Two New Chinchillas!

[BenD188]

First off, I just wanted to say *Thank You* to Tunes for answering some questions in a previous thread. I felt like I didn't need to bump and old thread with a thank you, since I will be posting this new one. Also thank you to AZChins who has been helpful!

Alright, last Thursday I brought home two chinchillas. One 6 week old Dark Tan, and one 8 week old Mosaic. I know that they are supposed to be 8-12 weeks old before you take them home, but the breeder I went to said they have been eating on their own and big enough to leave. The 6 week old is bigger than the 8 week old! She said it was because the 6 week old was from a litter of two.

The DT is very friendly, and will come to me. He will even climb on my hand, allowing me to bring him on my lap. The mosaic is VERY skiddish, and will not normally come to me. He does not like being held, and often hides in corners if I am close. The mosaic also doesn't seem to like to dust as much as the DT. His fur is kind of greasy, and doesn't look as good.

They have not had play time yet. The DT has jumped onto me, so I did let him run around on my bed and explore. He seemed to love it. I do not think the mosaic is ready, he is still very skiddish.

I am wanting to have play time so they can get to know me even better by being in an open area with me. Should I wait to have play time until my Mosaic isn't as scared of me? Or should I just scoop him up and bring him out with me? I know that the DT seems ready to come out and play, but I am still waiting. I do have a safe "chin ready" area for play time.

Just some side notes about them.

They are defiantly eating their pellets and Hay. They are also drinking plenty of water. The DT has beautiful fur, but the Mosaic seems a little "grungy".
They are on Mazuri Chin food.
Oxbow Timothy Hay
Alfalfa Hay Cubes
Blue Cloud Dust
Critter Nation Cage
Kiln Dried Pine shelves
Pecan Wood / Pumace Stones / Willow Balls
Treats consist of either a Rose Bud or Plain Shredded Wheat.

I've done my research, but was wondering if theres anything else suggested for these guys? Or comments / suggestions on their cage?

I'm also undecided on names.. the girlfriend seems to want to name the Dark Tan boy "Chester".

 

[AZChins]

Awww....they are adorable! Look at how little they are in the big cage.

For now leave the chinchillas in the cage and let them get used to their new surroundings. It could take a week or two for them to acclimate to the point where you can start taking them out more to hold them and let them play. Start out with maybe 5 to 10 minutes of playtime and work your way up to more slowly.

 

[Lillybabe]

Personally I think they are both way too young for playtime. My girls are about 13 weeks old now and I'm just thinking about possibly allowing them a few minutes of play time a week. It is typically recommended that chins not have playtime until 6 months old. Also treats even good ones like rose hips and shredded wheat shouldn't be offered to chinchillas that are so young. The six week old is too young to even be away from mom yet let alone be eating "big chin food" like treats. Treats are also typically recommended only after 6 months.

These two are absolutely adorable and it does seem like you have done your research. I would make sure you weigh them once a week or so to make sure both of them continue to thrive. As far as dust baths go you might need to sprinkle them with some dust if they are not yet willing to roll around in the dust on their own. It is important that they are dusted to keep them healthy and their fur nice. You might also consider getting an additional food dish incase one of them hogs it or bullies the other away. What weight are they both now? I'm just curious how large they are compared to my girls when they were 8 weeks. Both of them are now both over 400 grams. I look forward to seeing more pictures of your boys.

 

[BenD188]

I had chinchillas 2-3 years ago, and they were both 1-2 years old when I brought them home. I was looking for a chinchilla, and it just happened that there were babies available. I wasn't thinking that I must have an adorable baby! I would have been fine with an older chin, but that is what was available near me that wasn't from a pet store. Don't get me wrong, the babies are adorable, and I have heard that they can be even more bonded to you if you get them at a younger age. So that was a plus.

I have an older postal scale, it weighs in lbs and kgs. The 8 week old is .22-.23kg (220-230g) and the 6 week old is .23-.24kg (230-240g).

