Chinchilla always peeing outside cage. Help!

[Waffles718]

Ok so we recently moved to a new apartment and got our chinchilla a really nice big cage with lots of cool ledges and a huge wheel. But now he's suddenly peeing all over our new couch! Our new cage is on wheels so we just pull it next to the couch for him to jump out whenever he wants but within the first few minutes of being on the couch he stops and pees. He almost never peed outside his cage before. Also we usually let him have playtime on our bed and he peed on one of our pillows for the first time ever!

My boyfriend and I have no idea what's going on. At first we thought maybe he was being territorial but now we're not so sure. We don't have any other pets. Please help! How do we get him to stop? Everything I read says that chinchillas are supposed to be really good about not peeing outside of the cage.

 

[Godofgods]

only thing i can think of is stop moving his whole cage. How would u like it if your house was suddenly moved at osmeone whim lol. I no all 5 of my chins hate it if their cage is moved. It will put them on edge and on the defencive. So it wouldnt suprise me if that was part of it.

 

[fanofdmb84]

How about waking him up for playtime and waiting until he pees in his cage before bringing him out? You could even give him a little tiny treat for peeing, so he learns to do it every time.

 

[ChinnyMom]

Ok so we recently moved to a new apartment and got our chinchilla a really nice big cage with lots of cool ledges and a huge wheel. But now he's suddenly peeing all over our new couch!

what has all changed between the old cage and the new? have you changed bedding, or made it so that his usual pee spot in the old cage is no longer available in the new (as in a certain cage corner now taken up with the wheel, etc)? perhaps just the change to the new cage and new apartment was enough to confuse him about where he is supposed to pee.

if he uses a litter pan, put it outside the cage during playtime, right near the cage, then let him out. might help. moving the cage around like that may be upsetting him too. instead, i would try picking him up out of the cage an then carrying him to his usual play area.

far as i know, chins don't mark their territory with pee like dogs or cats do. haven't read anything about this, but i may have just not come across it yet in my chin researching. neither of my boys have ever peed outside their cages. Rhino has run back into his cage now and then to go pee during playtime (his lower cage door is right at floor level).

 

[summerdays]

i would wait until he peed then let him out.