Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[righteousrose]

Hello everybody,
As I stated when I first joined this forum, my husband and I found our chinchilla on the side of our country road as we were coming home about 9pm March 5th. Poor little thing was dehydrated, weak, and hungry. We assumed that someone had released her in the wild because we had put ads in the local paper and asked neighbors up and down the road if they knew who owned a chin. A few people wanted to take her in and take care of her. I just couldn't do it because she was really sweet and fun. We went on a search to find her a  chin friend. Our local pet store found us a 3 month old female. From the first moment they met they became friends. The problem is it seems our chinchilla has become a real touch-me-not. She used to like having her ears scratched and she would play with us. Now she doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with us. The baby is hard to catch and they both fight us tremendously when we try to hold them. We know we can't hold them for long periods but used to we could hold them for at least a minute. Are we doing something wrong? Is this just a phase the chins are going through? We have only had the baby since May 30. It's amazing how quickly our first chin changed. Please advise. 

[Asikovsek]

Have you spent a lot of time with them or have you just kind of let them go since they had eachother???....you have to gain a chinchillas trust and it is crutial when they are babies...how the babies are raised will affect how they act later....I handle my kits like crazy when they are little...then they are all for being handled when they are older....as far as the older chin that you found....this chinchilla has been severly tramatized...and I am so happy that you found it and are caring for it...but with tramatized chins it takes extra patients........do they like raisins?....I use raisins to gain my chinchillas trust.....you never want to just grab a chinchilla out of their cage....they know their cage as "their home" and safe place....I sit at the edge of the cage with the door open with a raisin...chins are suckers for raisins..lol....I break up the raisin into three pieces....when the chin comes to the cage door they get a treat showing it that its ok and I wont hurt them...sometimes they jump away so I wait...once they come to the door again i give another piece of raisin and if they stay at the door I try to pet it...if it lets me pet it I back up and let him or her jump out of cage and by then they are  more than willing to jump...round around and play.....I have found also that when you pair chinchillas that were not paired before their personality tends to change...I have a female that when she is by herself is the sweetest chin ever....when she is with her mate she tends to be more skiddish....they change personalities when their situations  change....and some chinchillas just dont like to be handled it makes them feel out of control....some of my chins will play and be happy as can be and let me pet them and they love it...but if I try to pick them up they go crazy.....do you know how to properly hold a chinchilla???...you should never grab them by the body....you can grab and hold them at the base of the tail....this gives the owner complete control...when I have to hold my chins that dont perfer to be held I just grab them by the base of the tail and hold them with one hand and brace their feet with my other hand....it doesnt hurt them as long as you brace their feet or body...it just takes time....chins are not lap dogs and take a lot of patients and earning their trust.....if you just grab them out of the cage they will see you as someone trying to hurt them or take them away from their safe place...and chins have very long memory...the older chin when grabbed probably thinks it is going to be thrown to the side of the road again...you just have to earn their trust and for the five month old..you need to take extra time with it...it is almost an adult now and it is crutial to try to break him of not wanting to be handled....if you need anything else let me know...and I hope my advice helps...

~amber~

[righteousrose]

Thank you for your most gracious help. My husband and I do have a very busy lifestyle and we thought the new baby chin would be good for her. One or both of us will get down on the floor and play with them in the morning and evening but sometimes they just don't want to have anything to do with us. Other times it's hard to make them stop. It was really funny, when we found our first chin, she came hopping toward the headlights from the side of the road like she understood that headlights meant help. She was in bad shape. We were in just total disbelief that someone could do that to such a precious animal! For heaven sake if you can't take care of it find someone who will, don't turn it loose in the middle of the Ozarks! It was just pure luck that we found her! Owls, coyotes and any number of other creatures could have gotten her including being run over by a car! I think it really traumatized me to find her like that. I knew absolutely nothing about chinchillas but soon found out how intelligent and affectionate they can be. They also seem to be very moody. I like and respect their independence. I guess it hurts my feelings when they don't want me to touch them even briefly  . You asked if they like raisins. It is an addiction with these two! They will practically wrestle my arm to the floor to get to the box! How many is too many raisins? I want to give them all they want but more than three in the am and at night will give them the runs. I always give the baby the small raisins. Tell me if I'm doing something wrong here. I just don't know what is the best treats for them.
Thanks again for answering!

[Asikovsek]

you can give them a number of different treats...with raisins 1-2 a day they love them but they are not always good for them... you can give them any kind of dried fruit that did not have a pit...peaches and stuff like that is a no no.. Shredded wheat cereal is my chins favorite just make sure its the kind without frosting...any treat in moderation...1-2 a day and shouldnt have any problems with them getting the runs...and what you could do is dont give them the treat until they let you pet them...once they let you pet them then they get the treat..they will catch on really quick...the treat is the way to train your chin to do anything..lol...and chins catch on to things really quick...if they dont let you pet them then they dont get the treat...and they will realize the reward system it just takes a little time....but they should catch on pretty quickly....you can also give the chins a little bit of live bacteria yogert...dannon makes a little six pack and it restores thier digestive system I give it to my chins atleast once a month to keep their digestive tract in tip top shape and it has done wonders!!...Goodluck with your chins and treats in moderation..lol...its like junk food..we love potatoe chips but too much and its gonna start showing...lol...

