a few questions about my new boy

[Zukuro]

:help:

I just got a almost - a -year old male Chinchilla from a girl I work with who got him from a friend who is a breeder. he is a standard grey named Bunky (his original name was 'Elvis') so he's a 'third hand chin' and he is very sweet but sometimes when I go to get him from his cage he makes a noise much like a protesting child. 'urnf urnf' or like a sneeze. I went through the chin sounds but I can't quite figure out if he is angry or scared. he's never bitten me but I don't want him to ever feel the need. once he is out however he stops and doesn't protest my holding him once he is close enough I can cradle him against my shoulder or in both arms. he wants to be on my shoulder but I don't want him to jump and or fall.

I am sure i'm not picking him up incorrectly, I scoop him up with two hands under his front and bottom and never squish or grab him. should I assume this will get better with time? he's fairly friendly when out for play, he crawls on my lap and as long as I keep my hands open he will sniff them and carry on his running. so far he's only bounced off the wall twice.

mostly he runs and slides on the wood floor and hits his head on the door frame. is that normal for a new chin? = |


I also want to know what sort of treats I can give him. as of now he gets 2 small raisins a day sometimes I cave and give him an extra HALF of one but I don't want to give him too many. he didn't like the dried cranberry I offered him.

and is it NECESSARY to keep them in pairs? I know it is good for them but will that make him less social? and if he's been single most of his life is it bad to introduce another chinnie? i know there is a possibility they won't get along like with most things it is hit or miss. my female betas get along, but my gerbils did not and I had to buy another cage.

I can afford a cage and the chin but my parents won't allow me to have the second cage because we have limited space for the size of cage they need.

so any advice, tips, information you can offer would be greatly appreciated. i love my Bunky and want him to be happy.
:chin3:

this is my Bunky



​

 

[MeganS]

well, i am also a new chin owner. i've had my two boys for a little over a month. they are brothers as far as i know so they have always been together. everything i know about them i've learned from this site so you came to the right place. first, my boys dont like to be held at all. they barely like to be pet, so yours is furthur along with you than mine are with me it would seem. second, when you let him out to play, you need to make sure there is nothing he can chew on or get into that can hurt him like chemicals and electrical cord and such. also, you want to make sure he stays dry and cool, but not too cool. third, raisins are high in sugar and are not good to give. i give my boys a plain cherio, a pinch of "old fashioned" oats, or a small plain shredded wheat. from what i've read, rose hips are good too. as far as him being alone, i would let him get used to ou for a long while before you introduce another chin. you can get him a fleece buddy if you think he's lonely, people on here sell them. you also want to make sure he has wood chews. mine get apple, willow, and pear wood. you can order them from people on here too. he should be on a high fiber diet. i feed mine mazuri, though there are better brands, but i'm not sure what they are, no seeds or nuts or fruit nothing high in fat or sugar, and lots and lots of timothy hay. i give mine oxbow. stores like petco and petsmart carry KAYTEE brand food and treats and dust, these are very BAD and have very little nutritional value from what i have read. the dust isnt so bad, but it isnt the greatest either. blue cloud is good, but my husband and i are allergic to both kaytee and blue cloud. there is a thread in health and hygene i believe that talks about a dust called PDZ. as far as bedding, you dont want to use cedar cause it can cause resperatory infections. i use aspen. i get all my bedding, hay, and pellets at the local feed store. i usually costs me about $35 to get a 15lb bag of pellets a bale of aspen bedding and a half bale of timmy hay. you also will have to do hair ring checks. have fun with that one. i just tried to do my first one and my husband couldnt hold him right so i could do it and he kept jumping and squirming. uhhhhhgggg!!! their hair is so fine that it gets inside the foreskin and wraps around the penis and can cut off circulation. there are two links posted in my thread "a few ?? about my new boys." one is a youtube videw that shows how to do it, and the other is a little clearer video. everyone on this site is amazing and very helpful so you deffinately came to the right place and i'm sure there are things that i've left out or that i'm incorrect on that the others will tell you. good luck and congrats on your new baby! BTW the middle pic is so cute! he looks just like my harley when he's being grumpy!

 

[tristanichole]

Yes, raisins in that quantity every single day are not good for them. Don't worry, you haven't caused any horrible damage, I would just stop. My husband really likes to give raisins, but I have cut him off from doing so every day...they can have a raisin a month and Arron gets to give it to them. Other than that they like Cheerio's and plain Shredded Wheat or Old Fashioned Oats...also, my male LOVES spinach leaves. We give one or two to him every now and again. Are you dusting him? He's super cute, but it looks like he could use a bath. My standard starts to look like that if I haven't gotten a bath to her (especially when its humid out). They love their bath time! Sit on the floor during play time and let him explore you...this is a great way for a Chin to learn to trust you. Just be still...don't try and pick him up when he comes up to you...just sit there and let him check you out. In time you'll be able to pet him. I pick mine up the same way when they are being cooperative, but if not, grab at the VERY base of the tail...don't ever grab a Chin by the end of the tail.

