Chinchilla Blog

i love your chinchilla, he/she is so cute!!!!!!! i have one named pookey:)

Awww.... how adorable! Have you tried pumice stones and baked apple sticks for the chewing also?

I have an abandoned chin. When I first got him, he chewed the bars all the time. The more we bonded and the more toys and treats I gave him, it slowed down. I got him a big running wheel. It took him a while to figure out what it was for, but now he loves it! That has nearly cured the bar chewing. I'm thrilled at how much happier he is now.

hehehhe he looks so guilty!

HA HA! 
Well, he is absolutely adorable. 
 
One of my chinchillas, does the same thing. He LOVES to chew on the bars, and it drives me crazy. Its a good thing hes so cute:P lol 
 
But anyway, if they saucer DOES work...I will definetly go and get one.

No matter how naughty these babies get you can't help but just want to cuddle them! Love all your photos:) Keep them coming!

My chinchilla chews on the bars sometimes she is not bored, just wants to chew. she has many chew toys in her pen but she doesnt chew on the wood as much. i think she likes the metal. try rawhide for dogs. it worked for me! she also has a wheel but it sqeaks...WW40!! =]

my chin wont let me pick her up most the time i dont know what to do she always tries to run a way. i dont know how to bond with her someone please help

Hi Monica,  
 
 
 
Thanks for your post! That certainly is a tough one and I'm not sure I have an answer for you because many chinchillas (including mine!) just do not like to be held. Don't despair though, because there are other ways you can bond with her.  
 
 
 
First, allow your cuddling time to be on her terms. The worst thing you can do is chase her around the room trying to pick her up - that will just develop a fear response. Start by just sitting on the floor in her play area and allow her to approach you. She will probably eventually (if she doesn't already) start to hop onto your lap, and then over time, maybe into your hands. Remember to NEVER squeeze your chinchilla to keep her in your hands when she is squirming. They are very susceptible to rupturing organs.  
 
 
 
Second, if she does climb into your hands, for example, when you are getting her out of her cage, make sure one hand is supporting her hind legs. Chinchillas will panic if their hind legs are dangling in the air. Support her upper body with your other hand by placing it gently under her arms. Avoid holding her around the stomach or mid-body area.  
 
 
 
If chinchillas are not socialized with humans a lot when they are babies, it is a little more challenging to to get them to warm up, but be patient and try Jennifer's bonding tips here: http://www.chinchillaplace.com/chinchilla-blog/bid/4329/Bonding-with-your-Pet-Chinchilla  
 
 
 
I also recommend developing a consistent schedule for your chinchilla's play time. Let her out at the same time every night so she can learn a routine. Chinchilla's are much happier and compliant this way because they are such creatures of habit. For example, we let Tango out of his cage every night at 8pm, but when things come up and we are a little late letting him out, he gets quite an attitude (haha) and won't give us nearly as much attention. Develop a pattern with your pet.  
 
 
 
Good luck and let us know how it goes!  
 
 
 
Amanda

I just need to ask a few questions please. and will you please email me. Because I am on a library comp. and can't dave your web sight. We have 2 chinchillas a boy and a girl. They are a year old now. They stay in seperate cages in seperate rooms. but play together when my girls let them out. Will they still mate if we put them in 1 cage? if so who's cage and how long and how often? 
 
 
 
Thanks Linda

Hi Linda, 
 
 
 
Yes, they absolutely will mate. I recommend keeping them in separate cages, or getting the male fixed. It would also be difficult putting one in the cage the other had been living in for some time. You will most likely deal with territorial issues and it can put stress on them. If absolutely necessary, and you get the male fixed, you will also want to introduce the pair into a new cage together. 
 
 
 
Amanda

Hi, my chinchilla is a little devil when it comes to running,she hides under my mum's nasty but beautiful bird Zulus  
cage. Shelby just cant stay still for long  
but what do you do when you if she bites  
the birds cage?

Do male chinchilla's spray ( I know female chinchilla's do when threatened)? We never see him do this and yet we see evidence of his spraying on the side of the cage and occasionally on the wall. Is there any way to stop this?

my b day is coming soon and i did research on chinchillas so i want one i live in mi around trenton so if u are some where neer there and u have chins THAT ARE HEALTHY.THAT ARE KIND OF CHEAP TELL ME

plz tell me i realy want one. and my bday is on april 18 so plz tell me

Hi Nick, 
 
 
 
Before you can even start the search for a chinchilla, you will need all the stuff on this page: 
 
 
 
http://www.chinchillaplace.com/blog/ 
 
 
 
It will cost upwards of about $250 and is *highly* unlikely that even if you started ordering it now that it would all arrive and be set up by April 18. 
 
 
 
What about a new bike for your birthday instead? :P In all seriousness, the decision to adopt a chinchilla should not be taken lightly. They are a big responsibility and take quite a bit of research to get to know their unique habits and health needs. Do you know that they can live for 20 years? You will want to be sure that you will have a home environment to accomodate their life span. I don't know how old you are, but if you plan on going to college, I've never heard of a dorm that would let you bring a pet. Plus they have to be let out of their cage for exercise every day for a minimum of 30 minutes in a clean, safe environment. This is usually easiest if you have a spare room that can be "chinchilla-proofed". It would just be a real shame to get one just for your birthday, then neglect it when life gets busy. I know when I was in high school and college, I barely had enough time to meet my own needs in addition to studying and extra-curriculars, let alone a pet's! 
 
 
 
If you're serious about owning a chinchilla, do lots of research and save about $300 so you can purchase all of the things it will need.  
 
 
 
Good luck!

Just wanted to add (in general to all readers) that chinchillas are cool pets, but I would really recommend waiting until you are settled with a house of your own and a spare room and can spare some down time to spend with the chin every day... not to mention some extra cash. The safe products that chinchillas need aren't typically sold in pet stores and have to be purchased online from specialty retailers. I know I could not have afforded one as a student without a job. I just want people to know that chinchillas aren't oversized hamsters. They are exotic pets with special needs. Nick - no rush - I don't think they'll be extinct any time soon.

I have a one year old chin/female. She has her own room to play in. I also have a rabbit. She loves being around the rabbit, but aggravates the rabbit by climbing on top of her back. Does this mean she is just playing or is she wanting to mate. I plan on getting her a another chin. Not sure if I should get a male or female. She is very active and high strung. Loves to chew on wall, window sills,etc. Is she bored or stressed because she wants to mate? Thank you for any response. Kim

Hi Jeanne, 
 
 
 
Spraying is a female behavior; males very rarely do. Chin Care has always referred to it as "anti-social" behavior because it usually only happens in chins that have been subjected to some sort of trauma or are living in a hostile environment. What you are probably seeing is where your chin is "marking his territory" which isn't an act of aggresion or defense in the way that a female would spray. These spots can show up in the cage on the shelves, the floor around the cage, inside the chin's hidey house, or around the room. I've been told that vinegar (white or cider) can help lift crusted urine. I've never tried it on carpet, but you could try it in a spray bottle. 
 