Thanks for the advice.. I guess I'll hold off on the treats. I figured that some people would say that 6 weeks is too young to be away from their mother. The breeder advised me that they were ready. Everything should be ok as long as they are gaining weight, correct? I can't seem to find how much they are supposed to gain per day (I KNOW I've seen it somewhere!)

Also, they do share the feed bowl, I often see them eating out of it at the same time.

I guess I need a new scale! Suggestions???

I'm also curious as to why playtime isn't recommend until 6 months of age.

 

[Lillybabe]

I'm curious what happened to the chinchillas you had 2-3 years ago....

As for the scale I think it will work fine as long as you're willing to move the decimal and think it is accurate. You could always weigh a household item that you know the weight of on it and see how close it is. Or take the same item to somewhere like the post office with a scale to compare. A new scale won't cost much but why waste funds if your's works. Hopefully the breeder you got them from was reputable. I do not know of any other breeders that I would consider reputable that would sell a six week old chinchilla. Many are hesistant to sell eight week old ones and only will if they are certain they will thrive. Babies are so risky and can have so many complications. The new environment and food changes that come with moving to a new home can cause them to lose weight they do not have to spare. So can playtime. Honestly I think 220-240 grams is a bit small to go to a new home. Did these chins have any time at all to bond at the breeder before you brought them home? It sounds like they were taken from their mothers and put in a cage together very quickly. As I said before I'd keep a close eye on them.

As far as them sharing a food dish, it is still possible even if you see them sharing that one of them is not getting their fair share. They may be getting some but are they getting as much as they need? It's really hard to tell. Two bowls just makes it easier to ensure both of them get plenty of food. Playtime isn't recommended until 6 months of age because young chinchillas need to be gaining weight rapidly and not working it all off running around like crazy. Babies are a bit insane and do not necessarily know their own limits. They also may be more likely to hurt themselves outside of the cage than older chins.

Yes babies are adorable but they also can be a lot more work than older chinchillas. For one they are more likely to hurt themselves while they run around like crazy things. They also are quicker to escape. I love my girls but at 3 months they are far crazier than my 6 year old chin who passed. It is a lot more work. With him I could clean the cage while he was in it, with the girls they try to escape (even attempting long jumps down) as soon as I open the cage door.

You said the little mosaic is skittish, both of them ought to have more time to get use to their new home before being handled a lot. If you wish to gain their trust you need to slowly get to know them by talking through the cage bars, petting them while they are inside their cage, etc. before you pick them up. A chinchilla will learn to fear you if you push it too hard. They need time and patience to get to know you and become bonded. I have had my girls since the end of February and they are still getting use to me petting them and picking them up. One of them still runs from me most of the time when I try to scratch her head.

 

[BenD188]

I rehomed my older chins to someone who I know is going to take great care of them. I didn't just let them go to the first persone off craigslist that said GIMME THAT CUTE FURRY LITTLE RABBIT-SQUIRREL! Haha.. It wasn't an easy decision.

My life had just gotten too crazy. My relationship of 3 years ended. I had to move TWICE. I got a new job. I was going to school full time. My life had just changed greatly, and I felt it was better to let them go to someone who could give them more attention than I could.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the whole experience. They would jump on my hands to be held. I enjoyed the daily out of cage playtime. I learned how to use (and take apart to clean) a vacuum better than anyone I know! Just making sure you don't think I gave them up because I got sick of them and didn't want to clean up poo every day!

I missed having them. I don't have any other pets. I'm in a house now, not an apartment. I have a steady job, and am taking night classes twice a week. I was thinking about this for a couple months. I didn't just randomly go pick one up one day. I am in it for the long run. Don't worry, I made sure to pick a girlfriend who was chin-friendly.

