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[Beth]

Hi.  I've had my chin, Louie, now for about 5 mo, he was about 2 mo old when I got him from the pet store.  At the store, I was able to hold him without any trouble at all. Then, when I brought him home, a few days later, I opened the cage door to let him explore (mistake, I know) and he eventually came to me and I fed him treats.  A few weeks ago, I was able to scratch him under his chin.  But it was always a huge deal trying to get him back in his cage, and I had to sneak around and trap him in, which he HATES.  I devised a trap, where a string is attached to the cage door, and is fed through eyelets so that when I put his food in his cage at 8, he goes in and I trap him.  He barks at me then, and for the rest of the night if I go near the cage. 

I've tried a little "tough love" for the past 5 days or so.  I pick him up from the cage (and I do have to chase him, and he HATES it and barks at me) and when I finally get him in my arms, he's struggling the whole time.  I speak to him softly, feed him bits of raisins and scratch him, but he does anything to get free.  I know he'll never be snuggly like a dog or cat, but I want to get him used to being handled while he's still relatively young (7 mo now) and I don't have to scare him with my trap every time I need to get him back to the cage. 

After a few minutes of tough love, I let him have his regular free time (5-8 pm) and he still comes up to me for treats, but doesn't let me scratch him anymore.  He also has these mysterious furless patches on the tops of both of his big toes.  They're not sores, or flaky or cracked, just furless.  I've been putting vitamin E lotion on it for the past few days.  I don't have a wire bottomed cage or anything.

I just wonder if I'm doing the right things here.  I want the two of us to be a happy couple so badly!  All advice is greatly appreciated, thank you so much!

[rodafer]

chasing him IN his cage as well as OUT of his cage does not seem fun to me and I am sure he would agree. i never chased my chin. sometimes when it was difficult to catch her i would just drop a small hand towel over her and she would stop right where she was and not move from under the towel. then i could pick her up and put her in her cage. i just always leave the cage door open when she has play time and she comes out on her own. now she goes back in on her own too. i think the trauma of chasing her is what is causing her to be angry with you. but dont worry, these things take time. it could take months for her to warm up to you.

[nemue]

I have two new chins, and I thought getting them in the cage would be hard, but I've had good luck.  Here's what I do.  First, I let them come out on their own.  It takes them a few minutes, as they need to assess if it's safe.  Once they decide it is, they come out and have some fun.  Sometimes there's noises (or they don't know my husband as well as me, so if he's in the room) and it takes them longer, or they don't come out at all.  That's ok with me, if they're not comfortable, I don't make them come out.  This rarely happens now though.

While they're running around they go back in the cage often.  Sometimes I think for security, but also, once they're both in and I shut the doors I give them a raisin.  Sometimes I think they go home early just to get the treat!  When I first got them I had to lure them in with a treat, or pick up their bath while they were in it, but rewarding them for going home will make it easier for you, and for your chin.   Now they do it because they know they are going to get a treat, and they readily ask for it.  If they think it's their idea, and are rewarded for it, they are less likely to be angry with you.

I tried the "tough love" like you did twice, and although it calmed the aggression of one of my chins, it wasn't the best thing to do.  They have long memories, adn you may find that you will have problems putting your hands in the cage later on if he feels threatened (some will bite).  Remember, they need to feel safe in thier cages.

Have you tried making him hop on your hands to get out of the cage?  Just be careful if he's a biter, I have one I can't do that with, as she will bite really hard. 

If your chin is barking in his cage for attention, ignore it, but go back when he's being quiet and reward this behaviour.  If he gets your attention with bad behaviour, he will continue to do it. 

also, how long are you letting your chin out?  Maybe it's not enough time and he wants to continue exercising.  Does he have a wheel/flying saucer? 

If you want to get closer to him, lay on the floor and give him treats. Laying down makes you seem less intimidating.  My girls have only been here two months, and they sit on my chest and eat treats (I cut up a raisin so they think they're getting more) and let me pet them.  They also use my stomach as a trampoline, which is hilarious! 

