Chin being cute but difficult

[tinypixiexoxo]

Minuit is 2 years old and has been with me for almost 3 weeks now. She gets play time each night twice... once for about an hour in the early evening when she first starts to get up, and a second run much later (like midnight, I'm a night owl).

She loves to run, wall surf, play on stairs, greet me, explore couches and such, which is all fine, I'm happy to let her do these things. The problem is that she has so much fun, she doesn't like to go back into her cage. I need her to go back for obvious reasons: she cannot be out all night as I need to sleep, and it's for her safety. I also have a dog who cannot be in the basement when she runs, but he's a very attached pug dog and he gets so upset when I have to kick him out. So we need some chinny time, and we need some pug time.

I do leave the cage door open, and she will occasionally go up in there. If she's exhausted or too hot, she'll go in for her cooling plate. But most often she runs in and up, and then runs right back down and out. I hate to play the game of running to shut the cage door when she's in. It just seems cruel

To catch her I've also cornered her on the stairs (the door of the basement is at the top so she likes to run up and down the stairs). It's a good way to catch her but she's learned that it *might* mean I'm coming to get her if she's up on the stairs. Same with her dust bath.. I've bribed her with the dust bath, and get her that way, but I don't want her to associate the dust bath with being caught. Ugh!

She's taken to hiding under the treadmill (off, unplugged) when she's taking a break from her serious wall surfing and scampering (sooo cute). It's hard for me to get her there as she will move about under there. I still don't handle her much yet as it's clear she doesn't like it. But she is so difficult! She ignores treats when outside of her cage. She'll come close to my hand but then scamper away when I make any movement to try to pick her up or corral her.:impatient:

Last night we decided to block off the perimeter of the treadmill, and she was unhappy about that, so she found a new spot to hide behind, and it became a whole new game of "catch the chinny." :banghead:

It's fun but after a while and the dog wailing behind the door of the basement begging to come down, it gets to be a bit much.

As for treats we have tried plain Cheerios, oats, rose hips and dandelion root. She loves them- once she is in her cage. But she won't take anything from us when she's out.

Can I get some suggestions on how get her to go back to her cage when it's time? How to I teach her to go back in, or how do I learn to approach her, with her allowing me to pick her up when I do?

I do want her to play on the stairs, and I do want her to take her dust bath, and I do NOT want her to associate the stairs or the dust bath with the punishment of going back in her cage when she clearly does not want to.

 

[mercynursie]

I've always used a dust bath at the end of playtime/cage cleaning to return my guys to their cage.With 7 and soon to be 8 I've not had any problem with them associating dust bath=cage.I do always give them some sort of treat(rose hip,apple stick, one or two whole oat flakes) when they hop out of the dust bath into the cage.

 

[Amethyst]

I'm sure you and she aren't going to like this but, I think you need to make her play area smaller for now. You need to work more on her trust of you so you can more easily catch her, 3 weeks isn't much time to form a strong trust. Try to mix it up as to how you catch her(sometimes use the dust bath, sometimes scoop her up on the stairs, sometimes when she jumps on you put her away, etc). You can give her all the space to play you want once you can catch her when you want. Having any place to hide is actually teaching her that if she doesn't want to be caught she can hide, so if you can, block off an area so she doesn't have anywhere to go to hide other then her cage. One way I use to catch my boys when I have them playing in the spare/cat room (with the door closed and cats out) is use a box, the long fridge pack soda boxes work well, place the box on the floor as the only real hiding spot. They can go check it out without any issue, but when I want them to go home I toss a treat inside, when they go in to get it I just pick the whole box up and bring them to their cage. I know you said she doesn't take treats outside of the cage but do you mean from you by hand or if it's tossed on the floor too? If she wont even eat a treat you toss to her then try sprinkling just a small amount of dust in the box, she shouldn't associate the small amount of dust with a dust bath since it's not in her dust bath container, it's just some random dust she found in a box.
Chances are she is never going to be happy with going back, it's like a little kid coming in from recess, but switching out tricks so she doesn't associate one thing with being caught and making the area smaller for now might help make catching her easier.

 

[tinypixiexoxo]

Okay. Thank you both. I suppose she is having too much fun, and I am allowing her to learn that she can hide and get the better of me. I'll have to figure out a way to make the running area smaller. There are furniture and boxes lining the walls of the basement, so there is probably too much for her to use as hiding. I want her to still zoom and have fun, is this still going to be possible?

