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.
Entries (RSS)
June 28th, 2006 at 11:41 am
Hello, I got a chinchilla about a week and a half ago. I was really excited, but my chinchilla will not let me pick it up! I don't know if it just hasn't adapted to his new environment. I want an animal I can hold and play with. Is a chinchilla right for me?
June 28th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Julie,
Not all chinchillas will allow you to pick them up no matter how patient you are. They are not lap animals and will NEVER sit as still as a cat or dog. However, some people have had luck with picking up their chinchillas. We can easily pick up one that we have, but the other squirms a lot even after 5+ years.
August 2nd, 2006 at 5:18 pm
Hello. I was thinking about getting a chinchilla and I was wondering how do you make a chinchilla trust you?
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:17 pm
Cody,
You can't make a chinchilla trust you. It will happen over time. You need to be patient. Sit with them often, move slowly, don't make loud noises, and use treats (in small quantities) such as raisins to encourage them to eat from your hand and come up to you.
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Is it true that chinchillas aren't nice and cuddly pets. Because I went to the petstore that I am going to buy the chinchilla from and I held one. It was squirming but as soon as I snuggled with it, it closed its eyes and rubbed up against me!
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Nikki,
As referenced in our Chinchilla Basics article:
Unlike dogs, chinchillas are not really cuddly and don't respond to their names. They will however jump and crawl on you if you sit in their vicinity. Sudden moves and loud noises will scare them. If you buy a chinchilla from a breeder that handles them regularly from a young age, they'll be more inclined to allow you to handle them as they age.
August 6th, 2006 at 11:21 am
I'm planning on getting a chinchilla and i wish to be able to pick it up but I don't know how to gain it's trust to pick it up. How do I gain it's trust?
December 24th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
I just got a chinchilla last night and I read in this handbook thing that you have to let the chinchillas get exercise 2 hours a day, but for one thing, I don't have enough time for that, and we don't have any chinchilla-proof rooms. I tried putting him in the little rolling ball but he just sits in it and if I let him walk around, he'll get in hard-to-reach places. I tried getting him a collar and leash but he can get out of it. What do I do? Please help!
December 24th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Jacque,
You'll need to chinchilla-proof a room as soon as you can. Those plastic balls are pretty much junk (we bought one too when we first got a chinchilla) and can actually hurt your chinchilla because they are prone to overheating in them. A collar and leash are also generally considered to be dangerous.
Although having your chinchilla run outside the cage everyday isn't mandatory, it can make for a happier and healthier chinchilla.
January 8th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Our chinchilla is pretty comfortable with running around the living room area and kitchen area. When we try to pick her up to go back in her cage she runs away. We want to know how to get her in her cage when we want her to. And is it okay to playfully chase the chinchilla around the living room?
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.
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
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?
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:43 am
Matthew,
Check out our article on chinchilla leashes.
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 24th, 2007 at 12:41 am
Hey,
I got my chin about a month ago and I let her run around. She basically trusted me and didnt show too many signs of fear. She enjoyed running all over me and such. The thing is, I wanted to be able to hold her and for her to chill next to me. But then my breeder told me that if I let her run around I would never be able to hold her, so she convinced me that i should re-tame her. I guess if you do this they will not mind being held and will sit on your shoulder for hours. What do you guys think of this? I have been "taming" her for the past week and she really doesn't like it. First couple days when i held her, she would start crying, and now she bites me (not too hard, but harder than her usuall little nibbles) I feel like i'm losing more than gaining here….
some advice…
August 24th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Dina,
We're not familiar with the re-taming process. Could you described what it entails?
August 28th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
My friend got a Chinchilla for her birthday and says you have to pick them up by the tail is that the right thing to do
August 28th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Jessica,
Picking a chinchilla up by the tail can cause them harm and we don't recommend it.