 
 
Amanda

Hey Kim, 
 
 
 
Lots of good questions here. It sounds to me more like your chin is showing an act of dominance to your rabbit. Since she is a female, I doubt she is trying to "mount" the bunny, but rather make sure she knows who's boss :P  
 
 
 
If she is clearly wanting to be the dominant figure of that room, use caution in choosing another chin. You will want to find one that is more passive or it will be highly traumatic for both of them. If possible, I highly recommend allowing your current chin to interact with any prospective chin before purchasing/adopting. If they don't get along well, you will end up having to buy another cage, wheel, etc. and we know how expensive that can be! Start by having 2 people each holding one chinchilla nose to nose. If they don't respond aggressively or start "chattering" like they do when they feel threatened, then allow them to play together in a small area. Lastly, if that all goes well, try introducing the new chin into the current cage. In all honesty, it's much easier to introduce 2 chins into a brand new cage together than it is to put an new one in another's current cage. The dominance displayed by your current chin will likely be stressful to the knew little one regardless of how passive he or she is. I don't know what kind of cage you have, but if you are planning to upgrade in the near future, that may be the time to try introducing a new chin onto the scene. And I know you are intelligent enough to know this on your own, but people still ask, so I'm going to say that, of course, if you put a male in with the female they WILL mate. They don't care if it's family or not. So to avoid having a houseful of chins (when there are so many out there already looking for a good home!), and having to purchase new equipment to separate them all, you might want to consider same sex pairing. 
 
 
 
Lastly, Tango also struggles with chewing on the walls of his room, though he has really cut down a LOT. Chinchillas need to chew all the time since their teeth are continuously growing - it's not because they are bored, etc. (Copy and paste this link: http://www.chinchillaplace.com/blog/bid/6051/What-chew-talkin-about ) We have found that if we avoid giving him certain treats (like shredded wheat) when he's out during his play time, he isn't as likely to chew the baseboards. Also, he primarly chews the ones under the bed in that room, so we started putting baked apple tree sticks under the bed, so now he chews those instead. It is important for your chin to have chew toys, like the baked apple sticks or pumice stones, in her cage either way. It is crucial to the prevention of maloclusion. You can buy safe sticks here: http://geocities.com/forchinatechins/chincessories.htm 
 
 
 
Hope this helps! 
 
Amanda

Hi Leah-Jane, 
 
 
 
You definitely should be cautious if your chinchilla has access to the same room as your mom's bird. There are a lot of things that a bird eats that can be toxic to your chinchilla if it's dropped on the floor and subsequently eaten. Also, I don't know what the cage is made out of, but chances are it's not good for your chin to chew it. Check out the link in my post to Kim above. Your chin definitely needs some safe wood to chew on and you can buy it at Forchinate Chins' online store (I think they ship to the UK anyway! If not, you might be able to find something comparable near you.) The other link in the above post will show you which woods are safe and which are very bad for your chinchilla. Just be sure the floor is picked up before letting your chinchilla wander in the bird's area. 
 
 
 
Amanda

Hi 
Im so glad I cam across your site! I'm a new chin mommy and would love some advice! 
 
I have had my chin, Pika for about 4 months (hes 8 months old now) and he seems to have a major biting issue. Im not sure if its normal for chins or what I can do to stop the behavior, if it isnt normal.  
 
Ive had many small animals all my life and I've been able to stop the biting after only a couple weeks, but havent had any luck with Pika :(  
 
It happens most often when I take him out of his cage and am walking him over to his play area. He'll give me a little bite (it doesnt break the skin, but its a good amount of pressure to leave a mark).It's almost like he's warning me, "you better let me go" 
 
I make sure that I'm holding him correctly, that I speaking calmly to him and we have him on a very regular schedule. There have been a few times that he's bitten hard enough to draw blood (only done this to my boyfriend, but never me) 
 
With rats, tapping them on the nose and saying "no" worked, but Chins are so different that I dont want to do anything to make him more aggressive or lose the trust its taken so long to gain. 
 
Can anyone help me? Is this normal or is there anything I can do to stop this bad behavior?  
 
Thanks so much!!!

Im sure your ball of furry will grow out of it. I have Degus which are also known as flying squirrels and they are far more destructive with they're chewing than any other creature i've come across so i've been able to cover my tracks to prevent any destruction by my chinchilla. I've given him a "Woodland Get-A-Way" home made of wood for him to chew on and a silent spinner wheel, i got the silent spinner not only because it doesn't squeak but because it holds his weight better than the other ones i found. The cage i've also got him in was a ferret cage which has five different levels for him to hop around on. I don't ever seem him chewing on the bars. I'm sure that your ball of furry will be just fine in the future.

Aw, I have a tan chinchilla also. My chin Roxie also bar chews. She has a large cage and two wheels and food and water and plenty of play toys. I read somewhere they may be telling us that they want out. It has stopped so far in her new cage, but I'm not sure how long it will be gone for.

Hey Brittany! Sounds like Roxie has a pretty awesome cage! I think you might be on the right track with the bar biting. It can be a sign that they are anxious, or are trying to file down their teeth, or that they want some free time outside of the cage. To address this, make sure Roxie has plenty of wood to chew on. Check out the "Maloclusion Prevention" tag on the right side of the homepage for a list of safe woods. Also, allow her to have at least 30 minutes outside of her cage every day. I know this is a bit of a challenge when you are busy and you share a bedroom with the cage, but it's SO important and I bet it will make a world of difference in Roxie's bar biting and general attitude. It is also a huge part of bonding. You can create a safe environment by picking things off the floor and closing the bedroom door. Alternatively, some chin owners like Jennifer have their chin play time in the bathroom because there might be less clutter and less dangerous things for the chinchilla to chew on. Just remember to close the toilet lid! 
 
 
 
Let us know if either of these ideas help. Thanks for stopping by!

