Help!!! lonely chin???

[tracycharli]

Hi all chin lovers,

I am a new chin mammy to a young kit approx 20 weeks old. I have had her for about a month. I desperately need advise on her behaviour though.

She seems to sleep far too much. 10pm and she still isn't up, and she isnt getting up throughout the day. Is this normal for a baby? I let her come out to play every other day for about 30 mins, but it is difficult waking her up to play. Once shes out she seems fine, and runs about like a mad thing and jumps all over me, but as soon as she goes back into her cage, she either goes back to sleep, or just stares into space. Is she lonely and need a playmate? She has plenty of toys in her cage, which when prompted, she really enjoys playing/chewing. Whenever i go towards her cage she usually dives toward the door to get to me.

I'm really worried that she is miserable and lonely. Can anyone give me some advise please.

A worried chin mammy.

 

[rainey]

Wait so you've had her since she was a week old? She was taken from her mom then, or do you have her mom? I hope others see this post soon so they can help you.

All I can say is don't give her playtime, she is too young and needs her calories. What are you feeding her? Do you know her weight? Right now I wouldn't be worried about her being lonely, I'd be worried that she is unhealthy.

 

[tracycharli]

Hi Rainey,

The pet store i got her from said she was between 13 and 15 weeks, and I've had her for a month, so her approximate age is between 17 and 19 weeks old.

I'm feeding her a good pellet food from a store called pets at home (other chin owners recommended this food), she's eating plenty and getting unlimited hay plus a dried rosehip once or twice a week.

Someone on another site has just advised that she is probably too young for playtime. I didn't realise this. I read up on chinchilla's for ages before ages before i got her, and thought i was doing the right thing.

She's certainly not unhealthy, shes eating, drinking, peeing and pooping well. She's definitely grown and increased in weight since i got her.

As i said, when she is awake, she can be very lively in her cage, she just seems to be sleeping a lot.

 

[ChinnyMom]

20 week old chin minus the one month you've had her means you got her at about 16 weeks, which is approx 4 months old, perhaps just shy of 4 months. fine for kits to go to new homes at that age. kits normally get weaned at 8 weeks, as long as they are at least 200 grams, and a reputable breeder would keep them for a little bit longer after weaning to make sure they are faring well.

this 'staring into space' behaviour sounds like my boys, they are very placid in their cages and don't do a heck of a lot in their cages unless i'm in the chin room. they have tons of toys and things to chew, which they do chew a decent amount, but usually just sit like bumps on a log when they aren't sleeping or eating. my boys are about 22 months and 13-14 months old, according to what their previous owners told me. my boys will usually wake up as soon as i come into the room though, and their regular sleep time is about 11 am to 3 or 4 pm. they are awake by supper time and raring to go, lol.

younger chins on the other hand, do have more energy, and should have a higher activity level than chins that are done their growing. you say she is hard to wake up for play times, yet also say that when you approach her cage she is 'diving' to get to you. i'm a little confused here, so if you could tell us which of these two is the norm for her, that'd be great.

as for the going to sleep right after play time, that would be normal if she really got going and did a lot of running and jumping around the room. my boys will plunk down and go to sleep if they've been out of their cages for a while or had an exceptionally rigorous play time.

being as you are a new chin owner, i wouldn't advise getting another chin so soon. take some time to get to know your chin, and read through all the threads on this forum to gain knowledge of all things chin. for example, i don't breed, but have gone over the breeding and babies section quite a bit, just for the knowledge.

where did you get her from? if a pet store, then her age could be very approximate, and you may never know exactly how old she is. pet stores don't usually have that info on hand.

is she eating hay and pellets well? what is her poop and pee output like?

 

[Riven]

Do you have a wheel for her? What are you feeding? Pellet, hay, treats?

 

[tracycharli]

Riven - She gets a good quality pellet food, lots of hay and 1 dried rosehip every 2 - 3 days. I don't have a wheel for her, but she does have a large 3 storey cage to run about in with lots of ledges and toys.

