Lazy chin at playtime

[nonniemorris]

Ive had this problem with mr pickle ever since I got him,
He's a really 'late' chinchilla, meaning he gets really active closer to 1am rather than sooner.
So I've always found it hard to have playtime with him, because if I let him and pip out at 10pm, after 10 minutes mr pickles jumps back into his cage and goes back to sleep.
I'll then find him staring at me, giving me a massive stink eye at 1am, absolutely dying to come out (but by then, if I'm still up, I need sleep).

I just don't know what to do with him, I've tried just giving him to choice and keeping the cage door shut, but he ends up jumping into it over and over with his head until I open it.

10-20 minutes isn't enough playtime but I'm being given no choice unless I stay up until gone 2am!

What can I do?

 

[Siany]

My chinnies are late nighters too, when i first had Lola she would come out at 11:30pm and would be out till 12:30am. Being as me and my bf were both at college it was very hard on us but obviously you want them to have a playtime. Over the months it got really silly so we decided to start letting her out about 15 minutes earlier than what she was used to, when she got used to that we went another 15 minutes earlier.

By the time we introduced Dotty to Lola, Lola was having her playtime at 10:30pm until 11:30pm. We still let them out at that time now but they have started to be ready for a playtime at 10:00pm. We always do a set hour for the chinnies and it has come to the point that Lola will go in her cage without prompting when the hour is up.

We also sit on the floor when they are having a playtime and they have tunnels and boxes the play in, we usually sit close to the cage and encourage them to have a play and try to encourage them not to go in the cage. My bf like to bribe them with an oat I dont know if this helps any but this is how we have done it over time and the chinnies have sort of compromised with us