Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Q & A => Topic started by: alaska_chin on May 24, 2006, 01:33:15 AM
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Hi I just got a new chin monday. This is my first chin the first day I did not handle him to much but when I did all he would do was bite at me. Now today I played with him alot more he does not like to be still or even be picked up he still bites alot. (it kinda hurts :P) He is a gray chin from petco thats all I really know about him. I just wanted to know if this was normal or not seeing how I just got him. He is very cute and loves to play but once your finger gets in the way he has it . If anyone could help me could you please e-mail me @ buttney_smoak@hotmail.com thanks,
Brittany
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Hi Brittany,
Congrats on your new chinchilla.
He sounds pretty young still, or could have been poked at by many fingers at the pet shop.
Kits will bite to see if your edible, or just good to chew too shreds.
When he does it too hard make a little yelp and pull away.
Repeat this until he's just nibbling, as this is his way of showing effection to you, he just wants to groom you like he'd groom another chin.
I have to do this with all my kits, and it only takes a couple of times before they learn how hard is too hard.
Good luck and let us know how it works, OK
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Also how would you litter train a chin? seems hard :P I will update you on how his bites are going if any of you have any tips on anything and everything I would love to know about them ;D thanks! Brittany
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Most chins pick a spot.
I have full pee pans in my cages, but most pick a corner or a spot close to the hay dish.
What are your pans like, and where do you want him to pee?
He will pass droppings everywhere, just like a rabbit he has no control, but he should only pee in his pee pan.
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Debbie, What pans do you use, and what do you fill them with? I'm learning all I can before I buy me a chinchilla. You seem to be successful with what you are using. Do males train better than females? I hope you can answer my questions.
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::silly:: Hi Brittany,
#1 rule ... ALWAYS wash your face and hands before handling your chin ... if there is ANY food smell left on them, they think it's a treat and will take a bite to find out. Sometimes, they are just curious and will try it out anyway, but usually not very hard. Unless you are scarring or hurting them, then, they can take it to the bone! :-[ But, do not mistaken a love nibble for a bite. ::)
Chinchillas are not much of a 'touch me, hold me' critter ... they like to be scratched under the chin, cheek and/or arm, given a treat and/or a kiss ... then be allowed to freely run and play. (Which can be dangerous if the room is not chin-proofed.)
The 'proper' greeting to a chin, is a 'sniff sniff' near their head and along the side. ::) Sounds strange ... but watch how they react to it. :::grins::
Always support the hind legs! Or they will think they are falling and wiggle and squirm ... they also wiggle and squirm to let you know they need to go tinkle ... and if you don't let them down ... they will anyway. rofl
Litter train? Poops ... forget that one ...they will be every where he goes/went. (Sometimes a good way to find them.) But, when it comes to training to use a special spot to go tinkle ...if you have solid bottoms in your cages ... find out first where he/she wants to go (moist bedding), usually it's a corner ... there is a litter pan made for ferrets that works pretty good ... just put a little soiled bedding in it and add clean bedding over it ... that usually works ... as long as you clean it regularly. Do NOT use a cat litter that has an oder controlling agent in it ... the fumes can kill your chin. If you have a wire bottom with a tray under the wire ... the pee-pans work great ... as long as it is not a male ... they like to aim their 'little water faucest' out side of the cage and on to the closest thing near-by. Some, but not all, of my male chins tend do this. :blush2: In this case plexi-glass and/or a shower curtain behind and beneath the cage helps. :-[ Chinchillas are very clean about themselves, but not always with some of their habits. :-\
Good luck! Keep us posted![/i]
::wave::
Jo Ann
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Hi Mary Ellen,
I have full open pans, and I fill with about 2 inches of pine.
Some cages the pan fits into the cage, and others the cages fit into the pan.
It's easier to drop the cage down into a pan, though that means the bottoms will get soiled faster,ei they'll pee on post corners and wood will soak up the pee.
