how to stop chin from escaping?

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tealover

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
5
hi everyone~

i have a cute chinchilla for almost a week, he is 11 weeks and start play with us a little bit now, but it always take a long time to take him out for play time and he is crazy about getting out now.....

i tried to train him jump in and out, but every time he just try to avoid us and escape. i am getting frustrated now.. don't know what to do.... can anyone offer some advise on it?

also, he seems more enjoy escape,rather than bond with us... is that normal? how long it usually takes before the chin let you hold them or jump on you? he is now only coming close for food, and will steal the food and runs away :{
 
Ok well first of all 11 weeks old is almost too young to be separated and away from his mother. Second of all you've only had him for one week and he should not be out for play time at all at this age. He is still a very young baby and growing and should be using all his calories for growing and not using them up coming out for playtime. Owning anything for one week is not long enough to train it. I usually tell new owners not to handle or hold their new chinchillas for at least 3 weeks. He needs to get used to his cage and his new surroundings. He needs to get used to you and comfortable with you instead of coming out for playtime. And even then he should not be out for any kind of playtime until he is at least 6 months old, preferably older
 
11 weeks if fine for a chin to be away from mom. Most breeders wean at 8 weeks... Other than that, I agree with most of Laurie's post. Let him settle in and give him time to adjust to his new home before allowing him out for playtime, and allow him to take this time to grow...
 
To help him get used to you, you can try what my wife does she will just sit next to the cage and talk to them. Offer some hay thru the bars and just be around so that they are used to your presense.
 
Ok well first of all 11 weeks old is almost too young to be separated and away from his mother. Second of all you've only had him for one week and he should not be out for play time at all at this age. He is still a very young baby and growing and should be using all his calories for growing and not using them up coming out for playtime. Owning anything for one week is not long enough to train it. I usually tell new owners not to handle or hold their new chinchillas for at least 3 weeks. He needs to get used to his cage and his new surroundings. He needs to get used to you and comfortable with you instead of coming out for playtime. And even then he should not be out for any kind of playtime until he is at least 6 months old, preferably older

oooooo!! thank you sooo much for your reply~ i got him from a breeder, he separate the chins from mom at 10 weeks anyway and the enviroment there seems not good, another chin have loose poop so i see the poop is all over him, that is why we bring him back earlier.... he is a very sweet boy, always try to see what are we doing and i tried my best stay with him as long as possible since it is winter break now....

so for current situation, do i need stop play time?( he seems really like it) and what else should we do now? much appreciate!!!
 
He thinks you are going to eat him, it takes a chin awhile to figure out you are not.

really.... sigh....

thanks soooo much for all of you, you are just tooo sweet.~~ and i reallized that too,,,, i should let him play with me first >.<
 
Training takes a lot of time and patience. He'll be fully capable of learning more as he gets older, but he may never like being held. Some do, some don't.

so how can i give them freedom and keep them safe? if he will come to me when i need him go back cage, i have no problem to let him jump around...
 
so how can i give them freedom and keep them safe? if he will come to me when i need him go back cage, i have no problem to let him jump around...

As everyone else said, he shouldn't have playtime or a wheel until he is over 6 months old because he needs to use that energy for growing, so freedom's out for now. Use this time to bond with him while he's in his cage and allow the trust to develop. Talking, reading and singing to him are all good ways to allow him to know you better. Keep a TV or music on at all times in the room that he's in. It'll keep him calmer. Once he's old enough, you can get him a playpen or let him out for playtime in a smaller room (bathroom is common). Both will "force" him to interact with you rather than this gigantic new space.

Once he understands that his cage is HIS space (probably a few weeks), you can sit with your arm in his cage, palm down and give him time to investigate you without fear of being grabbed. The goal is to build trust, not handle your new little furkid. They don't trust movements that they don't understand and you're very new to him. He needs to watch you just as much as you need to watch him. It could take days, weeks or months for him to get to the point where he realizes that you're safe, but he'll get there as long as you're patient.

The whole world is new, smells strange, looks strange and there are gigantic hands trying to grab him. Getting him to "go home" on command will take a while. If my experience is any indication, it ranges from 10 months to 2 years. He's still a baby, so you're really going to need to give him some time and remember not to rush him. The only things you'll be able to teach him over the next few months are his name and "no". He'll learn his name if you repeat it before everything and use it as often as you can in "conversation" with him. When he gets it, praise him with "You're a good boy, X!" That will help him to understand both what you're praising him for and your voice inflections. Anytime he tries to jump out of the cage, put your hand directly in front of him and firmly say "NO". When he stops pushing, praise him. Consistency builds trust, and consequently understanding. Once he has those two down (again... months, not days or weeks), you can move on to others. I think "step up" and "step down" are the easiest actual commands to start with, but his actions may give you other ideas. You just need to wait for him to do something and then you choose a word to associate with that behavior.

As long as you work with him and don't rush him, you'll have a trusting, happy chin. Just try not to get blinded by the cuteness. That's how they train you to let them get away with murder. :))

Good luck!
 
As everyone else said, he shouldn't have playtime or a wheel until he is over 6 months old because he needs to use that energy for growing, so freedom's out for now. Use this time to bond with him while he's in his cage and allow the trust to develop. Talking, reading and singing to him are all good ways to allow him to know you better. Keep a TV or music on at all times in the room that he's in. It'll keep him calmer. Once he's old enough, you can get him a playpen or let him out for playtime in a smaller room (bathroom is common). Both will "force" him to interact with you rather than this gigantic new space.

Once he understands that his cage is HIS space (probably a few weeks), you can sit with your arm in his cage, palm down and give him time to investigate you without fear of being grabbed. The goal is to build trust, not handle your new little furkid. They don't trust movements that they don't understand and you're very new to him. He needs to watch you just as much as you need to watch him. It could take days, weeks or months for him to get to the point where he realizes that you're safe, but he'll get there as long as you're patient.

The whole world is new, smells strange, looks strange and there are gigantic hands trying to grab him. Getting him to "go home" on command will take a while. If my experience is any indication, it ranges from 10 months to 2 years. He's still a baby, so you're really going to need to give him some time and remember not to rush him. The only things you'll be able to teach him over the next few months are his name and "no". He'll learn his name if you repeat it before everything and use it as often as you can in "conversation" with him. When he gets it, praise him with "You're a good boy, X!" That will help him to understand both what you're praising him for and your voice inflections. Anytime he tries to jump out of the cage, put your hand directly in front of him and firmly say "NO". When he stops pushing, praise him. Consistency builds trust, and consequently understanding. Once he has those two down (again... months, not days or weeks), you can move on to others. I think "step up" and "step down" are the easiest actual commands to start with, but his actions may give you other ideas. You just need to wait for him to do something and then you choose a word to associate with that behavior.

As long as you work with him and don't rush him, you'll have a trusting, happy chin. Just try not to get blinded by the cuteness. That's how they train you to let them get away with murder. :))

Good luck!

thank you sooo much!
 
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