Getting acquainted with a new chin

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jackie925

Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Connoquenessing, PA
What/how should I go about socializing and getting to know my new chin? I did a horrible job with Penny & I want to do things better this time. Help? He’s probably coming home this Wednesday, December 15th!!
 
The best thing to do is go slow. Allow the new chin to settle in for the first week or so, just spot clean the cage and give food and water. Everything is new to them, new sights, smells, sounds, etc, so it can be a bit overwhelming to most chins. Once they settle in then start sitting by the cage and talking, reading aloud, singing if that is something you do, to get them use to your voice. You can also give them something every time you enter the room, if they are over 6 months you can give treats a few times a week, otherwise you can give chew sticks, small toss toys, or even just give a small amount of their pellets, so they start seeing you coming as getting good things.
 
Um, do any of these things change if he’s going to be in my bedroom? Because my bedroom sort of doubles as a workspace for me - where I take Zoom and phone calls. And I’ll be in & out of my room right past the cage. Thoughts on this being a positive or negative? I really don’t have anywhere else to home him in the house… 😅
 
Being in your room is fine, it's more you just don't want to force interaction until he is ready. Like if he is hiding when you are in the room then don't try to get him to come out, just kind of ignore him and let him be at first, for about a week. If that is where he is going to be then it's best that he get use to you coming and going like you normally would while he is settling in. If you are taking zoom and phone calls that is actually even better, he can start getting use to your voice without being directly talked to right away. If he not hiding and instead is exploring or even right by the side of the cage watching you, some are braver then others, then by all means go ahead and start interacting with him even if it hasn't been a week.
 
As always, Amethyst's advice is excellent.

I got my first chin recently (a little over a month ago), and I've found that patience is one of the most vital virtues to exercise when trying to bond with a new chin. You kind of have to put aside your own hopes and expectations (and ego) and take your cues from the chin. Go at his pace and let him come to you rather than trying to force your love on him right away. Once he's settled in a bit and seems comfortable in his cage, you can start talking to him, giving him some goodies (just be careful not to overdo it with the treats, you can offer things like bits of hay, pellets, chew toys, etc. on non-treat days, or as a total replacement for treats if he's a baby), stuff like that. When he seems ready, you can open up the cage door and just put one of your hands in there while you talk to him. Let him come up to you on his own terms and sniff you and check you out. You can try to gently pet him, but if he startles and runs away, don't try to chase him around the cage and force more pets. Let him escape and come back to you on his own time.

I found that in the beginning, my chin readily accepted being touched around her head and neck area within a couple days, but really didn't like being touched on her back or haunches (now she'll let me pet her whole body, but it took some time). I don't know if that's typical of chins generally or if it was just a quirk of my specific chin, but if your guy repeatedly startles and runs away when you try to touch one part of his body, then perhaps try touching a different part of him next time. It seems like most chins love being gently scratched under the chin (mine also loves it behind her ears), so that might be a good place to start once he's settled in a bit and will come up to your hand when you put it in his cage.

The other thing I've found to be really important is consistency. Once he's settled in and you've started interacting with him, it's really helpful to interact with him every day, ideally for an hour or more. You don't have to take him out of the cage (in fact, you really shouldn't take him out if he's a baby, and even if he's an adult, you should establish a bond before you start letting him out). But just talk to him, pet him, scratch him, let him climb on your hands, etc. If he'll let you, you can pick him up and hold him for a bit (but don't force it on him if he's not into it, unless you really HAVE to pick him up).

So yeah, basically just take it slow, be patient, be consistent, and take your cues from your fluffball. If you notice him starting to get fearful or stressed, back off and give him some space and time to calm down. Always remember that a chin's natural instincts will be telling them that we as humans are large and scary predators to be feared. You're trying to teach your chin to overcome that instinctual fear by showing him that not only are you not going to kill him and eat him, but that good things come from you.
 
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