And WELCOME! (sorry if I missed any of your questions)

 

[lauralynne]

I didn't see if you said how long you've had him. If you just got him, let him get used to his new environment for a few weeks. You can sit near the cage and talk to him, but try not to handle him. After a couple weeks of doing that, let him explore you during play time and offer him a pinch of crushed rose hips or whole oats from your hand. It just takes time to build the trust.
They don't have to live in pairs, but it's recommended if you don't have the time to spend an hour in playtime daily. If you do get another one, you'll have to quarantine it for 30 days in a seperate cage in another room of the house...you can't just put them in the same cage together. Then you have to go through a proper introduction which is going to require 2 cages. Also, if you have 2 it's a good idea to have a spare cage on hand in the event they were to fight or one get sick and you need to seperate them.
Hope that helps!

 

[Alicia4435]

Personally, I would stop with the raisins all together. There are so many other treats that you can give him. I give my girls a plain shredded wheat for a treat and they love it. Also Good Old Fashion oats (not the quick cook), Cheerios, and crushed rosehips. I give either one a couple times a week. I like to keep a variety for them. Apple sticks are great too!

Foods... Make sure its high quality pellet based food. Tradition, Oxbow, Mazuri (there are lots more too). I personally feed my girls Tradition and have done well with it. I also feed my girls Oxbow Timothy Hay. Just be sure to stay away from any petstore brand food (with treats and such).

As stated before, you should stay away from Cedar bedding. Pine and aspen is fine.

As for getting another chin, I would wait on that. Let him get settled and use to his surroundings. If you feel like he needs something to cuddle with then you can purchase a Fleece cuddle buddy for him. Chinchillas just sometimes want to be an only chin. I have 1 like that and she's just fine by herself. But if you absolutely want to get another chin (but its not necessary), just be prepared to quarentine for 30days aswell as the potential permanent 2nd cage if the chinchillas don't get along.

Oh, and be sure to purchase a good quality Dust for him to bathe. I use Blue cloud and it works great. You should stay away from any kind of "Chinchilla Sand" that a lot of pet stores sell. They don't do any good for their fur. Brands like Blue Cloud and Blue Sparkle soak up the oils and gives their fur a nice fluffy look and not so greasy like the sand.

Also, if that cage he's in is his permanent cage, just be sure that he doesn't start chewing on the plastic. Even so, it might be a good idea to replace them with Kiln dried pine shelves. It will give him something safe to chew on, they're easier to replace, plus it can give you lots of different creative ways of setting up his cage.

Last but not least, Congrats on your new addition! Having chins is a great experience (i LOVE IT), and welcome to the forum!

 

[Sandi]

Hi and welcome and congratulations on your fur baby! Glad you found this forum. Hopefully you'll get the answers you're looking for, if not just ask. )

but sometimes when I go to get him from his cage he makes a noise much like a protesting child. 'urnf urnf' or like a sneeze. I went through the chin sounds but I can't quite figure out if he is angry or scared. he's never bitten me but I don't want him to ever feel the need.

He is kacking at you as most chins don't like to be grabbed or chased. Is his cage at ground level? If so, just open the cage door if that is where his playtime area is and he will come out on his own. Also make sure this area or room is chin-proof as others have mentioned.

once he is out however he stops and doesn't protest my holding him once he is close enough I can cradle him against my shoulder or in both arms. he wants to be on my shoulder but I don't want him to jump and or fall.

If you are sitting on the floor with him, he should be fine climbing and jumping all over you.

I am sure i'm not picking him up incorrectly, I scoop him up with two hands under his front and bottom and never squish or grab him. should I assume this will get better with time? he's fairly friendly when out for play, he crawls on my lap and as long as I keep my hands open he will sniff them and carry on his running. so far he's only bounced off the wall twice. mostly he runs and slides on the wood floor and hits his head on the door frame. is that normal for a new chin? = |

It'll get better as you get more comfortable and as you mentioned as long as you are not squishing or grabbing its ok. He's probably hitting his head because he doesn't have traction to stop as chins jump and hop so fast, can you put a box or something soft in front of the door?

I also want to know what sort of treats I can give him. as of now he gets 2 small raisins a day sometimes I cave and give him an extra HALF of one but I don't want to give him too many. he didn't like the dried cranberry I offered him.