If you put a pan into a cage that does not have a slide out bottom, you'll need extra room to get it in. The pan will not fit tight.
Placing a strip on 2 edges will be required to fill the little gaps.
These will also jam the pan in place.
So I don't really have to train, some do get lazy though.
Have you seen one let his behind hang over a ledge and pee. :D
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::silly:: No, not yet ... but I've seen the little boys stand in a corner and see what they can hit outside the cage!
I even accused my poor little puppy of trying to mark the chin's cage, :hugs: but then I saw the chin was the one doing the peeing! ::outofmymind:: Any suggestions for that one? ::shrug::
::wave::
Jo Ann
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Hi Brittany!
I got my two chinchillas not too long ago, and I bought a litter pan for them. The only ones I could find, however, were plastic. So the pan got chewed on more than anything and they were also trying to take dust baths in them. I didn't have much success with it, and I haven't noticed them peeing outside the cage so it hasn't really been an issue for me. Good luck! :)
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how's the little chinnie doing? let us know ok Britt!
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Hi Brittany,
Just thought of another thingy. Cookie sheets for pee pans, I have a couple of 2 inch deep large cookie sheet I got at the good will. Could be cheaper than getting one made if you can find one or two that Will fit the cage.
No, not yet ... but I've seen the little boys stand in a corner and see what they can hit outside the cage!
I have a couple of those chins too Jo Ann, had to attach plexie glass on that side/corner.
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i used to own a big cage with a metal pan underneath a kind of checkered board(the squares were small enough so their paws wouldn't fall through). this is a cage for people who can't train their chins to pee in a "litter box". and in that metal pan i just filled it up with recycled paper so you dont have to worry about being low on shavings. when u empty it you just take the pan and dump it out in your outside/big garbage can.(this metal pan is about three feet and the cage is a little smaller so it can go inside of it like the bard game boxes.
luvmychinchins
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I got really tired of having To also buy new pans so i just put pee pads for dogs at the bottom of the cage. it works well! :::grins::
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Hi~ I just bought my first Chinchilla about a month ago, and they told me he was a male and that he was 12 weeks old. Anyways, when I first bought him and brought him home he was REALLY happy always coming tp the edge of his cage and sniffing me and when I would get him out he would let me hold him as much as I wanted, he even fell asleep on my lap while I was petting him one time! :::grins:: But now I have had him about a month like I said and he just now started biting me. I read what you had replied earlier in the post to the other person about biting but I dont understand why he just now started doing it ::shrug::. Can anyone tell me why it just started? Thanks!
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Can anyone tell me why it just started?
Have there been any recent changed that may be affecting his mood? (Cage moved, scheduled play time changed or been reduced at all, food changed, temperature changed, etc.) Have you started using a different soap/lotion/perfume/cologne? Do you have any new animals (including humans) in your home that he may be reacting to?
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The only change I have made was his bedding. When i bought him the place that I had bought him from gave me cedar bedding for him. I was talking about him with my science teacher not too long after I had gotten him and she told me that cedar wasnt good for him. So I just bought some Pine. That has been the only change. ::silly::
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Chins will bite if you are holding them and they don't want to be held. You might want to change the way you are holding him.
This is what works for me: Make a flat hand and let him stand on it, against your body. Now take your arm and wrap it loosely around him like a fence, and put your hand on your opposite shoulder. Don't squeeze him, chinnie's don't like to be squeezed or squished or restrained. They just want to sit and peer out over your arm. If you make a fence with your arm, he will feel safe but not smushed, and he won't be able to bite your fingers. Make sure you're wearning a long sleeve shirt so he can't bite your arm. If he is still freaking out and biting you lots, he doesn't want to be held yet. If you try this method over and over, he will start sitting for longer each time until you have built up some trust.
My chins will sit in my arms like this for a few minutes and then start getting restless. They will let you know when they want down. Very few chinchillas want to be hugged and held for more than a few minutes.
Good luck!
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I agree with Leslie that chins may bite to avoid being held, but I assumed you meant he was biting you when you weren't holding him.
