New chin, very mean

[Essentia]

I agree completely with Linda. My one chin who I got from a ranch isn't half as friendly as my others (two came from a breeder and one was off CL) and I don't expect him to be any time soon. I expect that he didn't have a lot of interaction. He's nippy and afraid when my hand is inside the cage, though through the cage bars he is a love bug. He is finally coming around to getting an apple twig and "treats" each night. It's gone from him being afraid of any interaction to begging along with the rest of them for his nightly stick, and I can now give him scritchens as long as I do it through the cage bars. I have hope for him in the long run, but I don't have expectations for him other than to be who he is. He will come around in his own time.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I have several chins from big ranches and where they come from is not a guarantee they will be one way or another - the ONLY chin I have that likes scritches I picked up from Shoots in January. The only chin that likes to be petted (albiet while shes trying to escape) is from Ryersons. The sasquatch runnin fool is from Ryerson's and my crankiest female is from a hobby breeder. It's all about personality - and I agree that you won't be able to tell much in the first week. Could be personality, could be stress, but I have a very hands off policy like Megan when they first get here as well.

 

[Ash]

I don't think it's fair to say the personality is determined by the situation in which the animal was raised. My three friendliest chins are from "ranch" type situations. They lived in runs, weren't really handled, etc. My most unfriendly animal is from a hobby breeder, and was doted upon daily before I got her. It definitely does NOT depend on where the animal came from, but instead the animal's personality itself. I brought home two new animals on Saturday from our show out here. One was coming around by Tuesday and would sit by my side of the cage (they are beside my bed) and would let me pet and scratch her. She has lived her life in a run. The other chin runs around like a lunatic and won't even let me touch her. She's not scared or timid or anything, she's just crazy and wild, and is from Kristy (starleomach) who we all know dotes on her animals and has handled her from day 1. It's just the personality of the animals.

The most you can do is ask for nothing of these guys. They are going to have whatever personality they have. But chasing an animal around the cage and forcing yourself on it isn't going to endear you to the chin.

Also, chinchillas can have two ENTIRELY different personalities in one habitat vs another. Smokie (my witchiest chin) was a total sweetheart in her previous home. Here, she wants nothing to do with me or anyone else for that matter. The only one she wants anything to do with is Hash. Heck, a cage change turned the personality around on my baby, Noon. There is so much that can affect how they act.

 

[starleomach]

Ash I save the fiesty ones just for you LOL