Los Angeles EarthQuake.....

[Nervousings]

so... my 4 month old chinchilla just expierenced a 4.4 earthquake last night at around 4 am. im really scared that hes permanently scarred.... since 4 am hes been hunched up in the corner of his cage... and he will peridocially bark at me. he hasnt moved since then.... im worried. is there anything i should do?

 

[eroomlorac]

I'm sure he'll be fine. He may be frightened but he'll be okay.

 

[Nervousings]

thanks... i sure hope so. he wont stop barking!! im thinking in going to leave him alone for a while.. i dont want to scare him even more....
i went in his cage to give him food and he starting running circles to the point where i was scared hes going to hurt himself.

 

[mishellyshel]

did anything tip over and scare him?? poor little dude. extra apple sticks for him!!

 

[Nervousings]

nothing tipped over to my knowledge... the sound of his cage is what woke me up though! it was a very jerky quake.. not the typical rolling motion. not to mention all of the dogs howling for a good 3 hours afterward.

 

[AZChins]

The best thing you can do is distract him...like Michelle said, extra apple sticks. Build him a little fort out of cereal boxes, give him extra toys, put his cage near the television on something very happy with lots of quirky music, and talk to him. They get spooked by things like earthquakes and bad wind noise. We have had some windstorms this year that made the chins freak out for a few days at a time.

Make sure he's eating...give him a little shredded wheat square. And, watch his droppings. He could give himself a little bit of diarrhea from the stress. Don't worry if that happens because he'll go back to normal once everything has calmed down in his little brain and body. Chins are very reactive little animals because they are prey animals...you just have to keep a positive atmosphere and keep the little guy happy.

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

when my chins had their first Earthquake that could really be felt, I let them out for a really long playtime. I made a little fort thing for them to climb on/in and explore so they could see that everything was okay and that way they could get their minds off of it...

hope that works!

 

[cmor1031]

Usually I feel the earthquakes, but I totally missed this one...what time did it happen?

 

[Nervousings]

the quake was at 4 am...
i tried letting him get out... but he was not having it. hes SO skittish.

 

[Snickers]

4 am in the city of Pico Rivera. It seemed pretty long.

 

[Nervousings]

ok so now im having an even bigger problem... im at work... a good 30 miles away from my house.. and my landlord called to tell me that the quake damaged the central air system... its 80 degrees outside... and my biulding is brick... can anyone tell me if he is going to be ok until i get home at 530?

 

[Essentia]

I like in a concrete block home and the temperature is usually around the same inside as it is outside. If it's not super sunny it usually remains a few degrees belowthe temp outside from it being cooler at night. Where is the chin located inside? Is it near any heat emiting electronics (fridge, tv, etc)?

How is your humidity there? If it's 80, with super low humidity, he should be ok. What temperature is he normally acustomed to?

 

[AZChins]

He should be alright until you get home. It probably won't get up to 80 degrees inside. Like Crysta said...as long as he isn't close to a heat source or in direct sunlight, don't worry. At least it isn't the middle of summer with 100 degree heat.

 

[Nervousings]

hes located in a little nook, that i have found to be the coolest spot in the house... no sunlight, just a little air coming in from the bathroom (all tile so its cooler air blowing towards him).
i think he is more accustomed to warmer temperatures... the breeder kept all of his chins in his garage, with a dehumidifier.. so id guess the mid-upper 70s. i guess im just being a scared mommy.. my husband told me to "shut up about it already" as ive called him probably 10 times, just being nervous. i bought one of the twin fans, so i can have the hot air blowing ot, and the cooler air blowing in... do you think this will suffice until the AC situation is fixed? its supposed to be in the mid 70s to low 80s this week. EEEEKK

 

[Olallie]

This morning on the radio, the announcer guy said, Earth quake in LOS ANGELES! waits a few second, 4.0, tiny quake. nothing to worry about.
DUDE! don't pause, it scared me, i have family there. T_T

My chins havn't experienced an earthquake, but they have loud wind. they just hudle up together or in their house. the next day they are fine.

 

[Nervousings]

oh! and the humidity is at 13% right now... i think im just being a worry wart... i just dont want him stressed AND hot AND alone right now.

 

[cmor1031]

Hmm.. I was definitely up at 4am...I have finals this week:hair:
Yet I didn't feel a thing...I guess I was just SO focused on my studies

 

[Cuddlebug]

We felt it here. Just a little shaking, that's all. Quakes never seem to bother my chins. I would think that it was more likely that the dogs howling for hours is what upset him. your little guy. Probably, the best thing you can do for him is to calm down yourself. He'll settle down all on his own. Temperature wise, I think he"ll be fine since you are in a concrete block building. My house is stucco and usually stays 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the outside air this time of year.

 

[Nervousings]

good news! he was totally fine, just sitting on his tile when i got home... it definately made me further prepare... i froze a ton of stuff, picked up two more chin-chillers, and made a fleece wrap for a half gallon milk carton. i bought a twin exhaust window unit yesterday, to help cool it down, and MAN... it made a huge difference. it went down 5 degrees in about 30 minutes.

 

[GRose]

Shaking in the SG Valley

I remember that morning. I have finals this week too and I had just turned off lights and settled down to take a "nap" for an hour or two before i woke up to continue studying. There was a little light coming in from lights outside and when the quake hit all my chinchillas , who had been playing in their separate cages, ran to their top most shelves. I checked on them and they all just meekly accepted some head rubs but I went to bed and they have been fine since. My roommate in the next room completely slept through it! On the other hand we have both lived here all our lives and if its not at least a 4 its hardly worth a mention. I guess I still compare everything to the Northridge earthquake with its aftershocks, that was a little nerve racking. arty:

Does make me more anxious to have all my chin "emergency" supplies together though. I think their FNs are pretty safe for them and I did get some extra carriers recently but I'm thinking about getting together a bag with some bottled water, feed, meds, etc just in case we all got to get out quick. I mean just the other day they evacuated this apt near my brothers work because the business next door went up in flames. Gotta be able to get the chins out quick!