So I've had my first chin for about a month. He always avoids me and tries to run away and hide anytime I try to take him out of his cage. When I hold him even for a few seconds he always tries to get me to put him down he even bites me sometimes. Despite my patience and gentleness his behavior seems to be getting gradually worse. I know chins aren't very affectionate pets by nature, but he was at least well behaved with his last owner. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Maybe he doesn't like his new environment, his cage is a bit smaller than his last one and he does seem to sleep a lot day and night, maybe he's bored. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Skittish Chin
- Thread starter Cooper
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One of my boys, Sonic, was very skittish when I first got him. He had not really been socialized by his previous owner. Sonic was a biter too, it got to the point where I was kind of nervous to handle him because he would draw blood every time! I began to wonder what in the world had I gotten myself into by adopting this second chin because he was nothing like my first chin who was so gentle and kind.
My best recommendation for you is when you need to let him out of his cage for playtime, try opening the cage door and holding up the dust bath house through the opening. Dust baths make chinchillas happy and they enjoy it, so it would probably help your little guy to become more comfortable around you. I had to do this with Sonic for months. I would either use the dust bath house to get him to come out, and eventually also trained him to hop inside a small kennel when I needed him to come out. With the dust bath, he knew what it was and would gladly hop in. With the kennel, I would hold it up to the open cage door and say "Sonic, inside", and he would hop in. Then I would close the kennel door and take him to the play room. This routine really seemed to help him become more comfortable with me because I wasn't forcing him to be handled when he wasn't used to it. It also helped him learn what to expect with my behavior. Dust bath or kennel= time to play. No giant scary human trying to grab him hehe.
Originally during playtime, I would let him out of the kennel/ dust bath and he would hide in the corner and not come out. So I would just sit quietly on the floor and wait for him to come out, but if I moved even the slightest bit, he would freak out and run right back to that corner. He did this for a loooonnng time. I have been working with Sonic for over nine months, and now he is a very sweet boy. Eventually during play time he would creep out of that corner and begin to get curious about me. Little by little he began to warm up to me and would hop on my feet and sit and stare at me. A few weeks later he decided I was safe enough and would sit in my lap or perch on my shoulder for short periods of time. I basically let him decide when he was comfortable enough to come near me, and would make sure to be really still so as not to scare him off. He does not mind being handled as much now, although sometimes if he is grumpy I'll still have to use the kennel. He also loves being given scritches under his chin whereas before he would try to bite my hand off if I even tried to pet him. If he sees me paying attention to the other chins, he will squeak until I come pet him. Its so cute. I know this post has been long, but I hope that my story helps you. Skittish chins just need alot of love, time, and patience. Its hard to be patient sometimes when you feel like you aren't getting the results you are hoping for, but don't give up! Let me tell you, there is no better feeling than when you have worked so hard for months and a scared, skittish chin finally begins to trust you. Its really rewarding! Don't give up!
If you are worried about him being bored, definitely check out the vendors here on CnH. You will find some great toys that will keep your chin entertained. I order stuff for mine all the time, and it seems the more variety you give them, the happier they are. And, by getting it from the vendors here you know the products will be chin safe not like the stuff you see at the pet stores.....haha just realized that this last bit of my post sounds like a commercial :dance3:
My best recommendation for you is when you need to let him out of his cage for playtime, try opening the cage door and holding up the dust bath house through the opening. Dust baths make chinchillas happy and they enjoy it, so it would probably help your little guy to become more comfortable around you. I had to do this with Sonic for months. I would either use the dust bath house to get him to come out, and eventually also trained him to hop inside a small kennel when I needed him to come out. With the dust bath, he knew what it was and would gladly hop in. With the kennel, I would hold it up to the open cage door and say "Sonic, inside", and he would hop in. Then I would close the kennel door and take him to the play room. This routine really seemed to help him become more comfortable with me because I wasn't forcing him to be handled when he wasn't used to it. It also helped him learn what to expect with my behavior. Dust bath or kennel= time to play. No giant scary human trying to grab him hehe.
