Advise on Playtime

[readingchinlover]

Yesterday I let my chin out for the 2nd time and oh boy did I have a hard time getting him back to his cage!! I put a barrier around his cage area and thought that would work, he ran around having fun getting underneath my chair, this went on for about 1 hour. How do you all get your guys back in the cage without grabbing him and scaring him? I did finally get him to go in his dust house but it was really a hassle. Also I purchased a large wheel made out of a feedpan, so far he`s shown no interest. Do all chins use wheels?

 

[Jovi]

Mine get a tiny treat like a piece of a shredded wheat square when they go back in . At first i lured them back in with it and associated a sound like shaking the container i had them in. Now all i do is shake that container and he runs back in the cage. I have a flying saucer wheel and my chins love it.

 

[jess_w]

I understand your problem, it can be really hard to get them back in the cage! I usually use a couple of techniques... I will either wait until one of them jumps onto my lap and quickly scoop them up before they know what's happening, tempt them over to me with a treat and pick them up whilst they're distracted, or if that fails I will corner them and pick them up that way. It sounds a bit mean to force them into a corner but honestly, sometimes I find there is really no other way of getting them back. Also I don't believe my chins are scared when I do this, I think it's more that they are reluctant to be picked up than actually scared of me, so I don't feel guilty about it.

If you have playtime in the same room that the cage is in, you could always just wait for him to go back on his own. When he goes in just shut the door. That's what I used to do but it became impractical to have playtime in the same room as the cage, so now I have to catch them. If you have a smaller travel cage you could put that in the play area and wait for him to go in there, then close it and carry him back to his cage in it.

Also, getting him generally used to being handled daily might make him less apprehensive of being picked up over time. Mine don't run away *quite* as frantically as they did when I first got them =P

Re: wheels, my boys have one in the cage, the younger one uses it but the other does not really show an interest, so no, not all chins do use wheels.

 

[BaxterJoy]

Believe me, I know the struggle of getting a new chin back in his cage without making an enemy of yourself! :confused2: My husband and I tried everything. I'm more convinced now than ever that you just have to figure out what works for your chin. Try a few different things to see what he's comfortable with. Every time we tried something new, it seemed like he remembered the technique the very next day and wouldn't allow for the opportunity. He was a smart little booger. :laughitup: Regardless of the technique, I would give him a treat or two when he was back in his cage. My thinking was that if he could associate his cage with something positive, eventually he wouldn't be so reluctant to go back to it. The patience we forced ourselves to have has worked because he has settled on a way that he doesn't mind going back in. I have this wicker trash basket thing that we don't ever use for trash and there's something about being in it that he likes. So when he goes in, I just pick it up and that's it. :high5: Once he's in there, it's also easier to pick him up and handle him if I need to. He's gotten to the point where he doesn't freak out AT ALL when we handle him. After the first two months of unporductive efforts, it's really nice to have something work! Hang in there! Chinchillas need a lot of patience and postive reinforcement. They WILL make progress if you make it easy for them. :thumbsup:

 

[ilovegeorge]

when i first got mine, i'd have the same problem and i could swear that when he ran by me i heard him snicker. i eventually learned to just ignore him when he ran around 1) cus i didn't want to scare him an 2) i wanted him to see i wasn't gonna play his silly shananagans. after about 20 mintues or so he'd get bored an either come out to see if i was still playing with him and it was easy to catch him, or he'd just go in his cage on his own.

 

[mishellyshel]

my playtime is in the bathroom , so like jess i either wait until they are in my lap and scoop them or more often wait until they are on the counter. since my one guy is being handfed 3 x a day and gets a little playtime each feeding, he is a lot easier to pick up.
my other chin is a little stinker, so when he is out for playtime, it is a little harder, so i often have to trap him, but in a non threatening kinda way.
i usually play a game though........i think they call it catch and release. i usually catch him and then let him go a couple times, so he doesnt associate the "catching" with the end of playtime.

 

[Sandi]

I will either wait until one of them jumps onto my lap and quickly scoop them up before they know what's happening, tempt them over to me with a treat and pick them up whilst they're distracted,

Yup, most of the time this is what I have to do as well, I just wait til they come to me while I am sitting on the floor and they don't mind me holding them and then I put them back in their cage.

 

[readingchinlover]

questions on playtime.

yesterday i let my chin out for the 2nd time and oh boy did i have a hard time getting him back to his cage!! I put a barrier around his cage area and thought that would work, he ran around having fun getting underneath my chair, this went on for about 1 hour. How do you all get your guys back in the cage without grabbing him and scaring him? I did finally get him to go in his dust house but it was really a hassle. Also i purchased a large wheel made out of a feedpan, so far he`s shown no interest. Do all chins use wheels?

thanks for all your suggestions, i will try them all. I know yesterday as i was trying to figure how i was going to get him in i thought, this is going to be really interesting!!!

 

[Marie5656]

I often have the same problem with Trixie. She almost seems to know when I would prefer a shorter playtime..for watever reason, and she won't go anywhere near her carrier.
I run her in our spare bedroom and use a small pet carrier to transport her. Most of the time whenshe is ready to go home, she will run back to her carrier.then I close the door. I pick it up, and put it on a chair before I reopen it. I usually place my hand on the outside of the cage and hops in. If she decides she wants to run more, I get some nips on my hand.
If She really won't go back, I then use some round up cues..tapping on the top of her carrier, and saying "home". Sometimes I will do as someone else mentioned, and wait til she hops onto my lap or the arm of the chair, and wrangle her.

 

[rach_leigh]

I use the scoop technique as well. When Kunya jumps on my lap, I pick him up and put him back in the cage. My dad made me a higher gate for my mudroom..aka...Kunya's playroom! So I can watch him closely and I stil go and sit with him while he plays. It's working great. I can tell when he is ready to go back, he jumps on my leg and sits there while I pet him for a few minutes, then I pick him up and put him back.