My chin really bites!

[Shopaholic0514]

I am a chin owner for 3 years, my first chin never bite, and I read chins normally don't bite unless he/she is doing a self defence.
I got this 11 week old new chin a week ago, I am still trying to get him settled, and when I talk to him last night, I put my finger near his face to let him smell me, he was curious and smelled me and I thought he was just doing a test bite because he didn't know what it was. And then all of a sudden, he took a real big bite! Like I'm his food or something. It was definately not a self defence bite, he wasn't scared.
So I thought, okay, maybe he didn't know what it was and he was confused. And this morning, I tried again and he bite me again!
So, what's up with that? Do some chins really bite? Now I'm afraid of touching him...:hmm:

 

[chinchillalover0927]

Look at it as a chinchilla... If someone Is sticking there finger in your face you won't want to bite it ? He isn't being mean . I have noticed some of my chins never bite me but when i rehome them they bite the new owners HARD!!! I don't know if they are testing limits but do not be scared. Animals sense feae...

 

[Shopaholic0514]

thank you for replying chinchillalover, its just my first chin never ever bite me even when I just got him. It freaks me out a little.
So you are saying after a while, after he knows me better, he would stop bitting me?

 

[WhiteTree]

If you find that you're afraid to reach in because of him biting he'll sense that and take advantage. If you're scared I would recommend wearing a couple pairs of gloves layered so when he bites you won't feel it and then you won't be emitting fear. Eventually he'll learn that biting you doesn't get a response and he'll stop. I would try that until he's use to you and stops biting that way you aren't getting hurt and aren't afraid of him biting you.

 

[ChinnieShop]

I have also heard that young chins tend to bite more since they are still learning, kind of like a puppy uses there bite to learn. Not sure how accurate this is, but it makes sense.

 

[Godofgods]

My younger chins deffenitly bite more. Some times it can hurt a bit. But i know they mean no real harm by it. Also in my experence, younger chins teeth seem to be a bit sharper. And their not used to that 'restraint' aspect yet.

While you might not want to encourage that behavior, you also have to take into consideration that its completely new to him. New ppl, new envirnment, new everything. So hes goign to be a bit on edge.

 

[Shopaholic0514]

So how about this, next time when he tries to bite me, I will gently push him away and say "no!"?

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I was told and it seems to work. If he bites make a noise like a squeak (like a chin would do if he/she was bitten by a fellow chin baby). That tells him it hurts and not acceptable. Like mom does she gets bit.

 

[liewwan]

My little Pewie does the same thing. He'll start grooming me and than bam he takes a chunk. I just basically say "Pewie no biting". Yes it hurts, but with telling them no, they will eventually understands it hurts and it's a no no. He doesn't do it as much as he used to. They are very curious most of the time being so young. Pewie thinks everything is food lol.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I agree, it sounds like he just needs to learn his limits. Letting him know that it hurts you and is not acceptable usually works. You can squeak or just say no. they both work. Also, until he gets it all figured out, so not pull your hand away when he bites. If you do pull away, it teaches him that biting makes you go away and he will continue to bite. In the meantime, you may want to use gloves when handling him. A nice pair of leather gardening glove will do the trick.

 

[Chub_Chub]

One thing I've noticed is, if my hands smell like other chins, my moody boys will tend to bite me if I am within teeth distance. :wacko: I have to wash my hands really well in between chin handling.

 

[vsaporito]

Mine have never tied to bite skin. I have noticed that if my fingernails are accessible, they think they are free to chem on them. If I just turn my hands down, they get distracted on something else.

 

[Baron Sciarri]

Yeah my chinchilla is brand new and bites me hard enough to puncture my finger and make it bleed all over the place...so letting her bite me and telling her no isn't really an option...so far i've gone with the strategy of not putting my finger near her mouth and giving her the opportunity to chomp it anymore...i don't really think this goes under the category of "if i bite him he'll go away because i still molester her backfur and behind her ears and stuff there's not really any "going away" in the cards...i also try to give her parts of my arm and hand to nibble on that she can't get in her mouth quite so easily