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Post by darthchinchi on Aug 6, 2017 7:48:02 GMT
As long as they can't touch each other trough the bars they should get used to each other. Your boys are just not used to others chinnies. They need to figure out what's going on. Often you'll see a lot more issues when you only have a couple of animals in different cages compared to a lot of animals. They simply get used to the smell and sound of other chinchillas when more are presant.
Try offering your boys something to take their mind off of misty. Might when get them to thing a new chinchilla in the room is cool as they get new items or treats.
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 6, 2017 19:18:54 GMT
Hmmm!! That is unexpected. I didn't anticipate they would be so possessive. LOL! I'm not sure what to suggest.
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Post by randomname on Aug 6, 2017 19:32:49 GMT
Think it'll just take time as Darth says DC. You're right, I didn't expect this. My guys are much calmer today with misty across the room, so will just move them closer slower. Today's forage is dried milk thistle, orchard grass, meliot, cut peppermint & coltsfoot. She seemed to pick the coltsfoot out first. Found all the wheat/oat grass from yesterday on the bottom of the cage, take it that she wasn't keen. She has started getting excited for food time, she loves picking through the bowl. Can't wait until she's in her Aventura & she has room to properly forage, I think she's going to love that. She happily ate a sprig of fresh mint too, so she's pretty easy to feed so far. Her fur is not looking any worse today which is fab. Have noticed she has weed in her bed, am going to give it a quick wash tomorrow if I can get her out of it. Emily has shown me pics of her new nesting box, she's going to love it. Wheel is on way
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 6, 2017 19:37:41 GMT
Sounds awesome!! Glad the boys have calmed. SUPER thrilled with her excitement over the new foods she is trying out. Exciting! Can't wait to see the new nesting box!
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Post by darthchinchi on Aug 6, 2017 19:44:52 GMT
If she's peeing where she sleeps you might want to get a vet to check her out.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 19:50:16 GMT
darthchinchi what can that indicate then? Here's a *in progress* snap! Needs a front door putting in lol as currently it's just a fancy little tiny stool and then sanding, the hoppy ledges need the attachments fitting! The door is gonna be a circular opening, the tool part to do it is coming tomorrow. Had a delay on the shipment of fixings for the hoppy ledges.. they aren't coming till Tuesday so should be able to get it delivered by Thursday!
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Post by darthchinchi on Aug 7, 2017 4:22:30 GMT
Not really sure. Normally they just keep their sleeping area relatively clean. They prefer to pee in the same place (most, some are just filthy little pigs who pee where ever), so if they do it where they sleep it's worth getting them check out just in case.
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Post by randomname on Aug 15, 2017 19:07:32 GMT
Misty Dame Maggie Smith updateToday she went into her new Aventura cage. Didn't have time last night, & she was awake around 5ish today, so we went ahead. I opened both doors & put the cages together. She worked out quick the door was open, but was nervous. She went in after around 15 mins of thinking about it. Can't believe how she took to it immediately. She explored every inch twice, she worked out the ledges in seconds. She has a mix of old & new stuff in there so am hoping she's worked out it's all hers. I left her old cage open, but she never even looked into it. Have removed it now (after 2 hours) as she's shown no interest. She has explored her new hut, seems to like sitting on top more than being in it (typical) She likes the bendy log bridge thing a lot & has eaten some forage & pellets. She found her water bottle. Have watched her go up & down from top to bottom several times & am happy she's safe doing so. She has briefly tried the wheel, but I'm sure she'll have a good go later. Am satisfied she's safe & happy in her new cage I also feel better as I feel she's taken to it straight away (money not wasted, yay!) I watched her for 3 hours, she wasn't scared or freaked out at all, more like excited & a little wary, but body language suggested she was happy enough. Have managed to get a really good look at her when she was exploring. Her fur on her head, face & down her back looks great 100% normal. On the sides it still looks rough, but is much better. The colour is normal & it's not crusty any more. She is either still biting it, or maybe has stopped & it is still damaged. I haven't seen her doing it, but doesn't mean she's stopped. Underneath is ok, not chewed & not crusty/yellow but a little scruffy. The worst bit is around her bum, foo-foo & the underneath of her tail. It's still heavily stained & doesn't seem to have improved. It's not wet or crusty, so am presuming it's old staining, not new. When I moved her bed I turned it inside out, no wee just a few poops. She obviously doesn't normally wee in her bed. In her old cage the floor was bars & the shelves were plastic, nothing to soak up wee - maybe that's why she weed in her bed? In the new cage it has a layer of Flaxboise on all levels, so hopefully she'll prefer to pee in it. I'll get some 'photos tomorrow, battery had died (typical)