The only change I have made was his bedding. When i bought him the place that I had bought him from gave me cedar bedding for him. I was talking about him with my science teacher not too long after I had gotten him and she told me that cedar wasnt good for him. So I just bought some Pine. That has been the only change. ::silly::
Perhaps he has a URI (upper respiratory infection) brought on by being kept over cedar for so long? Illness can also affect a chinchilla's behavior.
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REally? Should I take him to the vet and get that checked out? :-\When he is in his cage he is always running and jumping and playing in his wheel and everything like that. ::silly::
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REally? Should I take him to the vet and get that checked out?
It probably wouldn't hurt. Unless he starts showing other symptoms, I wouldn't rush him to an emergency clinic, but setting up an appointment with an experienced chin vet would allow you to have him checked out so that you can be sure he's healthy and his biting isn't being caused by irritation from illness.
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Okay I will have to look in the phonebook to look for one around here then! Thank you guys for all your help with this! :)
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You can find a list of experienced chinchilla vets at http://www.chinformation.org. :)
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Well I took him to the vet today and he said that he doesnt have anything rally wrong with him but he did say that his biting might be because he is maturing and is trying to show that he is dominant. The vet also said that I should look into getting him a female because of this. So now i have an excuse to get another one!!! ::silly:: ::silly:: rofl
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Hi Chewy,
:-\ We have a 4 year old male chinchilla that bites. He is a healthy, very small beige guy. I wish I could talk to him about this whole thing and he could talk back and let me know just why he started to bite! ::shrug:: He was always a pretty nice little guy, then all of the sudden he just started to bite when you put your hand in his cage to give him hay or pellets, or anything for that matter. ::Hairraising:: It is very shocking to put your arm in his cage and have him fly out of nowhere to take a nip out of an arm or hand. He pretty much attacks. Mike and I have to draw straws every night to see who gets to feed Pat!!!! ::scaredspeachless::
::Lovehearts:: We love him though and treat him just like the other chins here. He had a rough start in life and I rescued him from a pet store years ago. :'( He had severe ringworm and we actually treated him for 6 months until it was all said & done. He was sweet back then.
If you can get him to climb out on your arm then he'll let you hold him and give him rubs and HE LOVES IT!!!! That is the funny thing. He just hates anyone in his cage for some reason.
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::silly::Sometimes they can become very territorial for no apparent reason.
If he is OK outside the cage, but not with someone going inside the cage, something has him in a different frame of mind.
Are any of the girls in season?
If he were being hateful all the time (inside and out) I would think he might be getting sick ... sometimes they have big mood swings when they are getting sick .... but ... you said only when you put your hand inside the cage, so I would not think illness would be the cause.
Hope he does a turn-a-round and gets friendly again soon. Keep us posted!
::wave::
Jo Ann
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Yea there is and all black female at a local pet store atht i really want to get, BUT i have to convince my mom let me get a bigger cage because the one i have is just big enough for chewy! She has no problem with me getting him a girlfriend she just is concerned about cage size and chinchilla/new cage cost.So hopefully I get her for christmas! ::silly:: So if I do end up getting a female for him you guys will surely be the first to know!!! ::nod::
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Yea there is and all black female at a local pet store atht i really want to get...
Please do not breed chinchillas that you purchase from a pet store. Breeding is something you really need to investigate. Your male WILL breed if you put him with a female, and breeding isn't something to take lightly. I highly encourage you to read through http://www.chinformation.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11.
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Also something to always take into consideration when thinking you are going to pair up 2 chins...................ARE THEY GOING TO GET ALONG? WILL I NEED 2 CAGES IN CASE THEY DO NOT GET ALONG?
I had been doing research on breeding for quite some time and also speaking to experienced breeders on this topic. Finally I decided to make the plunge! So last year I got a very high quality standard female from Ralph Shoots. I planned on introducing her to my gorgeous white ebony male (from a nice line) that I also got from a very reputable breeder.
