My New Chinchilla Â¨ButterÂ¨

RainKiss · 10-22-2007, 12:28 PM

YAY!!! i just got my chin from a breader in whitby, ON. on Oct 20/07 ^^ and i was so excited... i named him Â¨ButterÂ¨ he is mosaic white, and was born on Aug 21/07.
Wow so cute, i held him on my whole way home, and he was sleeping all that time till we got home. Then i put him in his cage to let him get used to his new home... his cage was not super big, but its not that small either... but in the future i plan to expand it more. After a few hours, i went to pick him up to put him in a room for play time, by putting my hand in front of him to let him smell me, but he ended up biting me... he bit me a few times after that as well, pretty hard><
I don't think he is used to me yet... and when i tired picking him up from his cage, he runs away and hides under a log>< should i leave him in there for a few days until he isused to his environment?

Solarsis · 10-22-2007, 12:35 PM

Yes you should. Chins take time to get used to their new environment and owners. You should let him get used to his new surroundings for a few days before even attempting to play with him. Then you should approach him VERY slowly. Start by putting you hand in the cage and letting him come to you. Then work your way progressively from there. He shouldn't be let out for play time until he's comfortable being around you. That's just too much too fast. Whatever you do, do NOT chase your chinchilla inside his cage or outside. This will make him feel like you are a threat and taming him will be much harder.

RainKiss · 10-22-2007, 04:21 PM

When i got it from the breader... butter was only one month old, and separated from his parents, so the breader told me to pick him up once in a while to let him knwo that he is not alone...

Solarsis · 10-22-2007, 05:06 PM

At this point your chinchilla is scared and in a new place. You need to let him get used to the environment first before he sees big hands going to pick him up. If he's bitten you already, he's indicating that you are scaring him. If you continue he will grow up to be scared of you instead of accepting you as a friend.

If you are worrying about him being lonely, you could always get him a fleece buddy to snuggle up with for now.

bunnicula · 10-22-2007, 08:44 PM

I agree with all of Sophie's advice. Follow her advice, be patient and Butter will eventually get used to you and stop biting.

Kippo · 10-22-2007, 09:14 PM

Yeah they do need some space initially, but CONGRATS!

Some personal advice from my own experience having a chin, and being a fairly new owner. My chin hid in the corner and made her "don't hurt me! I'm just a furry lil' ball of cuteness!" noise. I refrained from petting her once I realized she was scared, but i very softly/gently whispered/talked to her so she would get used to my voice, kind of to sooth her. I even very hesitantly pet her very gently since she was near the edge of the cage. It worked kind of, She warmed up to me pretty fast. And omg when they're young it's so cute b/c they tire really fast she used to literally curl up next to me really close and snuggle while she slept after about 20 minutes of playtime! cherish those moments lol! pretty soon butter will have unlimited energy.

Just a word of caution, chins naturally bite to "test" anything/EVERYTHING. So even when he/she is used to you they will still bite, and some bite harder than others I've found. Be very calm, don't pull away, keep your hand there and very still so he/she knows you're no threat. Unless they really go hard at it then maybe you'd better wait a little longer.

Good luck w/your chin! A cute thing to try is leaving the room and turning all the lights off (at night). My chin, kuki, was initially scared of me, but when I left and she was alone in the dark she'd play so much and enjoy her new environmen tlol. But as soon as she noticed me spying she'd stop and hide again hahaha. So you can still have fun w/your chin

Just take it slow

congrats again!

RainKiss · 10-22-2007, 11:09 PM

Hrm yea i just got home, and when i got home i just started talking to him softly, but whenever i start to talk to him he starts sniffing my way, so i always put my hand in front for him to sniff.
I was wondering... if the apple sticks we buy at pet store... is the sticks from a real apple tree... because i actually have an apple tree at home that is pesticide free, but not sure if its the right one? And what other sticks can we give our chinchillas? liek i also have a plum and cherry tree XD but i'm not sure if that is acceptable... they are all pesticide free...

RainKiss · 10-22-2007, 11:18 PM

OH MY GOD!!! THE CUTEST THING JUST HAPPENED!!! i was softly talking to butter and he stuck his head towards me so i put my hand for him to sniff... and at first he bit me a few times pretty hard>< and then after that he licked me^^ IT WAS SO CUTE :P anyways... i wanted to ask... when he keeps biting his cage... wut does that mean? he wants to get out?

Solarsis · 10-23-2007, 12:18 AM

Do you have chew toys in his cage? He may be needing to chew on something or he may just be acting silly.

Apple sticks from the pet store should be apple unless otherwise stated on packaging. You could use branches from your tree if you 100% sure it's not sprayed. The branches should also be free of moss and lichen. You can then boil the pieces and let them dry for a few days. Then bake them for 30-40 minutes in the oven at about 250-300 degrees to kill off any bacteria or bugs. The branches should then be safe to feed.

Plum and Cherry wood are not good to feed chinchillas....most stonefruit woods are not. I've fed pear, mulberry and pecan wood without a problem. Dried cholla is also good. If you do a search on here for wood you should find a few threads talking about safe woods versus dangerous ones.

RainKiss · 10-23-2007, 12:26 AM

okay i will try the apple tree then. I know its spray free because i've been living in the house for about 11 or 12 years and we never spray it... just let it sit there XD
I have another question... i saw butter start rolling on the floor like a doggie... so i thought he needed a dust bath.. when i put the bowl there he went in to the the bath, and then after a while he started biting on the bowl and just trying to pull the bowl with his teeth and at the same time push it with his paws... I have a few chew toys... not sure if it is it... i have the cube for him to prevent or help his teeth from growing too long... and i have a wood that he can jump/hop on and bite, and i have a few peach sticks... but he seems to be biting everything he comes across...
after his dust bath, he started jumping and hopping around... i guess he was happy, but then i noticed he started jump-twitching... like a happy guinea pig... did that mean he was happy or soemthing wrong?