Asked on the Chinchilla Forum by chinch on 7/11/2005, 9:58 am
Q: new to chins!
Hi guys, im new to this board, and new to Chins, and i guess i have a few questions to ask.
i have never known much about chinchilla's or anything, and then on thursday, my aunt called me and wanted to know if i wanted the chin, that she just got from a garage sale. i said yes, being as i just moved into an apartment 3 months ago, and was kinda feeling lonely without any animals, considering i have always been around some type of pet. so i went and visited the chin, and i fell in love!!! he was so beautiful!!! so i took him right away. i have been reading and trying to find out information on them but i guess i have some questions, and maybe just some things i want to be re-assured on, and i am more than willing to hear any of your guy's tips/secrets/advice.
1. the lady that my aunt got him from, said she had him for 6 months, and that they usually start selling when they are 3 months, which tells me maybe he is 9 months old? is there any way i could tell a little bit better about his age?
2. i read that a well socialized chin will loved to be handled and petted. which is not the case with our chin. when he is in his cage, he lets us pet him, but when i hold him, he doesnt want to stay put, he wants to jump out of my hands and run around the apartment. is this normal? will he want to be held more once he gets used to us? and being held?
3. we let him have reign of the living room, dining room and kitchen when we are there and watching him, if we are not home with him, he has to stay in his cage, but ecspecially when he is out running around, if we come up near him, or try to grab him, he takes off running. is this normal? or is he being not-social again?
4. he doesnt start getting really active until around 8:00-9:00 at night. i know they are nocturnal, but yesterday was the first day we were with him the WHOLE day, and i notcied that when i got up at 7:00am, he was up and ready to run around the apartment, then at around 11:00 he started to relax and lay down and stuff, he was like that until probably 6:00pm, then he wasnt running crazy or anything, just kinda sitting there, then at around 8:30 or so he started running around like a bat out of H***, jumping on things and hiding. is this normal?
5. i know they have to be in air condtioning and that they cant get too hot. but what about too cold? me personally i love when the apartment is cold, i need to be in the cold to sleep, but im so worried he is going to get cold! i am waking up like 4 and 5 times a night going in the living room to feel how hot/cold it is. Andey (our chin) is in the living room, which is where the ac is, and when the ac is on high, it can get way cold in there, but still not cold in the bedroom. but how do i know what is the "perfect" tempature for him? i keep asking my boyfriend "does it fell too hot in here" or "do you think andey is cold" stuff like that, and he says to me, "i think it is fine in here, but i dont know what a chinchilla would think". so im constantly turning it down, turning it up, worrying when im at work, that something is going to happen to him. i think the first day i had him, i left the air on cold, but low, and i think when i came home, and picked him up he was shivering a bit. i dont want him to get a cold, but i dont want him to get heat stroke or anything! this subject is driving me crazy, please help me.
6. his dust bath. he loves his dust bath! but how much is too much? i keep his bath house outside his cage, but around 9:00pm when he wakes up, i dont put it away, and he probably jumps in there 10 times while he is running around for a few hours. he just goes in, rolls a few times, and jumps out, and then a little while later does the same thing. he seems to love it so much, i dont want to take it away from him, if it isnt going to hurt him. and i read somewhere that said to let him have the dust bast for 15 minutes or so, so i kinda figured ok, well he is using it for a few hours, but only at like 15 seconds each time! what should i do?
7. has anyone ever ordered anything online from [url]www.chinworld.com?[/url]
8. how do you tell what sex your chin is? my aunt was calling him a girl, but when i got him home, i kinda flipped him on his back, and i swore i could see a penis. is a chin's penis actually sticking out, or was i maybe seeing something else?
i want to thank everyone in advance for the great advice, and replies i will hopefully recieve, and if you have any extra info or tips, please let me know. i have only had Andey for 4 days, but already i love him so so so much! and i want to do the best for him, i dont know what i would do if something happened to him!
Answered by kate flynn on 7/11/2005, 10:28 pm
A: new to chins!
> Hi guys, im new to this board, and new to Chins, and i guess
> i have a few questions to ask.
>
> i have never known much about chinchilla's or anything, and
> then on thursday, my aunt called me and wanted to know if i
> wanted the chin, that she just got from a garage sale. i
> said yes, being as i just moved into an apartment 3 months
> ago, and was kinda feeling lonely without any animals,
> considering i have always been around some type of pet. so i
> went and visited the chin, and i fell in love!!! he was so
> beautiful!!! so i took him right away. i have been reading
> and trying to find out information on them but i guess i
> have some questions, and maybe just some things i want to be
> re-assured on, and i am more than willing to hear any of
> your guy's tips/secrets/advice.
