Help!! Lost chinchilla.. somewhere in the house!

[Luna]

....

Okay, so I live in a tiny apartment in ny, and my mother was nice enough take in my two chin girls until I move into a bigger place.

Anyways, 2 days ago, she forgot to close the cage as she was feeding them... and one of my beige girls got out... now she is roaming around the house, and my mom has no idea where, at first she was in my old bedroom.. mymom could tell because she found droppings here and there.. hiding behind old paintings and things...but now the poops have stopped..

She said she set out two piles of food in my old bedroom and my brothers old bedroom.. the food piles haven't moved...

now my mom is on the phone with me... she found droppings in the downstairs laundry room... maddie must've climbed down the stairs and found a new hiding spot...

it's so difficult trying to find her, as there are 3 dogs in the house, and there are so many rooms in the house!

Does anyone have any tips for finding this bugger? I dont want her gettin ghungry, she's already went two days without food.. and i dont want her eating something she shoudlnt' eat... or getting stuck... and my worst case scenario is finding her dead somewhere. ;'(

 

[alli713]

Well at this point, you should close all the doors and keep them shut and look through the rooms. If the doors are all left open, the chin can easily move from room to room.

I'm sorry to say that after 2 days, she has probably nibbled on some things, I just hope that none of them are fatal. I'd be worried about her electrocuting herself on a cord as other member's chins have unfortunately done this when they escaped.

I wouldn't wait to find her, I would be actively seeking her out at this point in time. 2 days out of her cage is too long. Where is she getting water?

 

[Parkerspetchins]

2 days without food to keep her gut moving? Please take Ali's advice, have your mom shut all of the doors and search each room individually until she finds the chin. Try taking and shaking the dust bath (or tapping it if that is what she was used to) into each room as well. I hope she finds her quickly, chins need to have food in their gut or they will go into stasis.

 

[Chinniechantel]

More importantly, where is she getting food. If her gut shuts down you will have a major problem on your hands with stasis, bloat, or worse. Get a vet ready, and I agree with Alli, actively search until you find her, or you will not find her alive.

 

[andymilo]

try using the end of a broom to look under things that u cant reach or see under...you dont want to move those objects since it can crush the chinny...but if u try to lightly move the broom under certain furniture/appliances she might come out...you really need to be actively looking...2 days without food and water is too long...

 

[Snickers]

Just be careful when you're moving things or closing drawers, etc that you don't smash the chin. I would search 1 room at a time then when finish close that door. Good luck in finding her.

 

[starleomach]

try a pile of dust on the floor of each room, then follow the trail

 

[MyFuzzies]

I agree she needs to be found ASAP! Alli713 made alot of good points. The only thing I'll add is to look EVERYWHERE!! We couldn't find one of my sister's chins one time for about 2 hours...we finally found her in one of the dresser drawers sleeping. Just be careful about picking furniture up or moving it, opening drawers and such because you don't want to hurt her. Good luck!

 

[Rickman]

I once had 5 boys escape when they pushed the feeder out! 3 came to me immediatly, 1 the next morning, [with raisen coaxing] but the last one found a way inside the arm of a sofa bed, and I had to have my daughter grab him, as my arms are too big to get in there!
They can find their way into places you didn't even know you had! Good luck!!

 

[Jenn]

How scary for you! I sure hope your chin is found quickly and is free from harm. Good luck - please let us know what happens!

 

[PaperMoon]

well when my chin got out, i closed all doors and windows then i went to locate the general area of where they were ....then i went to download some chin sounds like the "i'm so lonely, i want to play" or the "i'm looking for you" sounds and sent the mp3 to my phone (or ipod with portable speakers).....it worked miracles, she came out in an instant!!

I hope you find your chinnies as soon as possible!!!!

 

[susansheila]

Wow, that's really scary. I would be nervous with the dogs. Hope you found the little bugger safe and sound.

 

[Stackie]

Something that always brings my boys running is tapping on the dust bath. However I once had a very skittish boy escape and the only way I found him was searching high and low. He was behind the couch. Hope you found the chin. That is way too long to be out of the cage without food and water.

 

[Claire D]

It's worth putting down a small cage/carrier with a dustbath and some food/water in it - in the last place you think the chin was or was seen.
It is likely that the chin will be frightened of the dogs - she will be tucked up somewhere small, possibly dark, and safe (in her terms). A bath and some food in a cage/carrier might tempt her out.

I seem to recall a thread not so long ago where someone's chin was loose and they put down a humane trap with some food etc in and caught the chin that way. :thinking:

 

[feistychins]

At this point dehydration is your biggest problem. This chin will desperately need fluids; sub Q will be the best way to get them into her. That mean you will need to bring her to a vet when she is found.

The dogs need to be put outside and every room needs to be searched. You would be amazed at the small spaces chins can hide in.

 

[Chinchillatron]

When one of the chins I use to have got out I put little piles of food in each room and at the time my cat was a kitten a very curious kitten and I knew if I didn't find her the kitten would but he wouldn't do harm.. I searched high and low, but then it came time to sleep. I had a restless sleep for the first few hours. Then I heard a chinnie sound so I jumped from my bed and started calling the cat (because I knew he would point me to the chin) sure enough the cat came from the bathroom, I went in there and didn't see anything.. I got down on my hands and knees and looked as I had done 10 times before.. still nothing.. but for some reason this time I got closer to the cabinet head to the floor, and looked up... there was an overhang (sorry hard to explain) the doors had blocked the fact that the base the cabinet to the sink was sitting on was actually taller than it had looked so unless you opened the doors you couldn't tell that there was about a good gap between the face of the bottom of the cabinet the actual bottom of the cabinet and the actual floor of the bathroom. And of course that's where our little girl was hiding, right under the floor to the cabinet. Fortunately she was not lost but for a few hours. It was tough getting her out, I had to destroy the face board. oh well! It was worth it! If I had left her there to chew she would have done the same lol..


You really need to find this chinchilla, if it were me I wouldn't have been able to sleep! I would have been all over trying everything I possibly could! I hope your chinchilla makes it to the vet in time... I'd have some CC and/or Life Line on hand..

 

[heymom32000]

I agree with what has already been said.... close all the doors and go through each room. Don't leave the doors open until you have found her. Put some food in each room as well that way she has something to eat. Once you find her get her to a vet. Dust baths usually convince my chins to come out of hiding BUT I know they are in their chinchilla room hiding so not sure if that will help you or not. Good luck. I hope you find her soon.

 

[Rickman]

The suspence is hard to take - did you find her?

 

[Cuddlebug]

Yes, please tell us that she has been found. If not, keep looking 'till you do find her.

 

[eroomlorac]

try a pile of dust on the floor of each room, then follow the trail

This is a very good idea. It might help narrow down the search.