Forced picking up vs waiting it out

[erinsamedi]

Hi everyone! I've had my little homie Tofu for about two weeks now and we are getting along great.

Here I was, prepared for my new chin to be shy, scared of me, etc. However, after 2 days he was soliciting me for scratches, after a week I was able to pet him pretty much wherever I want (even his back) and he's asking for petting regularly.

He has hopped on my shoulder briefly, and is really close to feeling comfortable walking around on my arms, but the second I try to move, he hops off the giant human bus and back into his cage. He seems to be comfortable in the environment and has explored the room and while he's not quite to the point where he's getting out of cage time EVERY day, I feel pretty comfortable letting him out to run around in my chin proof room for an hour or two on most days. He's already found his fave hidey places in my room and knows where I keep the treats. (In a tin box with a latch, but nice try with your tiny paws there, buddy.)

Now, i've read about two different schools of thought on the whole picking up your Chinchilla thing. The first is that you should just always wait until the chin is comfortable getting into your arms on his own and you should just quietly work with them, and if they never feel ok being held, that's a bummer but it is what it is.

The other camp seems to suggest that I should try picking Tofu up carefully in a safe quiet environment weather he's into it or not, so he gets used to it.

I do NOT want to manhandle him because we are really getting along great. I did have to grab him a few days ago for safety reasons, (i had to use the hold the tail base and lift the body method and I learned that tail grabbing makes me feel like a huge jerk.) and my roommate didn't know he was out and opened my door to ask me a question and I had to catch him before he went out, and he was pissed at me for like a day, (I can tell because he has one corner that is his sulking corner, where he'll go and turn his back on me and ignore me if he's angry at me.) but he got over it after a day.

Anyone want to weigh in on this? I don't really need him to be a cuddly lap pet, I just need to be able to hold him safely without him freaking out when needed. Eventually I will need to do a hair ring check and other matinence stuff where I'll need to hold him. Is it better to try to gently pick him up regardless to get him used to it? Or is it better to just wait out as long as it takes to get him to be ok sitting in my arms?

 

[Godofgods]

if you dont have to pick him up then dont. It could be that he is still getting used to you, or it could be that he hates being picked up.

If a chin is doing it then he will likely feel in control more. If your doing it then his prey instincts can come through and panic.

Either way, i would spend more time bonding.

I have had one male for about 8 years now. He went form a completely paranoid chin to the most friendliest of all the ones i have now. But he is still deathly afraid of being picked up. Nothing is going to change that for him.

Yet i remember seeing a chin in a petstore that ppl were looking at. He had no problems at all being held. And i did hold him for a good while.

If they are scared about it tho and you have to pick him up, you want to do it as fast as you can (but safe and gentile. They have fragile bodies) Prolonging it will only make there stress worse.

 

[EmilyLiliLove]

First, Wait it out...
My male Batman use to HATE being picked up to the point when i would put my hand near him he would try to bite. I sat with him daily for weeks letting him decide when he wanted to be held. Now i can pick him up and hold him, he even likes cuddling in my sweatshirt and sitting on my shoulder. I once even got him to fall asleep in my arms.
Just take your time. Good luck!

Yet i remember seeing a chin in a petstore that ppl were looking at. He had no problems at all being held. And i did hold him for a good while.

I once found a chin like this. He even crawled on my hand when i when to pick him up. It was SO had not to take him with me. I won't buy pet store chins when they are ok with putting them in an aquarium. I know it sounds mean but if i buy them it is encouraging them to get more. I feel so bad for them i hold the chins and guinea pigs every time i go in. i even had one pet store even yell at me for doing it and say if i am not going to buy one i am not allowed to hold them, I told them if they took decent care of the d**n animals i wouldn't feel compelled to hold them! Needless to say i am not allowed to go in there again. I just get so angry when i see all these animals being contained in improper cages, having the wrong food, plastic, etc. I couldn't hold it back. And no i am not sorry.

 

[ticklechin]

If you don't tame them, they will not become tame. I start handling new chins a couple of weeks after they arrive, every single one I have had (19) was tame and could be held by anyone for as long as they wanted. Some take longer than others to tame, but when ( and there will be a when) medical care is needed along with hand feeding you will be glad they ARE tame).

 

[PetoftheDay]

I agree that, as long as you are careful, and gentle, picking him up every day or a little bit is the best way to get him used to being held. Not every chin will come to love it, but they can get used to it, and calm about it, given time.

My rabbit (I know, not a chin, but smilier in some ways) was skittish about being held when I first got her, but I picked her up every day, held her until she was calm, and petted her the way she liked. After a time, I could pick her up and hold her with no struggle, no trauma for either of us, which made it much easier as she got older, too.

My husband did not do the every day thing, so she hated it when he would have to pick her up, and once even fooled him into thinking she was dead by going limp and cocking her head to the side. He was horrified, thinking he had inadvertently killed her somehow, set her down, and she instantly sprung "back to life" and hopped right back into the room she was not supposed to be in, which is why he had picked her up in the first place!

 

[Smidgeyy]

My second chin was super friendly as soon as I got him home. Within the first week of having him, he was jumping in to my hands and forcing me to hold him Lol. I just went with the flow and started picking him up. Now we have this game of 'hot potato'. He jumps in my hand and I put him back, then he does it again and even gets frustrated when I don't hold him. It's so funny because he just torpedoes are my hands. :'D

 

[PetoftheDay]

He jumps in my hand and I put him back, then he does it again and even gets frustrated when I don't hold him. It's so funny because he just torpedoes are my hands. :'D

Hee hee, we so need a picture of this! My bunny would toledo out of the carrier at the vet's office, but that was so she could bite anyone in a lab coat, sadly! They never believed me that she never bit anyone else!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Chins should get used to being picked up and held. If there is an emergency such as an injury, illness or, God forbid, a fire, are you going to stand there waiting for a chin to come to you who may never do so? Additionally, they will NOT get traumatized by being picked up, either by the tail or scooping them. I pick up all of my chins from day one. Not a one of them fears me even though some of them do not like being picked up or held. Instead they come to the front of the cage, asking for attention from me. Most chins will pout about it at first, but they soon learn to tolerate it and they quickly get over it. It really is in their best interest to get them used to being picked up and held as soon as possible.