Hey Kate, 
 
 
 
I somehow missed your post - sorry about that! Biting, while mostly uncommon, does occur with some chinchillas. It sounds like you are doing all the right things, it might just be ingrained in Pika's mind, perhaps from a prior stressful living environment, that biting is the only way to protect himself. If it's happening mostly when you pick him up, avoid doing so as much as possible and, when carrying him to his play area, I suggest using a small cat carrier to take him back and forth. He should learn to associate the carrier with play time rather than being picked up and feeling frightened and may give up the biting behavior altogether. 
 
 
 
I know the kind of "warning nibble" you are talking about, and I definitely think this is something you can lead him away from by making some adjustments until he learns he can trust you. I know Tango will never let me pick him up. When I have to, he mostly squirms to try to get free, but I can see how some would bite when they are afraid in that situation. Don't worry, Pika isn't blood thirsty! 
 
 
 
Let me know if that idea works and keep us updated on Pika's progress!

Everytime i try to get my chinchilla out of the cage he starts making this weird noise and comes at me,walking on his two hind legs. Then when i hold him, he bites my shirt and my arm. I dont know what to do can someone please help me and figure out what the problem is!!!

My 8 month old female chin loves to be on my shoulder or inside of my tucked-in tee shirt, but she pees and poops on me regularly. Is she marking me? Is there such a thing as chin diapers for short visits outside her cage? Also, is it safe to give her dog rawhide chews?

Thank you for your answer concerning my chin and the rabbit mounting. Got lucky, bought a black female chin and both of them get along well. Violet is more passive. Sweet pea is more aggressive. I don't keep them in a cage. I have a room set up for all of them.The room has been chin proofed). They love each other and I can't stand the thought of them being in a cage. I know it sounds crazy. I feel animals deserve freedom also, if possible. Of course, I cleaning the room alot because of waste, but they are worth to me. I love my chins!! Kim

I only wish I could give my chins an entire room to themselves. But since I am still in college, I am limited to a cage because of room mates. When I get my own place, they will have their own room though.

ya i have three and the dad does that all the time. after that they will chew on the water bottle so we had to put up reflection glass.

I dream of a room for mine as well Brittany. They have their own room currently, but are confined to their cages most of the time. I envision an air conditioned custom barn with a room for females and a separate room for males. I picture plenty of climbing shelves lining the walls, hiding houses & safe wood and fresh alfalfa. My only concern is one of my males Haze is quite the aggressor. He has a tendency to bully and chewed ears and frazzled fur are a no no...

I just stumbled on to this thread today and was reading through it. After being in chin rescue for several years, I am glad to see that so many people are becoming more educated about their needs before adopting these wonderful creatures. Having a chinchilla roommate is more like taking care of a toddler for 20 years than having a pet. Everything must be chin-proofed before they can be set loose. When I had my house built, I had a room designed for chins. The electrical outlets were 6 ft off the ground. I only wish I would have put in some form of molding other than wood. And I don't recommend carpet. They loved climbing in and out of one anothers cages, into different houses, and through tubes. I would just sit on the floor and read or watch TV (also elevated) until they would come to me. We always seemed to bond better when I allowed them to come to me as if I were just another part of the furniture. Anyone who thinks that a chin is going to be like a dog will be disappointed. They are their own special kind of creature with unique characteristics and quirks. Each has his/her own personality, from what I have seen. I had one chin who would run around for about 15 minutes and then jump on my bed, face the TV, sit on her back legs, and watch TV with me for the longest time. I loved her and still miss her. 
 
I guess my only unsolicited advice would be, don't have too many expectations until you learn your chin's personality. Like people, they are all different.

Penny, 
 
Excellent comment. I feel that too often people have hopes of their chinchilla being more like a puppy. Chinchillas are a lot of fun, but having proper expectations for their behavior is a must. I have so many people asking me if my chinchillas like being held....I honestly have only had 1 chinchilla that I can truly say liked being held, but he preffered riding on my shoulder. They are extremely intelligent and can learn new behaviors with time and patience, but I agree that the best approach is letting your chinchilla come to you. Thank you for keeping it realy Penny. If you are available, I would LOVE to have you as a guest writter to the blog. An article on Chinchillas-setting proper expectations could go a LOBG way in educating potential chinchilla owners. Our intention with Chinchilla Place is to educate potential chinchilla owners, and help them to make the right choices with ownership, handling and nutrition. Let me know if you would be able to contribute. 
 
Jennifer 
ChinchillaPlace.com

I would just like to warn everyone about chinchillas. I love them to death and reccommend anyone who wants a friend and has the time/patience to get one, but please be carful when setting up your cages. I have had chins for two years now and have never had a problem. That is until last night. I walked in to play with my babies and found my two months old male, that was going to his new home this weekend, with a broken leg. I hav no ide how it happened, but it is devastating, not to memtion going to be expensive to fix. I think he may have done between his wheel and the cage wall. He love climbing between them. I don't want anyone to have tp go through this if its not necessary. It truely is heartbreaking that this little guy so full of energy is in pain and may have to lose his back leg. Please chin lovers, be carful with your babies.

I have wanted a chinchilla for about 2 years now. My petstore quit selling them when I got out of college. Then, a few weeks ago, my daughter & I went to a different pet store for bird supplies and there were 2 chinchillas there! I'm glad I told my new husband that I've read all about chin's and how no one sells them here anymore, etc. This helped so that I could pick up Grey's new carrier, cage with crawl tubes as tall as me (I'm 5'4"). We've had him for a little over two weeks now. Yes, they have personality! Grey has growled at me when I tell him I'm going to pet him. He eats out of my hand and has bitten me (no skin broken). I finally got his playpen so he can sit with us in the living room. He doesn't know his wheel yet but he will. His cage set is upstairs and we close the door and let him have a blast trying to hop high onto walls. He has leaped on me and tried to drink out of my glass. I'm looking forward to him sitting on my shoulder, too!! He trusts us a little and I'm working on his routine and stya up as late night as I can so he can play outside of his cage. He might be tired of me in 20 years. My Sheltie died a few years ago at age 12. I can't seem to bond with another dog still. Having a pet for the next 20 years works for me. And such a cute one, too!

Hi Kadye, 
 
 
 
Thanks for your valid warning to our readers. Sometimes with the safest of cages, this type of injury is difficult to prevent. Here are some tips for those preparing a cage: 
 
 
 
1) Arrange cage shelving such that if your chinchilla slips, he or she cannot fall further than 18 inches straight down before landing on another shelf. Generally, you should have shelves spaced with about 8 inches of clearance between them. 
 
 
 
2) Get a wire cage with spacing of floor wires no greater than 1/2 x 1/2 inch. Cage walls should have spacing no greater than 1/2 x 1 inch. I have heard of a chinchilla running over top of his wheel, getting his foot pad stuck in wall wiring that was spaced too closely and hanging from it with a broken leg until the owner came home and released him. 
 
