Handling kits?

[MarissaRelf]

Hi, I've had a lot of mixed answers to this question. Is it good/okay/bad to handle kits regularly? Some breeders and pet owners on here are against it until 6 months while others say they handle them from the day they are born. I'm bringing home a kit next week and want some opinions. Thank you

 

[ChinchillasByDesign]

It will not hurt your kit to hold it on a regular basis, however you will probably find that kits normally don't enjoy being held.

 

[smhluvsmh]

You can handle your baby as much as you want. I do believe it is NO playtime (running free out of cage) that they should not have until around 6 months. Handling, letting he/she crawl on your hands, arms, lap, talking, reading, singing to them are great ways to bond with your baby!

 

[tunes]

No one on here has ever said you cannot handle a kit until they are six months old. You can handle a kit from the day it's born, as long as mom doesn't freak out. Some people think it's fine for mom to freak out and not worry about her feelings, I'm not one of them. I try and give her time to get used to having her kits, then I'll handle them.

What you are thinking of is people who say to leave a chin alone for the first few weeks until it's settled in. I don't believe that either. I handle them from the day they come home.

In your case, I would take my time. If you are getting a kit that is newly weaned, it may be pretty freaked out by going to a new home. Just take your time, learn to read your chin, and go from there.

 

[addictedtochins]

When mine were babies I found a good way to play with them I think. I got a pop up mesh hamper, sat sideways on the couch, put it over my legs and put the kit in it. They come up to my hands, we play, they scamper off...come back....It's a fun non-stress playtime. Watch that they don't chew on the hamper.

 

[DaddyslilDimwit]

When mine were babies I found a good way to play with them I think. I got a pop up mesh hamper, sat sideways on the couch, put it over my legs and put the kit in it. They come up to my hands, we play, they scamper off...come back....It's a fun non-stress playtime. Watch that they don't chew on the hamper.

I think that's an awesome idea.

 

[Spoof]

I handle them from the day they are born.

Don't have any moms her that freak out, usually they are at the front of the cage begging for something so the babies learn to come to the front to get picked up pretty quick. I find the more I handle them in the first week the more they are accepting of it when they are older. )

however you will probably find that kits normally don't enjoy being held.

I do some conditioning with all babies born here but the main one is that I don't release until they relax. It makes everything from weighing to medicating so much easier as they age. Some lines are wired to be "hot" and you can do this stuff forever and not make much progress. I prefer and keep calmer lines but that doesn't mean the babies aren't wiggly little squirrels on crack. They learn so fast, usually within the first seven repetitions making is super easy to teach them to hold still or perform tricks if that is your thing.

 

[starleomach]

I handle mine from the day they are born..

 

[Riven]

I agree with Peggy. I say treat them like you're going to for the rest of their lives. Why treat them one way then say oh well I'll treat you differently now! It's better to handle a kit than a scared adult.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I handle all of my chinchillas from day one, regardless of age. I don't put them down if they are wiggly, instead, I wait for them to calm down. By the time kits leave here, they are literally jumping out of the cage and into our arms any time the cage door is opened. My adults are all sweeties and come to the front of the cage begging for attention, even the ones that didn't start out that way.