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[psycho_ash]

Hi all! My name's Ash, I'm 20 years old, and I'm a first-time chinnie owner. The chin in question is a three-year old female named Tia who I found via an ad on Craigslist. She was owned by a nice, rich retired couple who wanted to travel and couldn't find anyone to take care of her.

I was just wondering if what has been happening is normal, and any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

When I met the couple, the husband was at work and the wife was at home. She showed me Tia, who was kept in a nice big airy cage in the foyer. They sold me all of Tia's stuff and her cage, and it was crazy cheap - a hundred bucks. Dang good deal, I think.

Anyway, the lady showed me Tia's cage and reached in and scooped Tia right out and plopped her in my arms. I guess she wanted to show me that Tia doesn't bite. She didn't bite, but it did scare the heck out of her. She started throwing fur, which surprised the lady, and I told her that it was a defensive move that chins do when they're scared (I did a good deal of research before coming to pick Tia up).

They really didn't know anything about chins at all, just that it was a cute pet. They took good care of her though, she has really expensive food and good quality wood shaving bedding (at least as good as wood shavings can go, anyway. I don't use shavings - I use Kaytee Soft Sorbent, because it's so wonderfully dust free!)

We put Tia back in her cage, and covered the cage with a dark brown sheet before moving her out to the car. I read that that would help keep them calm, but she was scared anyway. I can't blame her. It was an hour and a half drive home, and she took it well, I guess. She sat in the bottom corner on the floor the whole time - in fact, she had been sitting there when I first saw her. A friend of mine who also has a chin advised me to put a shirt in there with her so that she'd get used to my smell. There was a small, open plastic box in the opposite corner, which I put my sleeping shirt in (later I found out it's her potty box - whoops!).

The cage is still covered with the sheet - the top, back, and right side are covered, but the front and left side are open. I read that this helps them feel enclosed and safe.

Tia will take bits of craisin (I cut them into five or six pieces so they go further, I know they can't have many treats) from my hand, and she just stayed in that bottom corner. I noticed she didn't have any hidey huts, so I got her one and put it on the third floor of her cage, with the opening face away from the front. Within minutes, she had plopped her fuzzy butt in it. When she was still there the next morning, I realized that I didn't want her sitting on the mesh like that for hours at a time - I've had guinea pigs and rats and bumblefoot is *not* fun to treat. I cut two pieces of cardboard, and shooed her out of the hidey hut so I could put a piece underneath it. When I shooed her, she scampered to the second floor - where the door was - and put her little hands on the jam, sniffing out at me, then scampered back up to her hidey hut. She was also making these cute little peeping noises later that evening.

Today is the second day I've had her (I got her yesterday), and she is starting to explore and sniff around. I added a wooden platform to the top of her cage, and moved a little one that she came with that had been three inches off the ground previously (how pointless). Literally, within a minute of me moving the original, small shelf, she had come out of her hidey hut, sniffed the shelf, and then leaped onto it and perched there like a little fat bat for about ten minutes.

I've offered her her dust bath twice, once yesterday and once today, but she won't go in it. She'll sniff at it, pop her head in, and then go back to her hidey hut. I figure she's just afraid because it's enclosed (it's one of the bath-house types) or something, but... I don't really know.

I've been sitting in my bed in the room, letting her get used to my presence, talking to her and reading and just pretty much being there for her to get used to. My room is right over the woodstove we use to heat the house, so my room is the warmest. Because of this, I now keep my door closed and the window cracked, and I also got one of those granite slabs for Tia to sit on (but I haven't added it yet - I don't want to mess with her house too much just yet).

What do you guys think? Is this all pretty standard chinnie behavior? Comments and opinions would be really, really appreciated!!

Sorry I'm a little long winded, I just wanted to explain everything so that you all knew everything. Thank you!!!

[chinclub]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new chinchilla!!!

It sounds like she is adjusting fine.  If she wasn't she would live in that hidey house and not come out to explore the new items.  Don't be afraid to add things to her cage.  Chinchillas are very curious and enjoy new items they can check out and play with.  I'm not surprised that she threw her fur for you and surprised the lady.  Chinchillas know their owner and will get nervous around strangers.  I would suggest that you get a cheap thermometer and place it by her cage to be sure she is cool enough.  Opening the window is a good idea for cooling the room, however, winter drafts can cause respiratory problems.  You might want to be sure the she is placed in a way that wind won't hit her cage. 

[olivia41]

For the most part, it seems like normal chin behavior. A couple things worry me though: The fact that the woman just reached in and grabbed Tia, and the fact that she won't dust. It is understandable for her to be nervous because of a big change and she should adapt, but she may have been grabbed at alot at her old home. I would give it some time before letting her out to play, just talk to her..read her stories, tell her about your day and stuff to her used to your voice. Then you can try letting her sniff you and try a treat once in a while until she seems comfortable enough to come out on HER OWN. to the dust bath.. this makes me think that the couple didn't give her a dust bath if she didn't know what it was. chins should recognize it if they get it often and they like the enclosure since theyre used to burrowing. If she won't dust within the next few days, rub dust on her fur just to clean her so she doesn't get too greasy. Hopefully she will learn soon enough. Otherwise, sounds like you're going to be a great owner! keep us updated 

[psycho_ash]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new chinchilla!!!