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 15, 2017 22:33:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2018 11:55:27 GMT
It’s been FIVE MONTHS! What the heck? Thought I’d do a little update on Alfie!!! He’s a super cool, albeit grumpy guy lol! He absolutely adores his wheel, he’s never off it. Strangely hasn’t died from overheating like all of the chin communities believe will happen 🤣 I’ll go grab some pictures in a moment though he will probably be in bed. The fleece liner in Alfie’s cage is such a hit with me. I’ve still not washed it since I put it in because he never wees on it! He only wees in his litter tray 😍 I wonder why we can’t litter train degus? Surely chinchillas like to scent mark too? It’s something I’ve always been confused about. Alfie was never litter trained before coming to me and would just free wee or wee in specific areas like the degus (corners) and then I thought why not try? I just put a baking tray in his cage, with hemp chips in and he’s used it every time since then. Very strange! I didn’t have to show him or anything he just did it. He obviously poops everywhere and it’s definitely true that chinchillas poo more than degus lol! I have to hoover him out every week, doesn’t seem to mind anymore just runs on his wheel whilst I hoover everywhere lol! He LOVES his diet. He gets SS chinchilla pellets and a mix of a few others, usually some of the degu ones. He gets the same seeds as the degus too now, just in smaller smaller amounts. I treat him with nuts as I would degus. He isn’t as keen, but loves dandelion root. He gets the exact same forage as the degus too! In the same quantities. Then he gets extra hay, for peace of mind for me lol. He does eat a lot more hay than the degus. He loves cork. Doesn’t seem to chew much else other than the cork. He is however, definitely lonely. Remember when he was first here a few months ago? He wouldn’t really let me touch him? Well now I can touch his belly, his ears, his head, not his back but yeah. He uses it as an opportunity to chew my nails and my rings lol. I still haven’t (BAD CHINCHILLA MOM) checked his willy for fur rings though. If I try and restrain him in any way he slips BIG amounts of fur 😩 even though we’ve been trying slowly doing baby steps, still no luck. I might have to take him to the vets but I’m sure he will slip the same. Darn fur!!! He seems fine in himself though and doesn’t seem in pain. Grooms himself a lot too so fingers crossed he’s maintaining down there himself. I feel he needs a friend but I don’t know what route to go down. I also wouldn’t even consider it until we’d made the new cages. I’ll need to design Alfie’s so that it can be split in two and has enough room for two chins. 🙃 do we take CARA to be the same for chinchillas? So if I built him what I build the degus CARA wise it would be enough for two if I aim for the upper end of the scale? I just need to be able to divide it properly. Also, do I get a male or female? I’m done with choosing risky introduction techniques so the one that would go the smoothest I’m presuming would be a girl? randomname do you know much about neutering chinchillas and the risks?
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Post by randomname on Feb 13, 2018 12:51:24 GMT
I mean, there's risks, there always are, but plenty of people get it done. I'd definitely find a vet who has done it loads though, I'd want to hear that they've done it more than 20 times at least! I don't really know much about intros, but I've heard the boys like the girls usually - but girls can be crabbier than boys. darthchinchi might be the better person to ask. don't think she recommends neutering though (not sure) so she might be able to explain the different partnerships. A baby boy might work, but you'd get the teenage bit & also babies are hard to find in rescues. I can't believe it's only been 5 months! I was thinking it might be a year the other day, seems like Maggie's been here forever I get my boys onto a shelf at eye level & hold a treat up high so I can look at their undercarriage. If there's 2 of you, one can do the pokey thing through the bars while the other one hold the treat. So glad things are going well with Alfie, can't wait to see 'photos
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2018 13:47:49 GMT
Okay! Hopefully darthchinchi will chime in! I’m glad you’re enjoying Maggie! I’ll try and get Cal to help me have a look tonight. Is it really easy to see? Don’t you have to pull it back? 😕 When we’ve made the new cages it’ll mean the room is totally degu & chin proof!!! No hiding places!!! So they’ll get free roam all the time! I think I’m gonna do one group per day. To avoid mass murder lol
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2018 16:01:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2018 16:02:29 GMT
I have another picture but it says it’s not accepted on Tapatalk?
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 13, 2018 17:17:59 GMT
LOVE HIM! His ears are MAGNIFICENT!!!