>
> 1. the lady that my aunt got him from, said she had him for
> 6 months, and that they usually start selling when they are
> 3 months, which tells me maybe he is 9 months old? is there
> any way i could tell a little bit better about his age?
>
> 2. i read that a well socialized chin will loved to be
> handled and petted. which is not the case with our chin.
> when he is in his cage, he lets us pet him, but when i hold
> him, he doesnt want to stay put, he wants to jump out of my
> hands and run around the apartment. is this normal? will he
> want to be held more once he gets used to us? and being
> held?
>
> 3. we let him have reign of the living room, dining room and
> kitchen when we are there and watching him, if we are not
> home with him, he has to stay in his cage, but ecspecially
> when he is out running around, if we come up near him, or
> try to grab him, he takes off running. is this normal? or is
> he being not-social again?
>
> 4. he doesnt start getting really active until around
> 8:00-9:00 at night. i know they are nocturnal, but yesterday
> was the first day we were with him the WHOLE day, and i
> notcied that when i got up at 7:00am, he was up and ready to
> run around the apartment, then at around 11:00 he started to
> relax and lay down and stuff, he was like that until
> probably 6:00pm, then he wasnt running crazy or anything,
> just kinda sitting there, then at around 8:30 or so he
> started running around like a bat out of H***, jumping on
> things and hiding. is this normal?
>
> 5. i know they have to be in air condtioning and that they
> cant get too hot. but what about too cold? me personally i
> love when the apartment is cold, i need to be in the cold to
> sleep, but im so worried he is going to get cold! i am
> waking up like 4 and 5 times a night going in the living
> room to feel how hot/cold it is. Andey (our chin) is in the
> living room, which is where the ac is, and when the ac is on
> high, it can get way cold in there, but still not cold in
> the bedroom. but how do i know what is the ''perfect''
> tempature for him? i keep asking my boyfriend ''does it fell
> too hot in here'' or ''do you think andey is cold'' stuff
> like that, and he says to me, ''i think it is fine in here,
> but i dont know what a chinchilla would think''. so im
> constantly turning it down, turning it up, worrying when im
> at work, that something is going to happen to him. i think
> the first day i had him, i left the air on cold, but low,
> and i think when i came home, and picked him up he was
> shivering a bit. i dont want him to get a cold, but i dont
> want him to get heat stroke or anything! this subject is
> driving me crazy, please help me.
>
> 6. his dust bath. he loves his dust bath! but how much is
> too much? i keep his bath house outside his cage, but around
> 9:00pm when he wakes up, i dont put it away, and he probably
> jumps in there 10 times while he is running around for a few
> hours. he just goes in, rolls a few times, and jumps out,
> and then a little while later does the same thing. he seems
> to love it so much, i dont want to take it away from him, if
> it isnt going to hurt him. and i read somewhere that said to
> let him have the dust bast for 15 minutes or so, so i kinda
> figured ok, well he is using it for a few hours, but only at
> like 15 seconds each time! what should i do?
>
> 7. has anyone ever ordered anything online from
> [url]www.chinworld.com?[/url]
>
> 8. how do you tell what sex your chin is? my aunt was
> calling him a girl, but when i got him home, i kinda flipped
> him on his back, and i swore i could see a penis. is a
> chin's penis actually sticking out, or was i maybe seeing
> something else?
>
> i want to thank everyone in advance for the great advice,
> and replies i will hopefully recieve, and if you have any
> extra info or tips, please let me know. i have only had
> Andey for 4 days, but already i love him so so so much! and
> i want to do the best for him, i dont know what i would do
> if something happened to him!
>
Hi, it seems like you want to do everything possible for your new chinchilla which is great. Alot of the time, people dont know what they're getting themselves into when they get a chinchilla and don't care enough to do the right things. I'm glad to hear that you care so much for your little guy.
The first thing I'd like to say is that where I live, I have seen the same chinchillas in pet stores for up to a year, so even though they might start selling at 3 months old, it is hard to see at first glance how old they really are. Your vet would be able to give you a more acurate age.
As for your second question about socialization, you have only had your chin for 4 days so he is still getting used to his new surroundings. Depending on the individual chinchilla, and the treatment he had in the past, he should warm up soon, its just a matter of how long. He has to develop a strong trust towards you and sometimes this can take a lot of love and patience.
When a chinchilla has the run of a room they usually become more spunky because they really do enjoy it. They won't want to come back to their cage yet unless they are hungry or exhausted from the exercise. This is completely normal! One thing I'd like to say is to watch him very closely when he's out to make sure that he doesn't get into anything. Chinchillas are notorious for chewing on wires.
