Hi all!
I am a proud new owner of a 4yo chinchilla named Monkey. He belonged to my cousin. She has had him since he was weaned so I imagine he was pretty attached to her. After she got a dog, she wasn't able to let him out much anymore so she wanted to give him to a good home.
He's been with me now for one week.
Lately he seems bored or depressed sometimes and I have real trouble getting him to go back into his cage...I'm not sure what to do.
I've been letting him out for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. I started by using treats to get him back in his cage at the end of a play session, which was working consistently at first.
A few days ago, at the end of a morning playtime session, he didn't respond to the promise of a treat when I offered one to get him back in his cage. And after that it seems like he doesn't much care about the treats anymore.
I've tried a few different things to get him back in, but he's really been resisting each time. The first time I lured him with a treat and then dropped a towel over him to pick him up and put him in the cage. The second time, I tried to grab him and he slipped out of my grasp. I realized right away how bad an idea that was, since he seemed pretty freaked out that I'd grabbed him and kinda chased him right after. :( The third time I offered a dust bath inside the cage and he went in happily. The fourth time he wouldn't go for the dust bath in the cage, so I gave it to him outside of the cage and then put the bath container in the cage with him in it. He was none-too-pleased about that method either and didn't finish the bath after finding himself in the cage.
I think I'm a terrible person for having grabbed him and for using these nefarious ways to land him back in his cage, but treats aren't working and I need to leave my apartment during the day. I'd really appreciate suggestions for other ways to entice him back into his cage at the end of playtime.
I've only had him a week and there are so many things that have happened that could cause issues. He seems depressed sometimes, stops playing and just sits under the bed in this one spot. When he's in his cage, sometimes he'll put his little paws on the cage side and look out at me longingly! He's doing that right now and I SO want to let him out even though it's not playtime!
He also has been chewing on things he shouldn't be (and probably eating some things he shouldn't be). I really have tried to cover everything but, being a new chinchilla owner, I just didn't realize some of the items - like a pair of scissors that he gnawed part of the plastic coating off of the handles. Oops. I put those away fast.
And, of course maybe he is still adjusting to his new home, missing my cousin, wondering if she'll ever return, mad at/afraid of me for grabbing at him, sick from eating scissor plastic,....or maybe it's just that I moved morning playtime one hour later when I realized 6:30am was too early for me! I'm worried but then he does seem okay sometimes and playing happily. He's eating fine, drinking water, pooping and peeing appropriately.
So, the point of this was to ask if there's a better way, a consistent way, to get him back in his cage? Or do I need to keep tricking him into it? Or maybe I shouldn't be doing morning playtime sessions, only evening?
Thank you
I am a proud new owner of a 4yo chinchilla named Monkey. He belonged to my cousin. She has had him since he was weaned so I imagine he was pretty attached to her. After she got a dog, she wasn't able to let him out much anymore so she wanted to give him to a good home.
He's been with me now for one week.
Lately he seems bored or depressed sometimes and I have real trouble getting him to go back into his cage...I'm not sure what to do.
I've been letting him out for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. I started by using treats to get him back in his cage at the end of a play session, which was working consistently at first.
A few days ago, at the end of a morning playtime session, he didn't respond to the promise of a treat when I offered one to get him back in his cage. And after that it seems like he doesn't much care about the treats anymore.
I've tried a few different things to get him back in, but he's really been resisting each time. The first time I lured him with a treat and then dropped a towel over him to pick him up and put him in the cage. The second time, I tried to grab him and he slipped out of my grasp. I realized right away how bad an idea that was, since he seemed pretty freaked out that I'd grabbed him and kinda chased him right after. :( The third time I offered a dust bath inside the cage and he went in happily. The fourth time he wouldn't go for the dust bath in the cage, so I gave it to him outside of the cage and then put the bath container in the cage with him in it. He was none-too-pleased about that method either and didn't finish the bath after finding himself in the cage.
I think I'm a terrible person for having grabbed him and for using these nefarious ways to land him back in his cage, but treats aren't working and I need to leave my apartment during the day. I'd really appreciate suggestions for other ways to entice him back into his cage at the end of playtime.
I've only had him a week and there are so many things that have happened that could cause issues. He seems depressed sometimes, stops playing and just sits under the bed in this one spot. When he's in his cage, sometimes he'll put his little paws on the cage side and look out at me longingly! He's doing that right now and I SO want to let him out even though it's not playtime!
He also has been chewing on things he shouldn't be (and probably eating some things he shouldn't be). I really have tried to cover everything but, being a new chinchilla owner, I just didn't realize some of the items - like a pair of scissors that he gnawed part of the plastic coating off of the handles. Oops. I put those away fast.
And, of course maybe he is still adjusting to his new home, missing my cousin, wondering if she'll ever return, mad at/afraid of me for grabbing at him, sick from eating scissor plastic,....or maybe it's just that I moved morning playtime one hour later when I realized 6:30am was too early for me! I'm worried but then he does seem okay sometimes and playing happily. He's eating fine, drinking water, pooping and peeing appropriately.
So, the point of this was to ask if there's a better way, a consistent way, to get him back in his cage? Or do I need to keep tricking him into it? Or maybe I shouldn't be doing morning playtime sessions, only evening?
Thank you
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