Would you adopt a biter?

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6Dusters

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
1,813
Location
Richmond Virginia
I know a person who runs a rescue and we talk about the three brought in who bite. Each is in a seperate cage and not from the same person. I'm sure those of you who rescue can understand the variable situations some of these animals have had to face. And people who do not tell the whole truth when relinquishing animals to your care. :hair:

My CL gerbil is a classic case. My poor daughter was bit right away. She was crushed. And I was angry.( the woman never said a word about his bad behavior ) He came off CL and I feel no one would want him.( and too dangerous for a child) Thus he can spend his days with us. I have managed to be able to run a finger over him when I give him his food bowl. I guess that's better then nothing. Otherwise its the glove . ( chuckles to self) In the end I purchased two gerbil girl babies and my daughter can now love all over them.

But getting back to the subject. Are there people out there who take on the stinker chins? I know the person running the rescue would like to find homes for them. But she won't adopt them out for fear they would hurt someone. Any thoughts?

BTW: She is going to be going to the York show so I know she could transport them to anyone willing to take on a challange. And for that fact if anyone would love a handsome gerbil single male I would be glad to adopt out a biter. Adult only. I don't have a problem having him live his life out here. He has a secure home even if he is a biter. ;)
 
i think i would adopt a biter. maybe there is a reason he bites due to being mistreated or mean cagemate. if you put him alone and work with him maybe he wont bite as much.

or maybe i am just optimistic. i just think with a lot of love and gentleness and patience maybe there is a chance he will stop biting.

or not. ;)
 
I personally would not take on a known biter due to having a young child. However, if it was years from now and my child was grown, I wouldn't mind taking on a challenge like that. If however, a chin I had adopted turned into a biter, I would keep working with that chin because it would be my responsibility. They need love too, even though they are not well behaved.
 
I would and have.

With chins, a few will bite no matter what, but most biters I've had just need to be taught not to bite or (if biting out of fear) that they don't have to bite. This mostly just takes time, patience, and someone whose not afraid of being bit.
 
The standard boy I picked up three weeks ago today was constantly biting me and I've got nips and bruises all over my right forearm and the top of my hand. His cage mate was 'supposed' to be the nippy one but he isn't biting me, he just is very timid and tends to hide.

I've had them three weeks today and the beige one is coming out of his shell and I've tried a new approach with the bitey boy in that I am taking a step or two back and have stopped sticking my hand into their cage and trying to pet him. Now I just reach in, fill up their pellets and hay and do give them a little supplement which they eat out of my hand no problem and no nips. I think I overwhelmed them (mostly the nippy one) with all the changes such as new house, revamped cage and I don't think these chins have ever been around other chins.

I'm going to take it more slowly with these guys b/c they haven't had the best life and it's obvious that Buster doesn't trust me much but since I've taken a step back to let him settle and adjust more I have noticed him calming down a bit... pardon the pun, lol.

I would love to find these guys a perfect home but if he doesn't stop biting then there's no way I'd feel right about adopting them out and will keep them here and I will continue to work with them and hope Buster Boy will begin to trust me more and leave my skin alone b/c it's looking very colourful with all the little red marks and bruises.

Would I knowingly adopt a nippy chin? Yes, but I have the luxury of having the chins in their own room and there's no small children around so I'd feel pretty comfortable having chin like that b/c they wouldn't be a threat to anyone but me.
 
I would adopt a biter that is my preference. I figure that maybe no one else will take on that responsibility and the chin will suffer in the long run.
 
I think biting is mostly a temporary fear thing. Once the chin realizes they have no need to be afraid of you and is in a loving place, he/she wont need to use defenses. I have had this in the past
 
I have adopted biters AND have seen juveniles go through a nippy stage. Most can be reformed.
I also believe that sometimes chins just don't mix well with a particular person. I had one bv male that wanted to take a chunk out of my wrist everytime I went into his cage. When given to a friend, he was perfectly fine. I have a chin here that bit his former owner hard. Here he is fine. I think every animal deserves a chance.
 
My CL gerbil is a classic case. My poor daughter was bit right away. She was crushed. And I was angry.( the woman never said a word about his bad behavior ) He came off CL and I feel no one would want him.( and too dangerous for a child) Thus he can spend his days with us. I have managed to be able to run a finger over him when I give him his food bowl. I guess that's better then nothing. Otherwise its the glove . ( chuckles to self) In the end I purchased two gerbil girl babies and my daughter can now love all over them.
In all fairness, there is a chance that the gerbil did not bite while in her care. At Wee Companions we rescue hundreds of animals every year. A change of situation, a stressful day moving, new owners, new noises, new smells can send an otherwise docile animal over the edge. On the flip side, we've also had animals that have come in labeled as biters who were perfectly fine when they arrived and have never shown any signs of aggression.

But getting back to the subject. Are there people out there who take on the stinker chins? I know the person running the rescue would like to find homes for them. But she won't adopt them out for fear they would hurt someone. Any thoughts?
We don't adopt biters to just anyone, but we have a list of experienced adopters who love the challenge of "problem" children. We call them when we have someone we need to place.
 
I would because I'd love the chance to give a chinchilla who needs rescuing a chance. We've already decided that if our breeder doesn't have an adult chin that needs a home when we are looking for our next we will adopt one.
 
