Need some good advice :)

[JessJack]

Hello!!
I currently just adopted two little chinchilla boys. I have Freddie who is 5 years old and Wolfie who is about 2 years old. Wolfie has always been with Freddie. I adopted them with an amazing cage and all their essentials. I am also a Zoology major about to graduate and work at a pet store

I just need some advice on them getting used to me.
During free time I go in the bathroom and let them in there, they love climbing all over me sitting on my shoulder, running around and relaxing.

When they are in their cage I can easily go in and pet them behind their ears or under their chin and they are content and don't move.

Freddie can be held, Wolfie doesn't.

I have been giving them both 1 treat a day, raisins every 4 days and they take them gladly. Their home is a 6 level 5 ft cage but they really stick to the bottom and their wheel.

I want advice on how to really tame them, I would love to just be able to train them and hopefully have 2 very tamed little boys.

Freddie is the gray with a touch of velvet and Wolfie is a mosaic.

 

[Basket_of_Chinchillas]

Cute chins

I would read the new owner threads that have already been posted as they answer a lot of your questions. This website also answers your questions and provides a ton of other useful information for new chin owners: http://owningchinchillas.webs.com/

 

[Brittany]

Hello!!


I just need some advice on them getting used to me.
During free time I go in the bathroom and let them in there, they love climbing all over me sitting on my shoulder, running around and relaxing.

When they are in their cage I can easily go in and pet them behind their ears or under their chin and they are content and don't move.

I have been giving them both 1 treat a day, raisins every 4 days and they take them gladly. Their home is a 6 level 5 ft cage but they really stick to the bottom and their wheel.

I want advice on how to really tame them, I would love to just be able to train them and hopefully have 2 very tamed little boys.

Aww they seem sweet! I'm not going to beat around the bush here. NO Raisins ever. They have too much sugar, and the chinchillas sensitive digestive track is not meant to process it. Plus, chinchillas can't brush their teeth, so all that sticky sweet stuff just coats their mouths. Feeding raisins, even sparingly, is just asking for dental rot, bloat, and other health issues. This is a common mistake people make when new to chinchillas (I'm guilty of it in the past), but now you know


I don't know what you mean by tame? I spend a lot of time talking to my chins and petting them, they come up close to me, and really get into scritch (petting) sessions. A few of them return the affection and groom my hands and face. I don't condition their responses with treats, I'm just calm, talk in a soothing voice, and spend lots of time with them. I only have one that likes to be held, and willingly climbs into my hands. Most chins just don't do that. Welcome to the wonderful world of chinchillas!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Freddie is the gray with a touch of velvet and Wolfie is a mosaic.[/QUOTE]



If Freddie has TOV in him, his face and back would be black. You were misinformed, Freddie is a standard gray.

 

[Sovay]

Hi JessJack,

I'm of the camp that raisins and dried fruits (without sugar) are fine sparingly. But I like to switch things up and feed some different treats to the boys. They love shredded wheat squares and cheerios, and to a lesser extent, pinches of rolled oats and alfalfa hay. No need to rely on raisins when there are so many delicious things out there!

I think one thing that really helps with 'training' is having a good, reliable schedule. If you do give a treat, work on them coming to you for it. Don't chase them around the cage. This might sound silly, but I give treats in my mouth sometimes, to get them used to my face. I pick them up often, and with confidence. I don't hesitate and let them jump around frantically. During playtime, I sit in with them and let them come to me. Sometimes, they will jump in my lap and just want to be held. I scratch their head often and talk to them. I think the routine attention really helps. One of my chins I've had for 10 years and I got him when he was 8 weeks old. I've spent a LOT of time with him and he is literally the friendliest chin I've ever met. He's still bouncy, don't get me wrong, but a fantastic companion. His housemate was my mother's solo chinchilla initially until I convinced her to let me try introducing them (looong story lol). He didn't get as much attention (he probably only got attention during feeding time and cleaning day) so he's a little standoffish. I've had him for probably almost 2 years now and he is just starting to come around and let me pick him up with out tensing up completely. He's turning into quite the cuddlebug, but it takes time.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[becky12883]

I'm of the camp that raisins and dried fruits (without sugar) are fine sparingly.

All fruits have sugar, and drying them just takes out the water which concentrates the sugar. Chinchillas aren't built to process sugars, and feeding things with sugar can lead to bloat and stasis. There are lots of alternatives for healthy treats. If you search the forum there are probably hundreds of threads about treats.