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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August 8th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
I tried doing the same and do not do that my chinchillas both hated a leash and I lost some of their trust and had to gain it back
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:43 am
Matthew,
Check out our article on chinchilla leashes.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Hey i just got a chinchilla and its very lovable and i love it. I wanted to know if you can buy it a leash or a harness of some sort? And will it stay in the harness or leash?
June 12th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
I've had a chin for about a year and it is tame but never likes to be caught. He will let me pet him though. For those of you who can't catch your chins it's OK as most chins would rather be on their own feet.
Matthew
January 8th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Chynna & Myles,
Our chinchillas have learned to go in to their cage without much prompting. We accomplished this by returning them to their cage at about the same time every night. We also generally feed them their treat (a raisin for example) while they are in their cage at the end of the evening. Again, they eventually picked up on the routine and now need next to no prompting to go in to their cage.
As for playful chasing, that depends on how your chinchilla reacts. If you chase your chinchilla, then stop chasing, and she comes back to you, then that's a good indication that she's not scared. However, if you chase your chinchilla and she doesn't come to you after you stop, then that likely means she doesn't consider the activity playful.