Chins don't need treats, that's just for us humans to want to give them that. Raisins are not good for chins, too much sugar, maybe you can give half of one once in a great while. One plain cheerio is ok once a week or you can get dried rosehips which my chins love and that has vitamin C in it which is good for chins. Also, instead of those treats just give him lots of chin-safe wood chews, they are much cheaper to buy it here from members even with shipping than to get them at a pet store. My boys think the twigs are treats.

and is it NECESSARY to keep them in pairs? I know it is good for them but will that make him less social? and if he's been single most of his life is it bad to introduce another chinnie? i know there is a possibility they won't get along like with most things it is hit or miss. my female betas get along, but my gerbils did not and I had to buy another cage.

I can afford a cage and the chin but my parents won't allow me to have the second cage because we have limited space for the size of cage they need.

It's not necessary to keep them in pairs. You can get him a cuddle buddy (fleece stuffed toy) or a good wheel (not the plastic ones from the pet stores) for now. As long as you are interacting with him alot, then he should be fine on his own. Even if you do get another male chin, you would HAVE to do a quarantine in separate cages and in separate rooms for at least 30 days. And as you said, they may never get along and then what will you do if you're not allowed a second cage?

so any advice, tips, information you can offer would be greatly appreciated. i love my Bunky and want him to be happy.

Thanks for sharing the pics of your cutie pie, he does look like he is in need of a good dust bath though. Good luck and hope we helped.

 

[Zukuro]

wow! thank you all for the information and advice! it really helps. my Bunkers is getting to be quite the love bug he loves his cheekes scratched and he closes his eyes and tilts his head. even lifts one arm so I can pet under his face. XD he also likes to climb up on my shoulder when at play but he also chews my door frame D= so i have been breaking up boxes to cover the frames. i personally don't mind a bit of chew marks on the door but I don't like stepping on sharp pieces and I'm sure it's not good for him either ^^


but I now have another question, as some of you noticed his coat isn't in the best shape. when I got him he looked scruffy and he has some loosely matted bits.

what can I do to bring his coat back up to par? i'm starting to think that my friend wasn't tanking the best care she could have of him. is it possible to brush a chin? not like with a dog/cat brush but maybe like a infant/toddlers brush? he's had a dust bath twice a week since I got him but he still looks a bit off am I using too much or not enough bath powder? I usually just layer the bottom in a thin bit of dust and dump whatever is left when he is done.

 

[Essentia]

Letting him bathe in a good quality dust will do wonders for his coat. Blue Cloud is the most recommended. Even with shipping it also costs less then the crap they sell in the pet stores. There are several people on this forum who sell dust.

 

[TammyC]

Yes, the blue cloud is one of the best and used by all the breeders I've ever spoken to. However, there is also a dust that is a little cheaper and pretty comparable, called Blue Sparkle. Several people on here sell it, it's a little cheaper like said, and MY FAVORITE thing about it, it leaves little sparkles all over them. I've only ever heard of show chins being groomed with a brush. It can be stressful for them if they are not used to it so I would not recommend it. Like Essentia said, the dust will do wonders after only a few dust baths.

As far as feed, I use Oxbow pellets for most of my chins, but a couple of them don't really care for it so they eat PANR (Purina Advanced Nutrition Rabbit Pellets). Essentia above actually sells it, or you can find it at alot of feed stores. I have to special order it from my feed store, but they are more than happy to get it for me. I also get my hay from my local feed store as it's much cheaper than the pet store. I have 12 chins currently so I buy in bulk, but most will sell lesser amounts since you only have 1 chinnie. Be careful though, they are addicting. lol.

Treat..... Mine do not get raisins because of the sugar as mentioned above. As far as the rosehips go, most of mine love them. They are sold whole or crushed. The whole rosehips have little hairs in them that can irritate some chinnies. 2 of mine here will not touch them hole. The crushed are sifted so that there is no little hairs. All of my chinnies love the crushed. They also love cheerios. The apple, pear and pecan sticks are great for their teeth and they love them too. Double bonus.

Definitely ask any questions you might have. The people here are wonderful. Good luck with your new little guy. He is a cutie.

 

[dinobrie]

:help:

I just got a almost - a -year old male Chinchilla from a girl I work with who got him from a friend who is a breeder. he is a standard grey named Bunky (his original name was 'Elvis') so he's a 'third hand chin' and he is very sweet but sometimes when I go to get him from his cage he makes a noise much like a protesting child. 'urnf urnf' or like a sneeze. I went through the chin sounds but I can't quite figure out if he is angry or scared. he's never bitten me but I don't want him to ever feel the need. once he is out however he stops and doesn't protest my holding him once he is close enough I can cradle him against my shoulder or in both arms. he wants to be on my shoulder but I don't want him to jump and or fall.​

Carl and I got our first chin, Nibbler, and for our first ever playtime, we took him back into our spare room, and let him loose. Nibbler crawled behind our waist sized entertainment set we had and started making a heehaw sound. We freaked, pulling him out (which was NOT what he wanted) and scooting the set up. He went right back after being let go and started making the noise again. We called the pet store and talked to the lady who sold us Nibbler (I feel bad in retrospect because I was such a worrysome chin mommy. I constantly called her and asked to talk to her about my chinnie). She said that was perfectly fine and that he's adjusting. Sounds to me that Bunky is doing the exact same thing. As long as he's eating, pooping, and drinking water, he's getting adjusted, which will take awhile. Especially if you're the third owner he's had.

