My bored Chinchilla

[wheaties]

So... backstory (short version!). My daughter decided once a few years ago that she wanted a Chinchilla. I heavily advised against this, but despite my concerns the Chinchilla was acquired. She took care of it for a few months and then lost interest. I had to step in and take the Chinchilla for myself.

I actually didn't mind this too terribly much because even though I would have preferred to never have the responsibility, I was happy to take over. I bought a much bigger cage for him and things were going fine.

With four kids in the house and three dogs Chinchilla was never bored. Lots of action. Heck, maybe too much. The Chin really enjoyed teasing those dogs.

Another long story short... Human separation has happened and now the kids and the dogs are gone

I've been left with the Chinchilla... which is fine with me! But now... this once busy house is quite empty. With just me and Wiz.

He likes me fine and we get a long great but I worry about him being so bored. I work 8 hours a day and am frequently gone for a few hours at a time. He must be so so so bored. I try to interact with him as much as possible but I'm sure its not enough.

Should I prop up a TV for him to watch at times when I'm not here? Radio?

I've considered getting another Chin but with no guarantees they would hit it off... or is the cage even big enough (see pic)?

My poor guy I don't want him to be sad. He's happy a few hours every other day or so... but jeez I bet this guy is depressed a majority of the time.

I would estimate Wiz is alone in silence for 15 hours (or more) a day 4 days a week. Sometimes more maybe.

Well whatcha think?

Another chin a possibility? Make the best of it? Local pet store in town (locally owned by a nice lady) has 3 black Chins they are small. My chin is huge (I think?).

Anyway also this is my first post. So here's Wiz and his cage.

 

[Godofgods]

Getting a second chin is an option possibly. No way to know if they will accept each other or not. And even if they do, you always need to have the ability to separate them at any time.

If your interested in trying, i might suggest a Double ferret nation cage. Its a bit bigger then the one you have, so know worrying about room. And since its two levels, you can always cover up the connecting whole and then you have two separate cages if need be. So you wouldn't need to store an extra cage somewhere if you didn't want to.

Of course the FN cages have the same issues as many cages. Ramps should be taken out and replaced with wooden ledges. And many ppl like to take out the plastic pans and get metal Bass pans. And a sheet of fleece between the metal pan and the metal bars is handy to reduce any noise. - Its all a bit of an investment, but it takes care of many problems and the cage is quite sturdy. You shouldn't have many/any problems over time. I have two double FN cages since about 2007-08. Both are still in fine shape.

Note that if you get a new chin, s/he should be quarantined in a different room away from your chin for 30 days. You never know what a new chin might have. They are very good at hiding illnesses in general. If by chance they have something, you don't want it to pass to your chin. So you observe them for 30 days. Its also a good idea because it gives the chin some time to get used to a new environment and new ppl around. Chins can get stressed easily. The last thing you probably want to do is take a stressed chin and throw him in with another.

Once all that is done, then you look in to Bonding methods. But thats a whole nother thing right there.

So, can it be done? Its possible. Depending on how they react to each other. The bigger question is are you prepared for it. Both mentally and financially.

 

[Cass C]

To be honest your chinchilla may enjoy the peace and quiet. However it doesn't hurt to have a radio or TV on for some background noise. Also you should remember that chinchillas sleep most of the day anyway, so as long as you are giving him an hour or so of attention a day he should be fine.

If you want to add another chinchilla beware it is a LOT more work and you have to watch for fighting and bickering.

 

[Godofgods]

oh yea, forgot to mention that. I dont know if my chins hate music/tv in general, or just my types of music/tv, but they get very upset when they have to listen to mine. Fortunately now they have there own room.

 

[Narcissus]

That cage is a FANTASTIC cage. There is no need to get another one. It is plenty big enough for two chins if you decide to get another one. But you'll need a back up cage for quarentine and then for emergencies.

But, most chins actually enjoy some "alone" time. As long as you are giving him some attention he should be just fine.

 

[wheaties]

Well hey thanks for the kind words guys! Makes me feel a lot better!

I actually get the feeling in general my Chin is pretty satisfied with his draw... just worried about him because of the recent drastic change... which I guess isn't too drastic I suppose in some ways.

He gets a solid 8 hours (at least) of quiet, but hopefully comfortable isolation per day. So yes that's good... and I guess I was worried I wasn't spending enough time messing with him, but when you add it all up between feeding, petting, dust bath, maybe run around a few minutes, treats, hay and food, I suppose he is getting 1hr+ attention per day at least usually.

He seems to be a happy Chin and he's BIG seems like. Always seems healthy too. Well I probably will not get another Chin... although I would like to, honestly it would be too much...

He reallllly loves chin/chest/neck being scratched... I'll have to post a video of that sometime haha. Well... he's keeping me company too happy for that. He gets in some funny and entertaining moods.

The cage is nice I got it from http://qualitycage.com/ after I believe the Chinchilla whisperer said something about it on youtube? lol. The second pic up there is him in his old cage. It was SMALL. This one is a lot better

Cheers!