 
 
3) Always brush off your cage shelves after your chinchilla has a dust bath. Dust can make them very slippery. 
 
 
 
4) Avoid using ramps. They are unnecessary and, at worst, can be dangerous. 
 
 
 
Sadly, even with all of these precautions, injuries can still occur. Please take Kadye's advice and check in on them regularly.

Hi Ellen, 
 
 
 
Thanks for stopping by to tell us about your new baby Grey! Sounds like you have done your research and are prepared for a fun, long journey. It's hard to know what kind of experience chinchillas have coming out of pet stores. From what I've seen, the conditions aren't usually appropriate and, let's be honest, often times clerks are not very kind. So be patient with your little guy as he might have been traumatized in his previous home (that is often where the biting stems from). He will hopefully learn to trust you and should calm down a bit. Don't get frustrated if he doesn't come through on all your shoulder riding plans for him :P Many chins, including mine, unfortunately do not like to be held.  
 
 
 
Thanks again for stopping by. Please let us know if we can answer any questions for you and keep us updated on Grey's progress!

Hi Amanda! 
 
There were 2 chinchilla's at this pet store and they seemed quite content. Both looked very healthy and we picked out Grey. We lucked out with store staff who wanted to make sure that WE were right for our pet. A lady who works there has 3 chinchillas herself and let me know about her experiences. And I think he's getting used to both of us. He likes to nibble food from my hand and he likes to nibble on my husband's empty hand. I'll stick to food in my hand. And last night, Grey crawled up on my husband. He doesn't sit there long but he seems to not be too afraid of us as before. He loves jumping out of his small animal playpen. We guard all sides to keep him from escaping but he has gotten out of our reach a couple times and off we go trying to catch him to put him back. It's too funny watching grown people chasing a chin! He rests for 2 minutes and then jumps again! He's definitely getting his exercise with us. We keep him in a bedroom upstairs so he can have quiet days and we bring him downstairs with us, 2 parakeets and a dove during the evening. Then right before we need to hit the hay, we let him roam freely in that same room before he pops back into his cage on his own. 
 
If he doesn't let me hold him, at least I know that this is their regular behavior. It's very nice that he comes up to use to be palm fed! Thanks for your help and I'll be sure to ask questions about Grey when the need arises. 
 
Ellen

Hey Amanda and Jen, I have a question...my CHuy is doing wonderfully since he came home and since I last posted. We have bonded very well and I adore him! He is a precocious little booger sometimes though! He insists on chewing the wooden baseboards even though I leave him apple sticks and toys and the like. He seems to enjoy trying to find a way to to whatever it is I tell him "no" for. Is there any way to cure the baseboard chewing? I know you give Tango apple sticks and that helps, but Chuy will chew his stick or pumice stone and then run straight to find another piece of molding to chew on. Aptly named he is...though it wasnt done intentionally! Also, for some reason he likes to shove his head underneath his food dish that is mounted to the bars of the cage. I dont quite know why he does this...does he like the pressure or something? Anyway, any info you have would be much appreciated! Our first wheel just died and we are getting a new metal one and since we are moving to our new place in December, I promised him an even BIGGER cage/house when we get there!  
 
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Hey- I have had my chin Cheeko for almost a year now and just got a new little guy Ramone who is 5 or 6 months old... i got Ramone to give Cheeko a buddy to play with because I have school (college) and I work a job sometimes 2 jobs (i also live with my mom and my sister visits a lot so they are around people most of the time) but i always make time every day to sit down with them and play and give treats. for the last 6 wks or so since i got Ramone i have been trying to socialize my chins together... when i do this i push their cages together and they hop back and forth between the two but after last night after about ten to 15 minutes Cheeko really started after Ramone and then he was pulling at his door for the next half hour or more i'm guessing to get near Ramone. Usually Ramone at first is the one that picks on Cheeko which was the case at first then they did not really bother with each other after that but then Cheeko got a little nasty.  
I'm not sure if I'm going about getting them together the right way or not... also we are looking into getting a new cage for them to share. Cheeko has a wheel already... would it be a good idea to get Ramone his own or will they share? And Ramone has been doing the bar biting like the other little guys ^^^^ but i was watching him last night and he was biting and pushing against the top opening of his cage.. so he could just want out.  
 
i hope i am doing everything o.k. if anyone has any ideas please let me know thanks

Ash your Chuy is so cute! Amanda is really the better one to help with this problem. I try putting tasty apple sticks or a unsalted peanut for mine to nibble at during play time, but they have chewed the edges of several of my books and I have not found a great way to "teach them" that this is not a desirable thing to do.

Actually would you mind if I put his picture up? So everyone can see how cute he is :)

Hi Angela. I am sorry to hear that they are not taking to each other yet. I know it can be discouraging. Some males are more dominate and have a harder time sharing space. Cleaning the cage really well and buying a new wooden house may help. It will put them in a neutral environment where neither male will feel he owns the place. 
 
Just how nasty are they being? A little chasing is to be expected and a bit of fur flying is normal, but are they biting at each others ears? Doing a lot of teeth chattering? If they are being extremely rough with one another I would be very careful. I had a dominate male beat up another male when I first starting owning multiple chinchillas. Their fight had more to do with a female, but they can fight to the death in some cases. Fortunately our didn't get to that point but it was a devastating lesson to learn...

Hey Jennifer- thanks for getting back to me... no they just chase each other no biting involved and they chirp and bark at one another but nothing really nasty and no fur... i know they eject their fur when they are scared... when i separated them last time Cheeko acted like he was going to start biting but he never got to that... 
 
Cheeko is 3 yrs old and Ramone is about 5 or 6 months old so i wasn't sure if i should wait til Ramone is a little bigger or not... 
 
I'm defiantly going to see how it goes tonight. Oh do those play pen things work well for giving them an area to play in or do they get out more than they stay in?  
Btw how do you post a pic? 
thanks again

Go right ahead! We dont mind at all, he is the cutest thing ever! He's my little nugget! We have been working on the not chewing baseboards thing and he is doing better, though his favorite game is still "go wherever mom says I cant go and do exactly what she doesnt want me to do" hahaha but we will keep working on it...he sat on my shoulder and read a book with me last night instead of chewing baseboards so that was different! But we would love for you to put his picture up! Thanks!

