Chin and Sleep :/

[Apollo24]

Hey everyone, this is my first post and I figured this would be a good place to get answers for a few of my concerns. So my girlfriend gave me an early Christmas present yesterday, my very own chinchilla however, for him to stay in my home, he pretty much has to stay in my room. Everything was fine, until I tried to get some sleep. Now i know that chins are nocturnal and party all night, but mainly my question is to those who sleep in the same room as them, do you/ will I get used to him being up at night?
I also have a year old shi-Zhou who actually barked at my door last night around 2:30 am. This is my main issue with Apollo, and because I am a commuting college student I still live with my parents, my mom has stated that he will go back to my girlfriend if things don't work out. I really love the little guy, I just wish I could get to sleep like usual also.
My other question is basically what is a good routine for them? So far I change his slab in the morning and evenings, and fill his food (if needed) and water in the evenings. The hay i fill up randomly, he's picky and I wait until he's basically done with what he has already :/ thanks in advance!

 

[e.murphy518]

I have had my two chinchillas for about 3 weeks so I am by no means an expert but I can tell you that the first two nights were kinda hard sleep-wise (although I basically spent the whole night watching them play in their cage anyway haha) but after that I got used to the noises, it also helped that I made (they can also be ordered) fleece sleeves for the pans of the cage depending on what kind of cage you have and I replaced the plastic shelves with poplar wood. That kind of cut down on the banging sound that it made when they would jump around that worked for me so just an idea

 

[Filia]

I also keep my chinchillas in my room. However I'm a deep sleeper so they usually don't bother my rest. I'm sure you'll get used to their noise eventually

I sweep out their cage each morning, and in the evening if necessary. (I use fleece bedding, which makes this process a LOT quicker and easier!) I keep their food bowl filled at all times, so I put a handful or two of pellets in their bowl in the morning. (During the day, chinchillas might get up for snacks, which is why keeping their bowl full at all times is a good idea. All the same for their hay) I rinse out their water bottle every night and fill it with fresh water. Once or twice a week I'll deep clean their cage.
That's the routine that works best for me. Always be sure his/her cage is cleaned often! Enjoy your fluffy new friend!

 

[Godofgods]

So your dog barked and their considering getting rid of the chin as a result??

Chins take time to adjust to a new environment. Give him a month or two. If your having problems getting used to having him around, imagine how he feels in a new home with new ppl, having to get used to new everything. I would be on edge to.

Chin barking is going to happen occasionally to. Maybe a bit more while they are getting adjusted. They some times moan/bark in their sleep, or sometimes its a warning call if they hear something. They have great hearing, and can hear things that you probably never even noticed. So as they are getting used to new things, they can be even more panicky. I would expect nothing less.

You will both adjust to each others routines as u get used to each other. The hay is no surprise either. All 5 of mine are picky with it. Some pieces they just wont eat and drop. A fair amount does end up being throw out.

 

[Stackie]

Ear plugs

 

[Pikaia]

There are several people on this board who have chins in their bedroom. I bet they couldn't sleep without the chins making noise.. lol. Myself, I couldn't possibly sleep in the same room as them, so they have their own room! Earplugs are a good idea though! In time you might get used to having them in there.

 

[Apollo24]

First off, thanks to all of you for the reply's! I have been looking around, and yeah my chin is in a three story cage but it does have plastic shelves. AND he likes to chew them which definitely makes some noise! So poplar wood would be the best to make new shelves and ledges out of? I know there are some woods that are harmful to them... As for the fleece, would it be better to replace the regular bedding- shaving stuff with fleece? They don't chew it? And as for earplugs, not really what I was hoping on having to invest in lol.. not fond of sticking things in my ear...

And if anyone could show me an example of the fleece use it'd be greatly appreciated! Kind of unsure what I'd do, the bottom has a plastic pull out pan with all of the bedding on top of it, a metal grate above that to keep the chin inside while i can clean the bedding, and plastic ramps and plastic shelves three stories high.

 

[deliamaj]

I don't know how this would work for you but I have playtime before I go to bed. They tend to want to rest for a bit after being out and it's usually enough time for me to fall asleep. Once I'm out their noises don't usually wake me unless they bark, and they usually only do it once or twice before settling down again. I agree with e murphy that wood shelves are much quieter than plastic. Good luck!

 

[greychins]

My chins are (thankfully) not in my bedroom, but when we're at hotels for pet expos (when the rescue has a booth) and bring along adoptable chins/critters, we have travel cages set up.... earplugs are the way to go. I'd NEVER get to sleep without them.

 

[Chinmama]

Putting wood shelves in your cage may make it more sturdy, and more quiet. You can find kiln dried pine at Lowe's or Home Depot and they can cut it to the lengths you need. There is a tutorial in the DIY section of Housing and Supplies where you can see how the wooden shelves are made.

If you don't want to do that, I would at least cover the plastic ramps and shelves with fleece. You want to look for anti-pill or blizzard fleece. You can find it at Walmart, or most craft stores - like Joann's, Michael's, or Hancock Fabrics.

