I just got my chinchilla a week ago and she's 11 weeks old, since I ordered my wheel and it hasn't come in yet, I try to let her exercise for about 30 minutes outside the cage. Everytime I take her out she always winds up getting hurt. I read that Chins are very delicate but she doesn't seem to know that. She likes to ricochet off the walls. She tries to jump from point a to point b and she crashes in it. She has too much confidence, I think. Should I stop stressing? What should I do? She's landed on her back once and she looks to take dust baths even when there's no dust, like when she's on tile she'll just roll around & I give her a dust bath 3x a week. Any tips? Any help?
My Chinchilla is going to hurt herself
- Thread starter plstwd
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You don't want chins to get out of cage time or a wheel until they are 6 months old. Kits are reckless and tend to harm themselves. They also use up too much energy by exercising, which they should be using for growing. Over stimulating them can result in seizures, so it's best to avoid any playtime until at least 6 months.
Many chins try to 'dust' when there is no dust.. Mine do this occasionally so that's not a concern.
You just need to eliminate playtime and not give access to the wheel until she's old enough.
Many chins try to 'dust' when there is no dust.. Mine do this occasionally so that's not a concern.
You just need to eliminate playtime and not give access to the wheel until she's old enough.
ticklechin
Well-known member
Kits are stupid, its simple as that, LOL
So I'm just supposed to leave her in the cage for 6 more months and without a wheel? By the way I ordered a flying saucer i don't know if that changes anything. How should I play with her and get her to know me? And how is she going to get her exercise?
My chins never leave their cages - ever. They don't "need" more exercise than what they get in their cages, but it is nice when they can get out and about. They certainly enjoy it.
Wheels also are unnecessary. Offering one is great, if your chin doesn't lose a ton of weight while running on it, but they don't "need" a wheel. I've had chins for 13 years - none of them have ever had wheels, even those kept strictly as pets and in pet cages.
No, you don't have to leave her in her cage for six months. What they mean is to not let her run around excessively as she is so young. You can let her run for periods of time, but build up to it. Don't just throw her on the floor and let her run for three days. Start with smaller periods and build up over time, still realizing that she is young and she needs her calories for growing.
Wheels also are unnecessary. Offering one is great, if your chin doesn't lose a ton of weight while running on it, but they don't "need" a wheel. I've had chins for 13 years - none of them have ever had wheels, even those kept strictly as pets and in pet cages.
No, you don't have to leave her in her cage for six months. What they mean is to not let her run around excessively as she is so young. You can let her run for periods of time, but build up to it. Don't just throw her on the floor and let her run for three days. Start with smaller periods and build up over time, still realizing that she is young and she needs her calories for growing.
The type of wheel doesn't matter, the kit will use it too much, even some adult chins have to have their wheel taken away sometimes do to weight loss. Also you don't leave her in the cage for 6 more months, just until she is 6 months (close to full grown), so being about 3 months that is just 3 more you have to wait on playtime and wheel. During that time you can work on bonding, play with her in the cage, read, talk, sing, or even hold her and let he play in a controlled space (not loose in the room) for 5-10 mins a time. Too much exercise when they are little can cause a drop in blood sugar which will lead to seizures and death. So if you want to spend half an hour with her, start out with her in the cage, climbing on you or getting handed chew sticks or something, then a few minutes of play in a small area then back to the cage. With an animal that has a 20 year lifespan 3 months really isn't that long. Also you really aren't bonding when she is running around, most chins pay little to no attention to their humans when loose, so the few months should give you time to get a more solid bond with the chin, which will make playtime more fun for both of you. A more bonded chin is more likely to use you as a jungle gym when out and interact with you more.
Kits are clumsy as you and others have mentioned, they are growing and have growth spurts where they aren't proper portioned at times making running and jumping clumsy at times. So I would thing during those growth spurts they are more likely to end up with sprains and strains when jumping around and landing wrong. Unless you are keeping her in a tiny cage (less then 2'x2'x2') she should get plenty of exercise just jumping around the ledges of the cage for now. Think about the kit right now as a baby, we don't just let babies crawl all over where ever they want, we keep them in playpens or cribs most of the time until they are older so they don't get hurt and don't expend all their energy. Also just like young human babies, chin kits don't need much exercise until they are older, they need sleep, food, water, and to grow.
Another thing you didn't ask about but I wanted to mention anyway, no treats until she is 6months to a year either. She needs only good pellet only food, not treats, to grow. In the mean time you can offer her sticks to chew, different types of hay (handing strands to her), hand feeding pellets, and small toss toys to help with the bonding process if you want to hand her things.
Kits are clumsy as you and others have mentioned, they are growing and have growth spurts where they aren't proper portioned at times making running and jumping clumsy at times. So I would thing during those growth spurts they are more likely to end up with sprains and strains when jumping around and landing wrong. Unless you are keeping her in a tiny cage (less then 2'x2'x2') she should get plenty of exercise just jumping around the ledges of the cage for now. Think about the kit right now as a baby, we don't just let babies crawl all over where ever they want, we keep them in playpens or cribs most of the time until they are older so they don't get hurt and don't expend all their energy. Also just like young human babies, chin kits don't need much exercise until they are older, they need sleep, food, water, and to grow.
Another thing you didn't ask about but I wanted to mention anyway, no treats until she is 6months to a year either. She needs only good pellet only food, not treats, to grow. In the mean time you can offer her sticks to chew, different types of hay (handing strands to her), hand feeding pellets, and small toss toys to help with the bonding process if you want to hand her things.
She lives in a single critter nation and she has two other ledges I made. Every time I go towards her cage she's always at the door hanging onto the bars so she can get out. If I put my arm inside the cage she'll crawl up and jump off onto the floor. I usually let her roam my bathroom for 15-30 minutes but that's when she gets herself into trouble. If I open up the doors to her cage and try to bond with her, she'll try getting out. I also feed her Mazuri & Oxbox mix right now. She doesn't really eat the pellets that much (I haven't filled up the bowl since we got her, 1 week) but she devours the hay. I don't give her that much treats, I give her about three oatmeal pellets a day, but I'm cutting it down to none until she's older.
ticklechin
Well-known member
One of the reasons young chins don't get treats is the gut is still populating with bacteria, introduce something new and you could end up with loose poo and/or bloat. She is just being a young chinchilla, she is normal!
Cuddlebug
Well-known member
You're bigger than her. I know they can move quick and be quite sneaky, but she can learn to play with you and not run past you. I have babies that behave like you mentioned and they learn quickly that they can have fun with us and they don't need to run past us. They learn it really fact, too. By the time the babies are old enough to leave here, they sit at the front of the cage begging for attention, not to get out. You can actually leave the door open and walk away. They will wait there for you to return. We have even taught skittish rescues to act the same way. I much prefer a chin who wants my attention as opposed to one who just wants out. By the way, we do not do playtime or have wheels in the cage either.
