Lotsa Questions Before Getting Chin

[Tulip]

Hi!

I'm thinking of getting a chin. I've been reading up and there's lotsa great info here! Thanks for this resource! As is always the case for me, though, I still have plenty of q's. :D

How do chins show grumpiness? Do they ever bite? Do they "talk" like guinea pigs? Do they come over to you and will they allow you to hold them, or do they always want to run and bounce off the walls lol?

I'm worried about electrical cords. How high can they jump? Will a baby-type gate block them or do they jump right over it? Can they jump high onto dressers? Do they munch on the furniture and can any bitters be used? I guess I'm wondering what I need to do to chin-proof a room. Do they pee when they run around?

The wire cages seem to cause a mess. I wonder if it is possible to put some plexiglass around the bottom of the cage? What are the other options instead of vacuuming? I need a cage that can be moved if need be, depending on what room is running the AC. Are there instructions on how to make my own cage? We made a large one for a rabbit many years ago but it was one level and didn't need a tray as she was litter box trained. Ah, that was nice. Can chins be box trained or corner trained? Does spraying only occur between chins or do they spray people too? EWWWWW. In what ways do the chins need to be trained, and will they learn behavior changes past a certain age? ie. Will the males obey you if you instruct them to not hump you? ;) At about what age are they full-grown?

How much noise should I expect from one at night? How loud is the wheel? I usually just run the bedroom AC at night, and wonder if the AC will be loud enough to drown out their noise (is for hamster) or if he or she will need to be in another room.

Wow, that was a lot of questions, lol. Sorry for so many! I just want to be able to best understand what chins are like so I can make the right choice. Any help greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Tulip :)

[JBBinTex]

There are so many people on here better qualified than I am, but I will try and give some answers to the things I know about. I am sure some of the others will have some better advice than I can give...lol

Grumpiness...Zeb ignores us. Luckily, he doesn't have a mean bone in his little body. I know some chins bite though. He will also grunt at us when he he irritated with hands in the cage, generally when I am moving him out of the way to sweep shelves.

Holding...depends on the chin. As a rule, very few chins are lap chins. They tend to wall surf and run around and may grace you with their presence when the mood strikes them. It has to be their idea though. Chins are not, as a rule, cuddle type animals. With Zeb he runs around and then will come crawl on us and give us a look like...you may touch me now. Then it is off again. Although this is never right at the beginning of play time. He also like to climb up our arms enroute to our heads. He acts like he is surveying his domain. Just remember it is all on their terms...not ours.

Electrical cords...they love them. Very dangerous. They sell covers for them, so you can chin proof you home, in the home supply stores.

Jumping...different for every chin. The most Zeb has ever done was about four feet, but there are many on here who have had chins jump higher. They can jump on dressers. Child gates aren't all they are cracked up to be. They can be jumped easily and there have been many chinnies get killed or hurt by them not being secured tight enough. I would not use them. As far as chin proof...cover all cords, remove all tastly looking items that you can. Chins will chew anything. There are many great posts on the board.


As far as the wire cages...you can sweep. Do a search on here for cage plans. I can't think of the sites off hand. I am sure someone will come up with them for you. I think it is easier to move a wire cage as opposed to one of the wood ones. But, then I am limited on lifting, so there is no way I could move a wood cage.

Litter training...some people have had luck with litter training chins...although this mostly pertains to urine. The poopls will fly regardless. lol We have had no luck at all with this though.

Spraying...females spray. Some do and some don't. I have a male so all I can go on is what I have read. It appears to mostly happen when they feel threatened. And yes...they will do it to you.

Humping...just like any male..they do not listen when it comes to this...lol All you can do is gently brush them away. They will keep trying.

Noise...no the AC will not drown it out. Since the are nocturnal, that is when most of their movement occurs. It is pretty loud in a wire cage, as that is what we have. Depending on the type of cage...the wheel will be loud in a wire cage...it moves as the wheel does.

Hope that helps a little. I am sure you will get a lot of great answers from some of the chin gurus on here. I have learned so much from them already. I am a newbie myself. All I can say, from my experience, it that they are worth it all. Out family would have a void without Zeb. He is one of us now. Unlike a hamster...he gives back love and really interacts with the whole family. Best of luck.

[iwantone!]

hey! i'm glad you've got so many questions, that means you care!

chins show grumpiness by barking and grumbling at you. Echo also nips a bit when she's really pissed. They do talk, some a lot, some very little. They make all kinds of noises, from soft cooing grunts to loud screams (usually in the middle of the night....dang chinnies! :) ) Most chins just want to run, but some will tolerate being held more than others. Running is pretty much always their first priority, but my experience with Echo is that the more she knows me, the longer she'll sit still in my hands.

In my experience it's best to keep all electrical cords away from chins. Echo seems to love the plastic that covers most cords. Chins can jump several feet. i have a baby gate, and while echo doesn't jump it, she does climb it. The dresser thing probably depends on how high the dresser is, and if there's anything around to bounce off of first. Chins chew EVERYTHING. Some people try stuff like phooey, but i've heard of chins actually LIKING it. as far as chin proofing, do a search on here and you should get plenty of hits. I think of chin proofing as an on-going process, cuz chins are always gonna find something you missed or suprise you some how.

