Is this love?

[jonn13]

Ok,
I have two chin girls (Maisy and Daisy).
Maisy is just your normal chin.
Daisy is kinda 'special". She is Hyper and really does not sleep all day like Maisy.
She is up half the day sometimes, it is like she only takes naps.
But that is not what I am asking about......
When I put my hand in the cage, she will come up to my hand and stand on her back legs. Then she will take little steps till she is right against my hand and put her front paws on my hand. If I move my hand back a little she will walk right back up to it (same little shuffle walk) and get as close as she can to my hand but will not let me pet her without running away.
I hope this makes sense.
Any Ideas what that is all about?
By the way, I am a new to chins.
I have only had them both for about 4 months.
The both are about 7 months old.

 

[jmdebb]

Not sure if this is it, but maybe she wants to come out for playtime. Or maybe she wants to be near you but still doesn't trust you enough yet and that's why she steps back. But it does sound really cute.

Jean

 

[jonn13]

I should add.......
I got Daisy first. I had her for about a month before I got Maisy.
Before Maisy she would let me scratch her behind her ears and under her jaw.
She would even close her eyes and lean in to it. After I got Maisy that came to a end. She will not let me do that anymore (she just runs away) but she is really happy about Maisy. They clean each other, play, sleep together, etc. All and all I am happy she is not alone but I am kinda bummed I lost "what we had".
(yes, this is kinda funny. It sounds like a jealous love story. I know!)
I am wondering about the walk up to my hand thing?
Maisy has not done anything like this at all. She does however let me handle her more than Daisy. Weird?
Does Daisy just walk to her own beat or what??

 

[Peep_erz]

My Baba does this! He used to do it to my feet at play time. I think its an ownership or affection thing. I have seen other chins do it to certain pee spots on the floor or on a piece of metal they really like so I always assumed that since he did it to me he "liked" me. What ever it is it is cute as heck!

BTW. I have had 4 chins and he is the only one that ever does it.

 

[3CsMommy]

One of mine does this. He doesn't like me picking him up (though he'll let my Taller Half do it no problem), but he *loves* to snuggle his belly up against my hand like this. It seems like a common/comfy way for him to lay. I have a pic somewhere of the two of mine together with Crash (the snuggler) sleeping while leaning on Cervantes butt. When I asked about this on Chins n Quills, I was told it's pretty common. There's a pic of Crash doing the same thing on the 4-way PVC elbow pipe in their cage in my profile album here (click on my profile and the albums are on the right).

 

[Jaina_Organasolo]

I've heard discussions about this behaviour before - when Chins seem to dance, and/or cuddle up to the object that made them dance (foot shuffling, sometimes patting with paws).

The general consensus I have seen is that it appears to be a behavioural reaction to something that they smell and like.

I have a boy here who dances against my feet like that, and other peoples. it seems to be that the sweatier the feet, the more he likes it (and more he dances!)..:hilarious: He has on occasion danced on my hand first thing in the morning before I have had a wash.

I think he has a foot fetish....:rofl:

 

[6Dusters]

Hee Hee on the foot fetish :hilarious: I have a super sweet chin that has been here since April. I lay my hand in the cage and let her come to me. She does the same thing. If you stay still long enough she will start to groom you. Aka...nibble. Start off by petting her feet. Sounds like love to me.

 

[Laurie]

Yep the happy shuffle dance! She loves you all right! This is so cute to see when the chins do it, but not all of mine do it. I've always taken it to mean true love! Either that or they just want to show some appreciation to the giver of treats!

 

[Tillygizmo]

I have read and heard (and witnessed with my two) that it can be a dominance thing. Because your hand is going into her cage, she might want to be above it to show her dominance. If you see two chins interact when there is a treat or toys, one might mount the other

 

[mistywaterwoman]

I think the shuffle thing is in reaction to a smell. I have a silver female who does this, and only to certain visiting men. It's kind of embarrasing to explain to a guest, when your chin won't get off his arm.

 

[kendra]

Yeah Ferdinand has a foot fetish! He runs up and starts patting feet like crazy and then goes and popcorns away- the doofus

I always figured it's a good thing, he always seems totally happy whenever he does it, so I bet the same goes for you too!

 

[Anne-Lise]

I also heard about it being dominance.

 

[ann1]

I don't know but to me it sounds like she is scared and is thinking about peeing on you. They do that when their not sure what to think. It is funny to watch tho

 

[TammyC]

I have a little boy that does this too. I don't think it has anything to do with peeing because I've let him clutch onto my hand for several minutes and never any pee. It's the cutest thing. He wadles over on his hind feet, grabs on with his front feet, and holds on pretty tight up against my hand. If I try to move away, he holds on tighter, as to say "don't go". He loves scritches, and rubs on his cheeks, neck and chest, but runs away if I move in to pick him up. At one point I thought maybe it was some kind of mating thing, but no wee wee was ever involved. I don't know what it is, but it's just the most adorable thing. He like to hog up as much of my attention as he can. lol. And I don't mind one bit!!

 

[ann1]

The shuffle is in chinchilla terms saying "im not sure what to think of this situation and I want to be prepared" I've had many chins do this and they have "sometimes" followed through with it and peed...