How can I train my Chinchilla to let me pick him up.

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B

Biohack

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2013
Messages
6
Hey everyone,
I got a 4 month old male baby chinchilla from a breeder on Saturday, so far he is super friendly he comes to my hands whenever I put them in the cage and he loves it when I rub his chin. That being said he freaks out if I ever try to pick him up and also isn't a big fan of letting me pet him on the back, although he will let me if i start by rubbing his chin then move back. I'm hoping someone might have some tips on how to train him to be comfortable being picked up. I would like to be able to take him out of the cage and let him play but I don't want to do it before I can sure he will let me pick him up and put it back. Anything advice would be appreciated.
 
Truth is, he may never like being picked up. Most chins don't. An easy way to transport your chin to play is to use the dust bath container. He will hop right in there and you can carry that to your play area. It's a good way to get him back too :) Chinchillas all have different personalities and very few enjoy being picked up or even handled at all. You have to accept his personality. My Tribble doesn't like being pet on his back either. I get a very annoyed, "KECK!" if I try it. I really don't know why, it's always been his "no no" spot :p Just take it slow with him and if he doesn't like it, don't press it.
 
Neither of my chins will let me pick them up. My 10 mo male will hop right in my arms and let me stroke his back for 10 min ---IF he feels like it. My bf put a stool outside his cage and he comes out that way. When we want him to go back in we tap on the stool, he jumps up, we tap on the bottom floor of his FN and he jumps in. It helps he's nosy and very smart, but this works for us. As a last resort, both of my chins hop in their dust bath and then I put it in the cage. Most chins love to sit on a shoulder, you could try getting them out of their cage by leaning in and see if they will hop on. Be patient, you'll figure out what works best for yours.
 
I have one chin that was very treat motivated... I'd break up a cheerio into little pieces and as she'd come closer, she'd get a piece. She eventually got to the point where she'd hop onto my hand to get a cheerio.... but then she'd jump right back off. I stopped working with her, I don't have the time, but I imagine if you did this sort of thing long enough, you might be able to get to the point where your chin would easily come up to you. That said... not all chins are as curious/bold as the one I was working with, so if your chin is super shy, this might not work as well....
 
The dust bath method works, but your chin might associate the dust bath with being out back into his cage and hesitate to go in there. They are smart little boogers! I am lucky in that my chin hops out of his cage on his own and goes back in on his own for the most part. If he won't, I try to entice him by showing him a treat. He knows he gets a treat after playtime, so when he sees the treat, he's a little more inclined to go back in - but if he won't, I just pick him up. He hates it. He squirms and sometimes I lose my grip on him because I'm afraid of hurting him so I barely squeeze. It has to be done though, so you kind of just have to do it. Mine has never been "mad" at me after I picked him up like I'm always afraid he will be, so that's good.


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Ok thanks I guess worst comes to worse I can just grab him, gently of course. While he freaks out when I try he doesn't seem to hold a grudge because as soon as he's back in the cage he will come running up to my hand for chin rubs and doesn't seem to be afraid of me at all and he's certainly not shy.
 
I read this on the forum one time but I forgot where exactly...someone said once that a lot of the time male chins don't like being pet on their backs because it simulates being mounted which would be a sign of dominance by another chin and they aren't fans of that. Like I said, not sure what post I read that in and not sure if its accurate or not but I remember it from somewhere on here and I have noticed that none of my chins enjoy being pet on their backs either (all males).
 
If you just bond with it he might come around. My first chin hated to even be touched. I worked with her every day and now I can pick her up long enough to get her from her cage to the playroom and back.
 
My female, Willow, doesn't necessarily 'enjoy' being picked up, but she'll tolerate it. I gently grab her around the waist, fully supporting her with my one hand, and with the other hand, hold her back. She'll fight me for a minute once her feet are off the ground, but settles once I bring her close and hold her against my chest, supporting her feet/butt while keeping a hand across her belly. The most important thing about picking one up like that is to be extremely careful and gentle.
My males, Gizmo and Mazlow, refuse to be picked up. If I need to pick them up, I gently (yet firmly) grasp the base of their tail and then quickly support their front with my other hand. This is the way I was shown to pick up a 'difficult' chin by the breeder I got them from. I am always extremely careful and never leave any part of the chin unsupported.

As for the back petting, Willow allows it, but only for a few short seconds, and only when she decides it's okay. She does, oddly, prefer that I rub/massage her ears. She makes a content little squeaks (like the ones you hear on the sound resource page of a content kit).
The boys couldn't care less if they are pet or not. As long as they are right next to each other, I can give them a few quick back scratches. I think they allow it because they see that it's not the other chin trying to dominate, and that they're side by side.
 
My boy doesn't like being picked up, but if I offer him my arm he'll run right up and sit on my shoulder or let me support him against my chest.
 
Ditto to what everyone else says - some chins will never enjoy being picked up and few enjoy it. With my girl, she is very friendly and loves to climb on shoulders and jumps into the crook of my arm if I open the cage. When it's playtime, if she wants to go back to her cage, she jumps into my arms as well. I can carry her that way, rejiggling her a bit so her body is fully supported with both my hands, but she absolutely hates being picked up when it's not her choice and squirms like crazy. I think it's kind of understandable when you think of it from a chinchillas point of view... since they are a small, round, tasty meal for other animals being carried by something (when it's not their choice to be there) probably signifies to them that something has gone seriously wrong and they have been caught by a predator. I don't think that any amount of training can totally overcome an instinct like that.

It may be that since you chin doesn't know you that well yet, you might need to bond with him for a bit longer and do some training to get him used to your touch. It's best to at least attempt to practise once you have bonded more and get him used to being carried (one hand base of tail, other hand fully supporting front) just in case of a situation where you do need to move him quickly. He may not ever enjoy it though.

With the back petting thing, I think that's something that a lot of chins don't particularly like. If I pet Snowy's back, I get a grumpy noise back and she shuffles away and then grooms the patch that has been touched. If she is feeling particularly tolerant, she will turn around so my hand is away from her back for a scratch instead. Just another little quirk I think!
 
My little guy is his OWN boss and will not be manhandled by the mostly-furless treat-bearing monkey slave thank you very much! I've had to scoop him up the odd time if he got somewhere he shouldn't when out for playtime (up on the bathroom counter....), and that's the only time I've heard a noise out of him. Any time I pick him up/try to pick him up, he squeaks and squirms. Normally he doesn't make ANY noise, so I really don't think he's happy with me, but he doesn't nip and he's polite about his protest, at least! He won't really climb onto my shoulder or anything either. The dust bath container works well enough, except he always tries to wriggle out halfway to the bathroom... although he'll let me pet him all over, he really doesn't like my attempts to move him. Just how he is!
 
None of mine really like being picked up but some tolerate it better than others. The females seem better than the males even though the males are bolder in cage. Aika runs away and is quite acrobatic about it but then will sit there once caught. Aime will bark once at you and then sit there both to be caught and while being held. Hachiro runs and will nip if you hold her too long. Katsu is a spaz and bounces around the cage when you try to do anything but pet him on the top of the head or give him a treat. He has to be secured by the base of the tail or he'll fly over your shoulder and splat on the floor. Haime makes a mild effort to run away but doesn't bounce around like Aika and Katsu and is slightly wiggly once caught.
 
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