Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,
Although not common, we’ve had run-ins with runaway pets. While I would normally take every “runaway experience” very seriously, this one is a bit sweet… in an odd way.
A few months ago I woke up, fed the cats, fed the fish and started getting ready for my day. You see, I have to stay with the cats as they eat, so I usually make myself some breakfast or start doing some writing until they’re done eating. Now, when I was done feeding the cats I went to go check up on Gary.
As soon as I got into my partner’s office, I noticed the top gate on his cage was wide open and I started freaking out. My first reaction being: Gary ran away and I’m not going to be able to find him! I frantically began searching the room, looking in the closet, behind the desks, behind bins… everywhere I could think of… other than his cage!
Silly me thought: well, if his cage is open, he’s definitely going to take the opportunity to escape and explore the room, but I was wrong… well… partly wrong. After maybe a minute and a half of searching, I took a quick glance into Gary’s cage and there he was sleeping. *Phew*.
I guess he hadn’t thought to jump out, even though he’s more than capable of doing that. I immediately texted my partner, letting him know that he had left the cage door open, and let him know that Gary was safe and that he had not escaped.
About 6 hours later, when my partner came home from work, he immediately went to the office to play some video games when I get a call on skype. The conversation went something like this:
Babe, you know how you said the cage door was open this morning? Well, Gary did actually get out… and he peed and pooped all over my desk!
The incident made me laugh out loud and I couldn’t contain myself. I guess that’s our little boy. An escape artist who knows where home is. It’s good to know that if he ever escapes again, well #1 he’s able to jump to the top of his cage if he needs to and #2, it seems he knows where home is and will probably end up back there. Glad you like your home, Gary! We’re still working on getting you a taller cage though!
Grace .W says
January 7, 2019 at 7:54 pmChinchillas are very smart and can figure out how to jump out of a cage or push a “partially” closed door open!
However a word of caution, I would avoid having a chinchilla explore the room unless it has been chin-proofed! They are naturally curious little creatures and like to chew and explore different objects and may (God-forbid) chew on wires or plastic that could hurt them or cause some gastrointestinal problems.
They also have very sensitive digestive system and can only eat hay and pellets. I also made sure not to have any plastic in the cage or play area of my foster chinchilla (Mamo), Just in case he decides to take a bite out of it. But I am happy to hear that Gary was fine! (I also noticed in your cute pictures that Gary has a plastic dust bath, experts recommend using a glass bowl (much like the small fish tanks) and I use a glass bowl and only offer a dust bath once a week because frequent baths can dry out their skin (since they love baths so much) !!!)
Johnny Salib says
January 7, 2019 at 8:39 pmYup! Already have a chin-proof room for him to go into!
Gary doesn’t have a plastic dust bath, you may be referring to his plastic litter box. (Gary likes to pee in paper litter and doesn’t pee around his cage.) We use a ceramic bath to bathe Gary! Also in regards to the bathing, we live in a fairly humid area, so we have to give him baths at least twice a week, but we do keep a close eye on his skin and fur! Thank you for the advice though 🙂
The Swiss Cats says
November 4, 2018 at 1:38 pmMOL ! We’re glad Gary is safe, it looks like he had great time during his jailbreak ! Purrs
Johnny Salib says
November 4, 2018 at 4:54 pmHe definitely got his exercise in for the day 😉
Ellen Pilch says
November 3, 2018 at 6:59 pmThat is too funny.
Johnny Salib says
November 4, 2018 at 4:53 pmHaha! Glad you laughed 😀
Kitties Blue says
November 3, 2018 at 6:25 pmWhat a terrific chuckle. Thank you so much, and as to #1 and #2, we see both you and Gary made good use of them. Still chuckling! XOCK, angel Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer
p.s. Still chuckling. Have a feeling it is going to last a while!
Johnny Salib says
November 4, 2018 at 4:53 pmGlad that I got you to chuckle!
World Of Animals, Inc. says
November 3, 2018 at 12:34 pmThis was too funny. We are just happy Gary to safe in the end, but he knew when to return back to the cage after his business on the desk. Thanks for sharing the great story. Have a wonderful weekend. Great post.
Johnny Salib says
November 4, 2018 at 4:50 pmGlad he’s safe! The most important thing 😀