I hope this helps.  I'm sure other people who have had more experience will have other advice.  Good luck.

[Beth]

Well, I'm not chasing him outside his cage anymore, and haven't for a long time, I had been sneaking up on him when he goes in for food or water to shut the door, and he gets mad!  Now I use the trap method and he's still mad!  I will try your method of the hand towel tonight, though.

People I've spoken with at various pet stores (former breeders and owners) all recommended I try to handle him once a day, should I do that after the hand towel and before I put him back in for the night?  Maybe I'll try that and he won't be so antsy.  Thanks for your help!

[rodafer]

Definitely handle him, and hold him if he wants it and is not squirming the whole time. The hand towel was never suggested to me, I just figured it out on my own so it might not work, but I think it should. Then once you pick him up just hold him and scratch under his chin, ( I think you said he liked that). I also didnt give any treats early on unless my chin let me hold her for about 3 min with out squirming and then I gave her one once she got back in her cage. Remember, they dont need treats every day, so if he is being nasty, I wouldnt give him one. It wont make him like you any more. Ha ha ha. And even through the holding and sctarching, it will still take lots of time! I was pretty lucky and had a mellow chin, but it still took about 6 months until she was really comfortable with me. Now she comes to me when I call her and follows me around the house.
Another tip is play with him at the same time every night. I played with Herman every night at 8pm for one hour and gradually increased it. Now she is out of her cage with me most of the evening, but I really think a set schedule is so important.
Other people on this board will have more tips so keep checking. The people on this board are really helpfull, so you joined the right one!

[Beth]

Update:

I let Louie out tonight, and he's running in and out of the cage to check out his new wheel.  He doesn't get it yet, but I hope he does soon!  I tried throwing a small towel over him so I can handle him a little, and it didn't work.  He's way too quick and darts out of the way every time!  darn.  Still trying...please advise!  Thanks!

[nemue]

I have not been able to hold Kira since the two times I held her.  I gave her treats and while she was distracted picked her up.  But she caught on and now runs into the cage with her treats.  I didn't think that was good behaviour, so I stopped.  Lay on the floor on your back and hide treats in your hand.  Let him know you have the treats, and when he comes for them, lure him onto your chest.  Give him the treat once he's there.  He will probably stop and eat it there, so then you'll have contact.  YOu may eventually be able to give him little pets and rubs under the chin.  At first he might not let you, so don't worry, he'll learn to trust this and will learn that petting comes with treats. 

Don't chase him around to pet him, that will ruin the relationship you already have.  And give it time for him to know that going home comes with treats.  It took my girls about two weeks. 

The wheel will help, Kira was aggressive before I got one, and now she's sweet!  It will also keep you up at night 

[Asikovsek]

You really have to handle kits a lot in the first few months of their lives to really get them to be handle friendly.  6 or 7 months is when they really have much of their habits set in.  My chins come out for play time and I set a baking timer.  When the timer dings they know times up and they will go back to their cages.  They know that if the timer dings and they dont go back to their cage they dont get a treat and they get shoo'd back in..lol...they are trained and conditioned this way because I taught them and worked with them when they were just young kits.  The chins I have gotten elsewhere rarely learn the timer trick but will usually follow the other chins that do know what to do.  some of my chins do not like being handled, and many chins will never like it, chins like to feel like they are in control.  Your little chinny might be stressed about something and that is why he is chewing at his paws, or it might be alergic to the bedding you have in its cage.  Believe me I have had my fair share of chase the lose chinchilla..lol...I suggest if your chin  is by itself to buy a young kit from a breeder that takes extra time to handle their babies and make them cage mates.  A lot of the time a buddy really changes the personality of the chin.  I had a pink white female who hated to be petted touched anything.  When I placed her with a large overly friendly standard her personality did a 180!  Now she is the sweetest chin ever and her and him love to jump right into my arms when I open the cage and loved to be petted and scratch.  Sometimes chins just need to see from other chins that everything will be ok and that us humans are actually nice and caring!

