What Should I Do

[AnneMariPoole]

i got my chinchilla in feb he is a **** beige and is 5yrs old and he wont bond with me at all he wont even start to bond he only lets me pet him everyonce in a blue moon he wont take treats from me i have to sit the on a ledge he pays no attention to me unless i am cleaning the cage he has barked at me 2 time when i have tried to pet him what should i do give him more time or give him back to his breeder and get a younger chin and try bonding again please contact me with any comments you have i cant be reached on here or at [email protected]
thank you annemari <3

 

[momenteller]

Some chins may be like that, despite your best efforts. Have you tried just sitting by his cage, letting your hands rest in his cage, reading to him, etc? I think most chins require consistancy and patience to develop a bond. It is better if they come to you, rather than you approaching them, because their prey instincts are so strong.

I have an older girl that I adopted, and it took almost two years before she would let me pet her. It is up to you if you have that time to devote to it. However, there are no guarantees a younger chin will be any more receptive.

 

[Fauberchinchilla]

Fauber chinchilla

At his age he is just been an old breeder or it is safe to say he wasnt handled to much. Trying holding him by his tail and rub him behind his ears with your fingers. He may never come around but young one tame easy in most cases.

 

[Chinchilla63]

I've adopted three chinchillas and they are all standoffish to different degrees.
Rocky (I've gradually adopted her, she came to live here full time in March) is the most comfortable with me but does not like scritches. She shows her affection by sitting on my leg for a few seconds during play time or nibbling my nose when I put my face up to the cage. She doesn't bark or show fear, she's just not cuddly.
Candy is active, friendly, an escape artist, TERRIFIED of being picked up, and kacks and sprays me almost every time I take her out. She let me scritch her for a minute last week and I almost fell over from the shock.
GoGo is more mellow, calm when I pick her up for playtime, but runs away if I pay her any attention in the cage.
I only offer treats from my hand. I find a comfy position and wait very quietly until they approach me. Sometimes they don't, and then I come back later. I sit on the floor by the cage and talk very softly to them throughout the evening and early mornings.
Are you taking him out for playtime? I find that very helpful in bonding. How are you doing dustbaths? They usually love those and are more relaxed when they're having them.
Good luck...it does take a lot of time and patience.Maybe the breeder you got him from can give you some advice, too.

 

[Dragonflye]

I wouldn't force myself on the chin. Be patient, sit by the cage, stick your hand in but let him come to you. You don't know how the chin was treated before you took him in. Be patient and give him time before deciding whether or not to trade him for a younger model.

 

[jess32247]

At his age he is just been an old breeder or it is safe to say he wasnt handled to much. Trying holding him by his tail and rub him behind his ears with your fingers. He may never come around but young one tame easy in most cases.

I have to disagree with this. Holding his tail and forcing him to stay still while you pet him would probably do more harm then good. It can take a while to bond with chins, take your time and let him go at his own pace and hopefully he'll come around!

 

[Dreamlite]

The age of the chin doesn't mean they will be friendlier. I have found kits to be a pain to tame down. Older chins have always been easiest cause they have longer attention spans so you can work with them in longer times. It takes some chins months to settle in. And some never get 'friendly' to the point they like being held.I have 1 female I keep as a pet cause she can't be handled by anyone besides me without being bit or sprayed. Take your time and work with him. What have you tried to ond with him?

 

[halfstache]

I found that a good way to get them to begin to trust you is to place an open hand at the entrance to their cage and then set a treat down in front of your hand inside the cage. Eventually they will come to the treat and pick it up. Then place another one about half an inch closer to your hand. keep doing that and eventually they will climb onto your still open palm. It may take a several days of repeating this same routine but eventually you can get them to climb your entire arm. Getting them used to you and gaining their trust in whatever way possible is a good trade off for some treats. Just keep in mind you can always break their treats up into smaller pieces to make the exercise last longer without giving them a treat overload.

 

[Godofgods]

My first chin was an unknown age. He was passed around from so many owners that no one knew. Alls i could say for sure was that he was an adult. He was living with my brother and his girl with 3 kids (2 very very young). After a 3 hour ride in the car (moving back to this state) He showed up at my door asking if id watch him for a while.

To say he was an unfriendly chin is an understatement. He was so beyond stressed out. If you even tried to walk NEAR his cage, he would start barking like crazy. And don't even try approaching him.

It took about a year or so, but now he is the friendliest chin in the world. He still doesn't like to be held, but he is so kind and gentle now. Loves running over and standing on his hind legs to get his belly scratched. Just as friendly as can be. It took a lot of time and work, but he came around.

His son Houdini took about 1.5 years and hes just starting to become a bit more friendly. And his two daughters Ameena and Sophia (born at the same time); Ameena came around fairly quick. few months-yearish. Sister Sophia is still wary as can be tho.

So it really does depend on the chin. But even with a great chin, it can still take a lot of time and work.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

May just take more time and effort on your part, or it could just be his personality. Chins are not cuddly animals by nature and I am always up front about this with potential owners. They all tolerate or engage in petting/holding/affection at different levels. You could try letting him out for playtime and sitting quietly while he explores around you - most chins will eventually begin jumping on your legs or lap as part of exploration. There's no guarantee a younger chin would bond any better than this guy and since he's part of your life now already, you should give him a chance to grow or just accept the way he is

 

[Riven]

Chins aren't like cats or dogs, not lap pets, and usually if they run to be pet, they just want a little and take off to do something else.

Anytime I take a chin out I scratch behind it's ears and under it's chin. I don't see how holding him and doing that will do any harm. Chins need to learn how to be handled at any age. What would happen if he would need hand feed and such? It's better to teach them to be handled when it's not critical than when it is. Then they can learn you know I kind of like that when you scratch there... That MO

 

[ReneeM]

My boy Terrance I have had about a year. He trust me to take treats, but hates to be held. He much prefers escaping.

My girl Mira I have had about five months. She took several months to warm up to me after her kits were weaned. She doesn't like to be held, but is more tolerant than Terrance. I don't know much about her history, but I was told she was two and a half when I took her in.

My baby girl Marika is a love bug when the mood suits her. She will often fall asleep on me. She has always liked to be held, but I raised her from the day she was born. Mira is her mother.