Playtime

[HermesMama]

Hello all! My name is Sandra and I am a first time chinchilla owner! I got Hermes from a breeder here in California. He was 12 weeks when I got him, and I have had him for about a month. He is amazingly social and warmed up to my boyfriend and I within a day or two. I know there is a lot of trust to build, but I feel really positive about the bond we have so far.

My main question is about playtime. I wasn't going to let him have playtime right away, but when I would open the cage to clean it or interact with him he would immediately climb into my hand, up my arm, etc or jump right out into my lap. So, we began doing short spurts of playtime outside around his cage. The area is chin-safe. He was curious at first, just exploring with cute little hops of joy here and there. Now, he has begun running laps around the room and doing amazing wall bounces. He can now make jumps of about 1.5 feet, so he is becoming quite athletic. I just worry if he is too young for so much exercise? Usually around 6pm I take him out for about 15-20 minutes of running and jumping cuteness.. Then he has taken to falling asleep under his cage in the back against the wall. While he naps, I clean his cage, refill food and water, etc. Then he wakes up for another 15-20 minute session before jumping back into his cage for a snack.. Then konking out again. This has become our nightly routine. Is this okay for a chin so young? He typically sleeps until I go to bed, but clearly wakes up sometime in the night because by morning his cage and toys are all in disarray again.

I guess the reason I am asking, is my boyfriend feels that the only time our little chin is happy is when he is out of the cage playing with us. To him, he is always in the cage sleeping or just sitting and staring (unless we come over to talk while perks him right up). I just wonder if the inactivity in the cage is due to him number 1 being a baby who is still growing and needs lots of rest, or number 2 him getting tuckered out from the playtime outside the cage.

Please advise. Thanks!

 

[Smidgeyy]

Chins under 6 months shouldn't be getting out of cage time. Kits tend to play themselves into seizures because they don't know when to stop. They need to use their energy for growing, not playing. A very limited amount of out of cage time in a small area should be fine, but 20 minutes is far too long for a kit to be running around.

 

[Amethyst]

As said hold off on playtime until he is older, 5-10 minutes per day max until 6 months or so. That doesn't mean you can't interact with him inside the cage though, let him crawl around on your arms and talk with him, or read to him. You can also take him out and hold him, if he lets you. Chins do need at least an hour a day of interaction to be happy, but don't actually need out of cage time to be happy unless you have him in a very tiny cage. Just make sure the cage is also not boring, plenty of toys (hanging and toss toys as well as chew toys and shredding toys) and things to play in (hidy houses, tunnels, tubes, etc). Aside from seizures do to low blood sugar or over exertion, young kits are also a lot more clumsy and are more likely to get hurt when out, growth spurts can make an awkward animal.

Kits do need to sleep a lot, sleep is when growing happens, but also chins are most awake around dawn and dusk. They do wake up throughout the day, get a snack or drink, then back to sleep. In the wild the midday is too hot and the middle of the night too cold, so that's when they adapted to sleep. Obviously in a house the temp shouldn't fluctuate that much so the exact times of sleep will vary.

Another thing to mention, expect temper tantrums, if he is use to getting out and suddenly isn't allowed to he will most likely get mad for a bit. It is for his own good though, and 6 months will be here before you know it, just a couple more months.

 

[Godofgods]

since your a first time owner with a kit, ill throw this fyi out just in case. Kits can fit through 1 inch bar spacing on there cage incredibly easily. this can lead to a lot of problems and injuries. So make sure his cage is 1/2" spacing or less.

 

[HermesMama]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have never had an animal that lives a "cage life" so it's a bit of a transition for me to accept that he is happy in there and doesn't need to be out with me. I have a critter nation cage, so the bar spacing is very small. It is two stories, and I have left the middle shelf in for now to help with falls. I plan to take it out later and put in several ledges. I think he has plenty of stimulation inside the cage... 2 hidey houses, a hammock, chinnie buddie, several hanging toys and chew toys, a tube, a lava ledge, etc. I just want him to be happy! I already love him so!

 

[HermesMama]

Another thing to mention, expect temper tantrums, if he is use to getting out and suddenly isn't allowed to he will most likely get mad for a bit. It is for his own good though, and 6 months will be here before you know it, just a couple more months.

And what does a chinchilla tempee tantrum look like?!

 

[ChinchillaFancy]

If Hermes is low-energy when in the cage, you could also consider the time of day you are greeting him. You could be saying hi at a time that it is natural for him to sleep.