When you first get a new chinchilla their internal clocks are usually off a bit. Since you might not be sure of the surroundings he was in before, (did they have any other animals that would have kept him awake all day? were the owners making alot of noise during the day? was he fed a proper diet and given enough attention?) Just being in a new environment can throw them off. Don't worry, once he settles down, he should be back to normal but it may take a couple of weeks.
It is pretty hard to make a chinchilla too cold. They are from the Andes Mountains where the temperatures from night and day are pretty extreme. They are comfortable at around 2-7 degrees celcius. (sorry, I'm not sure what it is in fahrenheight. Canadian,eh?) The most important thing is that there is no drafts from the air conditioner or anywhere else in your house. They are very susceptible to fatal pnumonia so please be careful. If you noticed that your chinchilla was shivering it was most likely from a draft. I would be much more worried about heat stroke. This time of year can be very trying for chinchilla owners. When my chinchilla gets too hot, I soak a towel and put it over her cage with a fan blowing on it. They also like ice cubes!
It is a good idea to only let your chin have access to the dust bath for 15 minutes a night. Too much can cause respiratory and eye problems. If your chinchilla gets too much dust in his eye you will notice discharge and crust. He will also not want to open his eye all the way. Have the vet check if there is any damage to the actual eye or whether it is just an irritation. This can be fixed with a salve from the vet. For respiratory problems you would notice discharge coming from the nose. If caught early enough it can usually be fixed with an antibiotic. As long as you don't overdo the dust baths, I would'nt worry about it too much.
I have never bought anything from chinworld.com but they do have some pretty amazing things. For them to send stuff to Canada would have been way too expensive for me.
As for sexing a chinchilla, the females can be decieving!!! A female may look like she has a penis but you need to take a closer look. In order to tell them apart look at how far the anus is from the sex organ. For females, they are very close together and the males usually have about a centimeter in between( thats about 1/4 to 1/2 and inch) When you take him/her to the vet he will be able to tell you for sure.
Well I hope that this helped! I'd like to give you props for taking such an interest in your new chin. Good luck!!!
Answered by kate flynn on 7/11/2005, 10:33 pm
A: new to chins!
> Hi guys, im new to this board, and new to Chins, and i guess
> i have a few questions to ask.
>
> i have never known much about chinchilla's or anything, and
> then on thursday, my aunt called me and wanted to know if i
> wanted the chin, that she just got from a garage sale. i
> said yes, being as i just moved into an apartment 3 months
> ago, and was kinda feeling lonely without any animals,
> considering i have always been around some type of pet. so i
> went and visited the chin, and i fell in love!!! he was so
> beautiful!!! so i took him right away. i have been reading
> and trying to find out information on them but i guess i
> have some questions, and maybe just some things i want to be
> re-assured on, and i am more than willing to hear any of
> your guy's tips/secrets/advice.
>
> 1. the lady that my aunt got him from, said she had him for
> 6 months, and that they usually start selling when they are
> 3 months, which tells me maybe he is 9 months old? is there
> any way i could tell a little bit better about his age?
>
> 2. i read that a well socialized chin will loved to be
> handled and petted. which is not the case with our chin.
> when he is in his cage, he lets us pet him, but when i hold
> him, he doesnt want to stay put, he wants to jump out of my
> hands and run around the apartment. is this normal? will he
> want to be held more once he gets used to us? and being
> held?
>
> 3. we let him have reign of the living room, dining room and
> kitchen when we are there and watching him, if we are not
> home with him, he has to stay in his cage, but ecspecially
> when he is out running around, if we come up near him, or
> try to grab him, he takes off running. is this normal? or is
> he being not-social again?
>
> 4. he doesnt start getting really active until around
> 8:00-9:00 at night. i know they are nocturnal, but yesterday
> was the first day we were with him the WHOLE day, and i
> notcied that when i got up at 7:00am, he was up and ready to
> run around the apartment, then at around 11:00 he started to
> relax and lay down and stuff, he was like that until
> probably 6:00pm, then he wasnt running crazy or anything,
> just kinda sitting there, then at around 8:30 or so he
> started running around like a bat out of H***, jumping on
> things and hiding. is this normal?
>
> 5. i know they have to be in air condtioning and that they
> cant get too hot. but what about too cold? me personally i
> love when the apartment is cold, i need to be in the cold to
> sleep, but im so worried he is going to get cold! i am
> waking up like 4 and 5 times a night going in the living
> room to feel how hot/cold it is. Andey (our chin) is in the
> living room, which is where the ac is, and when the ac is on
> high, it can get way cold in there, but still not cold in
> the bedroom. but how do i know what is the ''perfect''
> tempature for him? i keep asking my boyfriend ''does it fell
> too hot in here'' or ''do you think andey is cold'' stuff
> like that, and he says to me, ''i think it is fine in here,
> but i dont know what a chinchilla would think''. so im
> constantly turning it down, turning it up, worrying when im
> at work, that something is going to happen to him. i think
> the first day i had him, i left the air on cold, but low,
> and i think when i came home, and picked him up he was
> shivering a bit. i dont want him to get a cold, but i dont
> want him to get heat stroke or anything! this subject is
> driving me crazy, please help me.