Hi all, 
 
I wanted to give yall a smile (or a good laugh) today. Grey has been with us for 2 months now. We play with him every night by bringing him downstairs to play with us while we watch tv. He loves jumping out of it and us chasing him to put him back. Later in the evening, we head upstairs to let him run freely in a small bedroom. We have to watch him because he chews on the tv stand, phone book and other things he can climb onto. This has been our nightly ritual. Well, this past Sunday night, we went to a concert, so we weren't home for it. Getting in at 11:30pm, I went to let him out of his cage to find out Grey had let himself out. We have tried all sorts of clips and things to keep his doors secure and he knows how to get out of them. This go round, we were using the snaps/plastic straps that hold your ID badge to a metal clip. He learned how to pull them apart. We tore this house apart looking for him (2 story). Found him upstairs under the bed. It took awhile to get him out and back to his room, but we did it. Seems he was letting us know he was tired of waiting for us to let him out. And we had to learn to close the door! We got that when he let himself out again on Tuesday. We headed straight for under our bed, where he was chewing on things. We now use the straps to deter him, the metal clips (which he can't undo-yet)AND close the door. So, if he gets out ever again on his own, he'll be in his room. He is very entertaining! 
 
Is it ok to let Grey take a dust bath more than once a week? I have read both-once a week & daily. We let him play in the dust for about 5 minutes and then take the bath house out of the playpen so he doesn't soil it. Thanks for the advice and assistance! : ) 
 
Ellen

I have never heard of such a thing! What kind of cage do you have? Glad he was alright! :) 
 
 
 
Yes, it is okay to give Grey a dust bath more than once a week. My usual recommendation is every other day. Actually, we just do Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so we don't lose track based on if my husband or I lets him out (when we aren't both able to). I've found that it's a good balance that keeps his fur nice but doesn't overdry his skin. I do the same thing timewise, it sounds like. I've been putting the bath house on the floor of his cage for a few minutes (long enough for him to flip around several times and move on to finding his nightly treats.) Like you said, it's good because he doesn't have time to just sit in it and soil the dust, but I've found it to also cut down on the dust in the air and around the room. I just have to be careful to brush off his shelves afterward so they don't get slippery from the dust. 
 
 
 
Thanks for sharing your story!

My girlfriend and I have a 2 year old ebony male,he is a very hyper little guy and continuously sprays non-stop!He will do it even if you walk by the cage not even acknowledge him,he makes a weird grunt noise along with it and has become so bad that the whole room will smell very badly in just one day after cleaning the cage completely.I've been told that males don't spray and we are pretty positive he is a male because you can see a male part when he raises up but,there seems to be no sign of the other two male parts? Is there anything that can be done to stop this awful action and smell? I want to give him up to another home or shelter because it has become so ridiculously annoying and disgusting that I can't take it anymore! not to mention we were told he is a little abnormal in that he poops like a machine gun non-stop all day as well and the whole bottom of his cage along with the three platforms and the surrounding carpet is riddled with poop by the time we get home at night,and another thing is that he just seems to want to do only what (he?) wants and has never been the least bit social since purchased as a baby even though he was always given the best of everything!!!! someone please help,any and all suggestions are appreciated....

Jonathan, 
I have two one year old female chinchilla's who have been given the exact same thing of everything since they were weened. Yet one likes to come out and play and see people, and the other just hates everything, even positive attention. It is just their personality. There is no changing their personality by force. They are who they are. And the pooping, their species cannot control when or where or how often they poop. My girls' cage is also covered, including their platforms. As long as the poop is hard, then he is normal. If the poop is runny or "off" in some way, then he should be taken to a vet to get checked out. As for the male parts, I do not know anything about that.  
 
In summary: the male parts; I have no idea, pooping; all chinchilla's poop non stop because they cannot control it (so don't get mad about that part, it is not their fault), and his personality; that is just the way he is.  
 
Hope I helped, even a little bit.

Jon, I am sorry to hear you are having such trouble with your chinchilla. It may be a personality thing like Brittany said, but it may also be that he needs socialized. This may sound odd, but having 2 chinchillas is often easier than having one. They are extremely social creatures and thrive in pairs.  
 
It is unusual for a male to spray, especially as much as you are describing. It is more common with females. As to how to tell for sure if you have a male or female here is a link that should help http://www.chinchillaplace.com/blog/?Tag=sexing%20chinchilla  
 
Males actually have long skinny penises that they store inside their body. You may see them "cleaning" themselves from time to time. If you would like to have us help you find your chinchilla a new home, let me know. We have a new "rescue" page and I would be happy to help match him with a new family.

Thank you for your info and advice,there has been no changes with our situation,he actually seems to be getting worse,he has always had enough attention and like I said the best of everything,he now will almost seem to want to attack even when trying to just give him food! he doesnt come out of his cage for anything and has gained a new habit of pooping like crazy and actually kicking it out of his cage!we are actually moving in 2 weeks to a new apartment and would honestly love to give him to a GOOD home only!we are in R.I. please let me know any info possible,thank you very much. 
 

Jonathan. I understand if it's not working it's not working. I did have a rescue once that would actually try to nip at me every time I went to feed her. I would be happy to work with you on finding a great new home. We can do it a couple of different ways. 
 
If you want him out of your hair while you are moving, I can hold on to him until we locate a great new family. It may help him to socialize with other chinchillas before he goes to a new human family. I live in Salem MA. email me at jennifersipesnyder@yahoo.com and we can go over the details.

Jonathan, I am not sure if you tried to write me before, but my email has been getting a lot of spam. You may want to try the for here. http://www.chinchillaplace.com/new-england-chinchilla-rescue/ 
 

Thank you very much for all of your willingness to help Jennifer,a very good friend of my girlfriends mother is actually adopting him on monday,she is very good with animals and has a big home with a 10 year old son who is ecstatic about getting our chin,I just hope he can behave and the boy is able to be gentle enough and bond with him,as he is only 2 and has many good years left if taken good care of.My girlfriend is pretty heart broken about giving him up but she knows it is the best for him as he has not come out of his cage in about 2 weeks and lashes out and sprays her when she tries to feed him! there may be no hope for him but,i'm staying positive.We have talked about starting over with a new baby chin and hope it would work out the second time,if you know of any pet store we can get another chin or a breeder that sells them please let me know,it may just be the perfect X-mas present for her! Thanks again.

