VERY brave (clumsy) kit...normal? (videos and pics)

[e.murphy518]

So this is my first time owning a baby chin, and he is now 15 weeks old. I have him in a Quality Cage Chinchilla Mansion, so it is very tall, but I only have shelves going a little more than halfway up. As the little guy has gotten more comfier in his home, he has also started getting reallyyyy excited at times. Last night, for example, I heard an unfamiliar rattling before I went to bed and went over to his cage only to see him leap up and grab the side of the cage, scale the side as high as he wanted, and then look down at his hammock (stretched fully across the cage except a smallish area on the front and back of the cage) and push off, landing in the hammock and using it trampoline style. He would bounce off of that and popcorn and wall surf all over the cage, only to climb back up and do it again. I didn't get that good of videos but I did get a couple..

Is this normal behavior? Are all babies so clumsy and unaware of their limitations? Even though this does sound planned, he also sometimes trips coming off the hammock, falls down while pop corning, even pop corned up under a shelf and smacked his head lightly. while all of this is adorable and hilarious, I don't want him to get hurt because he thinks he is a stuntman!

Let me know what you all think

Here are the videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmcGeKmY-Bg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXRVV4ATq2g&feature=youtube_gdata_player

And just because they're cute, here are some pics of him when we were at home from Thanksgiving Break:

 

[Chinmama]

OMG - he is so stinking adorable! He is a little daredevil. No worries, he's just being a normal little spazz.

 

[javachin]

Oh yes, all very normal. I find it funny when they decide to popcorn under something and bump their head. They get so excited!

 

[ninjaturtletayy]

Hahaha he's so cute. I'm sad I missed out on Stanley being that tiny. Also cute cage!

 

[Pikaia]

Squee! So cute! I love kits My chins like to try and climb their playpen once in a while!

 

[DMarcel]

Is it very common for chins to climb up the sides of their cage?

 

[e.murphy518]

Thanks everybody! I just wanted to be sure it was ok and that I didn't need to get a shorter cage or something. In the FN its no big deal but in the Chinchilla Mansion it scares me a little that he will hurt himself, he falls all the time but always immediately springs back up.

I know people have mentioned that you should keep the shelves low for a while but since he climbs the cage anyway, it seems to defeat the purpose of not having high shelves. Would it be alright to put in some nice big shelves and another hammock so that he has full cage access? That way if he falls (or jumps lol) there will be more to break his fall?

Thanks for all the compliments I still can't believe I have such a cute little fuzz butt

DMarcel: I have never experienced it with my other two adult males, but according to the others it is common for babies, I guess if you get a chin that climbs just make sure you have hammocks and other soft things to save the if they fall. Also, the type of cage in the videos provides more foot and handholds than something like the ferret nation


***EDIT TO ORIGINAL POST*** I just re read it and realized I said more comfier which made me cringe so, sorry for that

 

[ticklechin]

The cutest chin EVAH!

 

[e.murphy518]

The cutest chin EVAH!

Thanks he is also the friendliest and most outgoing! He jumps right onto your hands when you put them in his cage and at night (when he is not going crazy as seen in the videos) he cuddles up in the corner of his cage closest to where my bed is and just watches me! He is so sweet, I got incredibly lucky

 

[ChinChild]

My girlfriend and I recently got our first kit as well, and we have had a similar experience! We already own an adult male (Gizmo), but we got him when he was around 7 months so he was already a pretty good size; the kit (Mojo) is only 12 weeks old, and he is all over the place! Scared the crap out of me a few times already, climbing his cage & duffing ill-judged leaps lol. He seems to be having a blast, but it certainly worried me the first week we had him!

 

[tcraighenry]

OMG he is so cute!

One of my adult chinchillas does that and did it as a baby. My favorite thing is when she hits her head or misses and then kacks at the offending object.

Yes Vincenza, it's the ledge's fault.

 

[Godofgods]

Is it very common for chins to climb up the sides of their cage?

Three of my chins did this when they were young. And i they were very good at it too. Considering i had them in a FN cage with vertical bars, and they still climbed it! Once they got older they stopped tho. Im not sure there full figure allows them too, because there not ones to stop doing something that works.

 

[Newt]

Wow, he's gorgeous!!

 

[e.murphy518]

Thanks everybody!!

OMG he is so cute!

One of my adult chinchillas does that and did it as a baby. My favorite thing is when she hits her head or misses and then kacks at the offending object.

Yes Vincenza, it's the ledge's fault.

I would laugh so hard if one of mine did this, sounds hilarious! My baby just popcorned up into a shelf, paused, and then just kept on going. He gets SO hyper sometimes it is hilarious.

I feel bad because he wants to play EVERY time I come into the room, no matter what time it is he wakes up and tries to get my attention which is the total opposite of my older two, if its during the day they will just fully ignore me or give me dirty looks haha