Fur chewing, help please :(

[luxy]

Hello,

So I have two chins, and one of them has began to chew on her fur pretty badly. She is almost 2 years old, sharing a nice big cage with multiple levels with my other chin, who is about 1.5 years old. They have been living together for more than a year now. At first they weren't crazy about each other but eventually they became friendly enough to share a cage. Sometimes I hear them making annoyed noises at each other but it never becomes a problem, they act like sisters. They sleep together, play together, and sometimes get annoyed with each other over sharing toys in the cage, nothing serious.

I know that stress, temperature change and aggressive cage mates can be the problem, but nothing has changed at all. No food change, no hay change, no water change, on the same schedule, the temperature has not changed, her and her cage mate have remained the same. I don't think the other chin would be the cause of her stress, like I said, they do get annoyed with each other occasionally but nothing serious.

My chin who is chewing her fur has perhaps nibbled a little on her fur before, but nothing as noticeable as what its like right now. She's got the "mohawk" thing going on. Her fur is all short over her hips on either side. I think she may be chewing a bit on her front as well.

There are no bald spots, redness or sores. Just shorter fur.

I went out and purchased a number of new chew toys to lift her spirits and perhaps distract her from nibbling her fur but I think I saw her nibbling her fur again yesterday (its hard to tell between regular grooming and chewing, perhaps someone could suggest how to tell the difference?).

Does anyone have any recommendations? I really just want her to be happy! She's the most affectionate and loved chinchilla I know!

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

Some chins are fur chewers for life (it doesn't mean it's not a happy life! though stress can definitely lead to fur chewing), others chew on and off, others stop chewing their fur if they have a sufficient amount of different chew toys and a great cage environment, attention, playtime, etc. Can you provide more information about her cage set up, chews, quantity, etc.?

 

[luxy]

Right now I have a 3 level cage, about 3ft tall.
In it they have a chin spin, a wooden house, a grape vine ball, a long chain with plenty of coloured and shaped pieces of wood and a bell on the end hanging from the top (all safe wood of course), a fleece tunnel, a chin chiller, one of those grey cubes for chewing on, as well as a mineral stone for chewing, toilet paper roll and sea grass sticks. They also have plenty of fresh hay and the proper amount of mazuri pellets and water.
They get a dust bath 3-4 times a week for about half an hour each time.

 

[Newt]

My Rosey is a fur chewer. She chews a stripe on her flank... right down to the skin, though thankfully she doesnt bite her skin at all. She has heaps of toys, plus a huge cage, plus exercise time every night in a dedicated chin room.
She started when she was 2 years old, when my old chin Poppy got sick, and she's never stopped since.
She's not stressed or bored (I dont think), I think in her case it's just a habit that wont go away.
I guess my point is that your chin may just have a bad habit (kinda like humans biting their nails), and it might not go away. Some chewers unfortunately just keep chewing, no matter what you do!

 

[jags]

Good luck, you can try many things but most do not completely stop once they start.

 

[Dreamlite]

Once they start fur chewing its rare for them to stop. Where did you get her from? If its a breeder they will want to know. Chewing can be genetic, bordom or stress related. It doesn't mean she is unhappy.

 

[luxy]

@dreamite I adopted her from a family who didn't want her anymore after having her for a few months and deciding to move. Judging on the fact their family friend worked at pet smart or super pet and had lots of supplies from there, I'm guessing she is also from super pet/pet smart.

Thanks for all the input, I'm just hoping with lots of attention and things to keep her busy she wont chew too much! I know it sounds silly but I miss her big beautiful coat! As long as she's happy though I don't mind the chewed coat.

 

[Tagna]

It may stop, it may not. I own a fur chewer who stops for months and then overnight will chew. I have 2 rescues that are fur chewers. One has stopped since she has been here and the other just arrived.

Just offer lots of chews and know you are doing all you can.

 

[Whimsy]

We'ver actually had many, many fur chewers surrendered who have since completely stopped and recovered. Most of the time it is stress and diet related. Surprisingly, the placement of the cage has a lot to do with how stressed out a chin can be. They do not like sudden surprises, so near a doorway is bad. They also NEED freesh air and natural daylight as well as the proper temperature...among other things. Just wanted to share that fur chewing is not a hopeless subject.

 

[luxy]

@whimsy

She's on a healthy diet that has not changed (mazuri pellets for the past 6 months or so) and plenty of timothy hay (oxbow). Plenty of fresh water, daylight and fresh air. Their cage has been in the same place for the past 16 months- out of the direct sunlight but still in a place where they can enjoy the sunlight if they want to. Very quiet area of my home.

That is what is so frustrating, I literally have not changed a single thing, I can't imagine what's got her stressed out