UPDATE: So, as of Saturday I have had her for 3 weeks. I'm sad to say we have not made much progress
I've stopped the treats and playtime and have been hand-feeding her pellets. She will run up to my hand, snatch away the pellet and run into a corner. When I try to pet her, she jerks her head and twitches to try and bite my finger. If she ever crawls onto my hands or arms and I try to lift her up, she will immediately jump down and run to the corner. I've tried just sitting next to the cage and talking, and talking while I hand feed her but I just can't seem to get her to want to jump into my arms or jump onto me. Should I try harder to pick her up and give her food when she comes? Or should I continue to let her snatch and run? I'm at a loss for ideas. Also when I don't feed her and just hold out my hands for her to sniff and climb on, she will bite them-not nibble-BITE! And it hurts! I'm sad to say I'm truly frustrated and feel like I got the meanest girl in the bunch
Of course I know they're not cuddly pets but she won't even use me as a perch. She doesn't seem to like me at all.
Chin mommy is sad, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I've had my chins for almost 5 months now. Granted, I adopted adults, so it's a bit different, but still, 3 weeks is nothing.
I know it's a bit sad when they won't come to accept you right away, but you've got to give them some time.
In my case, my girl is really friendly. It took her about a week to accept being petted occasionally. At first, I wanted to give them about a month to get used to their new environment and me before I took them out to play, but she made clear she was ready to get out much sooner, making attempts at climbing on top of my head/hands/shoulders only 2 weeks after I got her. I've had to be careful with her, though, she's extremely clever, and has found ways to slip by my once or twice. If yours also seems to be very clever, never underestimate her. Or underestimate just how small a space chins can actually fit in.
My boy, on the other hand, is shy and easily startled. At first, he would scream every time I opened the cage, and would try to bite me if my hand came too close for comfort. That went on for a few weeks. Then, slowly, he learned that I would not try to grab him, and than more often than not, my hands held food/hay/treats/chewing toys (he's not picky at all when it comes to what he'll take). The screaming died down, the teeth clanking and biting followed. Now he's much more affectionate than the girl. I still have to take it slow with him...but he's coming around, at his own pace.
Funny story: first time I took him to the vet after he grew attached to me, as soon as his check up was over, the brought him back to the waiting room I was in. According to the vets, he was really good about the entire check up, but the second he saw me he turned around and started screaming at the vets. He would calm down when I talked to him, but the second the vet spoke up, he went right back to screaming. It was really funny/cute. Almost like he was saying "You won't believe what these people did to me...!!!"
