Holding my chin

[Maggie:-)]

I have had my female chin,Maggie for 6 weeks now. She doesnt seem to be frightened by me. When i walk over to the cage she is eagerly waiting at the door. She sometimes lets me pet and scratch her. I have only held her a few times when she was out playing and wouldnt go back in her cage. Ive only had to catch her probably 4 times because she usually goes back in her cage on her own. But anyways i just catch her and let her go right into the cage as fast as possible because she is very squirmy and i am scared i will hurt her trying to hang on to her. Well last night i couldnt take it anymore i just wanted to hold her so much so when she jumped up in my lap i picked her up and held her against my chest,she squirmed at first but i didnt let her go like usual so she calmed down and i pet her for probably 30 seconds then let her go when she started to squirm again. She didnt seem like i had scared her by doing this because she hopped back up into my lap again a min later. So sorry for the long story but my question is should i continue to hold her like this? Is it the only way she will get use to being held? Or should i just keep waiting for her to decide she likes it on her own? I really want to be able to hold her because it would just make everything morw convenient. Right now she can only be let out when i wheel her cage into the hallway and shut the door. But everymorning when i get up for work (4am) she is eagerly at the cage door and when i open she tries to jump out and has jumped out a couple times. If i could just pick her up and hold her and give her attention for a few min before i leave for work then i think both her and i would benefit from it! Please respond with any suggestions and opinions.
Also how do i put a pic of her on here? I am using my iphone i dont have a computer.

 

[Airyn]

Every chin has different likes and dislikes, just like people. Some love to be held, while some don't. None of mine like to be grabbed, so I always let them come to me unless absolutely necessary. Two of them are fine with being held as long as it's on their terms. It sounds like you're doing a good job of working with her. I'd keep up with that and just try to increase the time you're holding her by 5 seconds each day. If she squirms, put her back in her cage, as that tells her that squirming isn't acceptable. If she thinks that squirming will get her playtime, she'll never stop. The key is not to break the trust that you've already created. They tend to hold grudges and then you're right back at square one.

Another thing you could try is teaching her to balance on your arms and your shoulders while she's still in her cage. If you can catch her when she's sleepy, that's usually the best time for it, as her energy will be lower. Nixi sits on my shoulder for 10 minutes every morning and loves it. Since they're not cuddly creatures by nature, you may just need to find an alternative that makes you both happy.

Also, I'm not sure how old your chin is, but chins under 6 months old shouldn't have out of cage playtime because they need to use all of their energy to grow. Just something to keep in mind.

Good luck!

 

[Maggie:-)]

I am also not sure how old she is because she is from petsmart and they told me she was 3 or 4 months old. But i dont think they know what there talking about. I have had her for 6 weeks now.

 

[vsaporito]

My chins love to sit on my arm and shoulder. We have slowly graduated where I can pull my arm out of the cage and they will rest on my arm next to my chest. They are still happiest when they do it on their own. It is for short periods of time. I sit close to the cage so when they are ready they can just go back. I am slowly building trust. My new chin spin should be here this week!

 

[Airyn]

Unfortunately, pet stores never really know. Any idea how much she weighs?

 

[Maggie:-)]

My chins love to sit on my arm and shoulder. We have slowly graduated where I can pull my arm out of the cage and they will rest on my arm next to my chest. They are still happiest when they do it on their own. It is for short periods of time. I sit close to the cage so when they are ready they can just go back. I am slowly building trust. My new chin spin should be here this week!

I wish i could do this but she gets so excited to be out that she wants to jump down and run around. I also want to get a chinspin but they are 65$? I gotta save some money to get it :-( i saw a cheap metal? One for 22$ but im not sure if its any good.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Don't buy the cheap stuff. You will just end up replacing it. The Chin Spin is worth the money.

 

[Maggie:-)]

I am taking her to the vet today so i will know how much she weighs. Can anybody tell me how to put her pic on here?

 

[tcraighenry]

Vincenza hates to be held. She thinks it's a scary thing. Her weekly treat is now for allowing us to pick her up and hold her for a few minutes. Mainly so we can check her teeth and do little other checks if something seems not right.

We've only had one escape with her. I didn't want to pounce on her so we just held out her dust bowl and some sticks. She jumped right in

We bought a kitchen scale to weigh her, it helps to know how much she's growing! (Though you can tell from the pics she's getting a little buddha )

As far as pics go, I usually link to the ones on Facebook. You can use the little picture icon and then put the url in of your photo. You can also add attachments If you're not using quick reply!

 

[Airyn]

To upload to CnH:

• Click User CP
• Click Pictures & Albums
• Click Add Album
• Name your album
• Click your new Album
• Click Upload Pics
• Choose your files from your computer
• Click the newly uploaded image(s)
• Copy the BB Code below the image(s)
• Paste the code here

If the images are already being hosted on another site:

• Click
  
  at the top of any post/reply
• Enter the URL

 

[sushi998]

Hi Maggie! Chins don't like to be hold for a very long time because of their skittish nature. But you can train them to trust you by giving them trust back. First of all you should teach your chin to climb on your arms and shoulders in the cage. When she sits still you can give her a treat (no sugared one, I give my chins a different kind of pellet they usually get and they seem to perceive it as a treat) You will have to learn to trust your chinchilla and never grab at it. Let it come to you and give it some freedom. I try not to put my hand around my chins when they are sitting on my hands, but it depends on their personality. Some jump away immediatly, others don't. Also I recommend buying a second chinchilla if yours is alone. One of the same sex. Chinchillas are social animals, they are much happier when they have a chinchilla buddy.

 

[Maggie:-)]

The vet wants me to wear a sweatshirt with a big pocket in front and put her in it.