getting worried :|

[pinkchinchin]

I bought a new chin two days ago and I am getting worried about him. I have him in a cage in my bedroom. I usually don't buy my chins from pet stores but when I saw him at a local one I fell in love. Also they said he had been there for a long time so I felt like I needed to rescue him and give him a nice home.
Anyway, when i was checking him out at the store he came right out to me and jumped in my hand I tried to see if he wanted a cuddle but he bit and said no haha so i put him back down and just gave him some pets and he was happy. When I got him home he kinda hid in the back of his cage, I offered him a treat but he did not want it. He kinda wanted to inspect my other chin and then went back in his house.

I am just afraid because I have never had a chin be this shy when I get them and I don't think he has drank anything. Maybe eaten a little of his food.
Any suggestions?

btw, my other chin seems excited lol

 

[Kawaii_Hedgie_Chin_Love]

I can tell you right now that your chin is just scared. You need to give him more than two days before you expect him to be his full chinnie self. Wait a week or two before you try to bond with him, give him some time to settle in. Some chinchillas won't take treats from their owners until they trust them, i've had a few like that in the past. One of which still wont take anything from me even though she completely trusts me. Do you have these chinchillas in a cage together? whenever you get a new pet you should give it a 30 day quarantine period to make absolutely sure it is not sick. If they have come in contact, and the pet store chin is sick, it is highly likely that your other chin now is also.

Mark the spot on his water bottle where the water level is right now. Tomorrow, see if it has moved.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

It sounds like normal behavior to me. Mark his water bottle so you can see if it goes down or not (they drink so little sometimes it is hard to see the difference). Make sure the chin has plenty of hay available. It can take a few days for a chin to really settle in and feel comfortable. I know it is too late but quarantine is always a good idea when you bring a new chin into the house for the very reason that you can observe and make sure the chin doesn't have any hidden illnesses and the chin can relax while not feeling any additional stress of another chinchilla being near ). If he seems lethargic at all and definitely is not eating or drinking and has no output then I would seek a vet.

 

[inzeos]

Seems like normal behavior to me as well. Just give him time on his own to adjust and adapt to the new environment. Our latest rescues came from a noisy stressful environment and spend the first few days sleeping almost exclusively. You can often try giving a healthy treat by leaving it on a perch and checking to see if it was eaten. Then work up to having them take their treat from your finger tips.

Like others have said it is best to keep a new chin separate from your existing chins to keep both animals healthy until you are sure neither is sick.

 

[pinkchinchin]

Yeah I marked his water bottle last night. For me it was just strange because the previous 2 I have had they were both shy the first few weeks but this guy doesn't move at all, I dont know if he even sleeps. In the afternoon he moves around some and then goes back

Also they are not in the same cage. Both are just in my room I cant keep them any place else

 

[Kawaii_Hedgie_Chin_Love]

Did your other two come from a pet store? If not, they were likely treated with better care and knowledge than your new chin and kept somewhere much quieter than a store. My newest rescue took a few days before she really started drinking, only taking a few drinks here and there. She'd get scared every time she came out for about a month, just let him get used to you and your home and everything should be fine.

 

[pinkchinchin]

Yeah the first was a rescue and my second is from a breeder. I just worry if he doesnt eat

 

[Parkerspetchins]

If he is not eating you will need to handfeed to keep his gut moving and seek a vet to find the cause. If he is eating hay and nibbling on pellets then I think he is just still settling.

 

[pinkchinchin]

Ok well he started to eat and when I opened his cage up he jumped right out into my hand so I just gave him a few scratches. Also, how can I tell if a chin is being aggressive? Any actions or behaviors to look for?

 

[Parkerspetchins]

Do you mean with another chinchilla? If so, in what situation are you putting them (cage in cage, playtime together, smoosh cage)? Depending on the situation they will chase each other, pull fur, bite, spray, kack, it will be obvious that they are not getting along. Chasing and humping are normal behaviors but if you see biting and fur pulling then you need to separate right away before it escalates and one or both get injured.

 

[Kawaii_Hedgie_Chin_Love]

If you are talking about him being aggressive toward you, the signs will pretty much be obvious in this situation too. Kacking, biting, spraying, etc. But if he had any intentions of being agressive toward you, he probably wouldn't have jumped out into your hand so willingly.

 

[pinkchinchin]

Well they havent been together yet but last night when i was holding the new one on my bed my other chin in his cage jumped around alot and was putting his nose thru the bars and was reaching out to the other one. It didn't look aggressive but i wasnt sure