Biting

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FrostyBubbles

New member
Joined
Oct 13, 2012
Messages
3
Location
Mordor, Middle Earth
I just got a 4 month old chinchilla and he will not stop biting everyone in the household. How do I get him out of this habit as quick as possible? Is this just a baby chinchilla thing? Will he grow out of it? Please help!
 
When he bites, lightly tap his nose and firmly tell him "no". Don't yell and don't back away from him. He will soon learn that biting is not getting him his way and will stop. If you back off when he bites, he will be getting his way and then he will continue to bite. Everyone needs to do the same thing or it will not work.
 
Some people wear gloves when handling so that you don't "react" when they bite. I agree with cuddlebug, that's the reinforcement they are looking for. Also, he may still need more time to quietly adjust. All of my chins needed to listen, hear, and smell everything before they were ready to be handled and touched. Once they got used to the smells of the home and sounds of the traffic, they seemed curious and I knew they were ready to interact.
 
At what point is the little chin biting you? Is he just gently nibbling or chomping down hard?
 
He bites down on me as hard as he can when he's trying to get away from me (which is all the time). Thank you everyone for the advice :) I have been tapping his nose when he bites and telling him no.
 
He bites down on me as hard as he can when he's trying to get away from me (which is all the time).

the bolded areas - chins don't like to be held for the most part, and with a young chin, they like to be held and restrained even less.

stop trying to restrain him. stop trying to hold him still so much. yes, he does have to learn that being handled is something that he must behave for, but i think you are trying too much to get him to hold still. let him be a chin.

go read through the "Bringing home your new chinchilla" thread (here: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46).
lots of great info in there on how to get your chin to warm up to you, and how to go about settling them into their new home.

i personally would never tap a chin on the nose for biting. do they really understand that as a reprimand, or is it just highly annoying to them? i know i wouldn't want to be tapped on the nose! ignore their bites when they do bite, and realize that what you are doing may be causing them to bite in the first place.
 
I know that it is instinct to jump back when getting bit but as many of the others have said if you do not react and just continue as if no bite occurred that is the best way to stop the behavior. I have done this with chins as well as other animals for many years and I can honestly say it is the best way to let them know that biting isn't gonna work....
 
I've had my chin for a month now and tonight he bit me hard enough to draw blood. All I did was hold my hand in front of him so he could investigate my hand before I petted him. I thought he was just doing a little nibble, but he bit down really hard. He has never drawn blood before and I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to be afraid to interact with him.
 
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