Holding chinchillas...

[Filia]

During playtime, they love to crawl all over me and they don't mind it when I touch or pet them. I have picked them up before, but only when I had to (escapes and such)...They would sit in my hands for only a minute before they would start wiggling...I would really like to hold them more, but should I? I understand that chinchillas like having wills of their own and such...but is it possible for them to get used to it and actually enjoy it?

I hear of so many people who say: "My chinchilla sits on my lap and watches TV with me"...and then I see Youtube videos of really 'lax chins just sitting in peoples hands and laps and I really want a chin like that :s

When I got my chins, I understood that they're not the best pets for cuddling...but after seeing other's chin's I'm just wondering how possible it actually is xD

 

[Amethyst]

It really seems to vary from chin to chin, each chin's personality is different, pretty much as different as humans. I've had some that actually loved being held and cuddled and others that hated every minute of handling. You can get them use to being held but some just never really enjoy it. Another thing you might want to remember is that chins don't sweat and can over heat so sitting on your hands is going to feel pretty warm to them, the human body is about 98F. They do better accepting sitting on your lap, arm or shoulder, hands radiate heat.

 

[dayofhope]

It really depends on the individual chinchilla. The ones you've seen were not trained for that or anything, they were just naturally more calm. The majority of chinchillas do not like to be held and would much rather run around, but there are exceptions.

I've found that my chin tolerates being held, but she's not the type to just sit on my lap. By your description, I'm guessing your chins are similar. If you want to hold them, just be slow and don't force it. Let them go when they decide it's time to run, and don't fight to keep holding them or anything like that. Maybe try holding them for as long as they allow before playtime. Be careful not to drop them, of course! If you're worried about that, sit down on the floor.

 

[Mimichi]

Mimi could sit there for scritches and crawl all over me all day, but she can only tolerate being held for maybe five seconds before trying to escape. So I never pick her up unless it's absolutely necessary. Though I'm content with being able to give her as much lovin' as I want. c:

 

[Jazicat]

The first chinchilla I ever met sat on me for close to an hour. He was amazing because he just sat and slept while I pet him. I now have three boys and they would never do this. Sitting still is not in their nature but mutual grooming is. When my chinchillas are out I try and give them scratches. During the day I will reach in their cage and give them snuggles too. I never try to hold them still because they hate it but if they are sitting on me will sometimes let me for a minute or two. They are calming but it's slow and has been three years. Oscar who is five has made some amazing progress lately and is starting to really like pets. Edgar came to us as a baby and is a wild one at almost four he still acts like a teenager. He's only still if he's sleeping or watiching TV. Jackie is the sweetest and was almost two when we got him. He will sit on us and get pets but again he won't be held still if he can prevent it. Having three is interesting because it just shows how each is different. I guess after all this my advice is to try petting while they sit on you or near you. With patience you will more likely get there than if you try and force anything.