chinchilla with an attitude!

[bianca]

so, my chinchilla has been acting VERY weird now for like about 1-2 weeks. its not health related, so i didnt take him to the vet for it.
its just..he seems to be acting like he hates me!
we havent had playtime in a while, but when i go to his cage to play he sits in the one spot and doesnt go near me.

today, i put a dust bath out for him and he was about to jump it in and saw me, and dodged back into his cage!! so i tried putting the bowl in his cage, but he barley touched itbecause he was afraid! :O
then..i closed his cage so that he knows i wasnt trying to grab him or anything and he went in his dust bath, but any sudden movement i made he ran away, terrified.

also, when i touch him to pet him and stuff, he makes noises at me, like a kacking sound.. in the past, he would just run away or turn around to sniff my hand.

why is he mad at me!?
has anyone had a situation similar to mine before?

 

[BellaBella]

You stated it right in the beginning - we haven't had playtime for a while. If he'd gotten used to that playtime, he IS mad at you for taking it away.

Some chins are just more nervous than others, it can really depend on experiences they had at the breeders or pet store. Patience is key, just let him know he's safe, speak soothingly when he is jumpy, and be very deliberate in your movements.

My Bella still gets jumpy sometimes.

 

[bianca]

okay, thank you!

 

[leer]

I am currently in a similar situation. I haven't been able to take my chins out for playtime because their room is the only one that has AC, and I can't let them out in there, so I have to wait until the weather cools down to take them out. But I noticed a change in one of mine after a while of no playtime. Except instead of running away from me, he attacks my hand when I open the cage. He tries to escape when I open the door, and if I don't let him he will bite and scratch. I think I would rather have him run away from me than attack me!

 

[arf2184]

How old is he?

 

[bianca]

I am currently in a similar situation. I haven't been able to take my chins out for playtime because their room is the only one that has AC, and I can't let them out in there, so I have to wait until the weather cools down to take them out. But I noticed a change in one of mine after a while of no playtime. Except instead of running away from me, he attacks my hand when I open the cage. He tries to escape when I open the door, and if I don't let him he will bite and scratch. I think I would rather have him run away from me than attack me!

same!! thats what he does to me too! in the past when he was afriad, he would run to another section in his cage. but now he makes noises and nibbles on me lol. AND tries to escape out of his cage.

-----

and he's 2ish years old. (i dont know his actual age because i got him from the SPCA)
oh and also, i thought he may be acting like this because his brother is gone (he passed away august 30th)
but yea.. its just been difficult to play wiht him lately because of school that i have, and also when i have a little bit of time it takes SO long for him to come out of his cage/interact with me because he's terrified.

he seems to be hiding in his cage b/c usually he would sit on top of his hut(on second shelf), but now he sits on top or under his bridge thing he has(on bottom level of cage).

 

[~*=Phoenix=*~]

Perhaps he is still not over the loss of his brother and still is wanting that social interaction with you. If you had a brother for around 2-ish years, I think it would take you longer than a few weeks to get over it.

 

[Bethany2386]

My little boy has a HUGE attitude. Last night though, was by far the worst that I have experienced. I had him out for bath time/playtime. He took his bath, ran around for quite awhile, and jumped all over me. When I went to pick him up to put him back in his cage, he bit me and broke skin!!!! It hurt bad! I finally picked him up and a huge long section of his fur fell out... It makes me feel like he hates me!

 

[Terbear24]

Have you considered getting him a friend? So that way when there are times when you cant get him out and play at least he has someone else to interact with!
just a thought!

 

[bianca]

yeah. ive been trying to get a chinchilla for him to play with, but i cant find one at any of the shelters that i had in mind! i think il call up a breeder i came in touch with and get one.