Help with chinchilla aggression!

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xduchx101

Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
18
Background: I got my chinchilla at 6-7 weeks old and now my chinchilla is over 3 months now. She warmed up to me very fast, from being scared and skittish to now coming to me when I call her name and say the command come. She was in a small cage for a little while so I was constantly taking her out everyday in the evening for 30-45 mins until I was able to get her a huge cage, but then the bar space was too big and she could squeeze right though it, so she was back in her little cage again until I purchased a brand new huge cage again, which she was super happy and content about.

How the aggression built up: it seems to me that from the very beginning when I first got her, I let her out for freedom a couple of times, and then she was hooked and that's all she wants now. It was like she got a taste of freedom and constantly bites on the cage non stop.
I figured it was because she was in such a small cage that once I got her a big one it would stop, (I am still letting her out daily) it did for a couple of days and then continued again. I figured the next option was maybe she was bored so I have tons and tons of toys and things for her to chew on, shes super spoiled and she jumps around happily when she recieves new things or when she plays in her cage at night.
Unfortunately, when it comes to me though... when I get near the cage or call her over to pet her, she lets me sometimes (if not most of the time) for a few seconds, sometimes even tilts her head and then scratches herself like if I was bothering her LOL or made her itch. But now it just seems like I cannot go near the cage or she'll bite on it to let her out, I cannot hold her or she tries and wiggles her way out to freedom, and now it's to the point where I'm fighting her off to feed her and I'm lightly pushing her away so I can add her food to the cage, but she just uses both her paws to push my hands back away and now sometimes even bites them firmly (never enough to bleed though) and I never yell or jerk my hand away when she bites I just continue to do what I have to do.

What should I do regarding this situation or how can I fix it?
 
Your little one is begging for attention but does not know what to do with it when she gets it. You need to take her out and hold her at least once a day. If she wiggles and squirms, wait until she stops before putting her back. You can talk to her with a soothing voice until she calms. Right now she has learned that wiggling gets her put down. You need to reteach her. When she pushes you away or nips, just pick her up. For the biting, tap her nose very lightly and firmly but calmly tell her "no" every time she does it. You are correct in that you should continue what you were doing when she bites. the second you put her down when she bites you have taught her to bite to get her way. Don't worry, you will not traumatize her by picking her up when she does not want it. I pick up all of my chins by reaching in and scooping them up. They all come running to the front of the cage when I am in the chin room and beg for attention. they will even hop out of the cage to see me.
 
Ok. Awesome, I'll try this! I tell her no about biting the cage and tap her nose too and so far it's been working, she has not really been biting on the cage as much, which is good.

I also notice when I gave her foods and treats I assoicated this with the sound of the bag, to get her to first come to me when I first got her. Now if she hears any bags by her cage opening she would bite the cage all crazy, I think she may have assoicated the treating and the food with biting on the cage. So I will wait until shes done and backs off and then I will proceed with one or the other. Is there anything else I should be doing to wing her off of this sound habit with association to biting the cage?
 
I tried doing what you said by holding her... this isn't working, she doesn't want to be held just wants to run around and be free. So when I do put her back in her cage after I'm done holding her for a little bit, she is starting to tear everything up and making a mess.
 
Ty giving her a treat while you are holding her and she is still. You need to be persistent. It can take some time for the more active chins to settle down while being held. Make it as pleasant as you can for her.
 
I was having this exact problem! My little dude tries to get out when I'm cleaning the cage and when (gently) push him back, he'll attack my hands. Not hard enough to bleed, but harder than usual. He'll also nip when I try to hold him or when he wants me to pet him. I've started putting him in his carrier to clean out his cage in the morning. But I'll try holding him more to decrease the attention bids.

Any advice to get him to stop biting my toes?
 
I also have the exact same issue! Mine is 5 months old (I've had her for about 3 months ) and she constantly wants to get out of the cage despite having tons of toys to play with in the cage. So I started letting her out for playtime around the cage for half an hour everyday but she still keeps biting the cage bars or tries squeezing herself through the bars. Whenever I open the door, she will try whatever way's possible to get out (by jumping off to the floor) so I need to block her or push her away when I clean the cage or add her food. Also when I pick/hold her she would keep struggling until I let her down. I was hoping this kind of behavior will decrease once she gets older but it doesn't seem like it will go away. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!
 
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