Chinchilla gone missing??

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SarahLynn

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
14
Location
USA
My chinchilla Dusty has gone missing. We don't know if he's indoors or outdoors or what happened. We see NO chinchilla tracks outside in the snow, but we don't hear him indoors either. All we heard once was a chewing sound in the wall, but we do have mice so I am highly doubtful that it would be him.

We put a plate of dust out in each room to see if he uses any of it. We also put his cage outdoors by the stairs to come inside. We have tapped at his dust bath to excite him out and have him come to us, but no luck.

I looked under the bed, under the couch, under my friend's bed, in each little hamper thing we have, I looked in the closets. I looked in all the cupboards. I cannot find him. I am having such a panic attack and I have no clue what to do...HELP!?! It has been 3 hours!!!!!!! He has NEVER done this before...I am so scared... HELPP!!!!!
 
I'm so sorry. That's really scary.
They are so very good at hiding. My superfat chin can get in/out of any space that is 1.5 inches by 3 inches easily and they are good at being quiet. One time in the bathroom they hid behind a tiny shelf that I didn't think they could get under...which they did and they were then behind it where I couldn't see them. Thankfully, it was too small for both of the chinnies so the tip of a tail was sticking out.

Use a nice bright flashlight. check under any shelves/cracks and start blocking off access to any nooks and crannies. That will prevent them from doubling back to hide somewhere you checked already.

Close off all doors and let the rooms be dark and quiet. If you have hardwood floors, dusting the floor with dust with the hopes that they will come out eventually and leave little trails.

Slowly and steadily, tip over any recliner chair you have and check inside the mechanism. One of my chins would always climb into our recliner mechanism when we let him out to play in the living room. If no chin there, then reset it and block off the bottom gap with blankets/pillows so that he can't get in.

Look behind and under any sofas/cabinets by moving them. One time, one chin decided to hide mid-wall behind a sofa. Sneaky lil cutie.

Best of luck
 
When you say inside or outside, did you have windows or doors to the outside open enough for him to escape? If he has been outside in the snow for 3hrs or more, then chances aren't good. Otherwise he is still inside. Check every small dark space he may even able to fit in. Or try shaking him food or treats bag (works for mine)I just read a post of one hiding behind a toilet...I hope you find him safe.
 
:cry3:

We looked outdoors and there are no chinchilla tracks anywhere. There is this one place in my friend's room that's this big open hole

16462903_152667035239380_2813641093726857252_o.jpg


This is the big hole in our wall. I poked in it with a broom and no luck seeing any movement. But we don't think he is outside. We would have seen tracks somewhere..

It's been almost 24 hours. We have turned the apartment upside down looking for him. Any suggestions or help?

We put a hav-a-hart trap outside just in case..., but nothing has triggered it.
 
When you say inside or outside, did you have windows or doors to the outside open enough for him to escape? If he has been outside in the snow for 3hrs or more, then chances aren't good. Otherwise he is still inside. Check every small dark space he may even able to fit in. Or try shaking him food or treats bag (works for mine)I just read a post of one hiding behind a toilet...I hope you find him safe.


My posts never post but we looked everywhere with no luck. There are no tracks in the snow either so he can't be outside. We cannot find him anywhere. We've looked in and under everything, including couch, beds, dressers, etc.

Any help would be awesome..

16462903_152667035239380_2813641093726857252_o.jpg


There is this huge hole in the wall [ Pictured above ] , but I'm told by the landlord that it doesn't lead anywhere. I put some chinchilla vitakraft treats there and they're gone, but that could have been the mice that run around. I don't know. I miss him and I am hoping to find him asap...but it's looking kind of bad right now since we havent been able to find him in a whole day. He's never done this before.
:cry3::cry3::cry3:
 
its possible a chin got in that whole. They do tend to like secluded dark places. They are cave dwellers in that sense. Without being able to get all the way in you cant rule that out. They are good at getting through little wholes as well that you may think is impossible.
 
its possible a chin got in that whole. They do tend to like secluded dark places. They are cave dwellers in that sense. Without being able to get all the way in you cant rule that out. They are good at getting through little wholes as well that you may think is impossible.

I've looked in the hole, around the hole. I put water out there, hasnt been touched. I put dust around the hole, hasn't been touched. All I see is little mouse hands. I am missing him so much. I don't know where he could have gone at this point. Still no prints outside though, so he must be indoors. I don't know how chinchillas deal with deaths, but his friend Toby passed away a few days ago. They only hung out a few times, but everyone keeps saying that chinchillas go and die someplace when their friends die. I am hoping that's not the case for him..But I can't find him anywhere. I've even let my other chinchilla out to look for him, because any time Kiwi looks around for Dusty, he goes jumping and they bicker back and forth. No sound, no movement. Nothing. I am beyond heartbroken, and I just want him home. I know it's only been around a day and a half but that's a long time for me, especially with no clues or sounds..
 
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