This is for Jonathon: I've read along about your chinchilla and my heart goes out to you for having to give him up. If I may, ask his new owners to give him more hay and a dandelion treat twice a day. The reason I suggest this is that this was all we gave our chin Grey since we got him in August. This past Friday I decided to add a few treats and other types of food to his diet. And he went from a little furry fireball who couldn't wait to get out of his cage, to the little sullen critter. He won't come out of his cage and kinda barks at you if you come close. He used to take treats from our hands and now he won't come close. So, we're backing off the new items (we only added a few bits at a time)and sticking to straight Timothy hay and dandelion treats alone. Just a thought since I've read about how sensitive chins are. Ours made such a serious transformation in personality, it had to have been the food. Hope it works out for your new adoptive chin's family! Thanks for sharing your story!

Hello! I have a two year chinchilla and he's been fine until now. For the past few days he has been whimpering randomly. I'm not sure what the sound is actually called. He still lets me pet him and runs around when I let him out. he's still eating and everything. I'm not sure what to do. Usually he does it when he's in his cage. His ears look a little weird on the edges as well. Any suggestions?

Hi Jessica, 
 
 
 
I wonder if the whimpering is his attempt to beg for treats or attention or freedom from the cage. Tango occasionally does this at the end of his play time (when he knows closing up the doors means he will get his nightly treats). I would guess, since it always happens in his cage, that this might be what he's doing - trying to tell you he wants out. It may also be a sort of mating call that is developing as he ages. So long as his other behaviors have not changed as you mentioned, I would not be concerned about it. If you do start noticing that he doesn't eat, drink, or sleep normally or starts pulling out his fur, you may need to investigate further.  
 
 
 
I'm not sure what to think about the ears. They have just changed recently? What is different about them?

ive got a chinchilla called charlie, his 5 months old and ive had him for 2 weeks now, he finds it "fun" to keep going behind my tv unit. and trying to chew my wires, i have to keep turning the electricals off and its so annoying, ive coverd it up but he still finds a way behind there. i guess we all have to deal with little annoying habits! x

Hi Georgina! Our chin, Grey, does the same thing. What we did was surround the bottom area around our tv with cardboard. He chews on the cardboard until we can chase him out, but it's better than the furniture. I just bought this food tube to see if this will give him something else to sink his teeth into. We have the wood sticks, the wood house, lava bites, etc, but furniture and walls seem to taste better to him. We watch him so he doesn't get hurt when we let him out to play. Hope this helps for your little Charlie!

We let our chinchilla out in a safe room every night - he LOVES to run around. However, he chews on things that I cannot remove from the room. Are there any safe anti-chew sprays that anyone knows of that work for chinchillas? Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

We let our chinchilla out in a safe room every night - he LOVES to run around. However, he chews on things that I cannot remove from the room. Are there any safe anti-chew sprays that anyone knows of that work for chinchillas? Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

Trust me I tried somthin like that and they end up gettin bored of it and go back to their nomal habit. unless ur chinchilla is different.

Hello all!  
I just stumbled across this thread tonight while looking for resources, and LOVE all of the comments! My boyfriend and I live in a city that has a by-law making owning of Chins and other exotic animals illegal, so we have very little local resources for their health, welfare and behaviour. All of your comments and information really help! We have 4 chins, Pikachu (black, female, approx. 3 yrs), Scooter (Tawny, female, approx. 1-2yrs), Dimebag Darrell (Named for the great guitarist from the metal band Pantera, Dimebag Darrell Abbott) (Grey, male, approx. 1-2 yrs) and our newest edition, Scooter and Dime's little kit Butters who is 3 days old! She gave birth to him and a female whom we named Peanut, but she died overnight last night. :(  
 
She was clearly the runt, and wasn't bouncing around like Butters since they were born. She also didn't open her eyes right away, and I wanted to mention that we had to help her with it on advice provided by a breeder and a very few websites. We boiled water and cooled it off, then used a Q-tip to apply it to her closed eyes, and helped her to VERY GENTLY pull them open. We couldn't find very much information about what to do in that event, and called breeders from other parts of the country for information. Fortunately it was successful, her eyes opened easily and we were pretty certain that she could see, even if not very well.  
 
I love being a chin caretaker (we don't own them, they own us!) and give them as many choices, chances and advantages that we can. Scooter and Dime have shared a cage since we got them, and although we tried to gradually introduce them to Pikachu, she was not having it. She and Scooter are both dominant and fight if we allow them out together, and she chased Dime around the one time we tried letting them out together. We keep them om the opposite side of our couch in our living room, and they all seem perfectly happy living that way.  
 
They are all very intelligent, and are extremely mischevious when we let them out. We give them run of our dining room and living room while they're out, and we've chin-proofed both rooms. That way we can allow them to be out for long periods of time and still watch them. Dime and Scooter are partners in crime, and try to get into EVERYthing. Scooter will purposely distract us with something she's doing so that Dime can get into another place!  
 
Thanks again for all of the comments everyone, they give more information than any organized website alone could. Thanks to you too, Amanda, you provide a lot of really insightful advice to would-be and current chin-providers.  
Thanks so much!  
 
Alie in Canada

Amanda or Jen, 
 
 
 
I just made an alarming discovery! I let Chuy out of his house to run around and play and noticed that there is a patch of fur missing from right above his tail. Its about the size of a silver dollar. Now he has never rubbed his fur off or chewed it before and this wasnt there yesterday, so he must've done it last night. Is there anything in particular that would cause this behavior and should I be worried? I have not changed anything in his food or routine or treats except that he did not stay out to play last night as long as usual. He hasnt exhibited any weird behavior recently until this. Any help would be great! Thanks! 
 
 
 
Ash

Thanks Alie, and welcome! :) I loved reading about your chins! Sorry to hear about the little one that didn't make it :( Sounds like you have a lot of experience and I look forward to your input! 
 
 
 
Ash, this sounds like fur slip where the chin can drop tufts of fur when they are startled. This happens from time to time and doesn't hurt the chin - the fur will grow back. If this was an isolated event, it is likely not fur biting. Now, if the skin looks irritated, scratched, or bloody, I would see a vet to rule out an internal injury which the chin might be pawing at. 
 
 
 
Since the patch is a pretty significant size, take caution that Chuy doesn't get chilled. Monitor the room temp carefully as the fur grows back in. 
 
 
 
Keep us updated and let me know if you notice any new patches or he starts acting differently. Good luck!

Hi Amanda!! I have a adult male chinchilla and I just got a new baby chinchilla. She is 3 months old now. There cages are 4 inches apart. Roo is the male, Kanga is the female baby. How long should I keep them separate? Roo chews on the bars almost like he is trying to get to her. His personality has always been hyper and intense. After having her for 2 weeks we swapped cages for a day or so, then moved them back. A few days later we held them nose to nose but apart, they smelt eachother, then Roo started trying to either play bite her nose, or trying to bite her. There was NO mark it didn't look like he wanted to BITE her I am sure if he wanted to he could. So now Im wondering if it safe at all for her? Should I move her into a different room? He makes nice sounds to her, I think he likes her alot but then he trys to bite her! Any sugguestions? Sorry Im so long winded ;) Sara H Thank's for your time!!

