new. A few questions.

[Soto]

Alright so I became that one dude that got a chinchilla down in Houston. All my buddies made fun of me until they saw the thing and now they can't get enough of it (especially the ladies... you guys know what I'm talkin about). So i settled him in and so far hes a great pet.

My questions:

1. Sometimes he'll randomly start makin noises at night (his cage is in my room). When he does this do I need to check on him? Does that mean theres a situation? its like 6 or 7 loud barks.

2. when im chilling with him in the bathroom **** come up next to me and lay down between me and the door and when I start to give him a nice massage he starts to make these funny high pitched noises that go down to a low pitched noise and wags his tail. Is that good or bad?

3. Alot of people say bonding with a chinchilla takes forever. I've been with mine for a about 2 months, I can hold him if i catch him but i don't like doing so because if i have to catch him obviously he doesn't want to be held. When me and him chill in the bathroom he jumps all over me runs around like a crazy person. So does it get better than this? will he start just staying with me all the time? will he start being ok with me grabbing him? how? Did yall do something to get your chinchillas to not mind being held?

4. I spend at least an hour or two with him on most nights, unless I'm out doin my social thing. My chinchilla, shane falco, is an only chinchilla child so I dont know if i need to spend alot more time with him. is during the day off limits while hes sleeping? should i move my **** into my room and do all my college stuff and wii/xbox 360ing there with him?

5. Is it ok if i put a plushy panda bear in there that he sleeps on? should i replace that with a house?

how well behaved are yalls chins? give me something to look forward to. I love shane falco to death now and i want to know if hes gunna become even more bad *** .

BEFORE YOU REPLY - can't get another chinchilla. This ones a Beige and it was and is expensive enough for a college student who sells guns at academy for minimum wage. And, Yes I know how to hold a chinchilla you guys don't have to worry about me keeping my precious shane falco safe (i know theres a few of you out there that like to make sure of these things).



Sorry about the long *** post. for those of you who read it, thank you, and to those who reply THANK YOU.

 

[tunes]

Soto - I'd like to welcome you to CnH. I will leave your post up to someone else to answer, but if you take a look at it, you'll notice a LOT of blanked out words. This is a family friendly forum. We have young teens on here and we do not allow profanity. Please refrain from using it in your posts again.

 

[RDZCRanch]

When he makes noise, no, you do not need to check on them. It's really just him making noise and/or throwing a fit because he's not out running around.

The noises and tail wagging are "I love you and want to mate with you" signs. Apparently you or your hand make one attractive chinchilla lady.

Very few chinchillas like to be held. If he doesn't struggle when you hold him or fight to get away non-stop, that's a chinchilla that likes being held. Lap chins are few and far between. Usually YEARS of socialization will get a chinchilla used to being held and trusting enough of the person who owns them.

An hour or two a night is just fine for him. I would not let a chinchilla run during daytime. They are crepescular (awake at dawn and dusk) so those times would be best for playtime. You don't need to be doing your video games and everything else in the room with him. Some chinchillas enjoy it, but some dislike the loud noises. Best to just have your hour or two of playtime with him.

What is the plushy bear made of? What kind of eyes/nose does it have? Can you post a picture? Many stuffed animals are not chinchilla safe. The best bet would be some fleece items which you can purchase from many members on here.

Welcome to CnH! Have a look around the FAQ's sections, you'll learn a lot.

 

[Laurie]

Welcome Soto! As long as you spend time with him daily the time you spend doesn't really have to have a set amount. They don't NEED playtime to survive, it's just a nice thing for them. As long as they have excercise wheel they don't even need to come out of the cage--it's just a very nice bonding thing you can do with him.

If he doesn't have a house in his cage I would recommend getting one. They really do love to sleep in a house, a fish bowl, a fleece covered tube or even a hammock more so than the shavings in the bottom of their cage or a shelf.

The best thing you can do for him is to read over the FAQ's of each section and just take some time reading the threads posted on the forum.

 

[kimbt622]

Welcome Soto
It sounds like he's a pretty friendly boy if he likes running on you and stuff. There's a chance he'll bond even closer to you, you'll just see with time. I have one boy who likes to be held but my other three just let to get scritches on their belly, ears and chins (their own haha)
I'd suggest getting something for him to sleep in, like a house or a tube like Laurie said. Also, he'll love a wheel if you have the room in his cage for it. Chin spins are a favorite here and you can get them on a few different websites. I know what you mean about being a college student tight with money, i'm one too I still ended up with four chins so far though! haha they're addicting.