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[Maysie]

Maysie here,
 Just saying hello to all the chinchilla parents. I just got my very first chinchilla a week ago and during all my little panics I found this site. Thank you everyone for the help I've already gotten from the current forums. My little Zeus is rather panic inducing.
 So far we've heard his bark once (which gave us a heart attack since the pet store said they should make little to no noise) and a few mumbles (which are adorable). He's really warmed up a lot in the small space of time that we've had him. When I open his cage he bounces right into my hands and tends to run right into my shirt.
 I'm worried about doing something wrong so if anyone has any tips I'd love to hear them.

[chinclub]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of chinchillas!!

The neat thing about chinchillas is that each one is different.  Some chinchillas will never make a sound and others will talk all the time. It sounds like you and your chinchilla have already bonded really well.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

Oh, he's so cute! How old is he?

[GrayRodent]

Sounds like you have an exceptionally tame one. That is awesome considering some of the extremes that you see. No two animals are the same. I'm not sure what you're concerned about. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Do be careful about the plastic parts in your chin's cage if you are using the one shown in the photo. If you notice your chinchilla is chewing on the plastic it's time to look into getting an all-metal cage because it can chew through it and escape in a matter of minutes if it wants to. Also plastic can be dangerous to chinchillas if ingested.

Here are some tips that I think are important for new chin owners that I've picked up that are life and death kind of tips that some have learned the hard way. This is not a complete care guide- just a list of things that have had bad consequences for chin owners.

-Be especially careful to keep your chin feeling calm and safe the first month you have it. There will be relocation stress and it can make your chin sick.
-Carefully observe the droppings for abnormalities. Liquid poo or no poo indicates a potentially deadly sickness. Green poo or small poo usually happens prior to this.
- Keep chinchillas in room temperatures below 75 degrees at all times and out of any direct sunlight or you risk overheating that can cause seizures and organ failure. Know first aid for overheating. Monitor this with a thermometer regularly.
- Never leave your chinchilla unsupervised inside of a rodent play ball where there is a high risk of overheating if you use one.
- Make sure a wheel is properly installed and properly constructed if you use one or your chin can die from it.
- Do not use a wire hay ball in a chinchilla cage. Ever.
- Limit treats to two raisins a day or equivalent. Less for kits. Too many treats can kill by causing digestive problems. Some chins don't need food treats and are happy with bits of sticks and toys.
- No berries of any kind. No fresh fruits or vegetables. Ever.
- Only feed high quality pellets and fresh green hay for normal diet. Pellets should not have fruits or other junk mixed in or it can cause health problems and tooth decay. Pellets not formulated for chinchillas can be toxic. (High quality rabbit food is okay)
- Check water levels daily and check to make sure the bottle spigot is working each day. Some water bottles are bad about failure to dispense or leaks.
- Always have wood available for chewing or you risk fatal tooth problems.
- If you ever have to give your chin antibiotics be prepared to hand feed if it goes off its food. A day without food can be fatal for a chinchilla because it can cause a chain of events leading to GI stasis which can be difficult to reverse.
- Always properly restrain your chinchilla when you are holding it or it can easily become injured if it struggles to get away.
- buying a chinchilla from a reputable breeder can significantly reduce the chances of your chinchilla having a fatal congenital disorder that causes an early death. Chinchillas normally stay healthy for about 10-15 years but I've heard some can live to be in their 20s. For those who have had a bad experience with pet store or rescue chins with health problems please remember this.

Although these are aren't necessarily life and death rules they can prevent behavior issues.
- Try to not disrupt chinchilla's normal sleep/wake patterns. Make sure artificial light is less intense than natural light by the cage.
- Do not chase or startle your chinchilla in its cage or outside of it.
- Try to keep a consistent schedule to minimize stress.
- Keep cage off of appliances and things that make noise.
- Introduce your chinchilla to things it does not like very slowly.
- A well socialized chinchilla will adapt to new environments faster than one who is not.

There is a free chinchilla care e-book available on this website if you're looking for a basic care guide with good tips:

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

[Maysie]

Thank you for the greetings!
 Zeus is between 6 to 7 months old. I got him from a pet shop (which I've come to understand is a no-no, but I do trust this shop and I've been going there for years) and when I saw him I just fell in love.

 Thank you so much GrayRodent,
 I'm nervous about every little thing since Zeus is my first Chinchilla. I tried to study as much as possible before getting him and unfortunately took the advice of one of the gentlemen working at the pet shop, which I've come to find he really has no idea about chinchillas. The plastic parts are being moved out of his cage slowly but surely, he hasn't chewed them yet but I would rather not risk it.
 My current worry is that he's been flopping on his side and making a very soft squeaking noise, when I open the cage to check on him he hops right back up though and starts running around again. Is this normal behavior? Should I be to worried?

 Besides that single odd behavior Zeus is doing very well and continues to warm up to us. When I open his cage now he's almost immediately in my hands ready to play. He's even started to run up to us when we let him out to run. Today he even hopped in my hands, allowed me to lift him up, and put him away. Of course he then proceeded to run laps from the top level of his cage to the bottom and back again before begging to be let out.

 It's safe to say I'm absolutely in love with my little chin and he's the perfect addition to our family.

p.s. Is is odd that he likes to chew finger nails? I try not to let him since I'm not sure what it would do to him, but he loves it.

[GrayRodent]

I don't think fingernails with hurt unless there's nail polish on them. I discovered mine likes to chew on my fingernails this morning and now I'll have to use a file to smooth out the notch he took!

I don't like the flopping you are describing. Can you provide more details?

I know when mine gets tired from exercise he'll often lay on his side on a shelf for a few minutes. He seems to be very out of shape. The room temp is about 70-71 when I have him out so I'm not certain it's overheating but I suspect it contributes. I let him run around in our shower stall.

