Written By Amanda Dean-Wilson
of Fuzzy Chins
Moving with Chinchillas
Moving can be an extremely stressful event in someone’s life. You have to pack up all your belongings, arrange for set up of utilities in your new home and end utilities in your old home, and then of course move and unpack. Most of us know the hassles and the stress of moving, whether it is an in town move or an out of town move.
I have moved almost every year since I started college. In the last eight years, I have lived in 8 different places. Every move has its challenges and its own stresses. I would like to think that I have learned from all my experiences and you would think after all the moving I have done, it would get easier. NOT!!! See, only my last two moves have been with chinchillas, which has added a new dimension to moving.
Moving can be very stressful for your chins. Their owner is stressed, they are leaving an environment that they are used too and comfortable with, and they have to get acquainted with new smells and a new atmosphere.
Our first move with chinchillas was an out of town move, but we only had four chinchillas at the time. We also had 4 pet rats, about 20 tropical fish, 3 newts and 2 frogs. We knew the other animals would adjust to the change without much difficulty, but we were worried about Joey, Roo, Boomer and Sydney. We wanted to make the transition was as smooth as possible and as stress free for them. Here are some tips that we used to make our chins feel comfortable.
From the moment we knew we were moving, I started to talk to the chins about what was going to happen. We were going to a new home, 4 hours away but the new home was bigger and there would be a room just for animals. We kept our daily routine with them the same till the day we left; the entire house was packed and just the chins and their belongings remained. On moving day, we put the kids into their carriers with toys from their cages and some hay to nibble on during the trip. Their cages were loaded as the very last items so they could be the very first items unloaded at our new house. We moved at the end of May, so we started the car that the animals would be traveling in, and cooled it down to temperature. The chins stayed inside the air-conditioned apartment until departure time. The carriers were placed where I could watch the kids periodically as I drove. A great suggestion was that I put something in their carriers that had my scent on it, and hopefully they would feel more at ease. I didn’t play loud music, just soft soothing music that they were used to at our house.
When we arrived at our new house, the air-conditioner had already been turned on (by request) and the chins were immediately taken downstairs to their new home. Having them downstairs in the finished basement kept them from hearing most of the loud noises and chaos while we unpacked our belongings. Their cages were unloaded and we immediately set them up in their cages. They had fresh food, water and hay available and all their huts and toys were back where they had been before. It was the middle of the day when we arrived so the kids were still sleepy and spent the rest of the afternoon napping while we unloaded the rest of the truck. That evening I made it a point to keep as close to our schedule as possible of feeding and playing. The move went so smoothly and all the chins did great, despite the huge change. I was very concerned with Boomer’s reaction since we had seen in the past, just moving his cage while I was cleaning upset him. We continued for the next couple of days to pay extra attention to them and keep to the schedule, despite how busy we were unpacking and setting up the new house.
Our second move was an in-town move, however, this time we had 10 adult chinchillas, 2 kits, a pregnant female and Wally who was still recovering from severe pneumonia. We were lucky enough to have two weeks to move our belongings from the townhouse to our new home. This also gave my husband Darren time to build the chins set-up. Once again, the very last thing we moved was the chinchillas. On moving day, we packed them up in their carriers, with hay and toys. Two trips were made: one to move all the cages since they are relatively large, and one trip just with the chinchillas. The car was extremely cool and when we arrived they were taken immediately into their room where it was dark and cool. I took the opportunity to thoroughly clean the cages with a pressure washer and then we were able to place all the chins back into their cages for the evening. I believe keeping your regular schedule (or as close as possible) with chins, is key to a good move. We also always talk to them and explain what is happening. Once again, it was a successful move with very little trauma for all of us.
Just remember when you move, to keep in mind this is a huge change also for your chinchilla and they will need to be your top priority when planning.
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