holding a chinchilla?

[XstarX]

i have a little girl chin and i got her when she was 8 weeks old from a pets store in my town (busy barnyard) and she doesnt like to be held at all!! she fights and kicks. never bit tho.is this normal? like do some chins just not like to be held. I had 2 older chins and they loved to be played with, then i got her and she hates it.
is there anything i can do to bring her around?

 

[alli713]

It is very normal for a chin not to want to be held. Most are not cuddly what so ever, they'd rather be running around.

But how are you holding her? Are you squeezing her middle? That can be very uncomfortable and dangerous. You should hold her by gripping her tail with one hand and resting her feet on your other arm/hand. This allows them to feel secure and won't allow them to go flying out of your arms.

But honestly, if she doesn't like to be held, she just really isn't a chin that likes to be held. Some say that if you just force it upon them, they get used to it, but I'm more inclined to just let my chins be if they don't want to be held.

 

[tunes]

How long have you had this girl? Some chins just aren't a fan of being held. It happens a lot with pet store chins especially, because of the way they are treated before you ever get them. Some are manhandled, others are poked and teased. It does not make for a very happy, even tempered chinnie.

Just be patient with her. Keep working with her and handling her as much as she will let you. Sit in the middle of her play area during play time so she can run all over you and get used to you. Spend as much time as you can with her, but realize that it's mostly going to be on her terms, not yours. Hopefully with familiarity she will warm up to you more and not mind so much if you hold her. I have very few chins who actually enjoy being held, they get too warm and they struggle, but there are a few of those rare critters out there who don't mind. A lot of them, though, became that way with a lot of work and patience on their owners part.

 

[Carol~Anne]

None of my five chinchillas 'like' to be held. Yes I can hold them and some of them seem to tolerate it more than others but mostly they prefer to be let loose. They seem to me to be more like squirrels than bunnies and they like to hop, leap and jump about.

That being said, I make it a point to handle my chinchillas each day. Before I let them out for a run around the room I have my way with them which means I get to pet them, smooch them hold on to their feet and pretty much sneak any affection I can from them before they bolt, lol.

 

[Jenn]

I have had my chin for a year now, she is 4 years old. She does not like to be held and I don't push too hard. She will kak at me and run off. But, in an emergency, she is able to be held. Does she like it, no. I know some people have chins that don't mind, but I believe a lot of chins resist being held.

 

[Marie5656]

It is interesting with Trixie. She is 4 now, almost 5 years old. We have had her since she was abiout 4 months old. When she was younger, she loved being held..or at least tolerated it well. In fact, she was in every way a "daddy's girl", she loved having him hold her. He has very big hands, and hed cup his hands around her and she would settle right in, and just sit there. Once, after he had held her for a few minutes, as he wanted to get up. I went to reach for her (she saw me comming, so she was not startled) and she kacked at me..several times. As if saying, I am comfortable here, do not take me.
Also, when I would sit by her cage, she'd let me take her, and hold her to my chest. She would sit there and just let me stroke her.
Now she likes being held just for short periods. Though last evening, she snuggled into my arms and seemed to want to stay ther. But I think she was a bit stressed by the fireworks.

 

[XstarX]

i got her at 8 weeks old. that is what i ment to put ive had her About 3-4 weeks.
sorry about the confusion.

 

[Easterpiggy]

you can always try bribing her with treats

 

[stampinchick]

I would say continue to encourage her to be held, like with treats or something similar. With continued positive reinforcement, she may come around. it may just be that she needs to get used to being handled.

 

[Cuddlebug]

She, also, may need more time to get used to you. Tunes gave some very good advice. I would follow it.

 

[kendra]

They are not cuddly critters, my chin was from a pet store and now 9 months later he has actually begun liking to be held but that is a rarity. I'd keep interacting with her and get her used to you, eventually maybe she will tolerate being held but tolerating may be the aim more than anything! They do much rather use you as a spring board during play time than being held and not allowed to jump and play!