New Chilla owner

[billyalex]

Hi Everyone :-)

I just thought I would ask for a bit of advice really :-) We have 11 degus (8 girls, 3 boys) and have been keeping them successfully for the last nearly 3) and have finally decided today to bring home 2 beautiful boy chinchillas :-)

We have bought them the aroura 600 (spelling! Sorry!!) food chilla bath chilla hut hay rack etc...

Just wondering if there are any golden rules that you could advise me of in terms of getting them used to being handled, becoming more tame etc.... one of them is one years old and the other is about 5 months old. They have been living together for the last however long and get on well.....

Also Ideas for names would be great!!!

Thanks xxx

[sugarised]

Helloo! welcome to the world of chinnies, i'm more chinchilla knowledgedd than degus!
Looks like a nice cage!
well chinny guides are very similar to degus... kiln dried pine, lots of room to jump in, bed, hay, pellets... no sugary treats (though some will do the occasional raisin)... but you asked in regards taming

My experience... playtime. as regularly and as routinely as possible. When i had my first chinchilla i'd do simple pavlov style things, such as pick him up, if he wriggled i wouldn't put him down, but if he was good, i'd put him down. treats in the hand (oats are a good small one that you can do training with) to make them eat out of your hands.

same as degus with talk softly and regularly, placing your hand in their cage to get them used to your smell.

But playtime is what has completely changed my boy. He can approach me, jump on me see if he trusts me to touch him when jumping about.

I'm unsure if you do playtime with your degus, but its pretty simple, an enclosed space, with no wires about, and think about beds which they can get under as though its safe...good luck getting them out again! i use my apartment hallway...you need to supervise due to the good old chewing.

Routines: i didn't think this would be as helpful as it has been. Every morning before work i give them (i have 3 now) their breakfast as a treat. its now built into them so they know, in the morning, when i approach the cage....treat and fooood. so they bounce and chat all excited. they soon learn when food/treats are if you do it at the same time or for similar actions and begin to expect it

they are clever though, like degus, manipulative (do something cute then try and escape) and funny. hope you enjoy your fluffers

[davx]

Hello,

there are in fact many similarities between degus and chinchillas. Even they live together in some parts of Chile, e.g. in Aucó, where the Chinchilla Reserve is located.

But there are some differences as well. It seems to me that Chinchillas have more their own character and you can insult them if you make a mistake e.g. if you suddenly change the order giving them their titbits or don't respect their own hierarchy. I never heard this from degus or degu owner, nor I could observe myself during more than 10 years degu keeping.
Also need chinchillas more room in height for jumping and "climbing"... degus are more dwelling on the surface and in their burrows.
Also I have the impression that in chinchilla groups in general females are more dominant than we know it from degus. In addition I hardly know big chinchilla groups, the few I know had troubles and has broken again, but I heard from several owners having big groups of some 10, 15 or 20 degus and they live together in peace.

Another thing I wondered about, several chinchilla owner told me that they do not use bedding for their chinchillas. For degu owners this is hard to imagine as we know bedding especially in combination with deep bedding as an important thing we can offer to improve the cage and habitat of our degus... they are burrowing animals and need this sort of cage structure.

And the obvious ones: weight, size, activity (chinchillas are active at evening, night, degus prefer the daylight) and so on.

[sugarised]

lol personality depends for the males vs females thing, but yeah our lady chins have always bullied my male...well henpecked....

max chin group i've known of- 3 tops. and often they will break down, middle child syndrome haha!

And yeah chinchillas: no bedding required, though they're partial to the odd hammock or fleece object. Strange though, my degus didn't like any bedding i provided....but they like to fill out their hammock with hay or ripped card... weird lil things

[lovemychillas]

I've learned when it comes to handling.. chinchillas like to be in control, if they don't want to be held, (don't hold them), or interact with them little bits at a time and gradually increase over time. Eventually all you will have to do is hold out your palms opened together and they will hop on an then put them to your chest to give then some comfort. Also always support their feet and don't try to restrain if they don't want to be held, (let them go).

[alysadreamer]

Chinchillas do not need bedding??? I recently was given (adopted) 1 male and 1 female chin chin. They are 5 1/2 years old. The previous owner left me with NO instructions, he lost his home. Obviously I have seeked advice from many chinchilla owners. I take them out every day to play for at least 1 1/2 hours. They play and jump and keep me laughing,as they are always trying to cause mischief. They get dust baths more frequently now, during summer, than usual.
The male use to be very curious and play with me, lately he hasn't been playing with me, and seem more easily upset. This may sound silly but could he be mad at me from that routine change?? I've had them for 5 weeks now. Do they get upset with a routine change? My daughter recently had emergency surgery and they (chinchillas) didn't get out as often. The female is cuddly for a short time when I first take her out to play. The male is friskier but usually loving and adoring. Thank you so much, Liz

[natnat899]

Mine have fleese that they sleep on (though one prefers his cardboard box), I have put a little bit of bedding at the bottom of their cage so they can move it where they want to, though generally they prefer to sleep at the highest point of the cage.

It's good that they are coming to you comfortably, especially only after 5 weeks. When I had to leave mine for a few nights the shyer one out of the two seemed, as you describe - less curious and more easily upset - I have gradually re-established the trust by using a treat to encourage him to sit on my hand, I have found he prefers to sit on my shoulder, or head though!!

It is still very early days, and you sound like your doing very well. It might be worth (if he doesn't go back to normal within a few days) just taking a step back and letting him come to you. Though, saying that it does depend on what works for you, mine prefer not to be handled, they like to come to me in their own time, and I respect that.

With sand baths, I give mine one everyday or once every 2 days, and take it out when they have finished. And do you know if one of your chinchillas has been neutered?