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76

Health / Chin gave me a scare.

« on: August 16, 2014, 11:03:52 PM »

so I was playing with popsicle, and he went into hide and seek mode and hid in his maze/condo, so I decided to take a bathroom break before he emerged.
As I was closing the bathroom door, I felt resistance. To my horror, Popsicle had tried to follow me in and I had closed the door on him. Not even the far end of the door, he was caught underneath near the middle of the door and the door base.
Freaked out that I had broken his ribs or crushed his internal organs or something. Called around trying to find a 24 hour emergency clinic that would let me x-ray an animal in a human hospital or find a 24 hour vet. Nothing nothing nothing.

He seems ok now though, quite active, so I think he's alright, though that advice about chinchilla's hiding injuries is worrying me a bit, but I think he's back to normal. ...
Pray for popsicle if you're the praying type... thanks all...

77

General Chat / Re: on a scale of 1 to 10, how spoilt is Popsicle?

« on: August 16, 2014, 10:58:57 PM »

That's ADORABLE!!!

Did you make that pic yourself? NICE.

78

General Chat / Anyone here ever seen a chinchilla this fat?

« on: August 16, 2014, 10:57:26 PM »

http://www.lexiebond.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/overweightchinchilla.jpg

...

On a sad note, I just checked this person's blog, and the chin in the picture just passed away... oh dear... hope it wasn't due to obesity related health issues...

79

General Chat / on a scale of 1 to 10, how spoilt is Popsicle?

« on: August 16, 2014, 04:02:17 AM »

oh dear oh dear... my little fella is so like a little kid lol...

During playtime, he wants me to interact with him, not just read something while occasionally cuddling him.

If he feels satisfied, he eventually goes back into his cage, and I give him a rose hip as a treat.

If he doesn't feel satisfied, he goes back into his cage, and SULKS. If I offer him a rose hip, he ignores it! ... there are 2 ways to get him to take his treat at this point:
1. Just put it next to him and go away. He will eat it while I have my back turned, and pretend it disappeared. (as if I'm deaf! Rose hips are crunchy lol)
2. If I tickle and scractch him and tell him how much I love him for a few minutes, he will stop sulking and when I reoffer the rose hip he will sort of grudgingly accept it.

...
Oh dear oh dear, lol...

80

General Chat / Chinchilla SUPER headbutt!!!

« on: August 07, 2014, 09:47:52 AM »

OUCH.

It was playtime, and I was just minding my own business lying on the floor resting. Popsicle was running around the place playing. All of a sudden, scurry scurry scurry... WHAM. 600g chinchilla evidently did a running leap off the bed and landed face first on MY face. He'd built up enough momentum to actually leave a bruise.
ROFL.

we're both fine though! heh heh.

81

Health / Re: chinchilla pneumonia. died from heart attack?

« on: July 29, 2014, 06:16:05 AM »

Just double checking... has the temperature changed much lately?

82

Q & A / Re: ways to put chinchilla back to cage

« on: July 29, 2014, 06:14:07 AM »

I got 1 way that works when I let my chin out outdoors (where chasing down is just impossible).

I bought a cat carrier and I leave it in my room all the time, door open, and popsicle treats it like one of his home away from homes. (I leave a lava rock in it permanently)

When I want to bring him back in from the condo garden, I show him a treat, and put it in the cat carrier, and he goes in it, I close the door. Everyone's happy!

83

Q & A / Is Chinchilla food safe for humans?

« on: July 29, 2014, 06:05:28 AM »

I think I hang around Popsicle TOO much... I was wondering whether his food was nice or not, so I crunched one of his pellets. Tastes a bit like spinach.
(chewing hay is something I've seen in too many western movies lol I know it's fine)

84

General Chat / Re: Will my chinchillas forgive me

« on: July 29, 2014, 05:56:16 AM »

My condolences on your grandma. I hope you're ok.

I thought you only adopted 2, why are there 3 now?

Anyhow, I can't say for certain, but I don't think it was the puff of air that caused them to be frightened. The puff of air doesn't actually do any damage, and it's not scary or anything, just a minor irritation. (which is why people recommend it)

My theory:  you left your hand in the cage too long, and you went over their comfort zone. They felt that you had overstayed your welcome, and crossed into "intruder" zone, and the nibbles were to warn you away, and when the daughters got frightened the mum came out, and when you still didn't get the message, she bit you SERIOUSLY.
...
Chins (and dogs cats etc) do sometimes bite or scratch too hard, BUT, generally, all animals know that when they draw blood, they have crossed a certain line. Any time an animal bites hard enough to cause bleeding (and you said it was bleeding "a lot") they know that they have caused injury. If an animal tastes blood in it's mouth and still doesn't let go, it is NOT PLAYING AROUND, it knows that it is causing harm and is doing it on purpose.

