JackieChin
New member
Hello all! Been a frequenter of these forums for a few months now, but just got around to registering today.
First of all, let me just say that it is entirely possible I am overreacting. I do that a lot. Secondly, I do apologize if this is a lot to take in, or if it's a rehash of an older thread.
My new Chin, Jackie Chin (master of the Drunken Fist Style, and the chief operative in Operation Condor, 8 weeks old as of today) came home with us yesterday. My fiancee and I, thinking we had a better grip on the situation than we really did, ended up rushing him a little bit too hard, and generally messing with him when we really should have just let him settle. He was very active yesterday, bounding all over his cage and generally exploring. He would jump from the top of his chin hut and cling to the bars, trying to master his escape artist act. He was even outwardly friendly enough to crawl all over me when I would poke my hand in to stock him up a little more on timothy hay and such. His activity level stayed that high well into the night.
Today, however, is a different story. He's been asleep most of the day in his Chin hut, which is expected, honestly. But even now when he was bouncing off the walls yesterday, he has stayed pretty much exclusively in his hut, although wide awake. His activity level has tapered off quite a bit. I'm also unsure he's been drinking. I haven't seen him approach his water bottle at all, but that could very well be explained by me simply not having seen him. I've marked the sides of his water bottle(s) with a permanent marker so that I can see how much of the water is gone from either one tomorrow. He still seems to be eating healthily, although he's eating much more hay than he is pellets.
Should I chock this drastic turn in behavior to him being exhausted from yesterday's copious romping? To him just starting to settle in and the novelty having worn off? The separation from his mother and sister? I really apologize if this all seems a bit anxious, but that's just me, and I would be really genuinely heartbroken if I did something that ended up hurting my little guy.
Thank you in advance!
-JC
First of all, let me just say that it is entirely possible I am overreacting. I do that a lot. Secondly, I do apologize if this is a lot to take in, or if it's a rehash of an older thread.
My new Chin, Jackie Chin (master of the Drunken Fist Style, and the chief operative in Operation Condor, 8 weeks old as of today) came home with us yesterday. My fiancee and I, thinking we had a better grip on the situation than we really did, ended up rushing him a little bit too hard, and generally messing with him when we really should have just let him settle. He was very active yesterday, bounding all over his cage and generally exploring. He would jump from the top of his chin hut and cling to the bars, trying to master his escape artist act. He was even outwardly friendly enough to crawl all over me when I would poke my hand in to stock him up a little more on timothy hay and such. His activity level stayed that high well into the night.
Today, however, is a different story. He's been asleep most of the day in his Chin hut, which is expected, honestly. But even now when he was bouncing off the walls yesterday, he has stayed pretty much exclusively in his hut, although wide awake. His activity level has tapered off quite a bit. I'm also unsure he's been drinking. I haven't seen him approach his water bottle at all, but that could very well be explained by me simply not having seen him. I've marked the sides of his water bottle(s) with a permanent marker so that I can see how much of the water is gone from either one tomorrow. He still seems to be eating healthily, although he's eating much more hay than he is pellets.
Should I chock this drastic turn in behavior to him being exhausted from yesterday's copious romping? To him just starting to settle in and the novelty having worn off? The separation from his mother and sister? I really apologize if this all seems a bit anxious, but that's just me, and I would be really genuinely heartbroken if I did something that ended up hurting my little guy.
Thank you in advance!
-JC
be patient and talk to Jackie, let him know he's safe and that you're not going to eat him. I think water consumption depends upon a lot of factors - temperature, their activity level, their mood. Sometimes mine will drink just a little and sometimes he drinks almost the whole thing (I do change it daily). As long as you see a lot of poop and they're not squishy, he's OK! 