I don't have anything bad to say about the breeder. She was a very nice lady with a good setup. The chins would come to her and yes.. she spoke in that wubby bubby baby voice to them and gave them kisses, lol. I could tell that she gave them the love that they needed. Yes, he probably shouldn't have been weaned at 6 weeks, but theres nothing we can really do about it now.

I will look into getting another feed bowl soon. Possibly one that attaches to the side of the cage. Also a notebook to

Thank you for the responses, I appreciate it.

 

[Jenn]

Can I just say that they are stinkin' adorable?!!! Have fun with your bebbies!

 

[InkedupTara]

I've never heard the 6 month rule regarding playtime, only wheels, as you cant monitor how long they are on them. I think a few minutes here or there in a smaller area, will be just fine, it isnt as if they wont play in their cage anyway. You have to be concerned with over heating.

They are simply precious and congrats on your new additions.

 

[Raisinggrace]

Aww... They are so stinking cute and congratulations on your new additions.

 

[AZChins]

You can have a brief amount of playtime with younger chins. I let chins that aren't weaned out to play in a special area for a few minutes at a time. What you have to worry about with young kits is that playtime can be a little too rough on them and make their blood sugar drop suddenly. (This can happen when they are just playing in their cages, too.) In moderation playtime is a good thing, but you have to slowly get the chin used to more and more playtime. You can't just bring them home and start having two hours of playtime a night, that would be dangerous because the babies would definitely get overstimulated and could have low blood sugar seizures and problems.

Free feed them in their food dish and everything should be fine. Watch their droppings and just make sure that you don't have someone overeating. Baby chinchillas, who have just been weaned, can have a tendency to eat too much and their digestive systems aren't used to processing that much food. It's important to load them up on hay, as well. It should be just fine.

 

[EMSChins]

Okay can I just say that tan baby is absolutely adorable!

The reason for limited playtime is that growing babies need to conserve their calories to reach a healthy adult weight and not waste precious calories on running around like the maniacs that they are - hence the reason for no wheel under 6 months.

Like others have said, limited, supervised playtime in a safe area is fine for babies. Monitor that they are not listless or tremoring which would indicate low blood sugar or overheating and they should be fine.

 

[Lillybabe]

See I feel better now too! I was going to let the girls start having a little bit of playtime... but I'd been told "No playtime! Wait until 6 months!" So I was pouting about it... but being good.

I am glad to hear your chins before went to a great home. I can definitely understand being at a point in your life where you decide you can't handle pets. Any kind of pet is a lot of responsibility and your job/life etc. has to be first. If you aren't healthy and employed the chinchillas aren't going to be happy or well fed either. Glad to hear you've got things settled and your girlfriend likes chinchillas.

Your babies are definitely adorable. In the pictures you posted the Dark Tan's fur actually looks okay to me. Just keep encouraging them to dust bath. You might offer it a few times a week to encourage them... even daily at this time of year, for a bit. They'll get the hang of it in no time. One of my girls was terrified of dust for the first week or so I had her. Now she's dusting like a champ. In fact she's so excited about dusting that she often tries to dust off of her sister or outside of the bath. Chinchillas are so silly.

If you go with playtime I'd still wait a few weeks to let them get use to you... then start with a small space and short amount of time. Especially your mosaic if he's scared he might need more time to get use to everything before being allowed to roam elsewhere. For playtime you might try transporting him in the dust bath or in a small carrier. My girls will often climb into their carrier so that I can clean the cage if I patiently wait with it in there. Have to be quick to shut the door once they're both in! One of mine escaped once while I was getting the second girl in.

I know you'll enjoy your babies. Don't forget to keep posting those pictures!

 

[Cuddlebug]

The one that you don't feel is dusting, may prefer dusting while you are not in the room. Some just don't feel safe dusting with people present. Put the dust house in the cage and leave the room for 15 minutes, then come back and then remove the dust house.

 

[LeaJo22]

your babies are adorable! congrats!!

 

[Anna35]

OMG! too cute... My baby Wakka was that little when I got her...