New owner?

[Allieblue]

Hello, so I recently came into possession of a chin yesterday, he's male, about 8 months - a year or so old.

I've owned quite a few pets before him (Hamsters Gerbils Rats Guinea Pigs...) but never a chinchilla, he's my first! I've been doing internet research over the past few months... I did purchased him from a petstore since I couldn't seem to find any breeders that were local.

Anyway, I'm a bit worried because he's been staying in the same spot and not moving. He wont shy away when I approach the cage, but I don't ever seem to see him with his eye's closed either, so I wonder if he's even sleeping? I understand they're nocturnal, and I did purchase him during the day, so I'm worried if the stress of relocating him may of disturbed his sleep scheduled.

I know I should give him some time, but I'm just worried because I haven't seen him go to eat or drink (both of which are on the upper levels of his cage) I did draw a line on his water bottle to indicate where the water was, but when I checked this morning the water level was lower... however I'm still a little apprehensive.

He's also been barking a lot, but I understand this is normal for new chins. He's quieted down now... I'm worried if it's because he's sharing a room with me. I've been trying to keep quiet as I move around, but I fear the opening and closing of my door could be disturbing him.

Right now I'm just giving him time to settle... Am I doing anything wrong? What can I do to improve?

 

[tunes]

Hello and welcome.

First, you really have no clue how old he is. He could be 6 months or 10 years. Pet stores that tell you how old a chin is are generally full of crap. Unless the animal was bred in their store and sold from that pairing, they can't know.

Chins are actually not truly nocturnal. They will be up at dusk and dawn. If he's stressed, it's most likely that he's just stressed in general, not because of the time of day you moved him. It's really hard to know what went on before he ever hit the pet store, and most stores haven't a clue how to take care of a chin, so his care there could have been pretty bad. That he's staying "small" so to speak (in one spot, quiet) tells me he's just really scared and trying not to be noticed.

I would put the food and water on the very lowest part of the cage. If he's hanging out on the bottom of the cage, bring the food and water to him. Does he have a hidey house? That can really help to make him feel more comfortable and secure in his new home. You'll need to mark the water bottle to be sure he's drinking, either with a piece of tape or a magic marker. Be sure that the bottle is functioning as well.

Does he have lots of good quality hay to munch on? He may turn to that if he doesn't seem interested in the pellets right now.

Lastly, as far as the barking goes, just go about your normal routine. Don't tip toe around him, but don't blare heavy metal death music either. He will adjust to your noises and your schedule, and if you constantly are walking on egg shells, every little noise will eventually freak him out. I have a screaming, rude, very LOUD macaw right across from my chins. He rants, raves, swears. My dog howls every time the bird makes a noise or the town whistle blows. Know how much it affects the chins? Nada. They are completely used to it, ignore it, and snooze on.

 

[Allieblue]

Ah, that's a shame then. The employee seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about them actually. He said he was at least younger then a year, but well, I guess well never know.

He does have a hidey house, which is what he's been hiding in this whole time.

I did mark the water, and it is lower, but just by a tiny bit. His food seems untouched though. He does have a hay ball with a bunch of timothy hat stuffed in it. There some hay scattered on the floor, so I assume sometime during the night he scuffled around with it.

And alright, I'll keep that in mind! Thanks so much.

 

[Rob Walker]

Neve somewhat sleeps with her eyes open too, creepy at first.

 

[tunes]

Chins really don't drink a ton of water. It's not like, say a dog, who starts lapping it up and not stopping until the bowl is dry. Chins drink only a few ounces in a day, and sometimes less if it's nice and cool where they are. As long as the bottle is going down, then you've got some drinking going on.

Food wise, pull it out of the hay ball and just give throw the hay in there. Sometimes fighting with the container isn't worth the hassle, especially with a chin who is already stressed out about a new home, new human, new cage, etc., etc. Just put a nice sized pile in there and he'll munch on it.

What kind of pellets are you offering? I assume a pet store brand? If it's loaded with junk food (raisins, sunflower seeds, other kinds of seeds, papaya, etc.) that is very unhealthy for a chin. You want a straight chinchilla pellet like Tradition, Oxbow, Mazuri, or a rabbit pellet like Nutrena or PANR. Not just any rabbit pellet has been tried on chins, so be sure it's one that has been used by others with good results.

Unfortunately, pet store folks think they can judge a chin's age by it's size. I bet you would be surprised to see some breeders with 6 month old chins in the 800 gm range. My vet is always amazed when I bring in one of my beastly chins because all she ever sees are little pet store chins that top out at 600 gm, and most times are even smaller.

 

[Allieblue]

I just rearranged so his food and water is on the lower level, along with pulling some hay out of his ball. he started barking again, so hopefully he'll settle down soon.

The petstore I purchased him at had him on Nutriphase, and it was the straight up pellet kind (No treats, sunflower seeds ect), so I just kept him on that.

He is quite small for a chin now that you mention it...

 

[Tennyson]

I have taken in many barking chins But most of that stops after a week or two of consistent housing and handling. It might be tempting to keep changing things and trying things until he bursts out as a new and upbeat chin, but in reality he needs time to get used to his new home-So give him time to get used to the new smells and sounds before you go doing too much experimenting with him

 

[Stackie]

I just rearranged so his food and water is on the lower level, along with pulling some hay out of his ball. he started barking again, so hopefully he'll settle down soon.

The petstore I purchased him at had him on Nutriphase, and it was the straight up pellet kind (No treats, sunflower seeds ect), so I just kept him on that.

He is quite small for a chin now that you mention it...

Nutriphase, even being an only pellet feed, still isn't that great. Pet store brands that are good include Oxbow and Mazuri. Other brands are Nutrena (rabbit feed) and Tradition, which you usually have to buy from feed stores. Some people on the forums sell it in flat rate boxes as well.

 

[missjess10475]

I bougt my first chin from a pet store also. And my second from the same store a week later. The guy seemed well informed. More informed than I was. He informed me they were both boys, it didn't matter what kind of food I fed them, and that they needed immunizations just like any other animal. Point being...they don't know squat! The second one they sold me was not a boy. I'm waiting til the end of January and praying I don't end up with a kit from this guys information! I have learned so much on this site. Just keep reading and you'll know tons!
Mine were also very skittish at first. Now I vaccuum out their poops twice a day every day and they sleep right through it! Your chin will get used to it all. Just takes time.