Hi Sara, I know you asked Amanda, but I have experience in this area, so I figured I would chime in too. Biting or on the top of the nose is a sign of affection between chinchillas. This is often how they greet one another, they nuzzle/put their mouth over the top of the other ones nose. Sometimes they will make a cooing sound. This happens if you separate paired chinchillas and then put them back in a cage together. I might try a supervised visit in the cage or play area, however males and females will breed, and a female should not be breed until she is at least 6 months old. Many chinchilla breeders recommend waiting until 8 month or 1 year so make sure there is no "funny business" during your supervised visit. There will likely be a bit of chasing, and perhaps even teeth chattering, standing on hind legs, and sometimes the female will spray urine if she is really feeling defensive, but if you see hair starting to shed, or very aggressive behavior biting at the ears, separate them immediately as they can do serious harm to one another if they are not compatible. If your first supervised visit doesn't work out, don't give up. Chinchillas do well in pairs and generally like the companionship of other chins.

put harmless hot sause on the cage bars they wont chew it

The biting bars is fairly normal. Like most rodents their teeth keep growing so they need to file them or they can end up with eating problems. Make sure he has plenty of alternatives to the bars for chewtime.  
 
Pooky does not mind too much( will grumble squeakily sometimes) being picked up and held. He goes inside my tshirt and sits on my shoulder looking out or goes to sleep down my front it is gorgeous! He loves a scratch from me and will sit and lean against me while I scratch him, he close his eyes like a cat he is. He will the start nibbling at my skin. I think he is preening me it is so cute. He will bite but always so gently, sometimes a bit firmer if trying to get his point across. He in our bedroom and his cage is left open. He sleeps down beside me beside our bed and likes to sit on window sill looking out. Would love to know what he thinking of. He even manicures my nails withs his mouth and will bite them off but always makes sure my finger flesh is out the way. We have had him about 6 or 7 months and I have developed the best bond with him. He will run out to me and jump on my lap for scratches. He loves being tickled where his breast meets Chin`s chin and closes his eyes and leans over in ecstasy. The best pet ever.

Amanda and Katherine I just want to say what a great site and job you doing. You have settled a lot of peoples minds!

Thanks Paul, but it's Jennifer's website! So glad you stopped by and thank you for your contributions! I can tell you are very knowledgable on chinchillas :)

Hello I have been doing alot of research on Chincilla's before I got my chincilla Lieber. He is about 1 and 1/2 years old. Everywere I look says that Chincillas like to be socialable. I recently have recieved another chincilla that someone got from a resque shelter and could no longer take care of him (Dexter, about 3) I have been trying to see if they will ever get along... 
 
 
 
I have tried just letting them wander together in the same room with a close eye on the both of them so if there if fighting they wont try to kill eachother... 
 
 
 
Then I tried to just keep there cages side by side with a little space to they could get used to eachother with a something between them for about a week. Then for an hour swap them in to the other ones cage so they could sniff arround... Then I read to put them togethere in the least aggressive chincillas cage. So I did that and still no results of them seeming to ever like eachother. 
 
 
 
Is ther anything else I can do or are Dexter and Lieber never going to be friends? 
 
 
 
I also have one other question... I have recently moved their cages to another wall of the room and Dexter seems to like to make a mark on the wall behind his cage in every square of were the bars of his cage are. He has never done this before should I put something that wouldnt be tasty to him on the back bars of his cage or is there something else I can do... i really dont want him to injest paint off the walls and get sick... and I would like to not have a peep hole in the wall.  
 
 
 
Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you

TRYNN -First up ALL Chins are different so there are not many hard and fast rules for the behaviour. A little fighting is to be expected as they are a herd animal, but as with all herds there is a dominant Alpha. Like someone says above it depends on how rough they get with each other (ear biting can be bad).  
 
How rough are they? Our own `Pooky` we rehomed as he was being bullied by another chin. It really depends on the individuals. 
 
I would try when you do socialise them doing it on neutral territory because they wont feel their own space is being invaded. 
 
I would be inclined to keep trying as long as they are not too rough.

Thank you for all of the advice. I tried to just let them out in a room in my home and they pretty much kept to themseves. A few times when they came face to face they would just sniff eachother and Dexter (the older one) barked at the younger own... and a few times Lieber(the youger) would jump and grab on to Dexter but it was a little more civil since tha last few times i have tried to see if they would get along. I will just try to keep doing that so that they get to know eachother and let them stay in their seperate cages. Thanks again.... 
 
 
 
Now my boyfriend's sister is interested in getting a chincilla and she was wondering if I wanted to mate them... Has anyone tried that? I just want to know if it is complicated or if there is anything spacific I should know before I say yes?

Our `Pooky` was rehomed as he did not get on with the other chin. After MUCH looking I think I found why. The Chin who he did not get on with was different species Chinchill Brevicaudata and ours is a Chinchilla Lanigera.  
 
Does anyone else have ANY xp with relationships between the species? I would love to hear? Also I could not find a photos of each species next to each other (on webpage) anywhere. In the end I used a sketch from Wikipedia to ID. 
 
Trn sounds like Lieber and Dexter will be friends. Dexter barking at him to show his authority?! 
 
Leiber jumping on D was probably play fighting. Sounds to me your doing good job intro`ing them slow and on neutral territory, well done! 
 
As for ur mate getting one, does she know how much of a commitment they are and how to look after them? I know female Chins can have birthing problems but do not know how often this happens.Good husbandry can prevent IE no inbreeding. do more research on this before u commit Trynn, I would. Also don`t believe everything you read online use books aswell and use different websites to get an overview. good luck!

our chins do that to but we didn't try to stop them because other wise their teeth will grow too long but cute chin!!!!!

I had a chinchilla Larry( 4 months old) which i bought for less then a month, starting he don't bite me but recently i can see that he keep wanting to get out of his cage and when i let him jump on my palm and carry him out on my lap, he bite my finger. 
I feel so sad, is it he don't like me? or because he wan had a bigger area to play?

My chin's brother died 3 weeks ago or so (he was 14 months). Now, my other chin (who i bonded with very well) won't come out and is very skiddish. What should I do? We think he might be lonely. Should we introduce a new friend?

