up piddling between their legs or directly in front of them.  rofl
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GrayRodent

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2012, 09:33:10 PM »
Yes this is very awkward indeed! Don't you just love biology?!
Sure looks male to me. Since it sounds like you're not actually getting sprayed but its trying, this best fits lilchinchilla's explanation. I've never heard of that happening with males because the fact is it's not the norm. Thanks for that info lc!
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lilchinchilla

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2012, 01:55:35 AM »
 ;) It's definitely not the norm. I had one white mosaic boy, many many years ago who did just that though. Not to me however!  ::) My brother's friend who would chin-sit my chins for me while I took vacations (you know, those holidays you get before you have more than 5 chinchillas and you end up never really taking a vacation again after you become owner and servant to 10+ chinchillas?), would look after him for me. She was always complaining about Eddie peeing on her and that he would make little grunting noises before trying to pee on her. I thought she was kidding!

I thought she had him mistaken for a female... and when I came home, she demonstrated for me, by putting her hand in Eddie's cage...sure enough he tried to pee at her hand, but made a puddle on the floor in front of him.  :2funny: You don't hear of it happening a lot, but since then, I think I know of at least four or five other boys out there who have tried to pee on their owners or on a visitor, etc... to their home.

So while it is not an everyday thing, it is definitely possible, but somewhat rare to find a male like my Eddie or your boy. :)
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LaurenKrisitne

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2012, 11:24:03 AM »
Well let me tell you, sometimes he gets some height with peeing... So I just keep my hand in front of him trying to tell him I'm not going to move my hand because your attempting to pee on me. Then he'll run around his cage and jump on his lava rock and wood ledges. It gets quite annoying actually...

I thought he was a boy!  ::)

I've been trying to take him out more, especially when he misbehaves because I don't want him to think he owns me lol...

How long does these habits usually last?
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GrayRodent

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2012, 02:23:50 PM »
It can take six months for a chin to get accustomed to a new owner. This one has two strikes against it. One is that it has not been well socialized at a young age. Another is that is 6 years old and set in its ways.
I think it's okay to let your chin do what it wants for another week without ill effects. Keep in mind the psychology of prey animals is significantly different than predators like cats and dogs.
If you don't take this in slow steps you could end up with a permanent problem.
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LaurenKrisitne

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2012, 10:37:45 PM »
I sat with him today for about 30 mins keeping my hand in his cage near him. He sniffed it and started nibbling on my fake nails, which he does quite often.. Not sure if its because they're harder? He seemed to like my hand in there after a little while and stopped attempting to pee on me. Then I started letting him smell  my hand and he let me pet near his little arm and pet his head. I think we made some progress today :)
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GrayRodent

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Re: My Chins recent behavioral habbits
« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2012, 10:17:30 AM »
That's great. Sounds like it won't take too long with this one.
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