...
Having crossed their comfort zone and intruded on their personal space, you should be careful not to do it again, ESPECIALLY not too soon... as grayrodent said, give them time.

...
Personally though, what I would try? ... my theory is that chins are surprisingly intelligent. They sometimes understand underlying subtleties that would surprise you.
Try a peace offering/ apology.
Every day, go to their cage, gently and slowly apologize for disturbing them, and place their treats in their cage, then back off to the other end of your room. Wait for them to take the treat. After they take it, gently say "Thank you... I hope we can be friends again." Then exit the room.
...
It might feel silly doing this for a little animal that doesn't speak english, but try it out and see if it works. You might be very very surprised!

85

General Chat / Re: Starting to bond . . .

« on: July 29, 2014, 05:38:48 AM »

Be careful not to overbond, or overpamper?

Popsicle has gotten REALLY spoilt... nowadays, after playtime, when he goes back in his cage (or I put him back in), he gets a rose hip as a treat.
Lately, if he's not satisfied with his playtime, he will refuse his treat! Then I have to placate him by cuddle time or chin scratching or offering it mouth to mouth before he takes his treat. ... RIDICULOUS lol, he's even worse than a dog sometimes!

86

General Chat / Re: Well, that was a waste of money.

« on: July 03, 2014, 07:14:04 AM »

well,  maybe he burnt his tongue. Yeah forgot iphones use DC. But even a AA battery can generate enough power to heat up a wire a bit if you connect the 2 ends with a wire.

... on a perhaps not unrelated issue, popsicle doesn't eat skinny apple sticks anymore. Sudden realization that twigs = long thin thing with a nice to eat outside layer an a lousy inner layer. Wire = long thin thing with a nice to eat outside layer an a lousy inner layer. ... facepalm. ... Dunno if it happens to other chins (as we all know, they've each got their own personalities and mindsets!) but I can put the pieces together for Popsicle and it makes sense to me...

87

General Chat / Re: Well, that was a waste of money.

« on: July 02, 2014, 05:50:59 AM »

I'm not absolutely certain, but i think Popsicle has learnt not to bite wires anymore!

...

How did this happen? I am not *SURE* about this, but he did chew through some low voltage iphone wires... I suspect that he must have gotten a mild, uncomfortable electric shock every time he broke through the rubber, and eventually persistance and Pavlov worked together on auto-pilot to teach him wire chewing is bad. At least, that's my THEORY anyhow. (cost me 1 iphone power cable and 1 ipad cable)

88

General Chat / Well, that was a waste of money.

« on: June 29, 2014, 08:13:04 AM »

I just bought Popsicle a new toy a few days ago.
It was a hay ball, a sort of ball weaved from straw/hay sort of thing, and stuffed full of timothy hay. For rabbits and chinchillas. They're meant to chew it, and reach inside and grab the hay and such I think.
Today, I was like... "where's the ball gone? ... are those long strands of rope looking thing... yup, looks like utter annihilation..."

Popsicle confuses me in certain ways. He likes to deposit unfinished treats and edibles into his food bowl, making me think he recognizes it as his food bowl. ... but he also poops in it a lot. hmm.

89

General Chat / Re: Wheel Question

« on: June 27, 2014, 06:33:55 AM »

Turns out that the IKEA parts make it yourself wheel is absolutely brilliant. I'm no macguyver, but I managed to use super super glue, and I glued some pieces of wood together to make an incline, and glued the lazy susan on top of it.
AND IT WORKED.
But then it broke after a few months.
Then I did another, which also broke.
But now is my 3rd one, and it is doing very well! No problems whatsoever even months later.

90

General Chat / Giving treats mouth to mouth.

« on: June 24, 2014, 08:06:35 AM »

Am I the only one who does this???

Yeah, I thought mother birds do feed their young mouth to mouth, and so I give Popsicle most of his treats by putting him on my shoulder, then if he behaves himself, I put a treat in my mouth and offer it to him.

Anyone else like to give their chin's treats this way?