Biting is an okay thing. Nibbler gives affection bites when he enjoys something, or when he's pruning Carl (EnslavedbyNinjas).

I understand the falling part. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the things Nibbler was climbing off of and jumping off of. Turbo loves to climb on Carl's shoulder and hang out there until he finds a comfortable spot. It's all up to you on how you want to hold them.

I am sure i'm not picking him up incorrectly, I scoop him up with two hands under his front and bottom and never squish or grab him. should I assume this will get better with time? he's fairly friendly when out for play, he crawls on my lap and as long as I keep my hands open he will sniff them and carry on his running. so far he's only bounced off the wall twice.

As long as you aren't squishing them. They're very easy to squish if you get past all the fur. There's another way where you can lift them up from the base of their tail or something to that effect but I don't think I could ever dangle my chinnies by their tails. I pick mine up from the bottom, then hold them to my shoulder against my chest, and they seem to like that the best.

mostly he runs and slides on the wood floor and hits his head on the door frame. is that normal for a new chin? = |

Both my boys are over a year and they still do that. They run into everything. :]

I also want to know what sort of treats I can give him. as of now he gets 2 small raisins a day sometimes I cave and give him an extra HALF of one but I don't want to give him too many. he didn't like the dried cranberry I offered him.

That many raisins are bad. They're really not suppose to have that many at all, I think we've only given half to each boy twice. We give them rose hips, oats [old fashioned Quaker], the occasional Shredded wheat, and the local pet store sold yogurt covered Timothy Hay [which my boys didn't like but to each his own]. The boys also enjoyed acidophilus, which helps their intestional system and they enjoyed the taste. Didn't even know it was medicine and good for them! Best thing to give them is things to chew on. Since their teeth grow so much, they need to constantly file them down. Cardboard is safe for chins as long as there's nothing written on it and NO tape. There's applewood (which both Nibbler and Turbo will devour in a matter of hours), pumice stone, cardboard tubes, hanging treats, etc. There's a few people on this forum you can talk to who make treats for them, as well as a few rescues that sell them to help their cause. :]

and is it NECESSARY to keep them in pairs? I know it is good for them but will that make him less social? and if he's been single most of his life is it bad to introduce another chinnie? i know there is a possibility they won't get along like with most things it is hit or miss. my female betas get along, but my gerbils did not and I had to buy another cage.

When we got Nibbler at a pet store, he had a "brother" in his cage. When we got him home, he seemed like he missed having another chin for a week or two, but adjusted really well. The hard thing about getting a chinchilla play buddy is if they will get along. We got Turbo roughly a few months after Nibbler and after their month quarantine, we put the two together. Nibbler made sure that Turbo knew he was boss, and likes to remind Turbo that at every possible chance (doesn't help Turbo that he likes to go up to Nibbler's cage and tease Nibbler when Turbo is out). It's a weird thing whether the chins will get along or not.

I can afford a cage and the chin but my parents won't allow me to have the second cage because we have limited space for the size of cage they need.

Then I would advise against getting another chin, at least for the time being. If you get another chin, it is heavily advised to have a month quarantine, in separate rooms with separate play times so that no possible diseases are being transferred from one to the other. Even then you have to make sure you have room for the other chin in case the two of them don't get along.

so any advice, tips, information you can offer would be greatly appreciated. i love my Bunky and want him to be happy.
:chin3:

I'm no expert, but that's what I've experienced through my two wonderful chins. :] Hope this helped a bit!

this is my Bunky

AW! so cute!


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[/QUOTE]

 

[dinobrie]

what can I do to bring his coat back up to par? i'm starting to think that my friend wasn't tanking the best care she could have of him. is it possible to brush a chin? not like with a dog/cat brush but maybe like a infant/toddlers brush? he's had a dust bath twice a week since I got him but he still looks a bit off am I using too much or not enough bath powder? I usually just layer the bottom in a thin bit of dust and dump whatever is left when he is done.

That is the best thing to do for them, giving them baths. I've NEVER heard of anyone brushing their chins, because I don't think they stay still long enough for you to. But dust baths are the best thing you can do. :]

 

[dinobrie]

They are sold whole or crushed. The whole rosehips have little hairs in them that can irritate some chinnies. 2 of mine here will not touch them hole.

I love the little hairs in rosehips. :] The first time both Nibbler and Turbo had theirs, realized there was little hairs and then tried to scrub them off their faces, I about died from the cuteness.