Husbandry and Fur Chewing

[ARPena415]

Hi all!

I have been struggling with my single boy chewing his fur chronically for about a year and a half. We have seen many doctors, have had many tests run (fungal tests, xrays, bloodwork), and have had topical flea medications applied twice.

I wanted to bring this up because NONE of his doctors had asked about nearby electronics when asking about his husbandry!!

His cage was located against a seemingly harmless wall of my bedroom. I finally moved him to a different wall and within a month his fur began to grow back. Turns out, I was too clueless to realize that the WiFi router (located in the room next to us, but right on the other side of the wall) was probably the culprit!

This may seem obvious but unfortunately my little boy had to endure my lack of common sense!

He has also not had a barking episode in the middle of the night since I moved him! I hope this post can help owners of fur-chewers while they try to figure out the cause! The photos are about 1 month apart!

 

[Amethyst]

That's actually good to know I would have never even thought about that, so no definitely not obvious. I wouldn't even think anything of it unless it started right after setting up the router.

 

[Chinmin]

His cage was located against a seemingly harmless wall of my bedroom. I finally moved him to a different wall and within a month his fur began to grow back. Turns out, I was too clueless to realize that the WiFi router (located in the room next to us, but right on the other side of the wall) was probably the culprit!

This may seem obvious but unfortunately my little boy had to endure my lack of common sense!

Thank you. Don't beat yourself up. You're pretty smart and everybody now is thanking you for it. Is your chin back to his old self now?

 

[ARPena415]

Thank you. Don't beat yourself up. You're pretty smart and everybody now is thanking you for it. Is your chin back to his old self now?

Yes he is! He is so much happier and talkative! He’s pop-corning much more often than before I moved his cage!

 

[Jawramik]

Interesting. My chinchilla's cage is actually right next to our internet router (well, they're separated by maybe 3-4 feet). In fact, the cable runs right underneath her cage, though I've yet to see any indication that it affects her. She hasn't exhibited any barking or fur chewing in the 6+ months I've had her, and her cage has always been in that same corner of the living room.

Regardless, I'm glad that moving your boy's cage seems to have improved his anxiety!