Need Help with Soecial needs Chin

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Gburkus

New member
Joined
Dec 18, 2018
Messages
1
Hello!

I recently adopted a second chinchilla, and it turns out he was very stressed and has some issues I’m trying to work out. He does not chew his fur but he chews his tail fur, it’s growing back and I’ve only seen him do it once since being here - that was right when he got here.

He is a HAM! He loves his chin to be scratched, always comes up to us, but he does not like to be held or picked up at all. He is 3, and I let him out twice a day for an hour (alone, keeping my chins separate forever, don’t want babies or think he should be caged with another chin at all or have babies at all, he needs healing).

But when he is out he is so active, running like a mad chin, loves coming up to get head scratches and treats. He even climbs up on us the odd time. When I got him they tried to tell me chins get most water from fruits and veggies and only dust bath once a week. Now I never give Madison any fresh fruit or veggies, I was under the impression it is to watery for them. He is eating and drinking fine, I really think he will make a speedy recovery!

But I do need help, Madison is so loving and let me handle and pick her up since day one, but no luck with Giz! Last night I got very concerned about this because my boyfriend went to go put him back and gizmo lost a lot of fur. When I put him back he is in his litter box so it’s easy to put him back, but I really need help with how to get him back in the cage without getting terrified and losing fur if we try to pick him up. He just let us start petting his back inside his cage earlier this week which shows lots of trust growth. I just really need help with some methods on how to get him back after playtime and get him used to being picked up.
 
For now, I'd just use the dust bath to move him back into the cage. He's still very new to your house - it's going to take him time to adjust. With time, he should get over being terrified every time you put him back. If he doesn't, there's nothing wrong with using the dust bath. Lots of people do. :)
 
Aside from using the dust bath, you could use a box if you are able to scoop him up. Sometimes the chin gets suspicious of the dust bath and realizes dust bath equals going back in my cage. What I do, since I dust them in another room which is also the room they get to play in, and I have two of them to transport at a time, is I scoop them up into a closable cardboard box, like the kind you can get at a pet store for a new pet https://www.petsmart.ca/cat/crates-gates-and-containment/carriers/grreat-choice-adoption-box-pet-carrier-5396.html, I use an old Build-A-Bear box. That way you aren't holding him for long, and he can get use to longer and longer handling over time before being put in the box to go back to the cage. You can also try corralling him into the box, or baiting the box with a new chew stick, hay, or a small treat at the end of play time so he goes in on his own sometimes.
 
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