September 5th, 2007 at 9:31 am
To get your chin to let you hold her again is but her in the cage take her out hold for as long as she will let you if she get lose let her go then lay with a treat in your hand and let her come to you to get the treat but do not try to pick her up just try to touch her head do this a few times then she will start trusting you then try to pick her up and when you pick her up give her another treat after a few days of this you chin will be friendly again.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I got my two chins yesterday and was quite lucky. Mowgli (1 year old male) is not very tame yet but that could be expected. But Lucy (3 month old female) is already all over me. Their cage is big enough for me to sit in and she jumps all over me nibbling on my clothes and climbing on my shoulders. I really hope Mowgli will also become that tame.
November 1st, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hey everybody. . .
So I'm a new chinchilla owner, and for the first week or so he was calm and looked like he was happy.
But then recently, he's been biting on his cage, biting my fingers, and running away when I hold him.
Is this normal behavior for a chin?
Thanks in advance =)
November 8th, 2008 at 5:05 am
Great guide! We recently purchased a chinchilla and I want to be sure I'm following the correct steps. It was from a pet store and our chin did bark when get got home and put it in its new cage. We brought the largest cage we could (second I guess, largest was this ferret cage I thought I could sleep in), tons of toys…the works. I'm convinced over time our chin will find its new home much more comfortable than the pet store.
We put the cage in the quietest part of the house, and my question is: How long should I wait to try interacting with her?
I don't want to startle her in any way. What's the normal schedule for interacting with your chin? Should I sit by her cage an hour every day at the same time for three weeks? Am I allowed to give her a raisin? How many times in a week? Wikipedia says only twice a week at most, so should I only try interacting with her twice a week at most? In your opinion, what's the best way of approaching this without causing any extra stress for her due to the new move.
November 8th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Rei,
As long as you're not chasing your chin or trying to pick her up against her will, there's not much else you need to worry about. Being in the same room and letting her approach you should work well. Keep the raisin in your hand as a reward for when your chin comes really close to you. Even though they're small, raisins can still be cut in half and used as treats. We found that being consistent in terms of time of day for visits helped. Especially when it came time to get our chins back into the cage — they pretty much went back in at the same time every night with little prompting from us.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Aloha from Hawaii. My wife wanted a chin so I got her one from the Local Pet shop. It's a male. She tried to tame him but she would be afraid when he tried to nibble on her fingers. Anyways I would spend some time in front of his cage, everyday at the same time and let him come to me. When he did that he was rewarded with a treat. After a week he got pretty comfortable with me and I can pet him, if I open his cage door and just sit there he would hop out and sit on my lap, or climb up on my shoulders.
After a month or so we got another male. Pet store says it was ok to house them both in the same cage. tired it the first night and they seemed ok at first then it looked like they were fighting. Well the next day I went back and bought a second cage. I placed the cages side by side for a week and would place them together in a cage for 10 minutes at a time. It has now been a few weeks and the seem to get along better.
Next step I cleaned out the larger of the two cages put all new bedding to remove any smell of any chin. Then I placed them back together into a fresh cage so neither would feel dominate for the other. This slow patient process seems to have made the transition of having a single chin to having two in the same cage.
Wife wants a female now………………………….
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Brian if you still are reading this. I was wondering how big your chins cage was and how much entertainment he has. If you keep them in too small of a place they will becomed stress and bored and act out on this behavior
January 4th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
hello I have a chinchilla who's name is misty
she is about 10 months old
i have had her since she was 2 months old
before i had her she was with my aunt for a month and she did not want her so gave her to me and before that a lady had her and my chin does not trust me i don't know whether this is because of the owners she had before. i am really calm with her and she runs round my room for an hour a day and i give her treats when she goes back and place them in my hands. She barks at me when ever i put my hand in her cage or try and get her out i cannot seem to be able to gane her trust and i realy love her and want her to like me.
please help me!!!!
January 4th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
my chinchilla has a lumpy bit in her fur don't know what to do you know what to do?
also one side of my chinchillas face there is only two whiskers and little stubby bits where the whiskers were before i don't know why thy are all going my dad said she may of bit them off do you know what may have hapend to them or is this normal?