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[Chinnies4Life]

Hi guys I'm ceta from the uk,we have 9chins,we sadly had to hand rear our 3youngest (Mucki,Gizmo,and Princess) who are now nearly 2yrs old.the boys are together and Princess was housed with mum (Chinny).over the last few months Princess has started attacking us quite viciously,and Friday night she turned on Chinny too,she was so savage towards Chinny that she ripped my hand to pieces because I put my hand in to protect Chinny whilst my husband got the carpet tube to get Chinny out quickly and safely without Princess being able to chase her.weve separated them but Princess continues to attack us this way,we love Princess very much so rehoming is not an option,we need to help her! ANY advice is greatly appreciated,Thank you 8:o)

[Lori Ramsey Earle]

Sometimes a chin will do this if they are in pain. I think it might be a good idea to have a vet check her out. This type of behavior is very atypical of a chin, especially a hand raised one. Which is why I think maybe there's a physical cause. Is she eating and pooping ok?

[Chinnies4Life]

Thank you ever so much for replying lori,as a kit Princesses eating and pooping were fine,but since being housed permanently with mum since 8wks it's been harder to monitor who's eating what but their daily allowance was gone at each feed,but certainly since separating mum and princess she's not been eating much,her poops have always been kinda thin but the vet said cuz there's nothing they can see it may be that's normal for her,but I will take her back with the advice you've kindly given and hope it helps figure out what's wrong with my baby girl.Thanks again hun,I'll update as soon as I know anything 😃

[Lori Ramsey Earle]

I feel badly for you because this is such a puzzle. We once had a young kit(around 3 months old), who suddenly became "bitey". She wasn't vicious, but had become very squirmy and would try to bite when we picked her up. The only thing the vet could find was gas in her tummy. You can often hear gas sounds in a chin's gut if you put  your ear against their stomach. it sounds like a crackling and gurgling. I found infant simethicone to be a great help. I mention this on the off hand that it might help. There are probobaly many other possible causes. Hope you have a good vet to work with. My vet and I often felt that one had to almost be a psychic sometimes when trying to figure health problems with chins.

[GrayRodent]

Can you tell us more about how your chinchillas are housed and their environment?

I agree with Lori that your chinchilla should be examined by a qualified veterinarian to rule out a physical cause first. It is very suspicious and good practice to get an exam if you do have a sudden unexplained behavioral change.

I also know that chinchillas can be very picky about how they are housed, what other chins are in the room, and very picky about other chinchillas they are housed with. They can be hormonal too.