getting a chinchilla used to being held, and to enjoy being pet

[dreenbmp]

I came across an Instagram post today with someone that has a chinchilla, he loves being scratched. Someone asked how to get a chinchilla to enjoy being scratched or held....The person who had the instagram account said: "I know it sounds cruel, just grab your chinchilla and don't let go even if the fidgit and try to get free, unless they are getting to hot, hold him for a very long period of time, try to get him in a hoodie pocket, and scratch him/her, even if she makes the "Annoying noise"...They will eventually get used to it, and enjoy being scratched. Use treats when they calm down"

This is the last thing I would think of doing...But then I started thinking...well if you'r not hurting the chin or anything, would this be a bad thing to do? Any thoughts Or is this just a total no.

 

[EternallyCynical]

I would say that that's psychological trauma. If an animal is trying to get away and making sounds of distress, that animal is NOT HAPPY and you're now negatively reinforcing contact with humans by making it a bad experience. That sounds like a big no-no....

 

[dreenbmp]

Yeah I figured. I know i'm guilty of holding our first chinchilla when It didn't want to be held for a long period of time, but he is comfortable around us, he just HATES being held at all. So it's a pain to get him into a carrier when we need to clean his cage.

 

[hyperzuzik]

I´m now trying the strategy, that I take my boy in my arm and give him a treat... maybe it will work... But I wouldn´t certainly something that the chin visibly doesn´t like ...

 

[akane]

It works on animals but not for the reasons people think. The animal still hates to be handled. It's just given up fighting and accepted it's fate because it has no choice. Given a choice it will immediately revert back to refusing to be touched and possibly even get aggressive.

When you are taming or training an animal you want to work just to the edge of their comfort zone and then back off preferably with some other type of reward like a treat. Instead of forcing them to accept you teach them to trust.

 

[ticklechin]

Chin has to think you are not going to eat them first before you can tame them and then they may want to be your companion, it takes years in some cases for a chin to even trust you to start taming.

 

[xkatxrinax]

I think respect is important in training a chinchilla if they're running away and angry at you then leave them be and try again later.
My chinchillas absolutely hated being held and hated being touched, they're gradually getting better about being held (after 2 years), they don't like it and I don't think they ever will especially if I put my hands around them but if I rest them on my arm in a sort of cradle they're fine. I think trying different ways of holding them and sticking with one that they're most comfortable is good and they gradually stop struggling.
As for petting I thought they'd never like it, but the past few months, after yet again constantly trying to scratch them in different places trying to find somewhere they like while being respectful, one of them is starting to love being scratched and relaxes and stays still and closes her eyes
I also think age has got a factor in this, when I got mine they were 4 months old and completely hyper and only now that they're two are they calming down.
Good luck with your chinchillas and try to be consistent and respectful rather than forceful

 

[Burnt Offering]

I am by no means a wise old Chinchilla owner like some of you. I came into the Chinchilla world by default. My daughter moved out of state and I told her I would find a good home for her Chinchilla. Up till the day she left I hardly saw the Chinchilla, not because I don't love my daughter, but because she lived in another area of the house. Regardless I have spent countless hours researching Chinchillas and their behavior. Now I have two and as far as personalities go they couldn't be more different. I have had some great success socializing my Chins but it hasn't been without a ton of patience and hard work. Here are a few things I have learned.
First and most important. I do my BEST to provide a safe healthy clean environment for my Chins. Regardless when it comes to holding them or petting them its important to remember that even Chins aren't always in a good mood.
Also, I just don't pick them up unless I HAVE to. And sometimes I have to. But I try to keep it to a minimum.
Right now both of my Chins will without reservation when out for playtime jump up on my lap. I will give them a cheerio and they will let me pet them... A LOT! I got to this point by walking by their cage. They would be there looking at me. I would give them a cheerio. After a while they were ALWAYS glad to see me. But I would NEVER try to pick them up.
Now after 10 months of just working with them I have two Chins that IMO are VERY social. BeBe one of my Chins will let me scratch her. My wife and I laugh so hard! She is just like a dog. I will scratch her under the Chin and man she will lean into it and rotate her head so I get her behind the ears and all over her head and it is obvious she just LOVES it and is getting great pleasure from it. To be honest, I am totally happy with this. I don't pick them up and I don't feel like I need to.
Bottom line is it may not be realistic to ever be able to "hold" your Chin and them like it. But I still get to interact with them a lot and I have a ball with them.
I think soooo much common sense is involved here. I didn't know anything about Chinchillas but I could tell just by spending a little time with my first one that this was a different pet and that I might not ever get to hold it on any kind of long term basis.

Lastly again, I think common sense is needed here. If I HAVE to pick up one of my Chins, I make sure to hold them a little while after I catch them. Their fear level always seems to go up and I want to reinforce the fact that I am the good guy and that I will never hurt them so if I have to pick them up again it will be easier. So I just talk to them softly and pet them very slowly. I'll do this for a full minute or two, then I will put them in their cage. The result is they both will run to the edge of the cage when I walk by wanting a cheerio Bottom line? I am happy with them and I don't feel the need to hold them at all.

 

[Alatrye]

Perhaps it will also depend on the Chinchilla and their level of tolerance for being held? For my little Chin, I put both my hands down on the floor with my palms up, he'll run onto my hands and I'll carefully raise them up to my chest and give him a little pet before lowering my hands to let him hop off onto the floor. He doesn't try to get away or show any signs of distress and comes running to my hands when I get down to his level. I love the little Ball of Fluff So Much!! :kiss:

 

[Abby102013]

My chin hates to be held, but loves to be put under her chin. I randomly did this one day and her eyes closed, her head tilted, and he paws went up. If i stopped she looks at me like, "who said you can stop?!" It's so cute, but in general that is the only spot that from the day we got her, she really LIKES to be pet..

So funny, its the same spot that makes my dog go nuts too!