Biting

[jess_w]

I have a chin who I think is going through puberty at the minute. He's recently started biting me when I put my hand into the cage. He was never the friendliest chin (generally prefers doing his own thing than being held) but now I am getting scared to pick him up because whenever I do he gets really upset and nips me until I put him down. He has always been squirmy but never aggressive until now.

Is there a way to discourage this behaviour? I really don't want it to carry through into his adult life - I know chinchillas aren't usually cuddly pets but I need to be able to pick him up in case I ever need to give him meds etc : (

 

[Rickman]

Get some leather gardening gloves - if you've no response to the biting, they stop!
Worked every time for me, even with a rescue that tried to draw blood!

 

[lauralynne]

I used Rickman's advice with one of mine, and it really did work. I would put the glove on and go about my business in the cage, doing food and things and would just ignore her when she tried to nibble and bite it.
She will now let me give her scritches for a few seconds (bare handed), but she is just not one that likes to be handled or touched. She just loves when you sit by the cage and talk to her.