getting used to being held

[Sugarised]

Any tips on getting your chin used to being held? I took starrkey the vets today for a general check up and it was commented on that he is a bit too squirmy. I presume i need to try holding him more (i'm trying to hold on to him for a little longer when im taking him from cage to bathroom for playtime) but are there any other tips, he wont eat treats when i'm holding him as he likes to go in a corner and use both hands to eat, so he's not confident enough to just sit on his back legs in my arms....i also have a distinct problem that my hands/arm space is tiny, so he may not feel safe/i struggle a little in making him feel supported (im guessing). He's only going to get bigger too as he's a young un.

Lol i see these you tube videos of people picking up their chins with one swift scoop, my hands are too small for it! Rubbish!

 

[Pleiades]

Have you tried tiny, healthy treats...like rolled oats? They are so small that sometimes the chin doesn't feel the need to have to go somewhere else to eat them. I keep some in a shirt pocket and only give the reward when they are NOT being squirmy. You don't want to reinforce the squirmy behavior.

Try to hold him firmly (snugly) against your chest with the feet supported. If they feel like they're not going to fall, they usually calm down.

Most of all, just hold Starrkey every day!

 

[AK23]

I guess it depends on what you are looking for. If you want a chin who will let you hold him regularly, it probably isn't going to happen because they usually don't like it. If you want to get him to the point where he trusts you enough to not squirm too much if you need to pick him up, maybe slide your hand under his belly and firmly grab him by the base of the tail, then hold him close to your body so he feels secure. Also, ThreeWingedFury (that is her username) on here sells bonding pouches that you can carry your chin around in. I haven't gotten one yet, but it seems like a neat idea. I think it is best to put him in it when he is kind of sleepy, so that he can sleep in the pouch while you walk around with him. That might be a way to get him used to being carried. Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[Marie5656]

I think, also, they have to be in the mood to be held. Trixie will allow her self to be snuggled when I had carry her to her cage after play..usually. Sometime she is just to anxious to get back home. Last night, though she seemed to welcome the cuddle. She settled right into my arm..and even let me sit with her for a while before asking to go back home. When she was younger she loved when my husbad held her..he has these big hands, and she really felt comfortable. she would even cak at me if I tried to take he back before she was ready.

 

[Sugarised]

hes not an active chin, but i know they aren't always big on cuddles, but i dont want him to injure himself from wriggleing so much, especially as a good a grip i may have, its easy to escape my hands (serously i wear age childrens gloves....but then again children hold chins so i shouldn't really struggle) but just for ease of movement and his safety, id love to be able for him to feel comfy enough to sit on me and not leg it, but that may never happen. But simple things like health checks and getting him in and out the cage as i dont want him injuring his legs etc.
Chin pouch sounds epic! its something i wondered if it existed...seems it does, he'd prolly hate it at first, but it might help in feeling secure whilst constantlly being around my smell and knowing its safe? thanks for that tip!

 

[Laurie]

Oh my lord! A bit too squirmy? Clearly ANOTHER vet who really doesn't know much about the chinchilla. Most chins are squirmy, they don't like to be held. I only have a couple out of my 9 chinchillas that don't squirm when being held. Mick St. John and Wesley are both very, very sweet boys, they come to you when the cage is open and will happily sit in your lap BUT try to hold them and oh my goodness you are in for it! Wesley tries to jump right out of your arms no matter where he is.

But when holding a chinchilla the best approach is to hold them underneath with your palm against their belly, never let their back feet dangle--this they do not like at all. While holding them also hold onto the base of the tail where it meets the rump, never at the tip. This should help them feel as if they are secure and might help them be less squirmy.

 

[Sugarised]

yeah i hold him in the ways you guys are saying, hes ok for about a minute, then i think hes waiting for me to relax and so he attemps freedom and squirms and bunny kicks

 

[ticklechin]

You have to have them and handle them daily for a LONG time to get them to be cuddle bugs, it can be done, all the ones I have had for 7+ years can be held like babies and I am working on my new ones!

 

[Isabella Whateva]

I have the same problem with my chin

I have noticed though, mine doesn't like being held in my bare arms. She comes to me a lot easier if I'm wearing a hoodie.

 

[Sugarised]

ooh ticklechin that gives me hope, as as he's not active and looooves tickles, itd be so much easier if he'd sit on me so i can give him scritches without my arm going numb (he sits at the top of his cage, loves fuss, but is like ''you're coming to me!" ive just assumed that itll take a long time mainly due to their lifespan; the connection may sound bizarre, but i compare him to a cat, cats won't really be trained, and they like things on their own terms, but in time they trust you and eventually realise that owner= food, treats, cuddles, playtime etc.
I havent had him all that long to be moaning about trust issues, if id known someone 2 weeks i wouldn't fully trust them either! but i just wanted to try and get a routine in place so that the learning to trust thing can happen a lot smoother and he can realise i am good for him, he makes things awkward by not being overly fussed by treats, dustbath and fuss- if he doesnt want to do something nothing will tempt him!

 

[Pleiades]

Another thing if building trust is really important: never chase him. Ever. They will remember for a looooong time. If you need to get him out of the cage before he's ready to hop onto your hands, you can lure with a treat. The dust bath always works too. It's also important to just rest your hands in the cage- that way he won't always associate your hands being in the cage with something he doesn't like (being picked up).

Your chin sounds normal, though. They're all squirmy, at least in the beginning.

 

[Sugarised]

ahh you should see a thread ive just done on antics....ooooh he'll come to my hands alright (then jump over my shoulder and escape) he'll crawl up them, but i think he sees chasing as a game (not in the cage, but in the chin-room to get him back in the cage). He does a kind of peek-a-boo with his bath (the lure- mine isnt an igloo style one, its like an actual bath) as i slowly try to bring my hands towards him for pick up, he'll stop, stare at me, ill pause...he'll roll again, ill move in closer....he really is a child!

 

[harbingerofdoom]

i also have two chins that want nothing to do with being held. given time and making sure that my movements inside the cage are just deliberate and showing no hesitation i have seen a lot of change in both their attitudes and they are starting to be more social towards me. still cant just pick them up, but they now come to me when i open the cage door rather than run away... its taken about a month just to get them to that point... picking them up? going to take even longer...

time and repetition are going to be your best bets in this area id say.

 

[Jazicat]

Edgar will let me snuggle him but he never wants to be held. I try and have some quiet time with him after play time so we can bond. I think this is working since he's finally letting me scritch his head. I like your thoughts about just being patient as I know that only time creates the intimacy that creates true trust.

Also my vet kept holding to a minimum as she had a chinchilla in the past and knew that he wouldn't be still for very long. I think your vet just wants him to behave to make his job easier.