How do you keep them from chewing?

[andrea501]

I realize I'm asking a question that may be impossible to answer, but I'm torn between finding a new home for my little pokemonster or figuring out a way to keep him from chewing on my baseboards and the corners of my walls.

He seems to be perfectly healthy and happy. He loves his out-of-cage playtime, but I've had to limit it drastically because he is destroying the corners of my walls and my baseboards during his play time. He is never left unsupervised, but I'm almost always multitasking bc of my schedule. It would be nice to be able to let my eyes leave him for five seconds without another chunk being taken out of my wall. I realize I could limit the amount of space he has to play in, but then I don't see the point in even letting him out of his cage. He loves to run around and surf the walls and jump on everything.

I am moving to a new apt in a month, and I'd love to keep him with me. However, with all of the damage I'm going to have to repair in this apt, I just don't think I want to risk that at the new apt. Any suggestions you might have to keep him from chewing the apt walls would be so greatly appreciated! I will try whatever I can to keep from having to find him a new home. Bullet is stubborn at times, but I do love him!

 

[Ash]

Get a playpen for playtime, that's the simplest answer. That will also prevent him from possibly squeezing into places he shouldn't. You can huge slats of cardboard to make a playpen out of that he can wallsurf off of. I just forget where. I'm sure someone will come along with where you can get them soon.

 

[Peep_erz]

ditto.

 

[schweppes]

=P I just posted this in another thread:

I use cardboard from papermate for a playpen. It works great. Here's the original thread: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forum...read.php?t=313

Here's the papermart link, get the 2x4. http://www.papermart.com/Product P...pID=18927#4652

My girls have never jumped out unless they climb on me first. It comes with a lot of cardboard, so there's a whole lot of space.

 

[andrea501]

Wow! Thanks for that link on papermart. I couldn't access the original thread. It said no such page existed, but the product link is very helpful.

Thanks for the suggestions! I didn't even know you could buy cardboard like this.

I still wish there was a way to just make him STOP chewing the things he is not supposed to chew, but I guess that's what you get when you love a chinchilla! haha

 

[tunes]

I still wish there was a way to just make him STOP chewing the things he is not supposed to chew, but I guess that's what you get when you love a chinchilla! haha

There's no way for him to know that chewing on baseboard wood is different from chewing on his toys hanging in his cage. Rodents are going to chew, no matter what it is. If I put my cages too close to the walls, mine will eat the drywall through the bars!

 

[Carol~Anne]

They are rodents... they will chew anything and everything they come in contact with. As the owner of a rodent you need to somehow block off everything that you don't want gnawed on. With a little creativity such as playpens or cardboard, that should work really well. On the areas that he's already damaged, putting a bit of 'sure patch' on the dents, scrapes or holes, then give them a light sanding and a quick touch up with paint should keep your landlord happy. I know this b/c I am a rodent owner, married to a painter and am a landlord as well, lol.

 

[schweppes]

Sorry about that, try this one: http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528&page=2

 

[AZChins]

You should see what the chins have done to my house.

I've tried everything to get them to stop...the anti chew spray is just delectable seasoning for the baseboards and walls, by the way. I know that some people have had luck with lining baseboards and other things with aluminum foil...but then you have to live with shiny aluminum foil coating everything.

At this point, I don't care anymore. I figure that everything will get messed up anyway eventually and need to be fixed so who cares if the chins just rapidly hurry along that process with their chewings? I used to really want everything to be perfect and nice with my house, but now I'm not that concerned. If everything is reasonably clean, what does it matter if there's some chews out of things here or there?

 

[Brittany]

I've tried everything to get them to stop...the anti chew spray is just delectable seasoning for the baseboards and walls, by the way.

^ We found that out the hard way, although it does work for humans, some residue accidentally worked it's way into my mouth.

The chins live with my bf and have destroyed his place. When Lily and I move this summer I've been toying with the idea of lining the baseboards and wall corners with a combination of fleece and wood scraps. I was planning on attaching them with velco patches. Has anyone tried anything like this?

 

[Sierra]

Re: chewing

I found some stuff from Dr. Foster and Smith website. It's called "fooey" and that **** works. I got it for my female chin Phoenix and OMG that **** takes horrible and it stays in your mouth forever and it doesn't matter what you eat or drink. It's safe to use on wood, walls, floors but they recommend to spot test on fabric first just in case. I spray that stuff every time I let Phoenix run around the bathroom on the cabinets, bottom of the door and baseboards haven't had a problem since. It's not very expensive either.

My experience I say the **** works..just an idea

 

[sinfulcindylou]

My Chins love Fooey. LOL. So did my chihuahua when I had her.