How do you deal with all the poop? I have two chins and poop all over the place. We have a wired cage and the poop comes out and ends up on the floor. With all the jumping around and poop falling out of the cage; I can't keep the floor clean. We clean the cage once a week. Any suggestions?

I have my cages on a piece of linoleum and sweet daily. I also have a shop vac and keep my chinchillas in their own room. I have 1 modified bird cage with plastic that goes farther up the outside of the cage to keep the mess inside, but they still get poop on the floor.

So, I don't personally own a Chinchilla, but my school's Animal Science Lab has 3 adult females and one adult male, along with 2 young ones we can't tell the sex of. We used to have 4 babies, but the younger ones managed to fall out of the cage. They both lived for over 2 months running around out there in our lab (we left out food, water and two heating pads) until the woodshop teacher thought they were rats. He killed them. My little message is as folllows: 
 
If you have a mated female, please make sure you have got your cage fixed up and all gaps (ALL GAPS) are covered. Also, make sure you socialize them from a young age! The adults were all donated to us and were poorly socialized. One of the babies we have got sick and had to be in a type of quarenteen for about 2 weeks, and in just those two weeks, he has lost a lot of trust in us students. However, the baby that has had proper socialization is fine! He loves to be held (to an extent). He also loved to run around and play "fetch". He picks up paper peices and brings them back for you to toss. He's cute and loves to be with people. That's all I have to say. I just thought people should know. :) 
 
Also, excuss my spelling errors. I know they are plentiful. I'm going to school for Environmental Science, not English. :)  

Hi!  
 
 
 
I just got my chin "Hat" two days ago, and I adore him already. I have found this blog very helpful. I saw in a few of these posts that standing on hind legs and teeth chattering is aggressive behavior. Hat chitters a bit and stands up after I give him treats, but it didn't seem aggressive to me. Is it always a bad sign? Are there any sure-fire ways to tell if your chin likes what you're doing? Any input would be great!

I am considering getting a chinchilla but do the get along with dogs? I have 3 very calm peace loving dogs but i am not sure...

Sometimes chinchillas chew on bars of there cage from lack of calcium. Maybe try giving him calcium rolls. They last a long time. -Your chinchilla is so cute.He should have orange teeth -you should check. Good luck with the wheel!!!

Hi! I love my chins!!Ive got three..didnt know the first one was a male.Friend said sweet pea was male. I figured he knew. Got another female, named Violet(blck chin, swo beautiful!) Beffore I knew it,Violet was pregnant. Now I have a young chin named Scooter. They have their own room. They love it!!! Can jump up on storage bins in the room. Ive got 2 x 4 wood for them to chew and chew toys as well. They are bad about chewing on the door and window seals though. I read that you shldnt give them too much calcium cause it causes bladder stones. I also have A rabbit that they all play with. Although, sweet pea (the male) loves to jump up on the rabbits back and hump her. Got to put that on youtube!! Make sure your chin doesnt get constipated or get diarrhea, this is dangerous. I feed mine chin food and loose granola, as well as a a raisin once in a while. Make sure they have plenty of water. Their digestive systems have to be well balanced. If you keep them in a cage most of the time, make sure you let them out for play time. They need this recreation. They will sit in a cage & act depressed if you dont let them out to play. Be patient with them, and talk baby talk to them and they will eventually trust you to crawl all over you.(Lay down on the floor and they will run up and down your body). Ive never had any problems with my chins fur biting themselves. Ive heard of it, though. Give them a little freedom and they will love you forever.... Lol, Kim

Hi. I ran across this site while looking for information to my Chins behavior. We have had Lacy since she was 8 weeks old, she is now 10 months. We have tried unsuccessfully introducing her to another friend a couple times, and yet Lacy was completely dominated and beat up kind of bad once. We finally decided to try again with a 9 week old baby. She's very sweet, they both are. After some intro time with cages next to eachother, etc, we let them into the chin play area together with both my husband and I ready to break up any violence quickly. Well we watched them and after only about 15 minutes Lacy went up to the baby and made a cooing sound. They both tilted their heads sideways and sniffed eachothers noses and before long the baby was crawling all over Lacy. This went on for a couple minutes with both of us hovering closely. Then Lacy went about her play time and the baby started making the same cooing noise and Lacy went running to her. She again started crawling all over her and they started what looked like 'grooming' eachother. I was very close since it looked like biting but it was not. I guess I am asking if you think I am just very lucky this time around and they are bonding very quickly or is the baby maybe looking to Lacy as a mother figure? Should this behavior be trusted? Thank you so much for your time. Jenn H.

my chinchilla hasnt been acting right since i moved her to my house. she keeps whining and she dont want to hop like she used to. she just wants to lay on you and keeps her ears back and continiosly whines. can anyone tell me whats going on im clueless

i have a chin named sarah and all she likes to do is chew on thing and i gave her things to chew on like it said in ur posttin and she still chews on everything what can i do to make her stop she has a tunnel in her cage and she chew the whole thing apart and she also chewed a whole bowl apart and ripped my brand new pair a jeans my mom is a vet lady and she cant even figure it out

I have alot of questions and i am gonna get a chin in a month what are some tips about them. I really need some tips if you have any please comment. I would really appreciate it thx

I have a female chinchilla with 3 level cage and all accessories including ball, wheel, cooling pad, bath house etc. For sale $125.00

where do you live if in u do not comment 
 

So this isn't necessarily a bad habit for my chin dobby to have, but it definitely shocked me. Dobby, for whatever reason, likes to lick me. Like a dog. He will sniff my fingers and then give them a little lick. He's not a biter, and even when I first got him he didn't bite me. But does anyone else have a chin that likes to lick? I hadn't heard of them doing that... so I'm curious.

I am having some issues with my 2 year old chinchilla Chloe. I had her since she left her mother. She was very friendly and I was able to scratch her behind her ears, under her jaw and she would love it. About a year ago I got another chinchilla, Pickles, from the same breeder. They were introduced slowly in separate cages and now they are co-existing well. They some times spat, but mostly are comfortable living with each other. Recently, Chloe (the older) has become more aggressive towards me. Im not able to scratch or pet her anymore like I used to. If I try to she visa to bite me and there have been times where she will grunt and shoot urine! I couldn't believe when she did that. Chloe was born a rent so she has always been on the small side weight wise (~1.2 lbs). She is healthy and very active. I feed her endless supply of oxbow pellets and alfalfa hay. Pickles (the young one) is a heafty 1.8 lbs. Can anyone help me with Chloes new aggression towards me? I want to make sure she is happy and comfortable again.

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