Handling Newer Chinchilla

[LannyCoop]

Hi, I am a new chinny owner and I have had my kiefer for about 3 months. I got him from a animal shelter where he was for 2 years. I was wondering if he wil ever let me pick him up. He lets me pet him feed him and he will sit on my lap and run off after a few seconds. And I try to lift him up but he makes his defesive noise so I let him go. Do you guys think I just need to be paitent and wait till he is more ready? He is starting to climb up to my face, for a second. But I am just unsure if he will ever let me hold him.. when he was put into the cage for me to take him home, he was picked up with no problem...im just unsure... Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[cherylslittleangels]

You may never get to 'hold' him as in snuggling with him. Some chins just don't like to be held. But if he is coming up to you and sitting on your lap and is letting you pet him, you are already doing very well on bonding with him. I have some that will let me hold them 'under protest', so I only hold them when I have to move them from one cage to another. I don't try to force the issue. You are doing really great, especially considering the fact that he was in an animal shelter for 2 years. Keep up the good work. You may eventually get able to hold him, but if not, don't sweat it there are alot of owners that wished they had what you've got now!

 

[Laurie]

Some chins don't ever get used to being held or picked up so you may have to prepare yourself for that. You've only had him for a few months so I think if you keep trying and be very patient you could see a change in him. It takes a long time sometimes to gain a chin's confidence. Keep doing what you been doing, petting him and letting him come to you in your lap. It's natural for them to make the defensive noise so don't be alarmed by that. If you hold him firmly by the back of tail right next to his rump while you're holding him this may help him realize you've got a good handle on him and won't let him fall.
Just be patient and keep doing what you've been doing.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

I think you should start handling him more since you have had him for 3 months and he should be well settled into his environment. Chinchillas do not normally like to be held. It is almost always a struggle trying to hold them when they are still in their habitat. None of my chinnies (a couple whom I have had for 3 years now) like to be held, however, when I remove any of my girls from their cage, they usually settle into my hold and calm down. While I am next to their cage they want back in (unless they know it is playtime LOL).

If you have a male you should be doing hair ring checks. You can't do a hair ring check without holding your chin. Just bite the bullet, get your chinnie out of his cage, hold him by the base of the tail near his bum, as Laurie mentioned, and support the front of him in the crook of your arm and then walk away from his cage and just talk softly to him and he will hopefully settle down. It may take several tries (space the tries so you don't freak him out too much) before either of you are comfortable with it. It is most important for you to feel comfortable though because you have tasks you need to perform and others that you may need to perform in the future should he need vet care.

Good luck and welcome to the forum .

 

[JennyBug]

My sweetest chin, Carmen, will TOLERATE being held, but you can tell that most of the time she doesn't like it. Our other two will allow us to pet and chin scratch, but they want no part of being picked up. They will calm down for a few minutes after you get them out, but then they get squirmy. Remember: chinchillas in the wild are only picked up when they are about to be eaten, and that instinct to flee may run deep.

You can continue to work with him, but above posts are right in saying he might never like being held. If he's letting you pet him and if he's snuggling in your lap for even a little while, you're miles ahead of at least one of my girls!

 

[Jenn]

I have had Tinkerbell for 8 months now and have worked very carefully with her. She went from not trusting me at all to becoming very affectionate. She still objects to me picking her up. I have been able to pick her up, but it is something she'd rather me not do. I practice by resting my hands on her tummy, as if I were to pick her up, and get her used to the feel but without the threat of being picked up. Every once in a while I will try to pick her up a little, but I don't push too hard. I don't want to abuse her trust but I want to continue to get her used to the idea of being handled. She has come a long way since I've gotten her but we still have work to do. I guess patience is the key. Like others have said, your chin may never like the idea of being held, but with a lot of patience and building of trust, you may be able to handle him a lot more. Good luck.

 

[Sandi]

Every chin is different, that being said, continue to let him come to you. You may never be able to hold him for a long period of time. My chin who passed away last year used to snooze on my lap while I was on the computer, and my daughter was always holding him all over the house. Now our 2 new chinnie boys are just starting to come around a bit, but we are letting them do this at their own pace. We've had them for 2 months now but the 4 month old is very skittish and always kaks at me when I attempt to get him out of the cage for playtime. Don't give up, you are doing a good job.

 

[LannyCoop]

Thanks so much for all the advice!
I will for sure keep being paitient and
see how it goes
thanks so much everyone

 

[lydz]

Just bite the bullet, get your chinnie out of his cage, hold him by the base of the tail near his bum, as Laurie mentioned, and support the front of him in the crook of your arm and then walk away from his cage and just talk softly to him and he will hopefully settle down.

I am totally scared to try to pick up my chins by the tails. Of course its hard to get them still enough to pick them up like that but when they are I am terrified to try it for fear of either scaring them or hurting them.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

I am totally scared to try to pick up my chins by the tails. Of course its hard to get them still enough to pick them up like that but when they are I am terrified to try it for fear of either scaring them or hurting them.

Sorry for the confusion, I wasn't suggesting anyone pick up their chin up by the tail. I think people should have a bit more experience before they attempt it since even after 3 years and doing it a few times I feel uncomfortable with it LOL (and one of my chins literally screamed when I did it and totally freaked me out and turned me off from it). I was suggesting holding his tail at the base while holding him out of the cage to prevent the chin from jumping off its owner from a great height. Also supporting his front end with an arm while holding his tail will help to prevent any unwanted jumps. Some people are comfortable holding a chin by the tail and it does not hurt the chinchilla when done correctly, I have seen some chinchillas totally relax in that position LOL.

 

[LannyCoop]

another thing, mentioned in here.. are hair rings always a problem?
or does it only become a problem sometimes.