Plexiglass - seems like it would be ok to have a few inches around the base of the cage, as long as the rest of the cage is fully ventilated. Vacuuming is pretty much your best option, lots of people get shop vacs. There are plenty of cage plans available, i forget but i'm sure everyone else will remember. I've heard of some chins having litter pans, but that only works with peeing. Chins crap everywhere at all times. Echo usually goes back in her cage to pee though. And yes, chins do spray people if they are ticked off enough. I don't think chins are really trainable, but you can teach them to be more relaxed around people and with being held. that just takes patience. I believe chins are fully grown by the time they're 1, but i may be wrong about that one.

Chins can be very noisy. Between all the bouncing around, the wheel (the noise there depends on the wheel and cage type), and the random death screams used to make sure that you're paying attention, I would say a light sleeper would not do well. I, however, am not a light sleeper, and only wake up to the death screams. I would try having the chin in your room for a bit, and if that doesn't work, then move it to another (airconditioned) room.

El Fin!

[paris26]

Let's see if I can answer some of these from my own experience :)
1. When my chins are grumpy they "bark" at me. Usually means back off and don't touch me.
2. I've never had a biter, but they do nibble from time to time to make sure I'm not a wood chew. Sometimes they get really excited and nip m fingers when I'm handing out apple twigs.
3. I have 3 chins that literally jump in my arms when I open their cages. It's kind of nice, but I know they want to hit their playpen. Most of mine will allow me to hold them for a short time, unless it's when I do a presentation. Then they don't mind being held because I think the kids scare them a little.
4. They do talk to each other sometimes, but not like guinea pigs. It's usually calling back and forth to see what's going on.
5. My chins are allowed to run in their playpen or in the bathroom and they are always supervised so they don't chew on baseboards or cords (I unplug cords in the bathroom and their room doesn't have any)
6. I've read that a chin can jump as high as 6 ft, but I've seen my own jump a few feet. They are great climbers though!
7. Chins can get their heads stuck in baby gates, so be careful with that. They'll usually try to squeeze through them first before trying to jump them. I've never had to worry about them jumping on my dresser but I'm sure it could be done by an ambitious chin
8. Chins will chew on everything they can get their teeth on! That's what they love to do! I've had no sucess with Bitter Apple products. Mine love the taste :)
9. My chins have never peed while they were out for playtime, but they poo everywhere! Thank goodness for small dustpans and dustbusters!
10. Plexiglass can be put on the outside of wire cages but I think that it's messy and hard to clean because they'll probably pee there. I sweep shelves and floors in my chin area a couple of times a day. I guess the chin poo is part of my decor, so I'm used to it.
11. Do a search for chin cages. I know there are a few people on here who sell cages or sell their cage plans. kkcritters and kmammone sell cages and plans off the top of my head.
12. I think some people have found success in using litterboxes. I don't use them.
13. Chins can spray other chins, people and other animals. My female Scout pees on my cat Mooshu almost nightly.
14. Chins can't really be trained. I think they do what they want when ever they want :)
15. I believe chins reach their adult size at around 8 months, but it depends on the chins background for size.
16. As chins are nocturnal, that's when they are the most active. Wheels make a lot of noise, but I guess I'm used to their noises.(wheels, throwing toys, talking) I'm a sound sleeper, but if they aren't doing the usual night time noises, I wake up and check on them.

Great questions!

[Chinch]

everyone has given you great answers, but i'll just tell ya what i think also.

1. Andey def. has his little personality, he doesnt bite at all, or ever show aggression, but there are times when i try to mess with him, and he doesnt want to be messed with, and he'll either bark at me, or make a grunting noise. all chins are different though.

2. biting, again all chins are different, i have had Andey for a month, and he has never tried to bite me, sometimes he'll nibble on my arm or my leg, but it is never anything that would hurt me.

3. Again being vocal, i think it depends on the chin, i have read a lot of people saying that they're chins are very vocal, but Andey isnt. i have heard him bark only a couple of times.

4. chins arent cuddly creatures, like someone said in the above reply, it has to be on THEY'RE time, not yours. if Andey is running around, he'll come over and give me kisses, but only when HE wants to, he'll run over my body or just sit on me, but if i try to make him do it, good luck, because it isnt going to happen. but then there have been times, like at the vet, he'll just lay in my lap, and let me hold him.

5. the wooden and plastic baby gates are NOT going to block off your chin, Andey (my chin) learned to climb over it within a day, but i do have a new evenflow plastic gate that he cannot climb over, which has worked very well for me.

6. i think i have heard they can jump like 6 feet or something, not really sure. Andey will jump around, but never straight up into the air, he isnt a very big jumper.

7. munching on furniture- oh yes they do, and no matter what you do, they will still do it. in 1 month, he has chewed on the entertainment center, the baseboards, the bottoms of doors, the corners of walls, chewed my new glasses, and ate the buttons off of the remote, not to mention all the OTHER things he gets into and chews, the mail, my lip liner pencil, a sock, a magazine, all of my books, a twisty tie, the list can go on and on. if they can reach it, they will chew it.

