Chinchillas



 

Sarah answers, please click here for the very detailed answer that also covers
Chinchillas needs,
Chinchilla diet
Chinchilla cages
Chinchilla toys
Chinchilla health, breeding and dominance issues etc.
Good information here for any current or prospective chinchilla pet owner.....


Answer re: Chinchillas that don't get on

It is hard to say without seeing the Chinchillas in person, but there are a few possibilities of what it could be and that can determine the out come of it, otherwise I would suggest not getting him a cage mate.  Just rule out the things that do not suit you.

Females by Nature are dominant, and just like any animal you get ones that are over dominate, it is not common in chinchillas for that to happen but also it can happen, if so this points back to breeding which I will explain soon as well. 

How old they are has nothing to do with how they get on with each other, Chinchillas are very maternal and understanding and older chins gladly take on young chins or younger adults.  Males are normally smaller than females anyway and sometimes by a lot but this will not play a role in it.

If it is just her and you have noticed a change in him, he will of course just be upset, protective, stressed or/and just trying to defend and stick up for himself in saying "you can't push me around!".  It is interesting though, Females are dominant over Males, but this of course depends how long you have had her.  At the beginning (and this can go on for a few months it depends how stubborn they are), males assert themselves in being the dominant one with a new female and get quite proud of that, after a while this changes as by Nature females are the dominate ones, so then she starts to change this and then asserts herself as the dominate one.  Most Males just accept this in a day or two but some that think they are in charge do not 'bow' to it so easily, and this just creates stress and up-tightness on both parts, making the situation worse.  If this is the case it is best just to introduce them all over again.

The simplest possibility it could be is some Chinchillas just prefer to be on their own.  And also just as you get with people, some Chinchillas just do not get along!!  But with what has been said it sounds like the Pet Shop knew she was a handful, why else would they not want her after saying they will when you went to buy her.

Other possibilities, please read through carefully as some of these may contribute or it could be any of these none of the above:

Diet can play a role in this behaviour, too many sugar treats i.e. fruits/dried or raw, Raisins, if the Chinchilla Food is a mixed with little bits added to the Pellets (I have attached a photo to show what I mean).  Chinchillas daily sugar intake should only be under 4%, one Raisin has more than 15% sugar, the main food alone will have a small percentage so the Chinchilla has already used up it's intake. Ever seen young kids on Chocolate?  Sugar over doses do not wear off 'soon' in a Chinchilla, if you imagine a kid with sugar, they do not listen or are more inclined not be properly aware of things, they can then get agitated and moody, it is no different to a chinchilla but in a chins case, their bodies react because of the low intake they are meant to have.  This is anything above 6% their body's to this, it just depends on the individual chinchilla to how it reacts.

So this is another important reason why chins should only be fed on natural healthy treats which have no salt, sugar or fat/oil, and proper commercial Chinchilla Pellets and Hay only (not brands that have tid-bits in them as it raises the content of bad nutrients like sugar).  People comment, "but I only feed it once a week", it does not matter, a Raisin is a Raisin and the sugar content will not change in that raisin to suit the chinchilla if it is only fed once a week or once a month!

The other thing that is quite common to feed is this oat mix, some Pet Shops sell it and some people make it up, then give or sell for Chinchillas.  A warning should go with this, a lot of supplements in NZ only have half of the ingredients, it needs the whole amount to be suitable for chinchillas, if not then it is a waste of time feeding it as the chinchilla will excrete the calcium and other nutrients.  Then the amount fed, the Pet Shops are advising to feed it once a day, when whether it be a good supplement or not, should only be fed once a week or even if it is proper the chins will excrete it, causing stress and irritability.

The next possibility is to do with Breeding, either temperaments or breeding/diet methods.  Most NZ Breeders do not make it a priority to breed for temperament, just buying chins and putting them together to have babies, this includes Pet Owners too.  The outcome is very risky not only health wise (hereditary issues) but also temperament wise too, causing behavioural problems whether it be from the 'lines" or from the way they have been bred.  For example, if the female that is going to have the babies is not on a proper diet (eg whether it be having sugary or oily/fatty treats like raisins, nuts and seeds, or if they are fed on other animal foods like Rabbit/Guinea Pig Pellets), she will become stressed by the pregnancy.  Ever had takeaways for weeks and then tried to get out of bed?  We feel lethargic and if it is coping with kids or a pregnancy, we would be the same.  So what would happen if the female is stressed during pregnancy whether it be from diet or environment or even just it's own temperament, the babies are born uptight, then when a nursing mum is like that, the kits become like that as baby chins learn how to react and act to everything whether it be another chin or human, or from it's mum.

