[PRECAUTION] Chin Proofing Playtime Areas.

[Wall-E Kips]

hello everybody.
i decided to make this topic due to unfortunate events that struck this morning.
my little guy gets 2 hours of play time every day. 1 hour in the morning, and 1 hour in the evening. i usually let Wall-E out in the bathroom but i felt he is getting bored of the same old same old. i decided to switch things up and let him play in the dining room/kitchen. i set up boxes for barricades. i didn't think nothing of it at the time but i didn't set up but a barrier sectioning off the kitchen. my chinnie managed to squirm under the dishwasher. panicked, i rushed to the room and woke my girlfriend. LUCKILY there was a way to get the base board part off of the dishwasher that allowed us to open up the bottom part. i scooped up my chin and plopped him in his cage. this was the first time i have failed to properly chin proof a play area. i felt the need to make this topic just to give people an idea about the precautions needed before a chin is let out to play. i was very devastated and luckily there was no way for him to get into the walls or behind the cabinets. i don't wish the feeling of losing a chinchilla on anyone as it is very alarming. with everything being said, i have to conclude that even the SMALLEST holes and gaps need to be covered in a proper chin proofed area.
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[mgonya]

Happy to hear you chin was OK. Can't take your eyes off the little imps for even a second.

 

[Godofgods]

i have to conclude that even the SMALLEST holes and gaps need to be covered in a proper chin proofed area.

So very true. I almost lost my newborn baby chinchilla (before i even new he was born) because he slipped effortlessly though the one-inch cage bars of my FN cage. Then he hid under the refrigerator. To say I'm lucky he was found, is an understatment! Never underestimate a chinchilla.

 

[Spirit Chaser]

I'm pretty sure chins live to scare us.
When I first got my chins I used to let them play in the bathroom until one of mine decided it would be fun to use the toilet to get up onto the sink and then dive off every chance he got. The day he slipped and bashed his face on the side of the bathtub and bit his tongue was the last day I ever let them play in the bathroom, so now I have playpen for my boys.

 

[Jazicat]

We were unsuccessful in finding a way to chin proof whole rooms. Our boys used to run in a play pen but amazingly two of the three have learned to run on the sofa and not jump off. The third is still learning but we are making progress. Of course play time is never unsupervised and we are always close by.

 

[Newt]

Truth be told, I have never let any of my chins have playtime unsupervised. I have always sat with them and kept an eye on their antics.

Rosey is a lot calmer than my other chins were, but even she can do some crazy stuff if I'm not watching. One time she decided to chew through the wooden floor (starting at a tiny ridge where the planks joined), and who knows how far she would have gotten if I hadn't been there to shoo her away!

In my opinion, given the inquisitive and persistent nature of chins, they should always be supervised when out of their cages. Better safe than sorry I reckon.