hope I'm over-reacting

kendra · Jul 14, 2009

I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but I didn't know where would be good!

I just got ferdinand a new cage (marshall mansion) and is um quite a bit larger than his old one. I was putting some hay in the upper part when he hopped to the ledge by the upper door he fell to the bottom. He's acting totally fine- but I've just heard too many scary stories about chins falling and getting injured or worse.
Should I not worry, should I keep an eye on him for a while for off behavior? He didn't squeak or anything when he hit the floor so I'm thinking he's probably ok but I worry!

addictedtochins · Jul 14, 2009

So he's walking and jumping fine? Just keep an eye on him. And put some fleece hammocks in place so he can't fall like that again.

starleomach · Jul 14, 2009

At this point I would just keep an eye on him. I would also recommend adding a bit of fleece to help a fall

mishellyshel · Jul 14, 2009

i just put my boys in their new cage this past weekend and it is much taller than what they were in. i actually slept on the couch the first night because i was afraid they would fall or something. they have both stumbled and missed a ledge but the way it was designed they cant fall fromt the top to the bottom but they can still fall.
i would say if he didnt make a squeak when he fell and is acting ok then just keep an eye on him and like everyone said, add some fleece, like a hammock or something.

Riven · Jul 14, 2009

It takes time to learn new jumping skills etc. I've read somewhere ( but don't practice or believe this for healthy chins ) not to move their stuff around because they get used to it and have to relearn the cage, etc. Give him time, and like said about put in some hammies or something to help cushion any future falls. Until then, just watch for unusual behavior! Chins are pretty resilient!

kendra · Jul 15, 2009

Ok cool, I thought they were pretty resilient but wanted to check! He does seem to be learning the set up pretty well now, I put in one more ledge and a piece of fleece attached to a few shelves (I'm going to go make a proper hammie tomorrow). He's acting fine still so I am super thankful for that.
The first day I did pretty much the same thing staying up all night keeping an eye on him although he lives in my room so I didn't need to sleep on the couch but I did beg my roomies to keep an eye on him all day when I was at school (there is pretty much always someone home). I was so paranoid!
Good learning experience, and thankfully not learning from really bad consequences.
Thanks all