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[Jenova]

Hiya, I was wondering if anyone could help me with a behavioural question.

My two little baby chinchillas (Snake and Big Boss) are almost five, dad (Chong, neutered) is almost six and mum (Cheech) is almost seven. They all live together. Cheech and Big Boss are very laid back, very tame and chilled. Chong is a little more on edge, very bitey and nervous and Snake is more so than him. She doesn't bite like he does but she's so nervy and on edge all the time. She always warning barks and won't come near me when they have free range time. I've been trying to spend more time with them all recently, building better relationships. Cheech and Big Boss climb all over me when they're out and Chong will appear if raisins come out, but Snake hardly pops her head out from under the bed.

She has some health issues. She has a runny eye and has been to the vets. It will be teeth issues and I have to watch her a little closer than the others for signs of stopping eating or discomfort as we know that at some point in her life it's going to cause her more problems. The vet was happy I know what I'm doing and will spot any issues when they arise. She has topical treatment if the eye gets infected, but it runs all the time and we are very sure it's her tooth roots although she's not been x rayed.

I handled both babies from birth but she has always been this way. I know it must be a trait from Chong and I feel sad that I bred them without knowing what I was doing. Cheech was from a pet shop so I bet the bad teeth have come from her line as Chong was from a reputable breeder and a good line, however she's got his stressed temperament. I also found out afterwards how many chinchillas there are in rescue centres here in England and it made me very sad that I'd brought more chinchillas into the world, especially as Snake has these issues.

I'm just worried about her always being stressed and on edge. The others are fast asleep right now in their big box and she's on top of it on guard. Her body language is more stressed than the others too. I want to make life happier for her but I don't know how.

[GrayRodent]

Sounds like you've got your hands full of chinchillas!

You say you are sure the runny eyes are caused by tooth issues. Can you tell us more about this?
I'm sorry you've been having these issues. I recently put one down because it had tooth spurs and stopped eating. I kept track of his health by weighing him on a regular basis.

As far as Snake's high stress levels that is something that you may be able to work with. One thing you can do is let her run and play in a confined space such as the bathroom shower stall or bathtub where she will be crawling around on you and playing where she cannot hide and avoid you. I've used this method to socialize a troublesome chinchilla successfully and broke him in gradually. I started with 20-30 minute sessions. If you do this a few times a week the animal will get used to you over time if you are careful not to startle it too much. I worked with mine until he was tame enough to sit still in my hand when I would hold him and allow me to pick him up in his cage. He did start out not too afraid of people though so I'm not sure how much progress you'll see if you try that.

Another thing that can try is to put the cage in a corner so it's blocked on two sides. I have a parrot, although extremely tame, does act stressed if you put his cage where there is less cover.

You may just need to give her a little more attention on a regular basis. If the animal is predisposed to being stressed you probably won't cure it but you might improve it.

[Jenova]

Thank you.

The cage is in a corner as I've always thought that was best for them. I'm not sure how I'd do the confined space as I don't pick them up, I just open the cage and they come out, then I give them treats and play with them while they're out and then I get the dust bath and raisins out to get them back in. I don't know if picking her up and taking her to the bathroom to play would stress her out more, but it's certainly something to think about and a good idea.

Regarding her eye. The fur around it is almost always wet. After it was like this for a while I took her to my excellent exotic vet and we agreed it's most likely a compressed tear duct and this is very likely due to her teeth. I have a rabbit who started with these exact issues although he has quite a few other extreme health problems and is a thread all to himself. So I know the warning signs to look for, dribbling, going off certain foods, dropping food while eating, eating slowly, sitting hunched up etc. She doesn't have any of these issues, just the wet eye. 

I quite happy if she's never a people chinnie and just wants the company of her family so I'm not fussed if she doesn't love me or isn't 'tame' but it's the fact that she seems to be stressed all the time, even in the cage. Their cage is very big, about five foot high by three foot wide and two foot deep. it has lots of shelves and boxes so plenty of space for her to get away from the rest of them. If I give them all a big pile of hay they all rush to eat it, but she doesn't join in with the excitement. So then I get worried about her teeth and give her some hay on her own and she eats it fine.

