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[Mkm6776]

Hello! I just joined today I wanted to get some advice from other chin owners. I am a new owner. I purchased 2 baby chins. One born feb 14, the other feb 24. Purchased through a breeder. The one born on the 14th has been small since I got him. Recently he has stopped doing much of anything. He is shiny, eats and drinks normally. Normal droppings. His ears are lately laying down and he doesnt seem very alert. I pick him up without any struggle at all and he just sits in my hand and looks at me. He would rather sit in his cage and eat hay than run. When I first got them they were the same size, the one maybe a touch smaller. Now the younger one is much bigger than him. It has been overly warm lately. Could it be heat or depression? I asked the breeder and she simply told me it was a lack of light? They have plenty of light.  I would take him to the vet but the last time I took my animals to the exotic vet here they killed my guinea pig due to the lack of knowledge. I don't want that to happen again! Thank you in advance for any help or questions.

[GrayRodent]

I hate to hear about vets messing up like that. I'm sorry for your loss.
Considering the one you think might be having trouble is eating and pooping normally I wouldn't be too worried just yet. Usually when something is bad enough to cause a chinchilla to act sick eating is effected before those symptoms occur. Typically sick chinchillas don't eat much.

The best thing to do is weigh both of them at least once a week. If they are both standard greys and both the same sex they should gain weight at about the same rate. If there is a dramatic difference you can run it past the forum and see if a breeder will remark on it. If you see weight loss over a 7 day period then you're probably in trouble and should try to find a vet (and certainly a different one). I took mine to an exotic vet that had a lot of experience with rabbits (although they had seen chins before but rarely) and had no problems. I recommend that you try to locate a vet and watch for any changes.

Chinchillas are usually not very active during the day. The behavior you're describing sounds like a sleepy animal and you should see how he does in the evening.

If the room temperature is above 75F and they are acting overheated you may have a different problem. Animals can also have different personalities. My chin was a bit more energetic than his siblings when I got him.

That is what I would do is watch for changes, keep the room below 75, and play with them in the evening hours after sundown and you'll probably find he's more energetic then.

[kathy5]

yes chins are a sleep during the day & fully awake at night

[lilchinchilla]

If it is over 75 degrees, you should get an air conditioner, to keep it cool. If it is too hot and they can die of heat stroke. Sometimes genetics has to do with size. There could be many reasons why he isn't as big as the younger one. It could be that he hasn't had another growth spurt yet, it could be that the genes he was passed on, his body structure will be different than the younger one. Maybe he will be leaner and longer bodied than the younger one? Just like people, chinchillas do come in different sizes and shapes.

It could be that he might be a runt in a litter or that he is a dwarf. There is lots of reasons why an older chin may end up smaller than a younger one.

With your two, it could also be that if one is a mutation, some mutations seem to grow slower than say, standards. Standards tend to be full grown in a year, some mutations tend to take up to two years to fully grow.

[Mkm6776]

The small one is an ebony violet carrier and my other one is a brown velvet. They are complete opposites from each other. I have been getting him to eat some shreddies and extra hay. He seems a little more energetic today. He actually lifted his ears and was happy to see me. Still seems really mopey so it's an improvement.

[Mkm6776]

I think he might actually be stressed out from being bullied. I'm gonna try separation and see if he gets better

[GrayRodent]

Be careful with that. Separating can also cause depression and stress both of them. How bad is the bullying?

[Mkm6776]

I've been watching them interact and it seems pretty bad. I've read postings by other people and there's strong similarities between them and what my chilla is going through

[Debbie.nl.ca]

ebonies tend to be smaller too.

[mojito]

If you do separate them make sure they can still see & communicate with each other, and watch them the whole time they're separated to make sure things don't get worse.

[Mkm6776]

They are side by side in cages. I'm hoping things get better soon. I feel bad bout separating them