Chinchilla dancing?

[Moonlight]

I had a kit recently that did that (also White), incessantly - it broke my heart to watch it and although he was a stunning chin I decided that I couldn't use him for breeding because of it. I found a very good pet home for him with a trusted friend in an all male environment (5 other male chins) and from her reports he's now stopped.

He is the only chin I've had that does it, the rest (including his mother) are very laid back although some of them do have their oddities, his mum sleeps on her back with her legs resting on the shelf above her. His father though, who was the std is very highly strung and I wonder if that has something to do with that combined with being white. It was the first time I've used that male with the mother and the only time I've had the problem, all her other kits have been fine. I now don't use the male with WW's just in case it's that combination

Things that can help...
Covering the top of the cage
Lots of exercise
having a dominant chin/s in close vicinity, ideally above the probelm chin.
Have hanging toys that get in the way and give the chin something to occupy itself with at a height that prevents them from going to far back.

 

[Jaina_Organasolo]

I believe it's sometimes referred to as "Star Gazing" ?

 

[Moonlight]

It is over here, I don't know about in the US.

 

[Stackie]

Smudge must be one of the whites that are actually right in the head..I've never seen him doing anything like that! The most he can do is look extremely chubby

 

[Cuddlebug]

Bamm Bamm is a white and he has never done it. On the other hand, Bambi does dance and she is a standard. Could it be possible that there is a strain of dancing whites - the newest thing in chinchillas.::wink3:

 

[Tonyschins]

I have a white named Bongo that does it for hours every day. We call it his Stevie Wonder dance. It is so funny to watch.

 

[JennyBug]

Moonlight - we're not planning on breeding her. We adopted her from a woman and she had no info on parents or anything like that. I didn't want you worrying about that!

As for making her stop doing it, I don't see any problem with it. She doesn't usually do it on shelves where she could fall, just on the ground. It seems to make her happy, so she can dance her little heart out!