Cold ears and paws

[Megg09]

My friend who has never had a chin before now keeps talking about how her chinchilla is always cold and he can't seem to get warm because his ears and paws are always cold. She even said that she moved a heater closer to him. I just made sure to be really clear about the room temp not exceeding 70 degrees and advised her that moving him to a heater was not a good idea. It's not cold up here. Chilly but not freezing.

 

[ChinnyMom]

from my experience with my boys, their feet and ears are always cool to the touch, unless they've been going crazy during playtimes.

if her chin was cold, i'm sure he'd be in a hidey house all the time, or snuggled in a hammock or other fleece accessory in his cage. if he's acting normally, eating, pooping, and generally being a normal chinchilla, then i would say he's just fine.

 

[greychins]

My chins tend to have cold little feetsies and pawsies all the time too. They never seem "warm" the way they would if you were touching a dog's paw/foot. As long as it's a reasonable temperature in the room (say, 55-70) and the chin's eating, pooing, drinking, the chin's probably fine. They're just cooler critters.

 

[Megg09]

That's exactly what I was thinking. But I wanted to double check incase this was something that I didn't know about and should worry over.

 

[Jenn]

I would be wary of having a heater close to a chin. They prefer cooler temps. and the heat could cause serious issues. I always take cold ears and feet as a good sign that they are not overheated. Unless her house is totally at a freezing temp. I doubt it is too cold for her chin.

 

[caiti]

My chin's feet and ears are usually cold as well. But her abdomen is always warm. So I know at least her core temp is warm enough. I think that might just be normal for them.

 

[danilinn]

Jonesy's paws are always cool unless she's been running around. I let her play on the couch for 5-10 minutes sometimes, and when her paws get warm I put her back in her cage.
I think they're supposed to be like that.

 

[Brittany]

Cool ears and paws are a good thing.