not new new mommy

[A.i.'s_Mommy]

I just recently adopted a chinchilla, her age in unknown. but what i do know is that she does not want nothing to do with myself, my boyfriend and my baby, A.i. even though her cage is close but not that close to hers.

Every time i put my hand in so she can smell she rears up and lunges, and i know that from my very first chinchilla as by leave me alone. but not only that she goes after you once you put food in her cage.

so, this is like a new experience for me since i had both my very first chinchilla and A.i. as a baby. what should i do? how can i show smokey who is now named killer, thanks to my boyfriend, that we mean no harm and just want to welcome her and treat her like A.i.?

any tips or pointers? thank you

 

[addictedtochins]

Sammy was like this when I got him, he would lunge and bite us, it just takes a lot of time, he still is cage territorial but when you get him out he loves his scritches. Don't let her act out and get her way though or you'll reinforce her behavior.

 

[monarch]

Howl ong have you had her?

 

[RDZCRanch]

Time and patience are the only tips to be given. Sit with your hand in the cage or spend a lot of time nearby talking to her and such. It will just take a lot of time. No chinchilla is too difficult to tame, but some have problems from previous owners that didn't handle them or rewarded bad behavior.

I have three that I am working on right now from an owner that was afraid of them and wouldn't handle them. They bite, lunge, attack, spray, scream, etc if you barely walked up to their cage when they first came home. A month later and we've made progress to the point that I can be near the cage or put my hand in the cage without a full on attack. It takes a LOT of time and patience.

 

[EpiceneAndChins]

I just want to throw an idea in here, Is there any chance she's pregnant? When I got Persephone, she had been tossed from house to house with her mate Hades for a long time, and she was absolutely vicious. After she gave birth she got extremely docile, and even shoved her pup into my hands for a break often.

Pregnancy idea aside, She's probably just nervous about her new home. If there's any room with no plastic, wires, or other harmful things in it, (I wash the bathroom up and then use that.) You could take her there and give her some time to run, she probably needs it, and the one-on-one physical time where she isnt trapped completely is good. If you just sit still in one corner and wait for her to come to you first, she should feel more comfortable. Also, AFTER she's chosen to come to you AT LEAST once, it would be best to try to hold her a bit, more and more often, for gradually growing periods of time, that way she gets more accustomed to it. Unfortunately, With chinchillas, They're very fast, So if you get to the point where you hold her, It'll be pretty much impossible not to startle her a little. Be patient. Hold her, Count to ten, and then put her down gently. Eventually, she'll get to the point where she climbs up on your shoulders, if she can reach. Dont be afraid to be dominant. If you arent, she will be.

 

[Jenn]

You didn't mention how long you have had her, but she is in a new environment with new smells and noises, a strange chin is close by, and a new family trying to interact with her. It can be quite overwhelming. My chin was 3 when I brought her home, and even though I was told she was quite friendly, it took at least a month to start some bonding. She didn't lunge at me, but she wanted nothing to do with me, would hide and kak at me. Like said, time and patience is the key. Spend as much time as you can sitting next to her cage, getting her used to your presense and your voice. Don't expect anything, don't push too hard. Let her set the pace. An occasional treat might help as well. When she is ready, let her out of her cage and just let her come and check you out. Let her come to you, climb on you...once she learns to trust you, then the bonding happens quite quickly.

 

[monarch]

My chin was 3 when I brought her home, and even though I was told she was quite friendly, it took at least a month to start some bonding. She didn't lunge at me, but she wanted nothing to do with me, would hide and kak at me. Like said, time and patience is the key. Spend as much time as you can sitting next to her cage, getting her used to your presense and your voice.

That's basically what's happened with Fidget. I've had him for about two weeks now, and yesterday we've had a major break through! He lets me rub and scratch his chin! I melted with mommy happiness.

I took a lot of attention giving and being constantly near him. The cage is in the living room where we spend all our time, and I would seriously spent a lot of time just sitting near his cage babbling at him.