The next possibility is environment including cages.  For 2 Chinchillas to be happy they need A LOT OF SPACE and daily runs including a Daily Dust bath of 20 minutes.  For Rescues I break that up into 10 minutes in the morning and 10 mins at night.  In the wild they have this available all the time and it is not only a matter of grooming behaviour, but stress relief as well.  The cage should be very large and multilevel, so you can fit a large dog in it (size of a German Shepherd say).  It should be more long and wide than height, as Chins are rock hoppers by nature and also are happy jumping sideways angle not up, if you let them out for a run you see what I mean about their natural body positions. 

They need plenty of toys, a minimum of 15 toys per cage, this includes noisy toys like ones with bells and chains that are hung up, and ones where they can roll or throw them off the shelves if they are in a huffy. 

Chinchillas need constant mind stimulation, they are highly intelligent and if they do not have it, they will look else where to amuse themselves and may also take it out on their cage mate causing a stressful environment and atmosphere in the cage.

Ever been around someone in a bad mood?  It does rub off and depending on personality you feel agitated and cannot relax.

Other things are health, check the skin and coat, teeth, even take them to a Vet to get a health check done.  Check her private areas and see if she is swollen, sometimes if a Male has been trying to 'relieve' himself this really annoys the female as it is always the Males that are ready for action all the time, but it is on the females terms.  If he has been trying her a lot she will not want him near her, so you have to go through the whole introducing them again, and this is best done when she is not in season or coming into season.

Depending on how long you have had her and of course if they are De-sexed, she could be pregnant, or she could of gotten pregnant either in the Pet Shop or before the chin arrived there.  Some Chinchillas have major mood swings while pregnant, or it could be hormonal with her too.

I find it not good that the Pet Shop does not want her back, try to find out more info from them about the Chinchilla, there sounds like there is a reason why they do not want her.

I do not believe Pet Shops should have Chinchillas in there, this can make Chinchillas have bad experiences and can damage their spirit.  This could also be a possibility.  Or if the girl has been re-homed a lot this will damage a Chinchillas spirit, especially more so if she was happy in her previous home.  Chinchillas by nature are very loyal animals, they bond closely to only one person, this is why I myself am so strict as to where they go to, and that if anything happens the chin must come back here to where they are used to and know me. Being re-homed is devastating to any Chinchilla, it may be that she just needs time with you and one on one, comforting, reassurance.  This for a Chinchilla takes months, some more than others, and example is some of these rescues I have stay for a year before been homed, because they need a lot of work emotionally.  This can cause them to be nasty to others including chins and/or people, be withdrawn, be aggressive or submissive, agitated, anything.  There is no set thing they can be.

I do strongly believe in trying all you can first before thinking of re-homing, even if it means spending money at the Vets to check out that side of it.  But of course it is up to you and really also depends on the Chinchillas, if this female you have not had for very long, it might be a wise idea to re-home her before she gets used to it all, otherwise if you want to give it a go you will seriously have to think about the time it may take and if it will take time as in the emotional work that might need to be done, she will get very attached to you and then if she is still not right (some Chinchillas spirits just cannot be fully healed sadly, that's why I have permanent rescues here that I will never re-home due to them not recovering fully) it will make her worse for the next home she goes too.

I would not take her back to any Pet Shop, they should not be allowed to have chinchillas and are not strict to where the chins go too, anyone can walk in and say they have owned one before or say a story that they know a lot about them, but not be suitable for chinchillas, so it would be re-homed to the Pet Shop, then off again from there to another home.  It does sound like they knew something was up with her by the fact they will not take her back, if so then they have not told you everything about her which is common, the next person may run into the same situation as you as have to re-home her.

The above info I have given you about possible causes etc, this does not have to be one thing, it could be many of those things contributing to it, for example the diet issue with the dominance issue, it can make each issue worse if that makes sense.

If you decide to re-home her (aside from wonderful Pets on the Nets to advertise in!!), you can advertise through me and I will help you find the best home possible.  I do home checks where I can, ask for Vet references, animal history the works when people apply!  I do not charge for it nor do I ask in anything in return, it is to me helping find a forever home for the chins whether they be rescues or not. I do get a lot of people that have been suitable that I can just put them onto you or you onto them, which ever you would like.  Most are homes where they have no other chinchillas which if most of the above is ruled out and it is just a few of what I said i.e. some chins just like been alone, or something has happened to her, breeding etc) that kind of home will be more suited for her.

I hope I have helped at least a little, please take care and I hope it all goes well for you all.

Best Regards,

Sarah
NZ Chinchilla Rescue
Seventh Heaven - NZ Chinchilla holiday stay
Grandeur Chinchillas