Well, my white ebony male had other ideas!!!! If I had left them together in a cage he would surely have killed her. They NEVER got along! Well there went that plan. Good thing I had gotten a spare cage just in case.
As most of you know I did go on to introduce Mia to another great male and they had 2 gorgeous kits.
BUT, as you also know.......I came very close to losing Mia. It was a long road for us, and I feel truly blessed every day that I still have her.
I was scared by my experiences and chose NEVER to breed again. Not to turn everyone off, but it just was my decision and breeding is not my thing.
As ChinchillAZ says "breeding isn't something to take lightly".
If you are at all concerned about costs you absolutely must have some money saved up in case anything goes wrong during your female's pregnancy and/or delivery. And also thinking ahead to what the kits may need after they are born. We spent a fortune when Mia was sick after she delivered. We spent roughly $600, not to mention the time we spent hand feeding 2 kits for about 6 weeks. Thank goodness I am a stay home chin mommy!
There is SO MUCH to think about when anyone is considering breeding chinchillas.
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::silly::
Hi~ I just bought my first Chinchilla about a month ago, and they told me he was a male and that he was 12 weeks old. ... he did say that his biting might be because he is maturing and is trying to show that he is dominant. ... The vet also said that I should look into getting him a female because of this. So now i have an excuse to get another one!!! ... Yea there is and all black female at a local pet store at the i really want to get, BUT i have to convince my mom let me get a bigger cage because the one i have is just big enough for chewy! She has no problem with me getting him a girlfriend she just is concerned about cage size and chinchilla/new cage cost.
According to your first post, your male chin would be about 16 weeks (3-1/2 months) old now. That is to young to put into a breeding situation. Anytime you place a male and a female together, that is a breeding situation, regardless of age after 10 weeks. Males need to be about 9 months old before you put him into breeding.
Where did you get the male chinchilla from?
If you get a female, you would have to have a second cage and they could not even have playtime together.
Please, please do not breed a chinchilla that you do not have the family history on. There could be heart murmurs, malocclusion, diabetes, or many other things back in the family history that could be hereditary and could kill the kits and/or make them suffer.
Know your breeder and your chinchilla's health history as well as it's genetic history before you breed or you could very well be leaving yourself wide open for heart break. I'd rather we be honest with you now, than to have to feel sorry for an unhealthy kit or chin later.
Please be a responsible breeder.
::wave::
Jo Ann
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I would suggest your get another male.
If you get a young kit there is less of a chance they won't get along.
With only the two, they would rather have the company than be alone, and same sex works great here.
When you increase the numbers and add both sexes it's a whole different story.
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Well I was thinking about the whole them getting along and breeding thing so I was going to keep my old cage and also get a new one then just setting them next to each other at first so that they could get used to each other and I was thinking about getting a male instead like you guys had said. Because I was reading about breeding and things and I want to wait and get used to actually having a few male chins and all of that then possibly learn more about breeding. ::nod:: Do you guys think that would be a better idea? That way he has a companion but he cant breed with that one.
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Do you guys think that would be a better idea?
Yes, I think this is a much better idea. ::nod::
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[Yes, I think this is a much better idea. ::nod::
[/quote]
::silly::
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Well thank you guys for all of your much needed help! ::nod:: and hope fully soon Chewy will be getting a new cage and a new roommate! ::silly:: ::silly::
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hope fully soon Chewy will be getting a new cage and a new roommate!
Best of luck! :::grins::
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We wanted to get Cheech a playmate. At what age do you think males are too old to introduce to other males?
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We wanted to get Cheech a playmate. At what age do you think males are too old to introduce to other males?
I don't think there's an age limit on introductions. The real limit is on your patience and space.
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I find it's so much easier if at least one is a kit, say under 5 months.
The older chin male or female always seem to Mother the kit.
Two kits are pretty easy.
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When we let ours out to play for the first several months, we would actually sit on the floor with them and let them run and climb all over us. Let's them get used to you.