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Bringing a new family member home is always an exciting time! People want to take them home, show them their new surroundings and love on them immediately. However, moving to a new environment is stressful, even on the most socialized chins. For this reason, time should be taken to allow the chin to get used to their new cage so that they feel that this is their safe haven no matter what. There are a lot of new sights and smells in their new home to get used to as well and this is best done from inside a safe cage. The biggest mistake we see new owners make is taking a chin home and immediately beginning to take them out for play time. Even if the chin seems to be calm, he/she needs time to settle into their own little safe world prior to exploring the big world of the new house. This is especially true of homes that have other species in them. Chinchillas are a prey species and as such may not show outward signs of stress until it is too late. Smells of other species, especially predatory species can be very frightening to a chinchilla. You may not think Fluffy, your cat is predatory, but the chin has no way of knowing this and will only go by what he/she smells. For this reason, we suggest that new owners give new chins a minimum of two weeks before taking them out for play time. This gives them time to feel comfortable and safe in their new cage. You can bond with them and interact with them from within their cage. Let them approach you however, do not reach in and "grab" them. If they climb onto your hand, then hold them. But, we do not suggest letting them run around their new home for a minimum of two weeks. This time can be longer, depending on the chin's particular personality, but two weeks should be a minimum. We know this is hard for new owners, however, it would be much harder if the chin were to end up dying due to the stress of his/her new environment. So please, give your new family member time to settle in prior to letting them out for play time. |
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