 

[Ash]

I found some stuff from Dr. Foster and Smith website. It's called "fooey" and that **** works. I got it for my female chin Phoenix and OMG that **** takes horrible and it stays in your mouth forever and it doesn't matter what you eat or drink. It's safe to use on wood, walls, floors but they recommend to spot test on fabric first just in case. I spray that stuff every time I let Phoenix run around the bathroom on the cabinets, bottom of the door and baseboards haven't had a problem since. It's not very expensive either.

My experience I say the **** works..just an idea

Really? Did you have to use a swear word to describe the stuff? Family-friendly forum, remember?

 

[llough]

Don't let people discourage you from trying to "train" your chinchilla not to chew. I'm not making any promises, but it is possible to do. On the other hand, its also possible that I got lucky and my chinchilla is one of few ones that can learn not to chew on things, but I kind of doubt it. This is the method I used.

1. Establish a rule that anything that is INSIDE the cage is chewable/edible. Anything OUTSIDE the cage is absolutely OFF LIMITS for chewing. So any toys or treats that you give your chinchilla must be given inside the cage and the chinchilla must be inside the cage with the toy/treat when eating/chewing on it.

2. Use a two warning system (everyone deserves a second chance, I think). Start in a small space like a bathroom or laundry room where you can closely supervise your chinchilla. Once they start to nibble on something, immediately say "Noooo, no chewing," in a low warning tone of voice (don't shout). If they don't stop chewing immediately (which they probably won't the first few times), move them gently but firmly away from the chewing source and spray the chewing source with Fooey (or other foul tasting but safe concoction). If they chew on that same place again, and are not immediately repulsed by the Fooey, its a "3 strikes your out system." Put them back in their cage without a treat (I give my chinchillas treats when I put them back after play time) and that's it for play time for the day.

3. Use positive reinforcement when possible. If the chinchilla listens to you when you say "Noooo, no chewing" and stops chewing, say "Good job!" in a congratulatory voice and give the chin some scritches if they like that, so they know you're not mad at them anymore. Caveat: This can become a problem where chinchillas think that they will get attention if they start to chew on things and then stop, but with mine it worked out ok.

4. Make sure there are LOTS of tasty things (and a big variety) to chew on like apple sticks, loofa, pumice, stone etc, in their cage at all times, which probably taste better than your baseboard, anyway. Its a little more expensive than standard pine wood, but its cheaper than new furniture.

The next time you let your chin out to play, immediately spray more Fooey on the spots that they wanted to chew on the last time (it seems to wear off) so that they learn that those spots "taste bad."

I'm not going to lie, this is a long process. It took me about a month and a half of closely supervised play time for my chinchilla to learn that things inside her cage were fair game, and things outside her cage were not.

And, I'll admit, if she thinks that I am out of eye shot or ear shot, she'll probably start nibbling on a piece of my furniture leg. So you have to be around when the chin is playing, but you should be supervising their play time anyway.

But, now I can let my chinchilla run around my apartment as much as she wants, and I don't have to worry about her destroying things. I don't even have to spray Fooy on anything (maybe once in a blue moon) because she remembers that she's not supposed to be chewing on things outside of her cage.

As a bonus, she knows what "no" means, and if she's doing something else that she shouldn't be doing, like trying to climb the bookcase, she stops when I say "No,"

So, maybe try that method. Can't hurt to try.

 

[6Dusters]

After I did the entire bathroom upstairs I decided to buy a play pen. I don't regret it. I put alot of toys in there and its big enough for me to get inside and sit down with them. I just can't let the HOUSE BEAVERS run around anymore.

 

[Jenn]

I agree with a playpen idea that has already been said. I have 2 playpens attached to my chin's cage, so she can come in and out of her cage as she pleases. This also keeps your chin contained and away from areas where you don't want her to chew or destroy. My playpen creation has worked for about a year now, and I have no complaints. My chin is not a jumper but you can get a top for your pen for added safety. A lot of ppl also use tall cardboard pieces attached together. I really think it would be quite difficult to encourage your chin not to chew, it is just what comes naturally to them. But you can create an enviroment that is both safe for them and your furnishings.

 

[Katie_2013]

I do not have a bathroom door, sadly. I used to pull her cage up to the door to block it off, but now that I'm getting an FN that's no longer possible. So I trapped her in her dust bath, carried her to the bathroom, turned a baby gate on its end(so that it was taller than wide) and blocked her in that way. Boy was she not happy. She tried climbing up it and jumping over it by using my legs as steps. Hopefully she gets used to not being able to go in and out of her cage during play time. Which is ideal for her, and me, because she tends to leave me sitting on the floor with the cage door open while she refuses to come out.