[Beth]

Thank you all for your advice!  Tonight I'm going to try letting Lu loose in my hallway, putting the cage at one end of it so he can hop out/in on his own.  That way I can hopefully catch him with a towel if he won't go in on his own, and probably try handling him for a few minutes, and I can lay down with treats and give him some lovin'.  If this seems agreeable to both of us, I'll continue for a couple of weeks to see the results. If he still doesn't come around, I'll try getting another kit (awww little baby!) and handling him right away.  Is it safe to get a juvenile and put him in with a maturing male?  I can't afford another cage!  The one I have now is pretty big though.  A standard, three level, I think they'd both have room.  Anyone know any good breeders around Rhode Island?

Thanks again, you guys rock!

[ChillinChinchillas]

I have a new method that I use to get the chins in and out of the cages. Especially, with my new little lady that sprayed me. For the chins that are still afraid of me, I keep the dust bath where they cannot access it during their playtime. That way, when I am ready to get them back in the cage, I just set the dust bath down and wait. It doesn't seem to take but a minute or two, and I can successfully get them back in their cage. I put the dust bath next to me, that way they have to build a bit of trust that I will not hurt them. This seems to work wonders. I am not stressing a new chin out by scaring them, and it seems to  be building our relationship.

[rodafer]

ChillinChinchillas: I think that is a great bit of advice. I have done this method as well, but never actually thought of it as trust building. Good one! Even now, because Herman runs the whole house now, I will hoard her dust bath until it is time to go "home" then she has a bath for a while and then knows to go back in if she has not already.

[Beth]

Well, I had barricaded myself in my hallway, using the cage and a chair to keep Louie in.  And it didn't take more than 2 minutes for him to figure out he could still go under the chair (even though I had covered it with a sheet) and escape to freedom and the rest of the apartment.  Leaving me alone and barricaded in the hallway!

I've tried the dust bath capture method, and it gave him a complex!  He would just stick his head in and dig around, then roll on the carpet, being too scared of being put back in the cage again.  So, that's out.  He's so smart, it really amazes me.  But he hasn't figured out the wheel yet, so he can't be a genius!

I'm looking into getting a kit to handle and teach Louie I'm not so bad.

Louie is still really friendly, compared to other pet store chins I've seen.  He hops on my lap every once in a while, sometimes lets me scratch him, and sits on my feet.  I'm going to purchase a baby-gate and try the barricade-in-hallway method again tomorrow to get him used to being handled.  He'll no doubt outsmart me again though!

[rodafer]

well it sounds like progress in the fact that Louie approaches you! Yay! I love my baby gate and use it often! Good luck!

[Beth]

Thanks.  But you're not going to believe this one, Louie outsmarted me two times again.  That makes three times just this evening!  You can actually see the little guy thinking and figuring things out!  First, he figured out the trap method I use to trap him in his cage by tying a string to the gate and pulling it shut once he's in.  He watched me do it and sneaks out just in time!  Then, I finally got him in using the same method, and moved my chair that he escaped under earlier this evening, and used his cage to block the small hallway to get some handling time in.  First, he made a running jump to climb the cage, which I stopped.  Then he sat there looking at me (thinking) and easily hopped up to the sink, and over the cage to freedom.   

At least he sometimes lets me pet him.  I really want to get another one, a friend said I could use her cage from an old guinea pig, but I'm afraid it will be too much trouble.  Is it?  I'm in graduate school and currently on break until the 23rd, but after that I won't be around too much.  I'm kinda giving up on Louie, in that he outsmarts my every move to try and handle him.   

HELP!

[rodafer]

Dont give up! Remember it takes time. I am a one chin kind of person, so I dont know how to answer your question about getting another one. I couldnt imagine, because they live for so long, ha ha ha. When we first got Herman, the person we rescued her from neglected to tell us how lomg chins live. Just having one for me is a huge comminment, and I always want the best for her. But as many on this board will tell you, they have more than one chin and it works out fine for them. I would just say have big enough cages to hold them, and enough finances for the best possible care.