Mean Chin Help

[mishellyshel]

The girl I am fostering is kinda evil. I have had her since the spring and have been trying to rehome her but no one wants to take her, even for free!

Right from the start she lunged at me and makes this really strange sound every time I get close to her. I put my hand in her cage every night to clean up and restock but she hisses at me and freaks out. I have to put dust in her cage because she will not come out. honestly she may come out every couple weeks for playtime because i cant even coax her in any capacity to come out. I usually end up making a quick grab but I have to stress her. I have most of her cage covered cause the chins next to her were kinda freaking her out.

I dont know what to do different. I am very gentle with her. speak to her softly. give her extra attention. she will let me scritch her once in a while. she takes her treat from my hand.....grabs it quickly and runs. it has never take this long for a chin to warm up to me. I am still trying to rehome her because i dont have the room, it was supposed to be temporary. But I have been selective in my decisions because I want an experienced owner with patience for this misunderstood girl. I feel like I am failing her.

Any suggestions?? I just dont want her to be so afraid and skittish. Is she doomed to an anxiety filled life???

 

[Sycamore Chins]

You said she lunged, is she actually out-n-out aggressive, teeth and everything or just scared out of her mind?

We've got a girl that is scared out of her mind, not aggressive. She was used for breeding twice but the whole ordeal with her being so anxious did not work well. She seems to have gotten more stressed out and anxious over the time we've had her. Needless to say she isn't being used for breeding anymore but in order to find her a new home, it's probably going to take a while with me working with her.

My plans for her are to keep her in the room that I am in most, but in a corner away from the immediate hustle and bustle. She will be in a smaller cage so she can't do as much damage when she freaks out and so that when I put my hand in there she can only get so far away. Other than that, it will be just constant positive reinforcement and crossing my fingers that it works. In order to get her out of the cage, we have a small plastic plant pot (a 6" I think), that we let her jump into, put our hand over and bring her out. This is what we weigh her in and transfer her to the dust bath so we can clean her cage.

ETA: on the other hand, we had a massively aggressive BV male. We had to wear thick leather gloves when handling him. Someone came to see him and we were very worried about his behavior. She took him out of the cage, cuddled him a bit, and took him home. No problems whatsoever! We were shocked! So maybe our girls just need to find their someone right!

 

[Godofgods]

I can only tell you about my first chin. I had taken him in as well. You talk about a chin scared outa his mind. He would freak out if you even walked anywhere near his cage much less tried to open it or touch him in any way. Bit agressive, snap barking, the whole thing.

Today however, he is without a doubt the friendliest and most loving chin i have, or have ever seen for that matter. Their realy isnt a shread of agrressive behavior in him. He loves getting his stomich scrathed by ppl. He gets so into it! Eyes closed or rolling back, that look or pure heaven.

And i no he has been passed around form owner to owner enough that i have no clue about his past, and neither did the perosn i took him in from. So no tell what horrors their might be.

His transformation was/is truly amazing. It was just a matter of being a good person with him. Treating him good. And lots and lots and lots of time! Patience is one of the bigest tools! Once he became comfortable with me and started to relearn how to trust again, he became even more increadable!

 

[ticklechin]

I had one that was severely abused by a teenage boy, it took 6 years to tame her.

 

[Snickers]

I would sit/stand by the cage with the door open and talk to her for awhile. I would also keep my hand in there but if she should charges make a fist. Don't be afraid of her. I had one that would charge my hand so I would make a fist and keep it there. She doesn't charge anymore but she surely does spray. She is the only one that sprays here.

 

[Dragonflye]

I have a rescue here who is very cage territorial. She lunges and sprays when I take her out to clean her cage. Once she is out and I hold her for a while she settles down and is actually quite sweet. I try to get a old of her as quickly as possible when I need to handle her to minimize her stress.

I also have a rescue who is a biter, he hates being handled at all and freaks when I go near him. He has been here for 3 years and will probably remain here. With gentle talking and slow movements, I can put my hand fairly close without him biting it off.

I would not give up hope and keep working with her, as long as you can. Hopefully the right person will come along soon to claim her...

 

[TaraLee]

What was her owner before like. You said foster but not rescue.

 

[mishellyshel]

I can put my hand in the cage but I like the fist idea. She only charged me once. She usually just sits in her hammock and make these sounds I have never heard before! Can't even explain....kinda like a grunt-ish bark.
Once she is out, she seems just ok. She will dust but mostly just hides. All my other kiddies will run thru the tunnels & it's obvious they are enjoying being out. All she seems to want is her cage! She is in a 2 story feisty ferret, so she has plenty of space.

She is a rescue that I agreed to foster until a suitable home was found. She was with s young teen & before that with a young girl so who knows what the heck her life was like. I always go to her cage & talk to her and give her wood sticks or beaphar pellets & she takes them but then darts away real quick. Poor Chilly. She is do misunderstood! Lol
Thanks for the advice all...really appreciate it.

 

[addictedtochins]

We have a Sammy boy who was sad, angry, and bitey. He will still lunge and bite but he is very happy now, so I am happy. Yours seems to still be scared, she should have better by now by all accounts, but she's not. I would rethink about letting her out for playtime if catching her is scaring her. You might try throwing a fleece throw blanket over her to catch her. And it is possible that you are not the right home/person to rehab her, for no reason whatsoever.

 

[AZChins]

It really could be that you just need to give her even more time. I have a little chin that has taken me three years just to pick him up and he still is a little skittery about it. It could just be that some chins are like this because of their personalities or trauma they have endured or a combination of both.

If we could ever figure out how to get her here, I'd be happy to take her and work with her for as long it would take. I don't mind keeping the chins that just are not rehomable into pet homes.

 

[Godofgods]

If we could ever figure out how to get her here, I'd be happy to take her and work with her for as long it would take. I don't mind keeping the chins that just are not rehomable into pet homes.

Chins in arazona.. you must have a very very high electric bill for that ac'

 

[mishellyshel]

thanks susan. it took me over a year to get klinger (sapphire male) to trust me and to put on weight. i know it takes a lot of time for some chins and others go with the flow.
she defintitely does not roll with the punches. the last 2 days she has been sitting on the shelf in front of the cage waiting for me. but then last night i was cleaning her cage and she made her strange kacking sound.
If you could every arrange any kind of railroad I would be thrilled to let Chilly come stay with you and you could rehab her and get her back into society! AZ is a looooong way away but i would be willing to help organize. thanks for the offer...your sweet.

 

[Brittany]

If we could ever figure out how to get her here, I'd be happy to take her and work with her for as long it would take. I don't mind keeping the chins that just are not rehomable into pet homes.

AZ is a looooong way away but i would be willing to help organize. thanks for the offer...your sweet.

You may have some luck setting up a railroad around show season this spring. Depending on the dates and locations of the MCBA/ECBC Nationals a lot of chin people will be traveling around the country. If I can be of any help through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois just let me know.