Greetings & first time chin mom question

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ButIlovehim

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2014
Messages
11
Hello all! I'm Brooke from GA.

I am a first-time chin owner. I am the proud mom of Scritchy, a 1 year-old standard gray male. He was 4-5 months old when I bought him from a pet store. I know, not the greatest, but I did my homework on the place that raised him, and it seemed like a pretty good operation, as far as those go. Scritchy came decently socialized--seemed used to humans. He was nervous the first few days, but he let me start petting him soon after.

That fur baby is the light of my life. I know that a lot of chinchillas aren't big on cuddling or being held. He still doesn't like me holding him, it seems, but he's let my b/f and a vet tech hold him, and he stayed pretty calm. At first, I took Scritchy into my room for bonding/playtime, and he became more affectionate, sat on my shoulder, and came to me more when he was out of the cage.

He's had the ability to roam the house (supervised), and now, that's all he wants to do, and he protests if he's confined to the bedroom with me. He still lets me pet him, but it's on his terms, and it's becoming less frequent (unless he's bribed with a treat). Have I messed up? What can I do? He's also just hit puberty, in case that has anything to do with it.
 
I realize I'm a bit late to the welcome, sorry! I just noticed this, and feel bad that no one responded. First, welcome to the forum! :wave:

Puberty probably does have something to do with it. They will go through some changes and act a bit different for a while.

I would take a step back and keep him confined to one room for play time, ignore the protesting. Don't let him have his way if he isn't going to cooperate with you. Continue building your bond and trust.

When you have the chance to pick him up, do it. Hold him a few seconds and then place him back down. Continue to do this a few more times during play time. This will teach him that being picked up doesn't mean he has to go back in the cage every time. Reward him with a Cheerio or a dust bath for the final pick up, when he has to go back in the cage.

I hope this helps. Good luck. :)
 
Thank you so much for the good advice. I will definitely try it out. Wishing everyone a happy 2015! Love in chinchillas, Brooke (& Scritchy!)
 
Thank you so much for the good advice. I will definitely try it out. Wishing everyone a happy 2015! Love in chinchillas, Brooke (& Scritchy!)

You're welcome! Good luck with him :)
and Happy New Year to you & your chinny!
:celebrate:
 
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