Frustrated beyond relief..

[chinlover10112]

It's okay to get frustrated just remember he's only got you for his attention. I also only have 1 chinchilla & he's 12yrs old now. When they're by themselves they need a lot more physical & verbal attention. I say good morning & good night to him every day. He loves it & looks forward to those moments. I talk to him every time I'm in the room (except for afternoons) & hold him once a day. It sounds like he really does enjoy seeing you but chin's don't express themselves like other animals. Remember by nature they're independent & intelligent animals. You can train the chin easily it just takes some time & patience. My chin responds to his name even when running, we play peek a boo while he's out, he hops into my hands to be let out of his cage and a few more fun ones. How did you train him to accept treats or being held?

Also I appreciate you wanting to give him variety in the surrounding but outside just isn't safe. Maybe try letting him run in different rooms that you've proofed for him. That could provide the variety. Also giving him a new chew toy every week can also provide some variety. Chins strive on routine & look forward to patterns in our behavior. Hope this helps some.

Thanks! How I've been training him is I'll stick the treat (raisin) in between my teeth and entice him into my hands. Once he is in my hands, I put my other hand on his back and hold him then he takes the treat from my teeth. He is used to it now. Lately I've been giving him new toys each week which has been keeping him busy.

 

[lilcutie0480]

Okay, the way I trained my chin was a process but he trusts me more than anything. I started with just giving him treats through the cage to establish trust. Then I'd put the treat in the palm of my hand, once he would happily jump in my hands I started putting the treat up higher & higher on my arm. This is really one of the ways I also established trust with him. He knew I wouldn't hurt him & to consider my a comfort/safe.

A easy way to see how much of a bond you've established with your chin is if he will let you touch/pet/stroke his tail. Given their tails are a fragile part of them & they must really trust you that you won't hurt them.

Also when I let my boy run I'm always around. I let him jump all over me & play with him. Since he doesn't have a cage mate to play with while out & I make sure it's fun to play besides the running.

 

[ticklechin]

Using raisins as a training tool is going to result in a sick chin, that and IMO human saliva can have some nasty stuff in to that could also make a chin sick-one thing that comes to mind is herpes simplex 1, it can be transmitted from human to chins and chin to human, its a horrid death that kills in a short period of time. Human saliva is listed as toxic to birds so I see no reason why it should not be for chins. I train chins with nothing but love, aids are not needed.

 

[ticklechin]

One other thing I thought about in regards to human spit, chinchillas do not naturally carry cariogenic bacteria in their mouths, meaning bacteria that can cause dental caries and tooth decay, humans do and by introducing your own spit to theirs you are giving a potential threat of dental issues in the future. Once these bacteria are introduced they will metabolize carbohydrates which produce lactic acid as a waste product. This acid will lower the pH in the mouth and will dissolve calcium salts out of enamel producing a roughened tooth surface, something for bacteria to easily stick to. Once the bacteria damage the dentin, the dentin is also food source for bacteria and the tooth crown is gradually destroyed, the tooth will fall out and then you are opening up the door for malocclusion. Sounds drastic, but really chinchillas have enough problems with teeth so whatever we can do to prevent issues we should.

 

[sheri7]

I also have the playpen gate and it was THE BEST thing I ever bought. Well worth every penny! Keeps them where you want them and away from things they can chew. I don't use the top, I just configure it around the room the way I want. I would definitely recommend this and you can even buy extra panels for a bigger area. I always make sure to keep thing they can climb on away from the edges becasue they could easily jump over it with a little launching help. But for the most part they don't even try anymore

http://www.ferret.com/cages/playpens/889/

Hi, I only let my girls play in a chin proofed room because they will chew on everything because that is their nature. You can't train a chin not to chew on certain things. I bought the 11 panel play pen from ferret.com http://www.ferret.com/cages/playpens/889/

How often do you let your chin out to play? He may not be getting enough exercise. I let my girls out at the same time every day for about 30 min to an hour depending on how much energy they have. I also found that once I put a chin safe wheel in the cage that they were able to run whenever they wanted to once they figured out what the strange thing I'd put in their cage was. As far as the food dish goes my girls did the same thing until I found a bowl that attaches to the side of the cage. I got a great dish from petsmart in the bird section that attaches to the side so they can't make a mess. He's probably not doing it on purpose but is just using it to catapult himself to another area of the cage. Also how big is his cage? He may not have enough room to play and jump around in his cage which will make him unhappy I try to keep my girls on a pretty strict schedule so they know when feeding time is and play time is. This makes them more comfortable because they know they'll be let out to play at the same time every day. I may miss a night sporadically but I accepted the fact that they need a pretty strict regime to stay healthy and happy. I'm not sure if a salt lick is good for chins either. I may be wrong and hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I'm by no means an expert but just wanted to share some of my experiences with you. I know that there are hay holders that attach to the outside of the cage so your chin wont be able to go to the bathroom in his hay. I hope this helps and hope that you don't dump your boy off onto someone who doesn't know anything about the animals and will not care for him properly.