Once chinchillas get used to their environment, there will be few instances where you actually must pick them up. Our chinchillas are very good about going into their cage with little prompting. If you can maintain a consistent schedule, you'll find that the chinchillas will go where you want them to without any prompting at all. For us, this means that around our bedtime the chinchillas will run in to their cage and await their nightly treat (e.g. a raisin).
However, it's hard to resist the temptation of picking up your chins. If for no other reason than to feel their incredibly soft fur. So if you're going to pick up your chinchilla, you might as well do it the right way. That is, scoop them up from below and always support their back legs. We also like to keep them close to our bodies so that they're less likely to jump.
What you want to make sure you don't do is pick them up by the tail, squeeze their bodies too much, grab them by their ears, grab them by the neck (like a cat), or bring your hands down on them from above. All of these actions will agitate your chinchilla and can lead to harm. We've also noticed that they have good memories of stressful situations and it requires a day or two for them to trust you once again.
Our chinchillas also like to have their heads rubbed in between their ears. They also sometimes tolerate gentle chin and belly rubs.
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I have done alot of research over the past month and convinced my mom to think about getting me a chinchilla for my birthday. the only problem is that i have an 8 year old little sister who loves to hold small dogs and cats at other peoples houses and dose not listen when people say to put them down. im afraid she will harass my new chinchilla and possibly take him out of the cage when im not around. any advice?
I have had a male chinchilla, Edgar, for more than a year. He likes to be scratched behind his ears and under his chin. He doesn't like to be held. He harrasses the cat and the dogs. Our mastiff/hound puts up with it because she came to us as a puppy and Edgar was already part of the family, but the cat and dog that we already had when he joined us would rather be put outside if we let Edgar out to run around. It seems that he like to play hide and seek and chase. If I play hide and seek with him for a while , when I finally have him corned to catch him, he will jump into my hands. We got a plastic wheel for him recently but he hasn't figured it out and mostly used it to leave droppings.
I don't know about picking them up by the tail .. Even though your family raised them and did that.. I read in a chinchilla book that handling them by the tail can actually cause it to break off if your too rough or if they get stressed enough and move around wildly
Actually...picking a chinchilla up by the tail is completely fine.
My family used to breed chinchillas. When our herd was at it's biggest, we had around 1000 (yes, One THOUSAND) chinchillas. We were part of the National Chinchilla Breeders association, and were in the business for over 15 years. Picking them up by the tail is how you are SUPPOSED to pick them up. It does not harm them in any way, shape or form. Their tails are extremely resilient and tough. Picking a chin up by the tail will NOT lead to harm, and it will NOT agitate them.
As a side note, chins LOVE dandelions. Even more so than raisins (which was a very close second as a treat). When I was a girl my dad would send me out to pick all the dandelions in the yard, and freeze them for the chinchillas as a treat.
Picking them up by the tail may be fine if you are mass breeding them or if there is an emergency and you have to pick your chinchilla up quickly but they are saying to not pick your chin up by its tail more for the purpose of bonding with it. They don't enjoy being picked up by their tails because then they are not in control and feel very stressed and exposed. So, in regards to bonding with your new chin and allowing you to pick it up, i would absolutely never recommend picking it up by its tail.
TY so much for the tip about the dandelions! Tony (our chinche) was in love when i gave him a couple. And you can freeze them?! This is going to be sweet! I believe you about picking them up by the tails, i prob wont do it considering that he'll just climb on my hands when i want to pick him up. I didn't know how i felt about feeding them raisens and seeing him love the dandelions makes me feel great that he'll have treats
TY
Hi. I have a chin named Rosie. I've had her for about 2 years now and she seems afraid of us still. I can scratch her sometimes but cannot pick her up without chasing her around the cage and if I hold her I have to hold her agaist my chest or she'll jump. If she gets out she runs under the couch and she cries and won't come out.
Any suggestions? I want her to be able to run around and play with us and sit with us and be able to pet her and stuff. I don't know what to do. I keep a schedule with her and that doesn't seem to help either. If she does get out, she won't come near me for days!
HELP!
hi my name is madison. i have one chinchilla her name is chloe. she is the sweetist she lets me hold her and rub her all over, she likes to read with me and watch tv to. they say that chins dont like to be handled but she is one of a kind i love her....i would also like to get another chin someday but thats up to my parents=)... why is it bad to pick them up by there tails my breeder said to pick her up that way other than putting a grip around her waist....i pick her up around her waist and she doenst seem to mind at all....what should i do
I was told too by my breeder that i can pick my chins up by thier tails. i do and thier fine. I have three of them. Maisy who is 6 months old, buttons who is 2 yrs. and lasdy gwen who is 4 months . and thier fine . now i don't grb them by the tail ad let them dangle there. i grab them by the tail and bring them close to my body and hold them that way. now maisy my 6 onth old i can grip her tail and them have her lay on my shoulder. but buttons and lady gwen won't do that i ahve to hold them by the tail sn pet them. thier skittish for some reason but they still let me pet and ho,d them. lady gwen has jsut started warming up to me. buttons gets in a MOOd where she willl let me hold her but them i have chase her araound the cage .
i've got two chinchilla's,ant and dec. i got them of my dads friend who breeds them,they are brothers. ive had them for about 3 weeks now and would like to handle them but how could i do it fairly,i dont want to leave one of them out (n). ive got pictures of them on my bebo if you's would like to look at them. they will eat out of my hand and sometimes let me pet them.