 

[deliamaj]

apollo, you said something about a metal grate above the bedding? do they walk directly on that all the time? if they do it's not really good for them. I just adopted an older pair and their foster family told me their feet are damaged because their previous family had them in a wire bottom cage. they walk fine now but their feet are bumpy on the bottom. i think it's called bumblefoot? (is that right, more experienced people?) anyway i just thought i'd ask )

Dani

 

[Godofgods]

Chin chewing plastic is never a good thing. Poplar or klin dried pine would work fine for your shelf. The KD Pine is no where to be found in my area, so i use poplar myself. It can help increase the cages sturdiness, and their by might help reduce noise a little bit.

Fleece as a litter pan can be a nice method if you can make it work. Their are a few things to consider tho. One is the ability to wash/dry it as needed. And a second to be in the cage while the other one is out being cleaned. Of course you'll need the funds to actually get them. And one of the bigger issues is if your chin will use them correctly. Some chins have been known to tear fleece up some. Others might never make a mark on it. So since you don't want a chin to ingest fleece, if he starts tearing it up, you will have to take it out permanently.

Of course the up sides if it works are great to. Not having to buy litter all the time. Or getting the dust particles in the air when you change it. Fleece is washable/reusable. Its also more comfortable for a chin. I have liners where they like to sleep. Mine seem to love the feel.

 

[e.murphy518]

First off, thanks to all of you for the reply's! I have been looking around, and yeah my chin is in a three story cage but it does have plastic shelves. AND he likes to chew them which definitely makes some noise! So poplar wood would be the best to make new shelves and ledges out of? I know there are some woods that are harmful to them... As for the fleece, would it be better to replace the regular bedding- shaving stuff with fleece? They don't chew it? And as for earplugs, not really what I was hoping on having to invest in lol.. not fond of sticking things in my ear...

And if anyone could show me an example of the fleece use it'd be greatly appreciated! Kind of unsure what I'd do, the bottom has a plastic pull out pan with all of the bedding on top of it, a metal grate above that to keep the chin inside while i can clean the bedding, and plastic ramps and plastic shelves three stories high.

I am not sure what your cage bottom looks like but I have the Ferret Nation cage so the bottoms are just plastic pans. I got anti-pill fleece on sale at joann fabrics and sewed it into basically a pillow case shape, it was pretty simple. So the pan slides in and then I tuck the flap over. If you don't like sewing there are plenty of online places that you can purchase them. As for chewing, I know a lot of people use the fleece without a problem. From what I understand anti-pill fleece is the only chin-safe fabric as long as there are no loose threads. My chins just took a test nibble when I put it in for the first time and now they leave it alone. IF there are loose threads they will probably pull them out or chew them so be careful about that. Any exposed plastic should definitely be removed or covered with fleece though.

As far as fleece vs. shavings for bedding, I have seen both used. I think it is more a matter of preference. I considered either fleece or aspen shaving and I decided on fleece because I didn't want to be constantly buying shavings and throwing them out a week later. I just wash my liners twice a week and whenever I see that their little poop pellets are building up I take out the pans and just shake them out into the yard. I also have a pyrex pan I use as a litter box filled with shavings and I have noticed that they only pee in the litter box but they poop everywhere haha

There is probably a list of safe woods floating around but the ones I know for sure that are safe and pretty easy to find are kiln dried pine and poplar. You can purchase shelves but I personally chose to make my own. It was fairly simple I just decided on what size shelves I wanted and where to place them and then cut the poplar.

Once again I am a new member and I have only had my chins for about a month. I did a ton of research on various forums to come to these decisions but I tried them out and they worked for me I will attach a picture of my chins in their cage, you can see the fleece liner. You can't really see how it is made but there are probably instructions somewhere on here. Hope this helps! It noticeably cut down on the noise from my boys' cage (which is in my bedroom about 3 feet from my bed)

 

[Laluvschins]

I sleep on my couch about everynight and my chins cage is right beside the couch in which they have their large wheel too that goes non stop. I hardly even notice it now, you will get used to it

 

[Apollo24]

apollo, you said something about a metal grate above the bedding? do they walk directly on that all the time? if they do it's not really good for them. I just adopted an older pair and their foster family told me their feet are damaged because their previous family had them in a wire bottom cage. they walk fine now but their feet are bumpy on the bottom. i think it's called bumblefoot? (is that right, more experienced people?) anyway i just thought i'd ask )

Dani

okay yeah, he walks on the metal grate pull out, its only there so you can keep him in the cage while you clean out the bedding if it makes since, but i cleaned it earlier today and he and I both enjoyed him having some roaming time in the bathroom supervised so I will probably just keep the wired part out, and let him just walk on the bedding alone

 

[Jordanelizabeth91]

Fleece for sure helps keep the noise down. My chin spends a lot of time sleeping at night because I make her be active during the day. After while you wont even hear when they make noise!

 

[jbcstratton]

Just something that hasn't been mentioned, chins don't need ramps. They can just jump from shelf to shelf. If you feel it is too far just put in a little ledge for him. Congrats on your new addition.

 

[marshmallowfluff29]

usually i can sleep though absolutely anything but my first 5 nights or so with my chins i had to put cotton wool in my ears, they drove me insane, now i dont even notice them on their wheel, but when other people come over theyre in awe at the fact i can sleep with them in the room, what sort of noise do they make because i did have this wheel which when fastened to the cage hit off the bottom of the cage, and when not it hit against the platform (my neighbour woke up because of it) so if its a wheel id recommend playing around with it or getting a new one