Fur Chewing

[MandyM]

I bought a 4 yrs old male chin about 1 1/2 months ago. When I first got him it looked like he had chewed a little bit on his fur above one of his back legs. I have recently noticed that it has gotten worse. He isn't bald, I can still see hair in the spots were he has chewed (it looks like fuzz) but the spots are bigger and now on both of his sides. I read that chewing is a sign of boredom but he has chew toys and I try to rotate them out every couple of days. I also let him out for about an hr every evening. I'm not sure why he is bored, when I got him his previous owner didn't have any toys in with him and he didn't get let out every day to play either. Any suggestions would be very appreciated. I don't want to have a bald and bored chin. And could the chewing be a sign of something else? It doesn't look like ring worm, but other than that I don't know. I have also changed his hay, he was on alfalfa but i switched him to timothy, and i have started to slowly switch his food also, i don't think he liked his food, he didn't even eat 1/2 tbsp in a day, so i'm working on switching him to muzuri and he seems to like that, he picks all of it out and eats it before he eats his other food.

Thanks for any suggestions!!!

 

[tunes]

Chewing is generally considered to be genetic. It can sometimes be triggered by boredom or environment, but but if a chin is going to chew, he's going to do it regardless of how many toys you give him or how much run time.

There isn't a lot you can do for a fur chewer. Rotate toys to keep their interest. Make sure they are on a good quality pellet and hay. Try and keep commotion near the cage to a minimum.

Other than that, he's still the same chin you love, just slightly less furred.

 

[Brittney]

I have 2 chewers and 2 non chewers. One chewer just started out of the blue a year after I got him. I’m sure it wasn't boredom or anything changed, probably just genetics that kicked in. My second chewer came from a horrible pet store situation and is almost fully chewed on his back end except for a Mohawk down the middle where he couldn't reach. I'm sure both of them are going to continue chewing now that it's a habit. Just something you are going to have to deal with.

I'm hoping in the future I can put my two chewers together in a cage since they "understand" each other

Just love your chewers. Like Tunes said, they are the same chins, only a little less furry

 

[MandyM]

Thank you for the information. I'll definatly still love him. I just hated to think of him chewing on himself because he was bored. There aren't any health problems I need to watch out for caused by him chewing is there? ie.... fur balls, getting chilled, etc...?

 

[Brittney]

Chins can't get hair balls. Apparently it once was thought that they could; it's even in one of my medical books. But I was told on here that it was false.

Like I said, I have 2 chewers, one of which has been chewing for a year and a half, and they are both perfectly healthy.

 

[AZChins]

I used to worry about chewers having that problem, too. For years and years I was told to give them petromalt...the thing you use for cat hairballs.

Chewers can be very healthy even though they make a mess of their fur. They're fur artists...

 

[Chub_Chub]

I used to worry about chewers having that problem, too. For years and years I was told to give them petromalt...the thing you use for cat hairballs.

Chewers can be very healthy even though they make a mess of their fur. They're fur artists...

Yep, Dexter is a little fur sculpter... Like Edward Scissorhands when he styles hair! LOL:hair:

 

[AZChins]

Isn't he more of a lawn mower? LOL I'm kidding. Dexter is a good boy even though he likes to sculpt himself. Maybe it's so he can make himself smaller and faster?

 

[sinfulcindylou]

I think it can be genetic, or it can be a result of stress or boredom. Gizmo was a fur chewer when we got him- definitely made himself a 'piece of art' LOL. But after a few months here he stopped and has great fur. Each time I've moved he's taken to sculpting one of his cage mates rather than himself for a few weeks, but after he settles in he stops...

 

[Chub_Chub]

Isn't he more of a lawn mower? LOL I'm kidding. Dexter is a good boy even though he likes to sculpt himself. Maybe it's so he can make himself smaller and faster?

He's the fastest boy in the pack, thats for sure, sculpted or not..
To the OP, they can grow out of chewing if its not a crazy little chin like I've got.. I had another fur chewer, he was completely stressed out in his previous home. Like CindyLou's chin, after getting settled with our home he stopped chewing altogether Hopefully your little chin is just momentarily stressed and will get over it.