FayeEsquire
Active member
I apologize if there is a thread similar to this already. I browsed around a bit and found a lot of helpful guides/tips regarding bonding with your chinchilla, but my question is a little bit more specific.
Garrus and I have already formed a fairly decent bond in the short time I've had him. He's naturally inquisitive so he was eager to get out of his cage and explore the room plus myself. I've been patient and slow with him; read him stories by his cage at night, and a few other things. He's still very unsure of being petted (though if he doesn't know you're rubbing his tummy his likes it), and of course being held still scares him. He has, however, gotten to the point where he climbs on my lap or shoulder when I lay down to play with him.
What has me concerned is that I might loose the trust that he and I have been developing. The poor little guy has an eye infection (which already makes me feel like I failed him). So now he has to be held for me to put the medication in his eye - which stresses him out even more. I talk sweetly to him but he's a chinchilla. So he doesn't understand when I say, "It's ok. This is to make you feel better; I'm sorry you feel sick". All he knows is that this once-nice-person is making him uncomfortable and putting stuff in his eye.
I do offer him a small treat when we're done which he still takes from my hand but now he doesn't eat by me or on my lap like he normally does. Plus I still need to monitor his treat in-take, so I can't try to sweeten him up after every dosage.
He's only five months old, so this still seems like a crucial part of his development especially towards how he sees me. What can I do to help keep from breaking his trust over the next week while I care for his infection? Once everything is over with, will he naturally return to his old self and we can start strengthen our bond again?
Garrus and I have already formed a fairly decent bond in the short time I've had him. He's naturally inquisitive so he was eager to get out of his cage and explore the room plus myself. I've been patient and slow with him; read him stories by his cage at night, and a few other things. He's still very unsure of being petted (though if he doesn't know you're rubbing his tummy his likes it), and of course being held still scares him. He has, however, gotten to the point where he climbs on my lap or shoulder when I lay down to play with him.
What has me concerned is that I might loose the trust that he and I have been developing. The poor little guy has an eye infection (which already makes me feel like I failed him). So now he has to be held for me to put the medication in his eye - which stresses him out even more. I talk sweetly to him but he's a chinchilla. So he doesn't understand when I say, "It's ok. This is to make you feel better; I'm sorry you feel sick". All he knows is that this once-nice-person is making him uncomfortable and putting stuff in his eye.
I do offer him a small treat when we're done which he still takes from my hand but now he doesn't eat by me or on my lap like he normally does. Plus I still need to monitor his treat in-take, so I can't try to sweeten him up after every dosage.
He's only five months old, so this still seems like a crucial part of his development especially towards how he sees me. What can I do to help keep from breaking his trust over the next week while I care for his infection? Once everything is over with, will he naturally return to his old self and we can start strengthen our bond again?
