Another Chinchilla Question

[sylvercheetah]

Our boy Gizmo seems to be scratching a lot lately, and I'm wondering why. He is about 10 months old so I understand that this should be about the time of his first shed. We took him home the day after Christmas and this is new behavior. But his coat seems to be just fine, so I'm wondering if it is just the impending shed or is there something else we should check out?
Thanks in advance for any and all input.