It sounds like she is adjusting fine.  If she wasn't she would live in that hidey house and not come out to explore the new items.  Don't be afraid to add things to her cage.  Chinchillas are very curious and enjoy new items they can check out and play with.  I'm not surprised that she threw her fur for you and surprised the lady.  Chinchillas know their owner and will get nervous around strangers.  I would suggest that you get a cheap thermometer and place it by her cage to be sure she is cool enough.  Opening the window is a good idea for cooling the room, however, winter drafts can cause respiratory problems.  You might want to be sure the she is placed in a way that wind won't hit her cage. 

I was planning on getting a thermometer for that purpose, actually. I will get it tomorrow. What is a good temperature for them? I've read various things... around 70F is best, yes? I open the window and close the blinds and the curtains so that the actual wind doesn't get in, just the air. Tia's cage is up high on my dresser, right beside the window. I've had birds and rats on my dresser before and they never had any problems with drafts, so I think it's all right. The air in my room is fairly still, so I use my ceiling fan on low to keep it circulating.

For the most part, it seems like normal chin behavior. A couple things worry me though: The fact that the woman just reached in and grabbed Tia, and the fact that she won't dust. It is understandable for her to be nervous because of a big change and she should adapt, but she may have been grabbed at alot at her old home. I would give it some time before letting her out to play, just talk to her..read her stories, tell her about your day and stuff to her used to your voice. Then you can try letting her sniff you and try a treat once in a while until she seems comfortable enough to come out on HER OWN. to the dust bath.. this makes me think that the couple didn't give her a dust bath if she didn't know what it was. chins should recognize it if they get it often and they like the enclosure since theyre used to burrowing. If she won't dust within the next few days, rub dust on her fur just to clean her so she doesn't get too greasy. Hopefully she will learn soon enough. Otherwise, sounds like you're going to be a great owner! keep us updated 

Yeah, like I said, they really didn't know anything about chins. They even had a ball for her and asked me if I wanted it! I politely refused, obviously...

Like I said, I did a lot of research (even got a book on them published by Animal Planet), and I know they're skittish and shouldn't be grabbed. I had no intention of grabbing at her under any circumstances, and I was planning on eventually luring her out with a bit of craisin or oat.

She does know what the dust bath is, that picture in my avatar is actually her peeking out of it. I didn't take that picture, it was on her ad on craigslist. The couple gave me her bathhouse and her dust, so Tia is familar with all of it. I don't know why she won't dust, it is strange. If she doesn't dust by Monday, I will definitely rub some dust on her fur if she doesn't mind too much.

When it comes time to clean her cage... I don't want to stress her out by grabbing her and taking her out of the cage, so can I just clean it while she's in there? Maybe use a small dust pan and such to sweep up the bedding? I've been picking up her poops that she leaves on the cardboard-covered balconies (they're nice, fim poops and they are frequent) to keep it nice. She will only pee in his potty house, I've noticed - there is no wetness anywhere else. I read that this is pretty common, that they designated a potty corner.

Thank you both for your opinions and knowledge, it really helps reassure me. I've had rats for the past two years, and I had to give one away due to her being very aggressive with my other rat. My other rat lived to be four years old (if you don't know about rats, that is positively ancient for them, they usually live to be about 2.5, *maybe* 3 if they're real lucky) and I had her euthanized because she got two large tumors that were affecting her quality of life and there was no way she would have survived the surgery. I was heartbroken over losing my girl (she was put down on the 31st of January), but I knew that I had to move on and get a new baby or else I'd sulk for the rest of my days.

Thank you again!!!

[olivia41]

Yes you have definitely done your research and thats awesome! you'll be a great mommy  as for the dust bath, since they were giving them to her she probably is just not used to doing it in the new environment and i'm sure once she gets adjusted in a day or two she'll be happy to roll around!

When it comes time to clean her cage... I don't want to stress her out by grabbing her and taking her out of the cage, so can I just clean it while she's in there? Maybe use a small dust pan and such to sweep up the bedding? I've been picking up her poops that she leaves on the cardboard-covered balconies (they're nice, fim poops and they are frequent) to keep it nice. She will only pee in his potty house, I've noticed - there is no wetness anywhere else. I read that this is pretty common, that they designated a potty corner.

What I do since I have a big dog crate for my boys is when they have their free playtime my boyfriend watches them and I actually sit inside the cage and have a little dust pan, like you were referring to, and use that to clean their levels (they have safe wood as ledges). I do notice sometimes that they will come back to their cage and come climb on me and be very confused as to what I'm doing! I worry this may stress them out a bit so I wouldn't clean while she's in there just because she may see you as intruding. The best thing would probably be to get a small cat carrier or something similar and put that near her in her cage and let her climb in and close that, let her hang out in there while you clean so you don't need to grab her but don't need to clean her in her home either! Other people will have more ideas I'm sure, just some suggestions Otherwise, get some pictures us and show us your beautiful little girl! Congrats on your new baby! I'm sorry to hear about your little rat, I'm sure he had a great life with you though

[psycho_ash]

Yes you have definitely done your research and thats awesome! you'll be a great mommy  as for the dust bath, since they were giving them to her she probably is just not used to doing it in the new environment and i'm sure once she gets adjusted in a day or two she'll be happy to roll around!