[GrayRodent]

When I tamed Blue, my first chinchilla, he would not tolerate being touched when I started with him. I had to transport him in a box or container of some kind that I would have to lure him into. After about five days of working with him the shower (I'd pet him and play with him briefly a couple of times during each session) he was calm enough that I could touch him and then I worked with him in his cage.  After about a week of slowly progressing from his nose (which was the only place he'd let me touch him) to under his chin then on his back I could pick him up but just long enough for me to put him into the container. About a week later I didn't need the container and I could carry him around in short sessions (before he got mad enough to bite!) It was all very methodical and incremental. I had him about three months before I had to put him down. He still wasn't very tame but I saw slow improvement in him up to the end. He would actually sleep on my lap during the day when I was at my computer on occasion.

My second chinchilla was young (3 months old), from a reputable breeder, and I had to start over training-wise since he wasn't used to being held but he was way calmer and much less aggressive than Blue and progressed much faster. Today he lets others hold him and even goes to other people for attention. He's actually quite a cuddly pet now and is good with children. He used to kack and spit at my 2 year old niece but he'll just about crawl on her head now. He'll ride on my shoulder when we are entertaining guests for half an hour before he gets antsy. I am surprised how quickly he got to that point. There is a big difference when they are socialized young. Anyway I used the same incremental training and it worked well.

Taming does add some stress but if you're consistent and careful she'll be less stressed each time you take her out. Eventually she will get used to the unfamiliar situations and it will get harder to cause stress. This is why I think it will help. She is not used to anything but hiding and avoiding contact and this may get her attention off of that and onto other things that she might like doing more.

When I knew it was coming time to euthanize Blue it was hard because of all the time and effort I put into that chinchilla. It's hard not to get attached to an animal when you do that so beware.

[Jessica Williams]

They need to be separated.  The stress is coming from being scared of the other chinchilla.  Make sure you wipe the corner of the eyes out after the chin takes a dust bath.  They could be keeping their eyes open while taking a dust bath an blocking their eye ducts.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

3 males and 1 female living together? Have I got that right?
2, 5 year olds + the parents??? In the same cage ?? 

[Jenova]

3 males and 1 female living together? Have I got that right?
2, 5 year olds + the parents??? In the same cage ??

1 male (neutered) and 3 females. It's a very big cage.

I've been making progress with Snake. I've been sitting on the floor with raisins.

She's not scared of the other chinchillas, just of everything but. I'd definitely have an issue if it was three males and one female, but it's a normal, happy, family group who all snuggle up to sleep and have plenty of space if they don't want to see each other.

[GrayRodent]

You might know this but two raisins a day is the maximum healthy limit for a normal sized chinchilla that does not show signs of loose stools. More than that can cause severe complications.
Also be aware that you can't really tame animals just by giving them food otherwise they'll focus on the treats and not interact with you. I used very little treats when I worked with Blue except for when I was training him to be held. I would only give him a couple of pieces of raisin while holding him and not every time. I usually cut two raisins into four pieces each and usually had some left over the next day. Also if he was acting calm and being cooperative I would sometimes give him a piece. It doesn't take much unless you spoil them.

[cadillactaste]

Well...my chinchilla had an abscessed tooth removed today. Runny nose and a drippy mouth was his symptoms. Also not eating well. Never had one bit of an issue with his eyes.

Now...Fluffy my other chin. Had a runny eye awhile back. Which caused the fur to fall out around it. The vet lifted his eyelid back and the third eyelid was redish in color. Ointments treated the eye and all is well. Did they pull your chins eyelid back? Freaked me out I thought his eye was about to pop out!

[Jenova]

Don't worry, I cut up the raisins, they don't get too many. 

Her eye isn't infected, the tears just can't drain. She is more prone to infections and has had one twice or three times which were treated with antibiotic eye ointments. The tooth roots are malformed and have grown up to block the tear duct. She's had a full examination by a very good exotic vet. Thanks for all your replies.