 

[poha_b]

I am probably a horrible chin mom, but I like to bug my chin. He gets grumpy sometimes so I keep trying to scritch him and he'll pinch me with his teeth. It's OK, he does the same thing to me by rattling his cage bars, running too fast on his wheel. My chin likes to be picked up on his time, but they can be trained. If he wants outside of cage time, the deal is he has to sit on his pine house and I pick him up and let him out, he doesn't get to run out on his own. Of course, I snuggle him when I do pick him up. He knows the deal. Sometimes he doesn't want to snuggle, so he doesn't get out of cage time. I still sit next to his cage though and hand feed him hay or pellets, but he doesn't always want to come out. Like humans, they get in their moods.

 

[erinsamedi]

After reading the advice here, I decided to push it a little bit with Tofu. I made the call because I could tell from his personality that his negative reactions to being picked up were more out of irritation than fear based on his body language. (he does not cower, he just chitters at me, hops away, and then hops back to me hoping i'll scratch him instead of working on handling.)

I did pick him up two times since posting this and both times gently held him on my lap while watching TV for 5 min (once i got him there he didn't seem too put out by being there.), and while he does not enjoy the process of being picked up still, he IS voluntarily hopping into my lap while i'm watching TV now so that's cool. I'll count that as progress. Also he's a super drama queen. When he's actually afraid, he skitters around, hides in corners and avoids me. When he's being a drama queen, he runs up to me, tries to get attention and then will sulk really obviously if it's not the kind of attention he wants, then he'll check to see if i notice he's sulking.

 

[Teddykay]

I think trying to gently pick him about once a day is best. It shows and teaches them that there's nothing to be scared of when being held. I did this with my chin. When she would start squirming in my arms, I would immediately let her down. She's still not the biggest fan of being held but I think the daily pick-ups helped build trust. She always is wanting cheek and chest pets from me!

 

[Minccino]

I wouldn't exactly "force" pick up, but encourage it and "lure" him into it.

Baby steps.

First show your chin that hands aren't scary. Hold a treat or apple stick (whatever your chin is crazy for) in one hand, and try to lure him onto the other hand. Reward the chin for climbing onto your hand, and even if the chin only touches your hand at first.

Also, wait for opportunities. If you sit on the floor with your chin, he will explore you by sitting and jumping on you. If your chin is on your lap or shoulder, you have the chance to lift him up without having to chase him around (that is usually scary for chins). Once you have him in your arms, stand up with him for several seconds and then bring him back down to the ground and release him. Keep repeating this step so that your chin will learn that being picked up doesn't always mean he'll be going back into his cage.

It may be a good idea to use a fleece blanket at first, instead of your hands. It makes chins feel less threatened.

 

[riotheoleo]

Give it time. I've had my chin since the beginning of november and he despised being picked up. Now he hates being put down lol. Occasionally I had to force pick him up but it didn't affect our "bonding" in a way. I got another chin on saturday and he hates being touched atm but I'm sure he'll warm up to me soon.

 

[deliamaj]

My chin Elena despises being picked up. Or touched by my hands in any way. I've come to accept this over the course of a few years. Unfortunately this makes getting her into the carrier very difficult. The problem with picking her up to get her used to it is, I can't catch her. I've tried to lure her onto my hand and she wasn't having it. I've tried to just get her used to being petted and she runs away every time I try. I don't want to chase her around the cage to pet her or pick her up because she hates being chased, and I can't catch her anyway, she's too fast and too smart. I have pretty much stopped trying with the luring and petting because she so clearly hates it. Should I go back to trying? Elena is 12 and pretty stuck in her ways. Are there any special techniques for obstinate chins?

 

[Incadory]

Aww, Tofu sounds cute, I'm glad he is reacting well to being picked up.

Unfortunately, I belong to the chinchilla owning group that never picks their chins up. My first chinchilla was pretty set against it, and would squeak at me whenever I would try. Really though, I feel like I might be more terrified of picking them up than they are of me picking them up. I have read about their floating rib cages, and I guess I'm under the impression that their bones are made of glass. I have tried to scoot their feet onto my hand with the base of their tail, but even the smallest of signs of displeasure just makes me let go so fast.
Occasionally I'd offer my old chinchilla a ride down on my back whenever she climbed something I deemed too high. But even that follows the whole "chinchilla bones are made of glass" mentality.

It's encouraging to see that other people are having the same issue with picking up their chins, and that patience and persistence working through it helps. I think I'll set a long-term goal with my chinchilla of getting comfortable picking her up, and vice versa of course.

Thank you for posting Tofu's progress, I was just wondering about this myself earlier today, and it is really helpful reading about someone else's progress with their chin. C:

 

[Shenanigans]

Yuki didnt like being picked up at first, but we got to know each other and he's -Id say resigned to it more now. You can see in his face "sigh, well Ive got to get on her hand now" but I reward his getting on my hand with "walks" where I carry him around the house. Since he usually only gets out in his room, he likes seeing all the different stuff. He's fine being held-always has been- its just the initial picking up he didnt like. Make sure youre picking them up correctly, while not "made of glass" fragile, they are delicate. And it's nicer to be scooped up that grabbed- less of a prey getting eaten imitation.