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[TNChinChin]

Okay,  I adopted my first Chinchilla on saturday from the vet's office, I've been researching them for a while. I came across my beloved "Chin-Chin" (He's been called that for two years, so I didn't have the heart to change it, hehe.). I have a few questions, though.



1. What Colour exactly is he? I can't really figure out  since most of the pictures I find online don't match him. ( I love his speckled ears though  )

2. He has a tennis ball he's had for the past year, he doesn't chew it or anything, he just rolls it around or sleeps next to it. Is it Okay for me to let him continue to have it? One breeder I talked to said no, but I'm not sure.

3. He used to bark and spit at me when I opened the cage, but now he doesn't. That's a sign he likes me, right  He also tries to get back to me when anyone holds him except me. Do they really pick who they like that fast?

4. He also tries to.. well.. use my hand as a substitute for a female chinchilla.   Is there a particular reason why he would do this? ( It's usually when I scratch behind his ear, after I stop and try to let him go to sleep, he grabs my wrist with his paws { And Boy, he has a strong grip.} )

Sorry for the questions if they're silly!

Thanks a ton!
Ashleigh & Chin-Chin

[Abby W.]

Ashleigh,

There's no such thing as a silly question

From the picture you have he looks like a beige, but I can't see his belly.  If he has a white belly, or a belly that is significantly lighter than the fur on his back, then he is a hetero-beige.  If the fur on his belly is pretty much the same color as the rest of his fur, then he is probably a tan (meaning a cross of beige and ebony).

Not sure about the tennis ball thing...maybe someone else has some thoughts on that one.  I could see the fuzzy stuff on it becoming a problem if he ingests it, but on the other hand if he's had it for a while and hasn't done that maybe it won't be an issue.  You might try replacing it with a chin-safe sleeping buddy (specially made fleece stuffed animals) as it sounds like he uses it as a companion of sorts.

Unfortunately, the only thing I can tell you about his "friendly" behavior is that some chins, males in particular, just do that    I haven't heard of anyone being able to break that particular habit.  But I could be wrong...

Anyway, I hope this is helpful.  Hopefully, someone else will be able to give you a more definite answer on the tennis ball question.

[TNChinChin]

I guess he'd be a beige then - because his belly's almost pure white. When I pull the camera out, he hunkers down ( I guess he's camera shy!).

I'm not too sure about Fleece, someone I knew had their chinchilla chew a hole in it while the owner was asleep and the chin strangled itself =(.. I don't want that to happen to Chin-Chin, you know?

As for his friendly behavior  I'm starting to wonder now if he's trying to get out or what    but sometimes it's obvious he's using my hand as a substitution haha - How do you know when your Chin's trying to use your arm as a ramp to get out instead?   

[chinclub]

I wouldn't worry about the tennis ball.  I think he would actually get less fuzz from that than some of the other items offered to chinchillas.

It sounds like he is settling in very well with you.  Chinchillas get used to the person they see the most and can act totally different around others.  When I go into my chin room the chinchillas will run to the front, beg for treats, sit still for a scratch, climb out onto my hand....but if anyone else is in the there with me they will cower to the back of the cage, bark, and carry on. 

[TNChinChin]

Ahh okay ^^ I would feel terrible if I took away his ball. He loves the thing. Also, I found out that I think he's using my hand as a ramp instead, and he's trying to hop onto my arm, since he just did it . ( And I found out, he -really- likes to pull arm hairs off with his teeth.. Oww!) Thanks for the help, guys!

[Jenova]

Aww, he's grooming you! That's a sure sign of affection. 

[TNChinChin]

Aww, he's grooming you! That's a sure sign of affection. 

Hehe, he must like me a lot, then. He grooms me every chance he gets now!  And for however long I'll stick my hand in there. ( He's gotten pretty talented with it, while I scratch his ears, he tries to groom my wrist. Unfortunately, I'm very ticklish there, so  it's hard to hold back giggles!    )

[ChinchillAZ]

I hate to be graphic, but I don't think she's describing grooming...  Because of the fact that he's no longer going through adolescence, I'm not sure there's anything you can do to break him of treating your hand as a substitute for a female.  The only thing you might try is to use a different soap or lotion that may not appeal to him as much.   

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I have one here that does that, he loves me to death.
He'll even try to pull me in the cage through the bars.
He humps my arm often, and when a gal goes in heat he's extra rough.
Sounds like he's very glad to be with you.
And yes even after a short time he knows who feeds him and were he is the saftest.
I think your very lucky to have had him come around so quick. You must be very good to him, and he knows it.