Originally during playtime, I would let him out of the kennel/ dust bath and he would hide in the corner and not come out. So I would just sit quietly on the floor and wait for him to come out, but if I moved even the slightest bit, he would freak out and run right back to that corner. He did this for a loooonnng time. I have been working with Sonic for over nine months, and now he is a very sweet boy. Eventually during play time he would creep out of that corner and begin to get curious about me. Little by little he began to warm up to me and would hop on my feet and sit and stare at me. A few weeks later he decided I was safe enough and would sit in my lap or perch on my shoulder for short periods of time. I basically let him decide when he was comfortable enough to come near me, and would make sure to be really still so as not to scare him off. He does not mind being handled as much now, although sometimes if he is grumpy I'll still have to use the kennel. He also loves being given scritches under his chin whereas before he would try to bite my hand off if I even tried to pet him. If he sees me paying attention to the other chins, he will squeak until I come pet him. Its so cute. I know this post has been long, but I hope that my story helps you. Skittish chins just need alot of love, time, and patience. Its hard to be patient sometimes when you feel like you aren't getting the results you are hoping for, but don't give up! Let me tell you, there is no better feeling than when you have worked so hard for months and a scared, skittish chin finally begins to trust you. Its really rewarding! Don't give up!
If you are worried about him being bored, definitely check out the vendors here on CnH. You will find some great toys that will keep your chin entertained. I order stuff for mine all the time, and it seems the more variety you give them, the happier they are. And, by getting it from the vendors here you know the products will be chin safe not like the stuff you see at the pet stores.....haha just realized that this last bit of my post sounds like a commercial :dance3:
Last edited:
ChinnyMom
slave to Rhino and Guss
some chins just don't want much of anything to do with people, and when you bring a chin home you do take the chance on them being like this.
chins are not happy being held most of the time, and will scramble as much as they can to get away. my Rhino has lept from my hands a couple of times when he's been adamant that i not hold him when he doesn't want held.
a month is a very short time in the life of a chin. remember that he's had a huge upheaval in his life here - a new cage, a new home, new human, new sounds, smells, etc. it will take time for him to come around. instead of focusing on picking him up, just spend lots of time by his cage, talking to him, even reading books. put your hand in the cage and let him come to you, pet him, or give him a chin safe treat. he'll learn that your presence means good things, not a 'i'm going to take you out of your cage and force you to be held' situation.
chins are not happy being held most of the time, and will scramble as much as they can to get away. my Rhino has lept from my hands a couple of times when he's been adamant that i not hold him when he doesn't want held.
a month is a very short time in the life of a chin. remember that he's had a huge upheaval in his life here - a new cage, a new home, new human, new sounds, smells, etc. it will take time for him to come around. instead of focusing on picking him up, just spend lots of time by his cage, talking to him, even reading books. put your hand in the cage and let him come to you, pet him, or give him a chin safe treat. he'll learn that your presence means good things, not a 'i'm going to take you out of your cage and force you to be held' situation.
Thank you both for the insight. I will continue being patient with him, its good to know I'm not necessarily doing anything wrong with him. I am going to try the dust bath technique to get him out of his cage for playtime and spend a little more time with him next to his cage without giving him the pressure of me holding him.Hopefully this will make my presence less threatening to him.I will also look into getting him some toys to play with from the vendors on here, maybe I can bribe him a little more into liking me.
CritterLover86
Well-known member
One of my boys, Rigel, has always been very skittish by nature. I don't believe he'll ever be like Pola, who runs to the bars to be pet whenever he sees me, but over 2 years, Rigel has finally gotten to the point he'll let me pet him through the bars if I'm very quiet.
Some chins aren't very people-oriented, and some just need a lot of time. Hopefully your chin just needs more time to adjust =)
Some chins aren't very people-oriented, and some just need a lot of time. Hopefully your chin just needs more time to adjust =)
Thanks again everyone for the advice. My chin is finally starting to warm up to me. :dance3: I have been using the dust bath to take him out and yesterday I decided to take him out by hand and he didn't try running away.I guess he finally understands that when I am trying to take him out of the cage it means playtime. He is also starting to run up to me during his playtime and jump on me.
the others already said it. It can take a lot of time and patience. And a lot of chins don't like being held.
Personally, 5/5 of my chins do not like being held. My first chin that i took in would freak out and bark like mad if you stepped anywhere near his cage. It took a long time, but now hes the friendlies of them all. And his son, who was born and raised here entirely, took between 1-2 years before he 'started' to come around and be a little sociable. So some times they are like that.
Personally, 5/5 of my chins do not like being held. My first chin that i took in would freak out and bark like mad if you stepped anywhere near his cage. It took a long time, but now hes the friendlies of them all. And his son, who was born and raised here entirely, took between 1-2 years before he 'started' to come around and be a little sociable. So some times they are like that.