ChinnyMom - Tink usually goes to sleep as i'm heading out to work at about 7.30am, but is still sleeping now at almost 10pm. She might wake once or twice to eat, drink, pee and poop, then its straight back to sleep. She does wake up if i stand in front of her cage and talk softly to her, she will wake up and scoot across to me, but she doesn't seem to have a natural routine to waking up.

When she has been out playing, she just seems to be collapsing in a heap (however, i now know that she is a bit young to be out playing, and this is probably what is wearing her out, so i will leave it a few more weeks before she comes out again), and that's it for the rest of the night.

It was a pet store i got her from, and they said she was between 13 and 15 weeks when i got her. As i have said to Riven, she eats plenty of qood quality pellets, lots of hay and a small treat every 2-3 days. She's eating and drinking well, and peeing and pooping plenty, so i really don't think she is unwell or unhealthy. She is growing and gaining weight also. I think maybe because i have been letting her play out, she is just tired, but i don't want to be a bad mam, so i thought i would ask on here.

 

[ChinnyMom]

because you are a new member, your first 10 posts are moderated, and i couldn't see your second post in the thread until now.

keeping her in her cage for the next bit sounds like a good idea, both because you want to wait until at least 6 months for play times, and for the fact that she sounds sleepier/less active than the average chin.

let us know if her sleep patterns change at all in the next few weeks with no play time, ok? and if she becomes lethargic at all, be sure to get her to a vet right away.

 

[tracycharli]

Thanks ChinnyMommy. I will let you know how it goes. She woke up after 11pm last night, and we had a 10min play time. I was wiggling my fingers through different levels of the cage and tapping it gently and she was chasing all over trying to find where my fingers were. i also gave her a little stroke and tickled under her chin which she seemed to enjoy.

i have my house rabbit registered at a very good vet who has a lot of experience with rodents and small animals, so if i thought anything was wrong with her, i would get her there straight away. When i was taking her out to play previously, i was taking her upstairs in a pet carrier, to get her used to it, just incase i ever need to get her to the vet (fingers crossed i don't).

I'll not be letting her out til 6 months, then start the process again, increasing the time shes out. Its really helpful to have experienced chin parents giving advice, you all know what you're talking about. There is only so much you can read online and in books.

Thanks ChinnyMommy for the advice, i appreciate it. I'll give you an update soon.

:hug2:

 

[ChinnyMom]

you're very welcome )

and just want to ensure, the rabbit doesn't come into contact at all with the chin, right? rabbits can carry diseases that chins are very susceptible to.

 

[tracycharli]

My rabbit has always lived inside and is very healthy. Rabbits are my forte so to speak. Tink does not come into contact with Hunni the rabbit at all.

 

[GorillaJTA]

My rabbit has always lived inside and is very healthy. Rabbits are my forte so to speak. Tink does not come into contact with Hunni the rabbit at all.

No matter if they come in direct contact or not, they do not need to share a play area and you need to wash your hands well between handling them. Rabbits are often passive carriers of pasteurella which can very easily kill a chin.

 

[tracycharli]

Thanks for the heads up. The rabbit and the chin do not share play areas. The rabbit has the living room and the chin has the bedroom. And never the twain shall meet lol x

 

[rainey]

Sorry I was confused when I read your original post! I think I must have been delirious

 

[Godofgods]

No matter if they come in direct contact or not, they do not need to share a play area and you need to wash your hands well between handling them. Rabbits are often passive carriers of pasteurella which can very easily kill a chin.

on a similar but separate note:

IF i didn't no anything about the two animals, i would find this highly odd. Iv had.. probably hundreds of rabbits growing up as a kid. (None now) Now i have 5 chins (in a new building as well).

Their are a lot of similarity's between the two animals. They even look a fair bit alike. So to imagine them being harmful for one another (or at least to the chin) is not something i would of expected. So its always good to point out the potential hazard between the two.