Aggressive, Biting chinchilla

[LovableFuzziezandCrawliez]

So I would like to know how people here handle an aggressive and biting chinchilla. A chinchilla that will bite you - not another chinchilla.
How do you handle them? How do you tame them and turn them into sweet chinnies?

This is just out of curiosity. I don't have one but I have heard stories of some

 

[arf2184]

Ha, I just got bit yet again today by Zephyr.

It's different with each animal. Most just need to feel they can trust you. I've had chins that came to me as biters in the past that I was able to tame simply by being patient with them...let them come to you, don't force anything, and just gain their trust. It's worked with most. Some need a quick puff of air in the face to teach them that biting is not ok. I would not do that to a chin that is just scared or shy.

Zephyr though...she's been here a while and has actually gotten worse as she gets older. She just hates to be picked up...she screams, she kicks, she bites, she latches on with her teeth (OWWEEE!)...she is not a sprayer fortunately. As long as I leave her in the cage and make no movement that suggests I might want to pick her up, she's usually ok. I can scratch her behind the ears and let her sniff my fingers and we get along fine. When I do have to pick her up, I've learned I have to do so by the base of the tail. Normally, I hold the tail to keep the chin from flying and I use the other hand to support their weight, but with Zephyr, if she can reach my flesh, I get bit...HARD. A few of my shirts have also fallen victim to her teeth. I've given up on trying to get her to tolerate being picked up...my fingers and arms can't take it.

 

[EveningChin]

I am going to preface this with, I have never had or been around a chinchilla that is that aggressive or bites that hard.

That being said my advice would be that if they bite your hand when ever it is near them get a leather glove and let them go to town. Once they learn it does no good they should backk off. If its just when handling I would start by just sitting next to the cage and letting the chinchilla run over my hands, to acclimate to the way they look, smell, feel and move. After they became comfortable with that I would gently hold them for a moment after they jump onto my hands then release them, so as they may realize I am not going to hurt them by handling them. I would make the time I hold them steadily longer over the course of a week or so until they are comfortable with the aspect. I would never expect a chinchilla to enjoy being held.

Look, Smell, Feel, and Move-
These in my experience with animals are the most important things to getting an animal comfortable, from horses to chinchillas and they have to be introduced in that order and it has to be on the animals terms as to when they become comfortable. The last one is the most difficult and the most important.

I mean, think about it, hands are weird! all the digits move. Often simultainiously and in more then one place! Oh the insanity of it!!! I cannot get used to the way spiders move and thusly do they creep me out. I don't mind them if they are sitting still but the moment those legs go into action.... Eeep! I can only imagine its similar to chinchillas, and not only do they move weird, they are big, and they want to grab you....

Just my thoughts.

 

[Tillygizmo]

My new girl doesnt like to be held but I do a daily 10 minute scritch session while I hold them in order to tame them and get them used to my hands. Whenever I go in to get her.. I try to wait to let her come halfway and when I try to cup my hands around her she bites at me too. I have started to do blow training with her because it worked with my past chins. You just lightly blow air onto their face right after or while they do it (and only then) and they will associate biting with something they dont like and it will decrease. It is a non harmful and non threatening (just annoying) way to train them

 

[WhiteTree]

My youngest male Scamp use to bite all the time, he was a nasty little thing, he'd go for blood. I was getting to the point where I was afraid to open the cage to feed them because he'd go after my hand. My boyfriend came down to visit, Scamp bit him, hard, and my boyfriend blew in his face. Just once and that was all it took for Scamp to stop biting. Now instead of giving me the look of death when I come in the room, he runs to the front of the cage for me to hold him. I guess he realized I wasn't so evil after all. He won't bite my boyfriend anymore either. I was amazed that it only took one time to break the habit but it did and his personality changed drastically. From mean, miserable, hating the world and wouldn't let anyone hold him, to a complete ham, always wanting attention, doing things for attention and actually giving kisses. He's a complete doll now, loves everyone. It's amazing.

 

[jmdebb]

I've read in many cases for chins that bite what to do is to wear leather gloves and you won't feel the bite and so you won't react, and then I guess they eventually stop. I've never used this method myself, but alot of people on here suggest it and say it works great.

Good luck,
Jean