The idea with a soda pack box is brilliant. I shall have to use that tonight. I'm going to rearrange the furniture today to make a smaller space, but I want to include the stairs. This will take some thinking.

But overall it makes sense to get her to trust me first, and to be able to catch and hold her, before I let her run wild. Duh!

Thanks again.

 

[MyzarandGemma]

I would work on some bonding time instead of two play times. Perhaps you could spend some time at the cage, letting her run over your hands, stand in your hands, etc. Get her used to your presence and your hands. Hold her and walk with her and show her that you are not going to eat her. Then, later, have playtime. I think bonding time would probably work best when she is first waking up because they are a wee bit more out of it and tend to be a little better about being held, etc.

 

[tinypixiexoxo]

Okay. I'll replace the first run/play time with bonding, get used to each other time. That's a good idea. She'll have to be chill and calm, and then later as a reward for bonding, she'll get her play time. Great advice.

 

[tinypixiexoxo]

Apologies for double posting heh.

So clearly Minuit is light years smarter than I. I moved some stuff around and made a perfect little run for her. No where to hide except her carrier I placed in the middle, and no way to escape.. or so I thought. Apparently she figured out she could go under the couch which sits just 2 inches above the ground.

I'm rather upset because she preferred escaping to bonding. Not to mention when I tried the bonding inside the cage, all she wanted to do was get out, and she did. She's clever, fast, and a wild child. I fear I have turned her this way D:

When I was able to reach in to give her my hand she took my finger and put her whole mouth on it. She didn't bite down, hard, but I could feel her teeth. She backed into the corner when doing this. So I really don't think she likes hands in her cage.

I recall when we visited her at her previous owners house, they opened the doors and just chased her with her hands, grabbing, no mercy. They got her, but I decided right then and there I would NOT grab her like that. Seeing her try to run and then be cornered. My hypothesis is that's what she thought I was trying to do when I put my hand in there for her. I'm somewhat discouraged.

Any more help?

 

[mknoblich1]

Chins can squeeze into very small places as you've learned. Use cardboard to block off any areas she could escape through. If you don't you run the risk of her finding a way out. When you put your hand in the cage let her come to you. You have to be very patient when you do it. She probably thinks your trying to grab her like her past owners. It can take a long time for a chin to trust you. I've read posts where it's taken years or its never happened at all. The key is to let the chin go at their own speed. You could try to block off some of the opening to the cage to try to block her in when you open the door for bonding time. Just be patient and try not to get frustrated.

 

[tinypixiexoxo]

thanks. you are right. I need to be patient and meet her where she's at. 3 weeks is a short time and I'd like to actually think she's come a long way already... jumping on us on the couch or in our laps for a split second, running purposefully close to us on the floor. She's certainly interested, but she needs time. Thank you. I'll block off the small openings and under couch, etc. in the future. I'm done for the night, heh. I don't want to push things. She's exhausted, sleeping on her cooling plate

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

The bathroom is a good small area for playtine.

I played a game with Mr. Whiskers that I called "Catch and Release", since he hated to be caught and put in his cage. During playtime, I would catch him and snuggle him real quick and then let him go. Sometimes I gave him a treat, sometimes not. It didn't take him long to realize that being caught was not a bad thing -- it didn't ALWAYS mean that playtime was over. Maybe give that a try in a smaller play area...

 

[nebbalish]

I have a pair of chinchillas and it used to be very hard for me to get them back to the cage. What has worked for me is to only let them out for playtime when I know I can give them a long time out (more than an hour). I find that's when they get tired and go back to the cage to nap, eat, and drink water. They cycle through bouncing off the walls and running across my bed as I'm working to taking a light nap in the cage a few times. I just work and keep an eye on their shenanigans. Eventually, when it's time for me to go to sleep, I entice them with a dust bath. I do this when one chin is already in the cage. My other chin, upon hearing her sister's dust bath, clambers up to join in. And that's when I shut the cage door.

One of my girls loves being out though, and would rattle the cage with her teeth once she realises I had closed the cage. However, I ignore her when she does it and she'll usually stop when she realises I'm not responding.