They escaped!

[damik]

My three chins managed to somehow escape their cage and get into an non-chinny proof area of the house. They are now hiding in a plumbing access panel in the wall. I've tried everything to entice them out of there. I've offered them raisins, I've offered them dust baths, Timothy hay, ripped up strips of paper, pretty much anything they like I've offered them. They aren't even poking their heads out now.

Any suggestions on how to get them out?

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

block off the room that they are in and put their cage in there with food and water, etc. inside. Then settle in for a nice long stake-out. Alternatively, you can buy a live trap and put food or some treats or something in it. When they go in to get the treats, the door will close behind them. They are most likely to come out during the times when they are normally most active.

 

[Godofgods]

Then settle in for a nice long stake-out.

I most definitely couldn't have said it better' lol

 

[damik]

It's been two days, I've gotten one of them back, but I've had no sign of the third. My husband says he might be dead and I have to be prepared for that. I don't know what to do. I don't want him to be gone. He's my sweetheart. He will ride on your shoulder and just sit there, sometimes nuzzling your cheek. He escaped before and we were able to catch him after a while, it was more than two days before. So maybe my husband is just being a worry wort. I don't know. I'm just upset. We have been staking the hole out, but he hasn't even poked his head out. We haven't seen him since the night he escaped.
We can't get a live cage, because we would find our cat trapped in it in the morning. I just don't know what to do.

 

[damik]

We got him back! We live in a duplex and he managed to make his way to the downstairs unit. We heard from the guy downstairs that a baby rabbit had somehow gotten into his house. And I was like a baby rabbit or a full grown chinchilla?
We did get the live cage, just one small enough that the cat couldn't get inside.
We kept loading it with raisins and he would get them off with out tripping the trap. Wily little bugger. So I did something I probably aughtent've I put a raisin on a dab of peanut butter. I know they can't process the fats from the peanuts well, but I don't think I gave him enough to cause a problem. At least I hope I didn't. I would feel awful if I gave him internal issues trying to catch him.
It was a very little bit.

 

[smhluvsmh]

Update?

 

[damik]

All three chins are doing well. They are clinging to each other more than usual. I haven't seen any digestive issues that would indicate that the chinny had a problem with the peanut butter. We have closed off the unsafe chinny area and put a lock on their cage so they only go out when we want them to. This won't be a problem again.

 

[Godofgods]

This won't be a problem again.

Oh you would be suprised.....
There is a reason i named my first kit Houdini lol

 

[Caroline]

Those live traps have been a life saver for me. I picked one up at a Harbor Freight for less than $10. I just block off all avenues of escape and eventually the chin on the lamb goes into it. The traps are perfectly safe and the metal isn't heavy enough to hurt the chin.

 

[Riven]

I love a live trap. They will eventually go in if nothing other than curiosity!

 

[damik]

My guy was going in for the raisins and getting them off of the trap trip without setting it off.

 

[breevass]

Our cage had to have a padlock on each door... And Athena broke one of the bars at the corner of the cage and got out that way.. Where there is a will, there is a way. Just keep an eye on them and keep a check for weak areas on their cage!