Chinchilla behaviour??

Ok when I got the chins the person who left them with me said that she didn't have any time for them, they had really bad feet, were being fed rabbit foor, and didn't have any sort of enrichment in their cage, and the female was doing some behaviour that I thought strange, she would move her sleeping box and then would back up to it and throw herself over the back of it for ages, I thought that this was a behaviour that she was bored or stressed.

Since I've had the female she has been moved onto chinchilla food, her feet have cleared up, and unfornatly she had a litter of still borns (she was pregnant when I got her, but this was the first that I heard of it) they are brought toys, and have food and treats hidden around their cage, they also get let out for at least an hour a day, but she will still do this behaviour.

I'm just wondering whether anyone else has dealt with any behaviour like this, as I'm wondering whether now its just a habit that she's got into, but I'm not so sure? And does anyone have any ideas on how to stop it, as she will just throw herself, and she's hurt her back before now too doing it, so I'm a bit worried about her.

Hi there. I don't know anything about chincillas, but I do have some experience of obsessive/habit type behaviour in dogs.

Are you keeping a record of when she does this - how frequnetly it occurs and whether there are any obvious triggers (e.g. same time each day/when she wakes up/when she's hungry etc).

If you can work out a pattern to it, it may help you solve it. If there is no pattern and it is now habbit, it may be worth trying to destract her each time she does in an effort to break the habbit (though I appreciate you can't sit and watch her 24 hours a day).

The other thing of course is are you able to change her bed box to something that she can't move or can't throw herself on to (sorry I don't know whether is feasible or not, just a suggestion really)

It does sound like their lives are so much better with you, they are very lucky you have taken them in.

I have had chins for years now but they have had large areas so no similar problems.

Well done on sorting the feet etc out. Is the male castrated now or will they be producing again?

Apple wood is great for keeping them busy chewing, you could try a new box or move the one they have and fix it somehow. She will still need an outlet of some kind though so you'll have to keep an eye on her

rune

yes wood from apple trees (as long as no pesticides been used on it) great for boredom.
i guess you probably have one but a sand bath? mine hated the big metal tins sold for this purpose so i bought a big round plant pot dish and it gave them loads of room to wriggle around. as said before, maybe a bed/box she cannot move.
hope this helps.

Can't offer any advice on this, but good on you for taking them on and doing your best by them, sounds like they had a bad life before coming to you, poor things.

Thanks for the advice everyone .

The male has been neutered now, so at least the easiest problem has been sorted out

I've tried making it so that the bed box can't be moved, but then she will still throw herself over it even if it means that she goes right into the side of the cage head first.

There also seems to be no pattern either, she will do this at different times of the day, before and after she's been out, whether its five minutes or hours after she's woken up, and no matter how much food items are in there, and she has down it after she's been eating before too.

They have a sand bath in their continually, and she will use that, but it doesn't seem to stop her doing this behaviour either I'll get some wood from apple trees too, as I know someone who has them

Again thanks for the help, hopefully soon she will stop it, fingers crossed anyway.

She may well be pregnant if the male was with her any time after she gave birth.

If she is it'll come out very dizzy by the sounds of it (G)!

Hope she stops for you.

lynn