[righteousrose]

Thank you for the advice Asikovsek!

[Asikovsek]

no problem anytime!!

[Nefarous]

Righteousrouse - thats so wonderful you took the poor little chinny in. Lucky you were driving by!


Asikovsek - quick question regarding getting them out of the cage. I noticed you said just let them come out of the cage. I don't have this option as my cage is in my living room with the AC and all the wires of the TV and PCs! Is using the bathhouse as a "teleport" from cage to play area and back acceptable?

I find it very interesting that they change their behavior. Not something I expected!!

[Jo Ann]

no problem anytime!!

Asikovsek, your answers are great and the time and pacients you took to explain is always appreciated by everyone ... you never know how many people you help by going into detail with an answer ... not just the person you are answering, but the many that will read it too. 

I use the Dannon ... blueberry and bannanna seem to be the ones my little ones like the best.

Chins need and love routine ... they thrive on it.  If you make sure you spend a special time with your little one like clock work, you will usually find them more reseptive.  They look forward to play time like you may look forward to that nice quiet cup of coffee or relaxing bath. 

When you have only one chin, you are it's family.  The chin you rescued surely loves you for saveing it, but, now, you have given it another buddy ... one that is with it all the time, speaks the same language, snuggles, cuddles and plays with it constantly.  And, the new little buddy who has lost it's real chin family has a new chin to be it's family.  Put your self in your chins place ... strange beings that do not understand you and not always there ... then they give you a human to share your home with and to keep you company ... what would you do?  Stick with something you know, trust and are like, or show more affection with the beings that are not always there when you think they will be?

  You have to become family all over again ... to both of them ... this means a regular routine they can look forward to having each and every day with you.   You have to keep communications open with them, let them know they can count on you ... just like any family member, because this is what they are ... a new family member ... they can live to be 20+ if properly cared for as they grow.

   Jo Ann

 God bless you for the love and care you are giving these two little creatures of His.  They will repay you with love, fun and laughter for many years to come!   

[Asikovsek]

Thanks for the compliment Jo ann! I just like helping out the best I can because When I first got my chins I didnt know about the chinchilla club and I dont know if this was established yet then, but I when I got my first chinchilla I was scared because I didnt realize how much care went into taking care of them, and if it wasnt for the breeder I bought the chin off of taking me under her wing and being more than helpful i dont know what I would have done. I could only imagine the shape my chin would be in if I would have just bought it from a pet store and had no idea how to properly take care of it! I give a lot of respect to the breeder who helped me learn everything and was a big inspiration for me going to college to be a vet!  I just know what it was like getting my first chin. Thats why I think it is so great that being a member of the breeders org allows us breeders to give out a free 1 yr membership everyone who I have sold the chins to love the site and say how much it has helped them. so big props to Jamie & you Jo ann for being so involved in bettering chins and helping others!!

[chinsitter]

I just wanted to chime in and say I think I'll benefit from the advice as well. And I can't believe someone would abandon a chin; as if they can survive on their own!  She's so lucky you (Righteousrose) came along!

[Debbie.nl.ca]

An aid on getting them out of the cage;
A chins curiosity can help you get them out on their own, and yes the dust bath works even empty of dust times.

I'd rather use that for putting them back after I've handled them.
I give all my customers cardboard tubes, all they have to do is hold the tube up to the cage door and in climbs chinchilla. Some need a good 3 feet or they won't get in.
Once in the tube they can cover the ends with their hands and take the chin to play place, or sit with it on their lap and wait for them to come out to them.
A box will work, even their own pine house in their cages will work for some.
Trick is to make it as stress free as possible until they trust you.

[Dan]

What kind of cardboard tubes would those be? I figure they're fairly large, especially if they're to hold my huge chin kid!

[Beth]

Hi Dan, welcome!  Pet stores usually sell "chubes" that are 3-5" in diameter, and work well.  But you really could just use a box, mine loves 12 or 24-pack soda boxes.  Good luck!

[tudiebug]

my husband gets these huge tubes from work they mail advertisement posters in them i use a hand saw and cut them in pieces for my chins to climb in when i was at the pet store they had ones that were smaller and like 10 bucks anyways if any one would like a tube piece or more just let me know and i'll send one to you free of charge they are quite useful

[Abby W.]

Yes, I use large cardboard tubes that I get for free from a local carpet store.
When they install rolls of carpet or linoleum they are left over with these huge tubes that they just have to throw away.  So, I can go over there anytime and load one up.  I cut it into sections of about 2-3" and one tube fills a whole trash bag with pieces for my babies to chew.  And they seem to really love them. They're not only good for chewing, but for rolling, hiding in, jumping on, even throwing, or...It's fun to see how many ways they can come up with to play with the tubes!  I have one girl who repeatedly drags hers up to the top shelf and drops it on her cage mate down below