I once had a pair of female rescues kind of "dumped" on me, that were both biters and chewers. Wore leather gloves, and the biting mostly stopped, but the chewing continued.
About 3 weeks after recieving them, I got my first shipment of LifeLine, and gave it to the whole herd.
Now, I don't know if it was the change of environment, being with other chins, difference of food, the Lifeline, or even the increase of attention, but when they were adapted out 3 mo. later, their fur had grown almost all the way back, and they were real friendly.
Talked to the woman who adapted them a few months later, and they were still fine!
Guess if you give them love and attention, they come around, in time!
 
I didn't adopt Bobo I bought her, I'm not sure why we "adopt" animals anyway, we buy them or "get them LOL! Anyway I've had her for more than 4 years and yes she is STILL a biter. But she is my first chin and still my favorite. She bites me lips and nose when I go to kiss her, I STILL go to kiss her. She attacks my hand whenever I open the door to feed her, I STILL feed her. She gets treats and loves just as much as any other chin I have. When I want to hold her and snuggle with her my son gets her out of her cage for me. Once she's in my arms she is very docile. They are an animal and wild therefore I don't have any expectation of them. I'm just grateful she's enriched my life--biting and all.
 
The reason I use the term "adopt" when it comes to the critters I get is b/c they are pets and do become part of the whole family. I suppose if I had chins for the purpose of breeding or pelting I wouldn't be so inclined to use the term "adopt" just like I doubt if I had any farm animals that produced milk or eggs or other things that I'd use that term either. I did have chickens once and I don't recall saying that I adopted them, I just bought them from the feed store as little chicks and they grew up nice and big (Rhode Island Reds) and gave us lots of fantastic eggs. I tend to use the term "adopt" when I'm referring to my pets only b/c I've adopted them into my family and am planning on keeping them permanently, but that's just me.

Edit: Also, the two new boys I picked up three weeks ago are called 'fosters' b/c I'm still interested in finding them a permanent home but if I decide to keep them then they will no longer be called fosters b/c then I've officially adopted them. =)
 
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I would definitely adopt/rescue a biter. I just adopted a hamster that was so aggressive you could not even walk near her cage without her going into "fight" mode. I was going to keep her a pet for myself but my 14 year son wanted the challenge of taming her, if possible. I told him how people that own chins, tame them when they need to be tamed and after a few months he can now take her out and hold her and she has not bit him.
When I got my first chin it was the same thing. She was very stressed and aggressive towards anyone that came near her but I knew she needed a home to stay and be loved in. I set the ground rules for anyone that lived in or came to visit my home, that I was the only one to tend to her until she got to be more tame and after both she and I felt safe, then I would let the kids tend to her. But only under strict supervision.
Every chin needs a home, and that includes the biters! :)
 
Every chin needs a home, and that includes the biters! :)

I agree! Not only the chins, but all other animals!

When I had my first chinchilla, Tubby, he was a biter & I had to use garden gloves to handle him. After a month or so of approaching him nicely, trying to get him used to my hand, he no longer bites. He still occasionally bite (friendly nip, as if he's grooming) my hand after I give him scratches. Of course if I annoy him, he's not shy to let me know by gently biting me. He's never bitten me so hard that I bleed. He initially bit most probably because he was scared of the new environment and a new owner. He is now my most friendliest chinchilla who doesn't care however much I annoy him because he's so comfortable with me.

I also have lots of hamsters, some of which are biters. I thought that after awhile they would stop biting, but they don't. But I am unwilling to give them up because I believe that if I can't give them a good home for the sole reason that they bite, who else is going to?

I can only hope and wish that people would give animals who bite a second chance, unless of course if they are so neurologically challenged that rehabilitation won't do them any good.
 
In my situation, if I could afford another chin, I'd consider a biter. All my warnings to the toddler I live with about being nice to the animals just don't sink in until he pushes one of them too far and is hurt. Most recently, he lay on one of the cats so hard Rumble went at him with both front claws and his teeth. But, the child has left the cats alone since. A bitey chin would teach A. to keep his darn fingers out of my cages, since his father won't teach him to stay out of my/the chin room.
 
Our second chin, Minnie, was a biter when we first got her. She would bite down so hard on my palms that she would draw blood. She came from a bad situation, and she hadn't been handled nicely at her previous home.

Over a year later, she doesn't bite at all (except for cleaning nibbles). Chins that are bitey when you first get them won't necessarily be bitey a year later, though it is not a guarantee.
 
In my situation, if I could afford another chin, I'd consider a biter. All my warnings to the toddler I live with about being nice to the animals just don't sink in until he pushes one of them too far and is hurt. Most recently, he lay on one of the cats so hard Rumble went at him with both front claws and his teeth. But, the child has left the cats alone since. A bitey chin would teach A. to keep his darn fingers out of my cages, since his father won't teach him to stay out of my/the chin room.

This is terribly irresponsible and NOT a reason to get a biter! This is the reason the homes need to be so carefully screened...
 
I would absolutely adopt a biter..I love a challange :))

I would love the chance to try to turn their life around and get them to stop the bad behavior, and even if I couldn't change them, it's not their fault and I wouldn't love them any less <3
 
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