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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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'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.