8. Peeing, Andey has only peed 2 times while he has been out, and both of those times, he peed on a long plastic blind from the shades.

9.i dont know what other options there would be for vacumming?

10. im sure there are instructions to build cages somewhere, but im not sure about that.

11. yes, i believe chins can be litter box trained, and Andey only pee's in 2 of the corners of his cage, i didnt teach him this though, he did it by himself.

12. Andey has never sprayed, so someone will be able to give you better advice than me.

13.About behaivor changes, im not sure. i have no idea how old Andey is, and he is my only chin, so again someone else will be able to give you better advice.

14. i doubt they will obey you, like you can teach them things like dogs, im not sure though. if Andey is doing something bad, i'll call his name and clap my hands and he'll stop doing it!

15. full grown ages, im not sure about that either, sorry!

16. how much noise at night, i think it depends on the chin, like i said Andey isnt vocal, there was one night though, that he barked real loud 3 times in a row, scared the crap outta me! and he doesnt have a wheel/saucer, so that makes it quieter too.

and i believe that has been most of your questions, sorry i couldnt be more help!

[Lutra]

Everyone else has pretty much answered your other questions it seems, but as to the cage moving, why not bye a wheel stand for it, or install wheels if you build it? That's what I have, and my carpet is downtrodden enough to move it around still.

[leaughxp]

Hi this is what I've found from experience:
Noise - one chin in a wire cage without a wheel I could sleep, 2 chins no wheel I could sleep some, 2 chins with wheel-no way! They do make some soft contact (happy) sounds that are similar to the guinea pig here but not as loud. Then there's the teeth chattering, and the warning call that sounds like a bike horn or the honkers on Sesame Street. The last noise I've heard is the "kack" which is leave me alone, don't touch me. I'm not sure if that's what others call barking but to me it sounds like "kack!" Here's a link to a site with chinchilla noises you can listen to but like I said I haven't heard very many of them: http://www.chinchilla-sounds.de/index_en.htm


Bite- depends. I have one that's only ever bitten me once and that's when I was practicing grooming him for the first time. He obviously didn't like it and I had to hold the chins by their tail and he bent up and reached around to bite me. I have another chin who just yesterday flew accross her cage to bite my finger I stuck in the cage-I think she's very possessive of her cage. She also nibbles very hard and "kack"s every time I touch her in her cage or go to pick her up but once out she'll let me hold her and she's realy still for a while.

All 3 of my chins will come to the door when opened. Sometimes they sit and wait by the door and other times it takes a little longer (like when I'm taking them to the vet or somewhere) but usually you can get them to come out and if all else fails there's always the dust bath. And of course when you don't want them out like when you're just filling up food or hay then they'll fly out of there cages and escape and make you chase them all over the house and run right past the terrier's cage who who like nothing better that to kill the chin.

Jumping-mine have only jumped up maybe 2 feet on to the bed but two of them have jumped or slid down behind my entertainment center (about 4 feet). I've read they can jump on top the refridgerator and read of others jumping onto doorknobs. If you are going to use a playpen thing, there are some that you can get tops and bottoms for which are a good idea but expensive. I would always supervise the chins when out of there cage maybe you could use two gates in aa doorway (one ontop the other) if needed or I've thought about getting on of those phantom screen doors for the hallway but the chins would probably chew it.

Full grown ranges from 8 months to 2 yrs. I have a chin thats 1 1/2 yrs and is still gaining weight (hopefully for a while) but I think has been done growing length wise for a while. The other one that's just under a year has filled out lots already but is also still growing so it totally depends on the chin. I believe ebonies tend to grow slower. But then I've got an 5 moth old eb white who weighs almost as much as my 1 1/2 yr old so ? I have read that chins are better when weaned separatley and my older two lived together for a while and my youngest one lives by herself so I think it's probably pretty true.

Cage- if you're going with a wire cage get one with thick gauge wire. They will be more study and won't rattle as much. I have 3 of these cages (like the red one): http://www.prevuepet.com/ferret2.html They work very well because they are easy to clean and thick wire. I had a superpet one before and the wire was kind of flimsy (it was one that unfolded not cliped together-those are thicker but the clips get chewed). I've also had the unfortunate experience of cleaning a ferret cage that had flimsy wire, it was BAD! Anyway the base of my cages is deep enough that I don't think much comes out of it just poos and hay either roll of the shelf or bounce off the lower shelves. You could just edge out the shelves with wood pieces and i think it would help a lot. When I put a wheel in it there's noise but mostly from the chin and the wheel not the cage.

[Tulip]

Thanks so much for all of your replies! You have been very helpful, and I’ve enjoyed learning about chins! I have decided, however, that a chin will not be the best pet for me at this time. The biggest problem I have would be chin-proofing for their jumping and chewing. I’ve decided to get guinea pigs instead. Thank you all for your help!

[Draconis]

Well, for training...I've already trained mine to do tricks like... "come","stand" and "go home". But I just cant figure out how to make her "stay". They take quite a while to understand the commands unlike dogs but they can still do it.