>
> 6. his dust bath. he loves his dust bath! but how much is
> too much? i keep his bath house outside his cage, but around
> 9:00pm when he wakes up, i dont put it away, and he probably
> jumps in there 10 times while he is running around for a few
> hours. he just goes in, rolls a few times, and jumps out,
> and then a little while later does the same thing. he seems
> to love it so much, i dont want to take it away from him, if
> it isnt going to hurt him. and i read somewhere that said to
> let him have the dust bast for 15 minutes or so, so i kinda
> figured ok, well he is using it for a few hours, but only at
> like 15 seconds each time! what should i do?
>
> 7. has anyone ever ordered anything online from
> [url]www.chinworld.com?[/url]
>
> 8. how do you tell what sex your chin is? my aunt was
> calling him a girl, but when i got him home, i kinda flipped
> him on his back, and i swore i could see a penis. is a
> chin's penis actually sticking out, or was i maybe seeing
> something else?
>
> i want to thank everyone in advance for the great advice,
> and replies i will hopefully recieve, and if you have any
> extra info or tips, please let me know. i have only had
> Andey for 4 days, but already i love him so so so much! and
> i want to do the best for him, i dont know what i would do
> if something happened to him!
>
Hi, it seems like you want to do everything possible for your new chinchilla which is great. Alot of the time, people dont know what they're getting themselves into when they get a chinchilla and don't care enough to do the right things. I'm glad to hear that you care so much for your little guy.
The first thing I'd like to say is that where I live, I have seen the same chinchillas in pet stores for up to a year, so even though they might start selling at 3 months old, it is hard to see at first glance how old they really are. Your vet would be able to give you a more acurate age.
As for your second question about socialization, you have only had your chin for 4 days so he is still getting used to his new surroundings. Depending on the individual chinchilla, and the treatment he had in the past, he should warm up soon, its just a matter of how long. He has to develop a strong trust towards you and sometimes this can take a lot of love and patience.
When a chinchilla has the run of a room they usually become more spunky because they really do enjoy it. They won't want to come back to their cage yet unless they are hungry or exhausted from the exercise. This is completely normal! One thing I'd like to say is to watch him very closely when he's out to make sure that he doesn't get into anything. Chinchillas are notorious for chewing on wires.
When you first get a new chinchilla their internal clocks are usually off a bit. Since you might not be sure of the surroundings he was in before, (did they have any other animals that would have kept him awake all day? were the owners making alot of noise during the day? was he fed a proper diet and given enough attention?) Just being in a new environment can throw them off. Don't worry, once he settles down, he should be back to normal but it may take a couple of weeks.
It is pretty hard to make a chinchilla too cold. They are from the Andes Mountains where the temperatures from night and day are pretty extreme. They are comfortable at around 2-7 degrees celcius. (sorry, I'm not sure what it is in fahrenheight. Canadian,eh?) The most important thing is that there is no drafts from the air conditioner or anywhere else in your house. They are very susceptible to fatal pnumonia so please be careful. If you noticed that your chinchilla was shivering it was most likely from a draft. I would be much more worried about heat stroke. This time of year can be very trying for chinchilla owners. When my chinchilla gets too hot, I soak a towel and put it over her cage with a fan blowing on it. They also like ice cubes!
It is a good idea to only let your chin have access to the dust bath for 15 minutes a night. Too much can cause respiratory and eye problems. If your chinchilla gets too much dust in his eye you will notice discharge and crust. He will also not want to open his eye all the way. Have the vet check if there is any damage to the actual eye or whether it is just an irritation. This can be fixed with a salve from the vet. For respiratory problems you would notice discharge coming from the nose. If caught early enough it can usually be fixed with an antibiotic. As long as you don't overdo the dust baths, I would'nt worry about it too much.
I have never bought anything from chinworld.com but they do have some pretty amazing things. For them to send stuff to Canada would have been way too expensive for me.
As for sexing a chinchilla, the females can be decieving!!! A female may look like she has a penis but you need to take a closer look. In order to tell them apart look at how far the anus is from the sex organ. For females, they are very close together and the males usually have about a centimeter in between( thats about 1/4 to 1/2 and inch) When you take him/her to the vet he will be able to tell you for sure.
Well I hope that this helped! I'd like to give you props for taking such an interest in your new chin. Good luck!!!
