deliamaj
love my chins!
so this is my big issue and i haven't seen anything about it anywhere. i am looking, somewhat desperately, for an electronic or ultrasonic bug repeller that is chin safe. most of them repel rats as well as bugs ... this can hardly be good for any other rodent, chins included. does anyone know if such a thing even exists? and if so, where i can find it?
now for a question you've heard before. i went through three or four months of posts and there was lots of advice on skittish chins ... and i'm still not sure what to do. i have had elena and tseng for almost three months, they are adoptees and i was told they are about 10.
tseng has warmed up to me somewhat. he will crawl on me when he is out, he will let me pet him if he is distracted by a cheerio, i have gotten him to crawl onto my hand or arm and picked him up for short periods of time, however i can only get him to do it once per playtime, if that, because the second time i try he is wary. someone somewhere mentioned holding them till they relax ... how do you tell if they are relaxed?
elena is a whole other story. the foster home they stayed at told me she was the easier chin to handle ... SO not the case. she spent two months being fearful and darting away from me at any sudden movement. the thing is they told me i had to hold her before i could take her home, to make sure i did it right, and i don't think she was prepared for that at all. if i laid still on the bed she might crawl up my leg or back, but if i moved toward her at all she took off running. if i offered my open hand slowly she might come sniff it looking for a treat (they learned super fast that this is how treats were offered, as it kept them from nipping my fingertips) but then dash away again.
then we had the "incident". i had an empty drawer i left cracked for them to hide in when they were out, and one day elena decided to get behind it. on her way back into the drawer she got stuck and kind of smooshed. (needless to say we don't play in there anymore.)
that meant a trip to the vet. i was afraid she'd broken a rib or something. the vet picked her up out of the carrier, did a physical check, and did an xray. considering how she reacts to the mere idea of being handled, this must have been pretty scary.
so nothing was broken but she was probably bruised and would heal with time, nothing they could do. since then she's extra super skittish and fearful. totally understandable. she hides almost the whole time she's out of the cage. but it's been 3 weeks and she's shown almost no sign of wanting to come out and run around. she darts if i look too hard in her direction. i feel like i am starting from scratch except i'm in the negative now. i have no idea how to start trust over again from here.
sorry this is the longest post ever but to get good advice i figured you'd have to know the whole situation. suggestions are super appreciated. thanks!!
Dani
now for a question you've heard before. i went through three or four months of posts and there was lots of advice on skittish chins ... and i'm still not sure what to do. i have had elena and tseng for almost three months, they are adoptees and i was told they are about 10.
tseng has warmed up to me somewhat. he will crawl on me when he is out, he will let me pet him if he is distracted by a cheerio, i have gotten him to crawl onto my hand or arm and picked him up for short periods of time, however i can only get him to do it once per playtime, if that, because the second time i try he is wary. someone somewhere mentioned holding them till they relax ... how do you tell if they are relaxed?
elena is a whole other story. the foster home they stayed at told me she was the easier chin to handle ... SO not the case. she spent two months being fearful and darting away from me at any sudden movement. the thing is they told me i had to hold her before i could take her home, to make sure i did it right, and i don't think she was prepared for that at all. if i laid still on the bed she might crawl up my leg or back, but if i moved toward her at all she took off running. if i offered my open hand slowly she might come sniff it looking for a treat (they learned super fast that this is how treats were offered, as it kept them from nipping my fingertips) but then dash away again.
then we had the "incident". i had an empty drawer i left cracked for them to hide in when they were out, and one day elena decided to get behind it. on her way back into the drawer she got stuck and kind of smooshed. (needless to say we don't play in there anymore.)
that meant a trip to the vet. i was afraid she'd broken a rib or something. the vet picked her up out of the carrier, did a physical check, and did an xray. considering how she reacts to the mere idea of being handled, this must have been pretty scary.
so nothing was broken but she was probably bruised and would heal with time, nothing they could do. since then she's extra super skittish and fearful. totally understandable. she hides almost the whole time she's out of the cage. but it's been 3 weeks and she's shown almost no sign of wanting to come out and run around. she darts if i look too hard in her direction. i feel like i am starting from scratch except i'm in the negative now. i have no idea how to start trust over again from here.
sorry this is the longest post ever but to get good advice i figured you'd have to know the whole situation. suggestions are super appreciated. thanks!!
Dani
