Hello all,

I was wondering if you could give me any advice about one of my chin's Alexei. Alexei is an ebony chinchilla who is about 3 and a half.

We bought him in a pet shop when he was about 6 months where he was extremely frightened, and we decided we couldn't leave him there bless him. At first Lex was all my husband Mark, he loved him to pieces and I didn't get a look in. He was a very scared chinchilla and when been coaxed and eventually brought out the cage would shake with fright, my hubby was the only one who could get him out of his cage and calm him down, he just didn't seem to trust me.

Eventually over the past year I have built up a very strong bond with him, he will snuggle into my neck and let me sing to him and dance with him I can do pretty much anything with him and he let's me, even the dreaded getting him out of the cage which he hates doing. But my husband he now hates with a passion!! My poor hubby so much as goes to stroke him in the cage he does a horrible screaming bark thing at him and tries to bite him, usually this is just in the cage but he can do it out of the cage. This has obviously lead to my husband losing all trust in Lex and we now don't trust him with anyone but me even warning friends not to put there hands in his cage!

Lex used to do the screaming bark at me but I just really told him off and he has now stopped doing it. I found that in building a bond with Lex I have told him off loads and that seems to stop him doing bad behaviour like the barking but my husband has tried that approach, he has tried been friendly, and ignoring him but nothing seem's to work. We just can not figure out what has suddenly happened with his behavouir. We have two other chinchilla's, one a rescue chinchilla who used to be a nightmare which my husband has calmed and loved and now she adores us both we tried the tactics we used on her with Lex but nothing. Buzz our other chinchilla loves my hubby to bits my hubby is his cage mate I barely get a look in which I don't mind :-)

We just can not understand what has happened with my hubby's and Lex's relationship, if I go away for a night or anything my hubby can not even get him out for a run.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you

NatalieP

is Lex a lone chinchilla? or is he in with your others?

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He is a lone chinchilla but is in a room with the two others I have, his cage is next to my female and I have another male in the room too.

Natxx

Ive heard on another forum about people having issues with their chinchilla, it seemed to be when a male and female are in the same room and in the end they had to move either the male or the female out of the room.

that sounds like your problem then hun

the best advice i can give you is to neuter both males, adopt another girlie, and let both boys have a girl friend

they are very social animals who crave company from their own kind, the smell of the girl will also be putting the males hormones into over drive, and he will be seeing your husband as a male rival for the girls atttention, and ultimately yours aswell.

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