My Chin Hates Me!!!

[00kim00]

So I've had my chin for about two months now but she absolutely refuses to let me pick her up or stroke her, which I've been fine with. But there was a false fire alarm the other day, and it took me 5-10 min to scoop her up while she was in her cage, she hates being held that much! It scared me because in a real emergency, I want to be able to pick her up quick! I forced her to let me hold her for about 5 min (with her kicking and squirming the whole time) and afterwards she just gave me the evil eye. I felt so bad about it but thought I need to get her accustomed to it while she's young or she might get too old and it'll be too late to teach her how to be held?

I'm not sure what to do! I don't want her to be unhappy but she needs to learn how to be picked up for sure. Especially since I let her run around my room while I'm in there and it is quite an ordeal to entice her back into the cage.

Should I keep forcing her to be held for 5 minutes a day or just wait a few more months before trying again?

 

[Strevale]

Don't force her. Start giving her plain cheerios or very small pieces of raisin. If she won't take them from you drop them on the floor. Then when she is comfortable with that try to get her to take it from your hand. When she's comfortable with that pet her head while she's eating it. Then try to get her to crawl on your hand. Then sit in your hand. Then being able to move while she's sitting on you. Etc. Very slowly work your way up. If she doesn't like what you're doing, go back to the step before and stay there a bit longer. Chins hold grudges so if you're constantly forcing her to do things she will hate you. You have to earn their trust through bribery, patience, and self-control.

 

[Dreamlite]

I a emergency you can always use a dust container to scoop her up. I have never met a chin who refuses a dust. It takes time for them to learn to be handled. I have one that absolutley hates it. She will bite and spray but let's me scratch and pet her. They each have their own likes and dislikes.

 

[landrk11]

Hi,

Your chin doesn't hate you. 2 months is a very short time and the bonding takes time.
Some chins never like being picked up or held. Forcing her to be held may make her more opposed to being held.

I've had my chin for about a year and still she will not let you pick her up. I did controlled out of cage time where I had a soft carrier that she would get into herself and would take her to the bathroom for out of cage time. I would sit on the floor and eventually I became part of the things she would climb on. When she went back into the carrier I would bring her back to the cage.

Now her out of cage time is in her room with the door closed and I just open the cage and she lets herself in and out. She plays on my feet when I clean the cage and then I set on the floor and she will climb on me but won't let me hold her.

My little one will sit and let me massage her head, chin, back and chest now and will just sit there raising her little arms so I can get under her front paws. When I go near her face she lifts her whiskers so I can get her chin and it looks like she's smiling. It's a great experience for both of us and makes me laugh.

Give it time and the best advise I can give you is be patient. You'll find ways that you can connect and bond with your little one. It just takes time.

 

[Dominica]

So I've had my chin for about two months now but she absolutely refuses to let me pick her up or stroke her, which I've been fine with. But there was a false fire alarm the other day, and it took me 5-10 min to scoop her up while she was in her cage, she hates being held that much! It scared me because in a real emergency, I want to be able to pick her up quick! I forced her to let me hold her for about 5 min (with her kicking and squirming the whole time) and afterwards she just gave me the evil eye. I felt so bad about it but thought I need to get her accustomed to it while she's young or she might get too old and it'll be too late to teach her how to be held?

I'm not sure what to do! I don't want her to be unhappy but she needs to learn how to be picked up for sure. Especially since I let her run around my room while I'm in there and it is quite an ordeal to entice her back into the cage.

Should I keep forcing her to be held for 5 minutes a day or just wait a few more months before trying again?

My chin is about 3 months old and I've been with him for a bit over a month.
Every time I approached the cage the first few days/weeks he was terrified! he doesn't like being held, once a I had to let him run free in my bedroom and it was horrible because I had to chase after him and he nearly had a heart attack.

After a few weeks he started trusting me, I bought oats and would give him some through the cage. Then I would open the cage and he would come and grab some, then I was able to put my hand inside the cage and then he would jump on my arm and finally on my shoulder.

You should have a schedule for bonding time (evening or night) and she will start trusting you, one funny thing is that he is scared of my legs since the cage is not on the floor and when I give him oats I'm sitting on a couch and the cage is on my eye level, he doesn't seem to know I have legs. I discovered that during playtime, I move all the things in my room to make it chinchilla safe, then I would lay or sit on the floor and he would be scared of my legs if I moved them.

One thing that worked really well for me during playtime was to place the cage on the floor and leave the door open and wait until he jumped out of it, me laying on the floor so he wouldn't be scared, he runs and jumps on me and if he ever gets scared he goes back to his cage, so no more chasing!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Picking up a chinchilla, whether they like it or not is not going to traumatize them or make them hate you. All chinchillas should learn to tolerate being picked up and held for short periods of time. Waiting for her to come to you could take years. You don't have that kind of time in an emergency. Teach the chinchilla now, before something happens. I have just reached in and picked up ebveryone of my chinchillas from the day they arrived here and they all come running to the front of the cage to see me when I enter the room and I don't even use treats to bribe them.

 

[tcraighenry]

I agree with the dust bowl idea. My husband and I trained both of our chins to respond to tapping on the glass of the bowl. They run for it immediately.

You might always struggle getting them out though and may need to practice, regardless of their tiny wants. Not long ago something (we still don't know what) spooked one of our chins and she was refusing baths and behaving really oddly. Fine now. But they are weird sometimes.

 

[Zoaea]

I a emergency you can always use a dust container to scoop her up. I have never met a chin who refuses a dust. It takes time for them to learn to be handled. I have one that absolutley hates it. She will bite and spray but let's me scratch and pet her. They each have their own likes and dislikes.

Train her to jump in while you are holding it too. Also, if a chin can't be picked up tamely I dont let them run around, If you can't catch em with out scaring them its not worth it. My girl is tame but I still move her with a duster as this is what she likes the most, my guy I get by the tail/scoop him up when he jumps on me.

My girl loves scritches and will turn upside down for them, but will get impatient in my arms. My guy will sit still in my arms for a few min before wanting down. They are all different, and like different things. =)

 

[00kim00]

Thank you so much for all of your guys' reply! I will definitely take all this advice in...she has been getting slowly more used to me...any thoughts on getting a second chinchilla? Should I wait until my first one is more used to me before getting a second one? I want to make sure that she isn't getting lonely...