Bonding with my Chin

[K-man21]

I've had my chinchilla for less than a week and I was curious if there's anything I can do to help her bond to me. She was abused by her first owners. They had a child that would put her in a ball and kick her across the house, spray her with water, and even broke a piece of her tail off from spinning her by the tail. She doesn't bark or anything and is quite nice, but she doesn't like being picked up at all and won't even eat anything from my hands(i.e. Pellets, fruit, hay, or sunflower seeds). I have a decent sized play pen set up for her where she can play for an hour a night(I don't have a chin-proof room yet), she has some little things to play with and a hanging stack of wood with a bell on it, but she doesn't seem to enjoy any of them and instead just runs around sniffing the edges. I try to pick her up and hold her for 15mins or so every night before I put her up. She doesn't like it too much and keeps trying to hop over my arms and will put her teeth on me if she can't get over(she doesn't bite, yet).

What do I do to get her used to me and the environment easier??

 

[perabalaofmystery]

well i would say its going to take time. and lots of it. first off the prior treatment of the chilla was horrible. so that will effect her.
try taking to her when you r around the cage. so she gets used to your voice. if shes old enough give her treats occasionaly and just put your hands in the cage to let her get used to you.

15 min in my opinion is a very long time to just hold a chilla. plus added to the fact some chillas dont ever like being held. maybe you should try holding her for a shorter time.
a method i personaly used was putting me and my chins in the bathroom and laying on the floor and playing with them. they started to bond with me that way. they got used to my scent and began to have fun hopping all over me.

chins take time to adjust to situations i would expect it to take several weeks before shes used to the enviroment. i had a chin that it took 4 months and alot of patience for her to settle in. where as my other chin only took a week.

i hope this helps.

 

[jess32247]

A lot of chins don't like being picked up. Personally, I wouldn't stress her out like that, espiecally if you've only had her for a week. Leave her in her cage to adjust for a couple days before you start bonding, it's a lot for a new chin to take in with all new smells, sounds, people, ect.

For play time, again I would let her settle in first before you let her out. She can go a couple more days/weeks without playtime and be perfectly fine. She's probably stil curious about her new surroundings so you havn't seen her true colors yet, meaning she'll start opening up and becoming more playful and trust worthy once she settles in.

It helped a lot when I got my chin to sit by her cage for a couple hours a day and talk to her. It's unbelieve how much my chin enjoyed that, she still loves it when I do it today! If you run out of things to say, then read a book, it helps a lot! Also, don't be detered if she doesn't start bonding with your right away. It can take a few months or a few years for her to start trusting you, espeically after what she's been through.

A side note, what kind of things are you giving her? You said fruits and sunflower seeds, things they cannot have. It's best to avoid fruits as they are way to sugary for chins and can cause gut/teeth problems. I'm not sure about sunflower seeds, but I would stay away from them too.

Anyway, just want to say THANK YOU for taking her in! It's so sad what she's been through, I'm glad she's in loving hands! What's her name and how old is she?

 

[K-man21]

As of right now, except when I would take her out for play time, I would just spend a few minutes a day putting my hands in there. She just smells them and puts her paws on them for a bit then runs to her wheel and runs on it. After that she'll just sit there and look at me, so that's when I'll talk to her. If I leave the cage door open and sit by it she'll come poke around. That's when she wants my hands, curiosity to explore I'm guessing lol.

I'll wait till she gets more used to my hands to take her out to play and all. When I start doing that I'll start her off with small amounts of time till she gets used to that as well. I fully expect it to take awhile for her to bond due to her past. I just didn't want her to get lonely in there because I've been informed they're playful.

Aside from the fruits and seeds, she has pellets. She gets hay from time to time, which she seems to love. I had no idea the fruits were bad. I was told by the people who rescued her that she loves them so they would give her some every now and then, mostly for nutrients. As for the seeds, I don't know. She usually just cracks them open, tosses the shell, and eats what's inside. But I'll stop giving her those now.

I felt bad about her situation but she looks healthy now which is good I have no clue how old she is, the people we got her from weren't told. I was thinking of bringing her by a vet to get her checked up. Her name's Chilly, I was going to change it until I noticed she knows he name lol. Perks up everytime I say it.

Thanks for the advice guys I'll keep everyone updated as she adjusts.

 

[DevnChip]

Sounds like you've got a good plan and you got good advice from others. I just want to add that if you stay with the fruit, keep in mind that we all like what we shouldn't have and only give her one small piece once a week or so - if at all. Many will say "absolutely no fruit! Period!".

Chins love sticks as treats and need hay, so don't limit the hay. Consider your attention a treat as well and don't expect anything from her in return. Be consistant with your actions around and in the cage so your chin can learn to expect what you will do. It may take months (and I'm talking most of a year) before you make any noticeable progress but if you're always gentle, she'll change her behavior in positive ways.

Good luck to both of you! Looking forward to reading your updates.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I agree - give her unlimited quality pellets, hay and chew sticks. A good treat which should be limited is unfrosted spoon sized shredded wheat and rose hips