question about water and handling

[ameliagolwitzer]

Will my chin die if i give him tap water? Why do they need distilled?

Ive been trying to pick up my chin to let him out for playtime to get him used to being held by me but he hasnt gotten better. I usually have to chase him with my hand. The other day when i picked him up i had to violate him to check and see if i could find out where the mysterious blood spots in his cage were coming from. The next day i tried to pick him up again, but this time he growled and barked at me and acted like he was going to bite my finger off! Will he ever get used to me picking him up?

Also my chin has started a teeth grinding sound thing. Not sure if hes just stressed out or what that means. What should i do?

 

[lauralynne]

Filtered water is recommended as tap water can contain bacteria like giardia. Use reverse osmosis or a water filter (such as a Pur3) that clearly states on the box that it filters giardia.

How long have you had him? He sounds scared.

Did you find out where the blood was coming from?

 

[Idgie]

I just buy purified water. 88 cents a gallon. Easy and cheap since chins don't drink much. That way I don't worry.

 

[ameliagolwitzer]

reply

I have had him for five months now. I have not figured out where the blood is coming from.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

It sounds like you are taking things too fast with your chin. Chins need to bond with you and build trust at their speed, not yours. There is some great advice on how to bond with your chin on this website: http://owningchinchillas.webs.com/bringing-your-chin-home

It's important to find out where the blood is coming from. If you are continuing to find spots you should take your chin to a chin experienced vet who will be better able to handle your chin and know what to look for.

In terms of water, bottled water that is filtered is preferred, in particular reverse osmosis. Distilled water is not recommended, neither is boiled water (unless you have no other alternative)

 

[Riven]

See I do the opposite, I treat them from day one like I'm going to treat them forever, especially on handling them. By not handling them when they bark at you they just learn to bark at you. I was raised with horses and if one threw you off, you got back on, otherwise they just learned if they don't like being ridden, they throw a fit and they're done.

Handling is super important, what if a chin gets sick and needs hand fed... not being used to being handled will just add to the stress of it, but if they are used to being handled, then that one less stressor they will have to deal with.

 

[Newt]

Did you check his feet? He may have a little sore on them, and may need to be checked out by a vet.

 

[Zoaea]

Well if he does bark, fake bite, or really bite you, make sure you are prepare to NOT pull away or like riven said he will learn that it gets him what he wants. Whither you use Rivens method or the slow one for taming, make sure you know how to hold the chinchilla right, it sound like you scared him the other day. Snatching or holding them like a predator might grab em can do that.

If you ever do have to grab em quick or do something they hate like your blood checking, hold them after your are done until they calm down, this can take 5 min, or it might take an hour. My newish boy will hide his face in my elbow when he is scared (like when he was new or the time i had to clean his eye) but eventually he will relax and start looking around for stuff to nibble.

 

[sheri7]

Are you sure its blood? Sometimes their pee can be very dark and when it starts to dry it can look like blood.

 

[bacidolci8]

Yea I was going to say... When I first got Louie I thought he was bleeding but after some very hands on examinations of the spots I found it was just the urine after dripping over poo (gross I know). I had a different cage then with a wire bottom and the droppings went down into a pan.