befuddled about something!

ChinnyMom · Apr 19, 2011

well folks, as you may know i had the most fun today, ripping apart Rhino's big new cage because he chewed his water bottle and soaked his fleece. joy! lol.

i had to move him back to his old superpet cage because the wood base for the big cage got damp in a couple spots and i want to ensure it is dry before Rhino goes back.

also found out today i may get access to a tile cutter sooner than i thought, so i'll probably just go ahead and finish the base (tiling the floor, adding casters, etc) while Rhino is back in his old cage.

since he's been back in the smaller superpet cage, he's more lively, more inquisitive as to what i'm doing, and just seems happier all around. right now i can hear him bouncing around in there, when in his bigger cage (and before when he was in the superpet cage to begin with) he would be very placid and not too active at all, even from day one.

is it possible that he prefers the smaller cage? if so, i'm ticked! lol. spent money, time, and nearly drove the Rona guy nuts when i was there buying the wood, tile, and other things i needed to build the base. heck, i even mocked everything up right outside the wood cutting station, right there in the store, lol.

or is it just a case of a 'new' space to explore, and the 'chin turned kangaroo' phase will wear off, and he will return to his usual 'placid while caged' attitude?

greychins · Apr 20, 2011

I would think it could definitely be the 'new' space. We have some bigger/smaller cages and so once a year (in the summer, when the cages are all taken outside and scrubbed) we take chins and swap cages - the ones in smaller cages go into larger, and vice versa. They all go nuts. Even the chins that can normally be found lounging in their hammocks 24/7 become psycho-nuts. After a while they settle down and they're "normal" again.

LovinTheSmallAndFurry · Apr 20, 2011

greychins said:
I would think it could definitely be the 'new' space. We have some bigger/smaller cages and so once a year (in the summer, when the cages are all taken outside and scrubbed) we take chins and swap cages - the ones in smaller cages go into larger, and vice versa. They all go nuts. Even the chins that can normally be found lounging in their hammocks 24/7 become psycho-nuts. After a while they settle down and they're "normal" again.

I think that's what's going on with my chins, but sort of the opposite. Since finding out my chins are brother and sister, I've moved the brother up to the top of my FN. Before, they snuggled together in one hammock. Now they both have their own hammocks, and neither of them use them! But I just converted them a little while ago...so I think they're probably still adjusting.

Stackie · Apr 20, 2011

Most likely it's just the new space.

caiti · Apr 20, 2011

Whenever I bring Chloe home for the weekend and she stays in her FN 141 (less than half of her normal sized cage) she freaks out constantly. She throws her food bowl around and tries to destroy her water bottle and does that thing when she pushes shavings underneath her and throws them behind her with her front feet. And she chews the bars and just creates havoc in general.

I think that is what Rhino's doing. If you kept him in that cage for a few weeks, he'd probably revert back to his mellow self.

ChinnyMom · Apr 21, 2011

i'm glad Rhino doesn't go into destroy mode like Chloe! lol. well, except for when it comes to plastic water bottles....... :rofl:

(reminds Rhino he's a good boy and not to take influence from caiti's chin, hahaha!)

i'm sure he will mellow out again, and even over the past day he's seemed more calm. not that he was nervous to begin with, he was just more active and much more inquisitive whenever i'm near the cage, as opposed to when he was in the big cage temporarily, pretty much ignoring me unless i was opening the door to let him out. spoiled lil bugger..... lol.

might be getting a friend to drop by with a tile cutter tomorrow, so his cage base could be done soon! yay! got the casters on today, and installed the hinges so the front wood plank can drop down (lower door of the cage won't open fully otherwise, due to its location), and finished putting on the latches that keep the front panel up. all that's left is the tiling! and the three or four days i'm going to leave it to let the adhesive cure and 'de-smell', although it is low odour to begin with and isn't all that stinky.

and picked up more hardware for more shelves today too! going with screws instead of hanger bolts. i've snagged myself too many times already on those dang things! lol.