It sounds like you're making good progress with your chin. I can't really let him roam the room his cage is in so it puts me at a disadvantage but he is getting more tame each day.

[Maysie]

Thank you for the info! I don't paint my nails at all, I'm a guitarist and it would just chip off anyway, so I suppose he should be safe.

 I honestly think he may just be a goofball, the first time he did it he scared me, but now it seems he does it for attention. All his noises are very quiet and he uses the same squeak while he's laying there that he uses when he wants out. He'll be running around fine and suddenly just flop on his side, lay there, squeak at me, then jump back up and run around again. He only does it when he's playing, so I've checked his feet and legs for any injuries. Unless there's something I can't see or feel (which I'm sure is possible) there's nothing wrong with them.

 We keep our apartment in the higher 60's so I'm sure Zeus is happy with the temperature, at the pet store he was kept in the same room as the snakes and lizards which is uncomfortably warm with all the heat lamps. We did make sure to gradually lower the temp in our apartment so he wouldn't get a shock to his system as well.

 I'm almost expecting Zeus to be a bit of a fat kid, he's always eating his hay and pellets... In fact his nickname from my boyfriend is currently fat kid.
 
 Our cage has two front doors, the lower one serves as a ramp for him to run in and out. I enjoy letting him out but we keep a very close eye on him, we have a lot of wires in the room but we keep him away from that area. The entire time he is out we sit on the floor and watch every move he makes.

[GrayRodent]

I'm a guy so I shouldn't have let my nails get long enough for him to do that. I agree it sounds like playing in this case. If he was having a seizure or an injury I would expect there to me more than what you're describing. We have a parrot who does things like that to get attention. He makes noises that gets my mom all upset. He had a respiratory infection a few years back and learned what noises to make! I know chins do the same sometimes. It sounds like you have a really nice people-oriented animal.

Since we live in a RV there's a lot of little spaces that are very difficult for us to access. I am afraid if he gets into one and gets stuck I won't be able to safely retrieve him.
I play with him on the door of the cage as well but push him back every time he threatens to jump off. Lately he has been good not to attempt to jump off the door or out of the cage each time it is opened. Now I'm training him to not jump on the shelves in the shower stall. He almost got out the top which could have injured him if he hit the floor.

[Maysie]

I keep my nails cut super short, he finds a way to chew them anyway. Haha.
 Our little Zeus is quite a character, at this point I'm very sure it's just for attention. He's taken to chewing the bars of his cage as well. He always wants out so bad all the time. I count myself as very lucky considering that he now feels comfortable enough to stay close to me when he is out. We've only had him for three weeks as of tomorrow and I don't think he could be doing any better.

 Have you seen the playpens meant for chinchillas? We're thinking about getting one for Zeus since always wants out. They come in varying sizes and you can even get tops for them. I want one big enough for me to sit inside with him, but for you living in an RV you'd likely have to get something smaller.

[GrayRodent]

For me the shower stall works like a play pen although I have considered getting one when we move. He is making far less attempts at jumping on the shelf since he knows he gets taken down or stopped consistently.

We will be moving very soon into a new house and he'll be housed in my bedroom. There I will have my computer set up so I'll have to see how that is going to work. I'll have more options like chin-proofing a whole bathroom and letting him run there. I've heard of making a play pen out of over sized cardboard boxes glued together and putting a sheet over the top. That is an idea I'd like to try since I can make it really big for really cheap.

[Maysie]

Sounds like a great idea. Our little Zeus would eat the cardboard constantly though.

 He's been making a semi-loud grunt/monkey/bark (we couldn't decide what it sounded like between the three) which he did the second day he was home. I'm wondering if this is for attention. I know it's a normal noise for chins I'm just not sure what it means... Considering he's been away, due to a lot of company that I don't trust with him, I'm leaning towards annoyance and needing attention.

[GrayRodent]

Mine doesn't chew constantly like some chins. He seems content to stay still at times.

I'm still trying to figure mine out. Sometimes he barks that when he jumps around in his cage playing and seems to be content. Sometimes he does that when he is definitely annoyed. And sometimes I think he barks in his sleep. He's kind of a vocal chin and makes other types of noises as well. Mine doesn't crave attention like yours and is a bit more independent.

[Maysie]

As Zeus gets more acclimated to our home he chews a lot less than he did when we first brought him home. At the pet store he didn't really have anything to chew besides a tiny wooden ledge, so I'm thinking perhaps the initial chewing was because of that. He now has at least eight different pieces of wood and two lava blocks. Unless he finds cardboard or our coasters when he's out he rarely chews... he's learning very quickly that wires and cords are a no-no.

 Everyday with Zeus is a new adventure and we're definitely still trying to figure out his crazy antics. Zeus is more of a soft noise maker but he barks on occasion, every time it's served to scare and confuse us. I've heard that a lot of chins are vocal when they dream, I've seen a lot of people on this site asking about it in fact. Zeus tends to make a very soft whining noise when he wants attention or out of his cage, he sounds almost like a muted puppy.

 I know that chins are very social creatures and I believe since Zeus was bonded with his cage-mate he craves more attention from us. I wish I could've gotten his cage-mate as well but she was a beige color of some sort so she was more expensive than we could afford, not to mention that they're both six and a half months old so I would have to separate them for awhile anyway. There are so many reason I wouldn't want a female and Zeus doesn't seem to mind being on his own as long as we give him the extra attention... Not to mention he's very,very spoiled.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

How do you take a picture without him eating the camera?

[Maysie]

Very quickly and carefully. 
 Our cage has two doors on the front that open very wide. The top door, where his picture was taken, is the best for pictures since he stands back for a moment as if saying "what are you doing? I come out of the bottom door." He hasn't had to much interaction with the camera yet. XD