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Post by darthchinchi on Feb 13, 2018 18:38:08 GMT
To be honest, introducing a girl doesn't have to be an easy thing. It depends on the i dividual animal. The best option is always a young same sex individual.
Girls can be bitches. No other word to describe them. Normally they will cool down with age (or kits), but they are typically the ones that will go at you and go at the boys. Not to say boys won't fight if you try and introduce them. They are just not that social so it is a process to introduce unless you know your animals very well.
So personally I would try and find a young male or a mellow older male.
As for neutering (can this be used for both male and female?), do it to the males, but not the females. It's too big af an operation to do on a female. I do personally hate it when they are operate on, if they don't use gas as the thing that knocks them out (can't spell the proper word lol). With gas they wake up fairly quickly, but it's hard for the vet to control the dose. The normal way knocks them out for so long. The few times Ive had to have it do done on an animals it didn't return to normal for 24 hours or so = might cause digestive distress. The only time we tried it, the chinnie had an allergic reaction and died. So I am not a fan of neutering, but I know Ive just been very unlycky. Im actually getting new male Im planning on getting neutered.
As for senting, that's not a chinchilla thing. They vocalize. The closest is when they pee at someone. And that an anger/stress thing.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2018 19:47:28 GMT
To be honest, introducing a girl doesn't have to be an easy thing. It depends on the i dividual animal. The best option is always a young same sex individual. Girls can be bitches. No other word to describe them. Normally they will cool down with age (or kits), but they are typically the ones that will go at you and go at the boys. Not to say boys won't fight if you try and introduce them. They are just not that social so it is a process to introduce unless you know your animals very well. So personally I would try and find a young male or a mellow older male. As for neutering (can this be used for both male and female?), do it to the males, but not the females. It's too big af an operation to do on a female. I do personally hate it when they are operate on, if they don't use gas as the thing that knocks them out (can't spell the proper word lol). With gas they wake up fairly quickly, but it's hard for the vet to control the dose. The normal way knocks them out for so long. The few times Ive had to have it do done on an animals it didn't return to normal for 24 hours or so = might cause digestive distress. The only time we tried it, the chinnie had an allergic reaction and died. So I am not a fan of neutering, but I know Ive just been very unlycky. Im actually getting new male Im planning on getting neutered. As for senting, that's not a chinchilla thing. They vocalize. The closest is when they pee at someone. And that an anger/stress thing. So if I get a young baby boy do I need to neuter them or no? Would it help calm things? All my male degus were neutered with no problems. Is it as invasive for chins as it is degus? The balls are in the abdomen in degus. I think I’d rather go younger than older, so I can train him more successfully. Alfie is very set in his ways. Sorry to hear of your experiences Darth. Ah! Degus do both. How come chins are so easy to make wee in one spot? Or was I just lucky?
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Post by darthchinchi on Feb 14, 2018 5:54:20 GMT
Because they have evolved to use most of the water they drink, they only pee a little and they like to use the same spot for it
Neutering makes no difference in their behaviour.
I would go for a younger male but there are no garanties. If an animal looks to be thriving I wouldn't even say they need a friend.
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Post by randomname on Jun 11, 2018 10:20:44 GMT
Hey guys, thought this would be the best place to share some video of Dame Maggie I took this morning www.youtube.com/watch?v=khkNkqKw0xYThem earses!! They used to be crusty yellow, now they're so delicate & pale look how great her coat looks in terms of colour - not a tinge of yellow anywhere except under her tail now. It's much fuller & less lumpy around the sides/bum too, she's not pulling it out anymore. It's still pretty uneven though, but she won't let me brush her. Have spent 6 months trying to get her used to a toothbrush brushing her, but she won't let me use a comb or proper brush yet. She still won't eat much hay, but she loves all the dried forage & stuff (& her pellets) she thinks hay is for messing up & pooping on I think. All in all she seems pretty happy now. She responds to the boys a lot, they startle as a pack, they talk to each other & seem to have a nice friendship. She's always happy to say hi as long as you approach quietly & don't startle her (fair enough) She's not much into snuggles or ear scratches, she really doesn't like to be touched unless she's the one doing the exploring. She's pretty bold & likes to interact though, just has to be 100% on her terms, which given she's blind, is understandable. Love her to bits, she's a right character. Glad you made this happen Em, thank you for bringing us together
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 11, 2018 14:12:28 GMT
She looks so good, the white is so white, and she just looks so much more sure of herself and confident.
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