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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September 11th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Same with my chin, she gets to scared and when i try to hold her ,she trys to get out of my hands. I get scared when she does that because i think she will fall and hart her self.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Hey hey
I'm Adriana
I'm pretty much new on this site thingy.
I was reading what you were saying, Stephanie, and I want to try and help you out.
I myself, am having this problem too. I've had Leo(my chin), for 2 months now. And he is STILL not trusting me yet. But, he is getting better.
Chinchillas, as I'm sure you already know, are timid creatures. They are always on alert, due to them being prey in the wild life. So, it comes natural to them.
What you'll need to do, is gain its trust. Start by talking to it in a calm soothing voice. Not too loud. Also, to gain its trust, you should grab a chair, and sit next to the cage quietly. Read a book, or something that doesn't make noise. Sit there for a while….and do this everyday, at the same time. And eventually, your chinchilla will walk up to the end of the cage where you are sitting, due to curiosity. Whenever he does come to the the side, give him a treat.
Now, he will flinch most likely, if he is afraid, but he will return. Once he does, poke your fingers in, in front of him with the treat. He;ll sniff it, and then grad and eat it.
I would do that for sometime. Chinchillas take quite a while for them to fully trust you. And even when they do, they STILL are a bit skitish on us.
After he gets used to this pattern…start a new thing. Such as, opening the cage, and feeding him a treat like that. He'll get used to you. Another good way to gain its trust, is when you can touch him, such as stroking his head softly, start to scratch his neck. They LOVE this. Just like a cat lol.
But hey, I'm sure you can do it.
If you want more advise on how to taming your chin, just google the info. I've received quite a lot from google.
Good luck
Adriana
October 20th, 2007 at 6:51 am
Zetina,
The one thing we'd warn you against is picking up your chinchilla in a way that scares him. Doing so will pretty much guarantee that he'll never trust you and will be inclined to run away from you.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Hello!
My dad finally brought me my chinchilla! He had to stay at my dad's over night (my parents have breaken up) and he brought it to me the next day. In a car. He's very calm and every time I take a peak at him in his cage, he's sitting in the same spot. I'm guessing that he's sleeping since I don't have a house-thingy in the cage. I just placed in a jar. I wonder if that's okay?
The breeder told my dad that you grab your chin by the tail and then push it towards you with the other hand. And I'm talking about grabbing not pulling or lifting by the tail. I usually have to do that when I let him out and he tries to get under my bed. The first time he was there I crawled after him but he made this noise. I guess it's the "bark". He's still afraid of me D: Though he's calm when I pick him up or place him in my lap. I guess he just doesn't like to be followed.
Wow… That was quite a rant ^^; Sorry about that. I just needed to discuss this with other chin-owners that could give some advice.
September 15th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I have had my chinchilla for about 3 years now and I still cant pick it up!
This has become a very stressful thing for me.
Everytime i pick it up it moves a lot and leaves fur so i let it go.
Any advise? Please help me!
Also I noticed that when the guy at the pet store got the chinchilla out of the cage for me when i bought it He grabed it by the tail!
Please help me im desperate!