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parrotlover2009

New member
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Messages
1
So I have been researching and doing my homework on chinchillas for a long time but I never got a chance to bring one home. I work as a foster volunteer for a parrot rescue for many years now and today someone brought in a pair of birds along with a chinchilla! They claim they bought him from Petsmart a few months ago but since they are moving out of the country unexpectedly they can't bring any of their pets. We got him in to see our exotics vet for a check up and he appears to be in good health. His cage isn't the best but I replaced everything inside that was plastic or material with fleece and safe wood. He is eating oxbow pellets and timothy hay. Can I get some tips for earning this little guys trust? I figure I will give him a few days to settle in before I start trying to interact with him apart from talking.
 
Chins can take at least a week to settle in to a new home, they also can take a long time to bond. The best thing to do is just be near the cage and let the chin get use to you, reading aloud, singing, talking, putting your hand in the cage and letting the chin come to you, etc. You can also offer a chew stick or bit of hay (some chins really like specific parts like the seed heads) whenever you come up to the cage so the chin associates you with getting something good. If the chin is at least 6 months you can also give it one treat (at most) a day.
 
Depending on what his situation was can determine how long it takes for him to settle in, a week is average but longer if he is a drama queen. With all the rescues I dealt with some settled in a day, some took weeks. Just go about your business for a week or so, let him get used to the sounds and sights in your house before you turn your attention to him. I find noise during the day helps, a TV or radio turned to a talk station gets them used to human noise.
 
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