chinchilla is barking/spraying

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
L

lacoste890

Guest
Hi, I got a 3 month old chinchilla about 2 months ago and he is absolutely amazing. Recently I'm having some problems and I'm not entirely sure what to do. He has never really liked being held and at first he just did a little sound. Now it seems that whenever I put my hand in his cage he barks and sometimes even sprays. At times my chinchilla gives me mixed messages because some days he loves being scratched under his chin, but other days I can't get near him. He has a very large cage, great diet, and is let out to play almost everyday. I'm assuming he just doesn't trust me that much, and so I guess I'm asking what all of you think, and if that is the case what should I do? I've read many different things that would help like playing with him and letting him come to me, or hold him until he is calm but I'm just not sure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Aaron
 
I'm going to copy this from somewhere else, because it'll just be quicker. Forgive the she's in place of the he's. :)

If you got your chin 2 months ago and it's 3 months old, then you got your chin WAY too early from whever you got it. A chin should not leave it's mom until minimum 6-8 weeks unless there is a compelling reason for it (mom died, losing too much weight, etc.). The poor thing didn't even get enough nursing time in, no wonder he's upset and confused.

You need to have patience, patience, and when you run out of that, get more patience. In the end, it almost always pays off. You need to think of chins as chinavision. Fun to watch, but the interaction comes on their terms, not yours. In some respects they are similar to those cats who only come to you when they want attention, then when they have had enough, they leave.

Okay, that said, here is how I would go about trying to bond with your chin. First, start sitting by the cage and reading to them. Read the newspaper or a magazine, or the TV guide. The important thing is to let him hear your voice and learn that you're not going to hurt her. Hhe may not have been handled very much (or at all). If he came from a pet store, they were most likely poked, prodded, and mishandled before they came to you. He have a lot to "unlearn."

Second, after you have him accustomed to your voice, open the cage door and let your hand dangle in there while you read. He will come up to it eventually, and possibly nibble on it. Try, really hard, not to jerk your hand away when he nibbles. He isn't trying to eat you or be mean, he is checking you out. When chins groom each other, they chew on each other like that. It's totally normal. If he bites too hard, then yes, definitely remove your hand and there are some things you can do to help them stop that, but for now, let him explore.

Third, once he is coming up to you, bribe him! Don't use junk treats (raisins, papaya, lettuce, carrots, and any other host of treats not safe for an adult chin either), instead buy some bite sized, nonsugared shredded wheat or old fashioned (not quick) oats. If you use the shreddie, break it in half. Lay it on your palm, let him take it. After a day or two, try again, laying it on the back of your hand. Slowly work your way up your arm until she climbs up onto your shoulder. You do not want to overdo the treat stuff, so only do this every couple of days. Use treats very sparingly on him, especially since he's under 6 months of age.

Finally, try not to chase her around the cage. It just causes her to be distressed. Also, when holding him, hold her properly by grasping him at the base of the tail, right up near the butt, and putting your hand under the tummy for support.

After he seem more comfortable with you, and after he has grown a bit so he isn't using up needed calories, set up a chin safe play area. Bathrooms work great because they are self-contained. Make sure the toilet lid and seat are down, that there are no chemical bottles laying around, and that the bathroom is clean. Then shut the door and let herrun. Sit on the floor and read a book, and within a very short time he will be running up your leg, on your arm, your chest, possibly your shoulder and even your head! You just have to let him do it at his pace, not yours. The more you clutch, grab, and try to contain him, the more he is going to fight to get away from you.

Chins are extremely independent little guys, but still make wonderful pets. You just need to understand their temperaments so you aren't disappointed or frustrated. If you get frustrated or angry at her, she is going to know it and it's just going to make it worse.
 
Just a side note, are you sure your chin is a male? Most of the times it's the females that spray.

And I'll agree with Peggy, it's going to take some time to get your chin used to you. Sometimes it takes them months or even years. Some chins just don't like to be handled. Just take it slow.
 
Thanks for the information!

and sorry for not clarifying, but he was 3 months when i got him, but now he is around 5-6 months old.

I'll definitely try all of that. So is there really an appropriate time to start picking him up and whatnot? Or is it just when he is comfortable enough to sit in my hand?

and is the larger the play area, the better? or would a "smaller" play area be better so that I'm closer to him?
 
I'd say that you should be picking him up whenever you can. At this point you've had him long enough that you're not going to stress him too much by picking him up.

A smaller play area may be good so that you can spend time with him. It's always best if you can be present for playtime and allow the chin to interact with you. (I wish I could be there the entire time that all my chins have their playtime!)

I use a fleece pouch for my chins to get them to tame down and become used to being held. I'll just put a chin in the pouch and carry it around my neck so that the chins ride around in there as I do chores and other things. It seems to work out really well with rescues and babies...and Safron, who demands to be help or in the pouch all the time.
 
If he freaks out every time you pick him up, I personally wouldn't at this point. Forcing him to do something he is uncomfortable with isn't going to make him feel all that fond of you. I would work on talking with him, scritching him, etc., before I went farther. You can easily transport him to a play area using a dust bath, then allow him to come to you and crawl all over you on his own, instead of you forcing your way into his comfort zone.

Something may be bugging him too. Has anything changed recently? New pet, new sounds, new room? It's possible he's just hitting tweenhood, but he's a chin. He may be upset because the sky is blue today. :)
 
thank you very much for everything! I'm very excited to start reading to him =D

i'll definitely tell you how things go

Thanks again!

Aaron
 
Are you sure that your little boy in't a little girl? Its usually Girls that spray, not boys. I have a little boy and a little girl, and when they used to completely what-so-ever not get along she'd spray him, he looked as if he was going to , standing up on his hind legs, but he couldn't. Just check your chin, cause usually only girls spray.
 
If he freaks out every time you pick him up, I personally wouldn't at this point. Forcing him to do something he is uncomfortable with isn't going to make him feel all that fond of you. I would work on talking with him, scritching him, etc., before I went farther. You can easily transport him to a play area using a dust bath, then allow him to come to you and crawl all over you on his own, instead of you forcing your way into his comfort zone.

I completely agree that if he really doesn't like being picked up, you shouldn't force him to. Over the past year and a half, Zumi has become *MUCH* friendlier since I A) realized I could get her to go back to her cage with the dust bath rather than picking her up (can't believe it took me nearly two years with her to figure that out lol) and B) stopped trying to make her do something she obviously wasn't comfortable with.

Now, even though she still hates when I pick her up, she's incredibly friendly and loves attention. She always wants to be pet and she'll hop up on me when she's out and about. Recently she's discovered how to get up on the couch, which is cute but sometimes annoying if I'm trying to do homework and there's suddenly a chin in between myself and my book ;)

So, just because she doesn't like being handled, doesn't mean Zumi doesn't like me and isn't a good pet. You've got to work with them on their terms. Sure, you have to pick them up on occasion, but if your chin is really freaked out by it (Zumi starts to shake nervously) then only do it when you need to check him out to make sure he's healthy underneath all that fluff :D
 
Back
Top