Sad new chins

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slpmom

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Feb 26, 2014
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Good evening- we got a pair of chinchillas about a week ago. They are about 6 months old and came from a friend that breeds them. I know that they have lived in a wonderful , loving home.

Saying that, I think they hate us. They sit in their cage piled in a corner. I tried having them in the living room but they seemed scared so I put them in the guest room (quieter) but to no avail. They are eating/drinking and running on their wheel. My friend said we can give them back if it doesn't work out but I have never in my life had an animal not like us ( my friends call me Dr. Doolittle). What can we do?
 
Time, time and more time is what it takes in some cases, chins can take a few weeks to come out of their shells and be social, your chins are being normal!
 
Have to agree more time and keeping things consistent. Changing things around will only mean more time.
 
I agree with it just taking time. Chinchillas are prey animals, so they will take some adjusting to their environment. For the first month that we had Marble, we kept her in the guest room with a radio on so she could get used to us a little at a time and not feel threatened by our daily activities. She could hear the household noises and activities from afar, and had some time to adjust. After a month, we moved her out into the living room. She was skittish at first, but now loves being in there and all the attention she gets.
 
We keep out two chins right in the same room with us so we can interact with them on a daily basis. Ours were the same as yours pretty skittish but I won them over with an occasional cheerio when I would walk by their cage. Now both of them jump up on my lap all on their own and will let me pet them. All I have to do when they are out for playtime is rattle the ziplock bag with Cheerios in it and they will come running from across the room to and jump up on my lap.
 
Go slow and give them time to get used to you. I would often go in the room Jacoby's in (my son's bedroom) and just lie down and read a book near him. He could come near me and in the cage and sniff and run off if he felt scared. It took weeks of that. I allowed it to happen on his time. We've had him since October. When we went to out of cage time we allowed him to come to us and crawl on us. It was a progression, all on his terms. This is also when we would give him a piece of shredded wheat so he'd associate us with good things. Now, he goes nuts if any of us walk by the cage and sometimes barks to be let out or for attention. Just know if you let them build trust they are just amazing animals.
 
Here is a thread right here on the forum with information about bringing home new chins - http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46

Just give them some time. Chins are a bit different from any other pet you've had. I always tell people to think of them as chinavision - lots of fun to watch, but they are going to interact with you when they want to. They are in a new home with new smells, sounds, and people. it's going to take them a while to settle in. It's good that you brought two. IMO that really helps them to be able to settle in a bit easier.
 
Just be patient with them and take small steps to introduce them to you.

Spend time just sitting near them and talking to them. This way they get use to your smell, sound of your voice, and having you around. With time, they might become interested in coming out of their cage. When they do, just sit there and let them explore.

They should get interested in you and eventually check you out. Just sit still and over time, they will warm up to you.
 
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