How can I get my new chinchillas to be comfortable with me?
I have 2 white sapphire male chinchillas named Professor Wigglesworth and Little Lord Fancy Pants, brothers, who are about 4 months old. When I hold them they wiggle a lot. How do I make them be calm?
Not all chins like being held and your chins are quite young - it will take time for them to get used to being held and I suspect you have not had them for long? I’d suggest starting from the beginning and letting them get used to you touching them before you try to hold them.
To be honest some chins never like being held or touched - many prefer to come to you on their terms. Slowly and patiently is the way to go, giving the chins time to adjust to you and bond with you.
Try putting your hand into their cage and allowing them to come to you. Don’t make any attempt to touch them at first but let them explore your hand. They may nibble your fingers gently - this is them grooming you. You can put a small, healthy treat (for example a small piece of unfrosted mini shredded wheat, a few rolled oats, a small piece of alfalfa) on your hand to encourage the chins to come to you.
Once they confident that you are not going to pester them then you can try gently tickling them under the chin. If they tolerate it then you can move on to tickling around the ears and down the chest. If you’re lucky and they like it they may well take turns in grooming you back.
You can then move on to allowing them to climb over you while they are out and allow them to sit on your hands etc - once they are confident in that then it is worth trying to hold them for a moment.
You’re basically building a bond with them and it takes time - slow and steady is the way to do it. Gentle, slow movements will help them to trust you - fast movements make a chin’s natural reflex as a prey animal kick in and it will be startled into running away to hide. You need to gain their trust and allow them to come to you.
With a bit of time and patience your chins should hopefully accept your touch but please bear in mind that not all chins will tolerate being handled. They are wriggling to get away from you and you will need to get them to trust you.
It is worth joining some of the chinchilla forums to get some further advice and support. There are two listed below - one in the UK and one in the US which are excellent sources of information.
Good luck with your chinnies.
davidsonchins Says:
Not all chins like being held and your chins are quite young - it will take time for them to get used to being held and I suspect you have not had them for long? I’d suggest starting from the beginning and letting them get used to you touching them before you try to hold them.
To be honest some chins never like being held or touched - many prefer to come to you on their terms. Slowly and patiently is the way to go, giving the chins time to adjust to you and bond with you.
Try putting your hand into their cage and allowing them to come to you. Don’t make any attempt to touch them at first but let them explore your hand. They may nibble your fingers gently - this is them grooming you. You can put a small, healthy treat (for example a small piece of unfrosted mini shredded wheat, a few rolled oats, a small piece of alfalfa) on your hand to encourage the chins to come to you.
Once they confident that you are not going to pester them then you can try gently tickling them under the chin. If they tolerate it then you can move on to tickling around the ears and down the chest. If you’re lucky and they like it they may well take turns in grooming you back.
You can then move on to allowing them to climb over you while they are out and allow them to sit on your hands etc - once they are confident in that then it is worth trying to hold them for a moment.
You’re basically building a bond with them and it takes time - slow and steady is the way to do it. Gentle, slow movements will help them to trust you - fast movements make a chin’s natural reflex as a prey animal kick in and it will be startled into running away to hide. You need to gain their trust and allow them to come to you.
With a bit of time and patience your chins should hopefully accept your touch but please bear in mind that not all chins will tolerate being handled. They are wriggling to get away from you and you will need to get them to trust you.
It is worth joining some of the chinchilla forums to get some further advice and support. There are two listed below - one in the UK and one in the US which are excellent sources of information.
Good luck with your chinnies.
References :
http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com - US forum
http://www.chinformative.com - UK chinchilla forum
http://davidson-chinchillas.co.uk - My website - keeper of chinchillas for over 12 years, work with the biggest dedicated chinchilla rescue in the UK, breeder of pure recessive charcoals, member of the NCS.
Posted on July 31st, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Bre Says:
Ha, nice names! xD
Unfortunatly, most chinchillas don’t enjoy being picked up and such. They would rather explore and play. It also depends on their personality. My black velvet absolutly hates being picked up and snuggled, but my mosaic loves it.
Whenever you have to hold them for a short amount of time (ex. let them out for playtime), the best you can do is keep a firm (not too tight!) grasp on your chinchilla. Be sure to support the back feet and hold the chin close to your body, so they feel more comfortable.
Good luck!
Breanna
http://chillin-chinchillas.weebly.com/
References :
Posted on July 31st, 2009 at 6:34 pm