i need help.!

[oh-beast]

okay so i just got my chinchilla today i named him biggie smalls.
but thats a diffrent story. okay so he is a rescue he was neglected he is missing a foot and is shy. how can i earn his trust.? and let him know i will not hurt him is so cute and fun to be a round i just would like him to open up to me. and he has matts i feel bad because he is such a nice chinchilla so if can help me earn his trust and get rid of his matts i would be very grateful.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

The most important thing to do is to let him get used to his surroundings. It sounds like he has had a very stressful life so far. But to earn his trust, you can start out by sitting next to his cage and just talk to him or read to him. Don't put your hands in the cage, just sit and talk or read. Do this for a few weeks and then you can open his cage, once again not putting your hands in there to touch him, but just sitting there and talking to or reading to him. After a few weeks, he may come to the door and look out at you or he may even jump onto your lap. It can take weeks to months for a chinchilla to feel safe enough to let you pick them up and pet them. But this is not even a guarantee that you will ever be able to "cuddle" with him or pick him up. Zoe, my beige, has let me pick her up once in the 7 months I have had her. Other than that, to get her out to clean the cage or for play time, I have to get her dust house out and let her jump in that and then take her to the play pen I have set up. It goes the same way when I have to put her back into the cage.

As for the mats,I know that 3 of my chins can get them out themselves by normal grooming routines and by dusting. Try giving him a dust bath a few times a week. Every 2 days works for my chins. How bad are the mats? if they are really big ones that look they may be pulling on the skin then you may have to have a vet deal with them.

Like I said, the most important thing is to let him adjust to his new surroundings and to earn his trust on his terms.

Good luck! And welcome to the world of chins!

 

[oh-beast]

thank you for your help. and his mats are pretty bad. and as far as dust bath he dont like them because the ppl we got him from shoved him in there and moved them with their hands they were not fit to own a chin and it upsets me that he feels scared

 

[Cuddlebug]

I would just leave the dust bath in his cage for about 10 - 15 minutes two or three times a week. Don't force him, just let him go to it in his own time. He will eventually realize that you are not going to treat him the way his last owner did.

 

[oh-beast]

okay i will but can i put the dust in a bowl because he seems like he dont like inclosed places

 

[Sesame]

You can use anything as a dust house. Even a shoebox or baking pan would work if he seems unsure about enclosed spaces.

 

[Laurie]

Time and patience is what is going to help you with this chin. Definitely let him get used to his surroundings for a few days. Don't try to pick him up or take him out of the cage for a couple of weeks for sure. Sit next to his cage and talk gently to him as much as you can, when he's awake. Hopefully dust baths will help with mats, but most likely you will have to comb them to get them out. Put the dust in an open containers such as pyrex dish and see if he'll go in it then. Just place it in his cage for awhile. He might be scared to go in there with you watching him.

You can also offer him healthy chin treats such as a plain cheerio, 1/2 of a plain shredded wheat or a dried rose hip and see if that helps him warm up to you.

 

[oh-beast]

thank you for your help all of you i will work with him n keep you all updated