pretty sure all is good, but...

[harbingerofdoom]

im wondering if their cage is too small? its 30x20x18.
they pretty much sit on the top shelf and stare out at the world unless i offer them their raisin, (which half the time they refuse) or let them crawl into the dust house (in which case they both perk up and bounce around and chitter to eachother).

they completely ignore the wheel, but its new and they appear to have never seen one before so not totally unexpected and they refuse to go into the house i got them to replace their cardboard hidey-hole they had previously.

The couple times i have let them out they did bounce around, bounce off the walls (literally) and had no problems hoping up to me as long as i stayed still.

they just seem to be permanent display figures when they are in their cage however.

lots of new adjustments for them and its only been a couple of days, but im wondering if its a sign that they just dont have enough room to do things and they're bored.

they are eating both pellets and hay and drinking water with no weird looking poop.

 

[saphire]

I personnally thing that it is a small cage for two chinchillas,the bigger the better.
Look into the Ferret Nation Club thread, that just might answer your question.

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134&highlight=ferret+nation+club

 

[JessePolicy]

Chins are very much nocturnal, and will probably be resting throughout the day. I know my chinnie wakes up about eight at night, and when she's resting it seems like she's staring into space. However, I've learned that some chins DO sleep with their eyes open, so it's more than likely that your chins are sleeping and are just tired.

As long as they're playing normally and jumping and acting playful when they're awake, I don't see a cause for worry. The cage may be a little small, but a bigger cage isn't something that needs to be done right now at this very moment.

 

[AZChins]

The cage sounds fine to me. As long as the chins are active and you let them have out of the cage play time frequently, it's a good size. I worry more about the safety of certain cages than the size most of the time. Anything larger than 18"x24"x18" is okay...that's the size of most of the cages that I have here.

They have toys and things to play with so everything sounds like you are on the right track.

 

[mistywaterwoman]

That sounds exactly like the behavior Sally exhibited when I first brought her home! She was like a hood ornament. Her cage was on the small side (Super Pet My First Home for chinchillas) I filled it with toys but she really didn't do much even then.
After I got her a bigger cage, her activity level went WAY up. She loved jumping around on all the ledges and stuff. It really makes a big difference in their personality if they have a larger space to explore.

 

[harbingerofdoom]

thanks all, im definitely going to get a larger cage. im good knowing that they are not overly cramped in at the moment.

hood ornament... lol thats pretty much the exact description for them right now...

 

[Rickman]

It seems to me they enjoy height more than anything else - taller the better!

 

[Ronda]

They are also getting used to their new home. I'm sure they are sitting there watching what's going on. Most chins like to watch TV too. A larger cage for 2 animals would improve their activity as well and they will get used to the wheel. Just give them a bit of time and they will be okay.

Good luck!

Ronda

 

[brittanycrystal]

My chins are always less active when they're in the smaller quarantining cage. You might think about seeing if you could find the materials used to make the wire portion of the cage and add some height to their environment. So far we've modified 2 cages, I think its fun to upgrade their housing and get new stuff to decorate with.