When it comes time to clean her cage... I don't want to stress her out by grabbing her and taking her out of the cage, so can I just clean it while she's in there? Maybe use a small dust pan and such to sweep up the bedding? I've been picking up her poops that she leaves on the cardboard-covered balconies (they're nice, fim poops and they are frequent) to keep it nice. She will only pee in his potty house, I've noticed - there is no wetness anywhere else. I read that this is pretty common, that they designated a potty corner.

What I do since I have a big dog crate for my boys is when they have their free playtime my boyfriend watches them and I actually sit inside the cage and have a little dust pan, like you were referring to, and use that to clean their levels (they have safe wood as ledges). I do notice sometimes that they will come back to their cage and come climb on me and be very confused as to what I'm doing! I worry this may stress them out a bit so I wouldn't clean while she's in there just because she may see you as intruding. The best thing would probably be to get a small cat carrier or something similar and put that near her in her cage and let her climb in and close that, let her hang out in there while you clean so you don't need to grab her but don't need to clean her in her home either! Other people will have more ideas I'm sure, just some suggestions Otherwise, get some pictures us and show us your beautiful little girl! Congrats on your new baby! I'm sorry to hear about your little rat, I'm sure he had a great life with you though

Thank you, I will definitely try that! She can't seem to resist craisins, so I'll put a nice big piece of one in there and let it lure her...!

And, just a little thing... I'm a daddy, not a mommy.

[olivia41]

oh whoops i knew that

[Jo Ann]

Hi!  Ash ... Welcome to the Wonderful World of Chinchillas & to the Chinchilla Club Forum.   

the lady showed me Tia's cage and reached in and scooped Tia right out and plopped her in my arms.

  Scooping her out is much better than grabbing her.  Always remember to keep the hind legs supported at all times, this way she will feel safe ... If you don't, she will think she is fallling and try to squirm away from you.

she didn't have any hidey huts, so I got her one and put it on the third floor of her cage, with the opening face away from the front.

  Huts, and anything else of any weight (bowls, dustbaths, pieces of wood, etc.), should be attached to the cage itself with screws and fender washers, so that it might not fall off the shelf and on her.

There was a small, open plastic box in the opposite corner, which I put my sleeping shirt in (later I found out it's her potty box - whoops!).

  The first time you see any signs of chewing on the plastic, all plastic should be removed from the cage.  Chinchillas will eat anything ... even things that are not good for them.  Plastic breaks off in small sharp pieces ... when it tries to pass through the digestive tract, it will/can leave scratches and/or cuts which can easily become infected.

The cage is still covered with the sheet - the top, back, and right side are covered, but the front and left side are open.

  The cage is used because it will allow a natural flow of air through the cage, you are blocking the natural flow by using the cover on it. 

Tia's cage is up high on my dresser, right beside the window. I've had birds and rats on my dresser before and they never had any problems with drafts, so I think it's all right. The air in my room is fairly still, so I use my ceiling fan on low to keep it circulating.

Do be careful of open windows, air vents (hot and cold), fans of any kind that will cause a draft ... drafts (hot or cold) can make a chin sick.  Chinchillas are much more sensitive to temperatures and air flow/wind/breeze than other small animals.

My room is right over the woodstove we use to heat the house, so my room is the warmest. Because of this, I now keep my door closed and the window cracked, and I also got one of those granite slabs for Tia to sit on (but I haven't added it yet - I don't want to mess with her house too much just yet).

  The best temperatures for chinchillas are between 65 and 70 ... not under 45 and not over 75.  Humidity also plays a part ... If you take the temperature in your room + the humidity, the total should never be over 150.  (35 to 45% is a good humidity level ... under 30 is to dry and over 55 is getting to moist.  Please do put the granite stone on the bottom floor of the cage.   
 

She will only pee in his potty house, I've noticed - there is no wetness anywhere else.

  You are very lucky she is already trained.   

She was also making these cute little peeping noises later that evening.

  If you will go to her and talk to her when she is doing this, they will usually start having a "conversation" with you.  I have several that will do it to get attention.  One in particular is one who will 'carry on a conversation' with me for more than 5 minutes at times ... she talks, I listen ... she stops ... I talk and she listens (she's very polite and does not interrupt like most) ... it goes back and forth as long as she wants to talk) this is so much fun and she is so cute ...  I often start laughing, then she seems quite put out with me when I do it ... I don't know what she is saying, but she can seem down right serious at times.     There are so many things that they will do that shows their personalities ... no two are exactly alike.

   Jo Ann

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Oooh it's so much fun getting a new one, and I so remember my first.

Congrats.

[jmdebb]

hi... welcome

[psycho_ash]

Thank you for your advice and kind words!!!