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[kristen_w01]

Hello, I am new to the forum and new to owning my first chinchilla. My chinchilla(Gizmo) is 11 weeks old and I have had him for two weeks now. He is an adorable little guy and I am already growing attached to him. But I just have a few questions to those willing to help me. So first off he started off not biting, then he would start to do a little nibbling but recently it has grown to a bite. He has drawn blood only once, but when I put my hand in his cage he will come up and it's okay then he will start biting. We have been letting him out to play, not too long but for a little while, and recently I read that you shouldn't let them out until they are 6 months old. I am not sure if this is true or not so if someone could confirm I would appreciate it. But since starting to let him out every time I open the cage he tries to jump out even off the highest level. He will try to jump over my hand and if I stop him he will start biting, could this be the reason he is biting or can it be something else. Those are my main concerns right now, and I just want him to like us back. If anyone could help we would much appreciate it. Thank You

[GrayRodent]

Although I am not a chinchilla owner I have seen this scenario play out several times with newly relocated chins. Its almost like they go into a state of shock for a couple of weeks and then they start waking up.

Perhaps someone else can comment. Usually it is recommended to stop letting them out and start socializing them for a week or so. Male chins can be territorial and will try to defend their turf from intruders. You'll have to treat this like your chin does not know you at all and that it is afraid of everything and you have to gradually get it used to your being being there. A good thing to start is just to allow it to come to you and be comfortable with you being there before you before you can safely reach in and go after it. Chasing or cornering him will re-enforce defensive behavior like biting and barking. Then see if you can give it treats by hand through the bars and work your way up to giving treats through the open door. Remember no more than 2 raisins per day or equivalent to prevent serious digestive upset. When the chin starts coming to you then you can let him out but try not to chase or grab unless it's absolutely necessary. Usually chins will return to their cage on their own. Depending on the chin I've heard this process can take up to two months.

I think 6 month seems a little late for not letting them out. As long as they are in a safe environment where they have no access to things to chew on or things that can fall and hurt them and do not have access to places like voids in walls or furniture where they can get lost here should be no problem letting them out at 3 months. Constant supervision is always necessary for chins since they are quiet and can get underfoot without notice. Do not let your chin jump off of your shoulders or other high places. This can result in injury.

Hope this helps.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

I agree with gray rodent. He may not be used to you yet.
A great way to stop bad behavior is to blow on the chinchilla. They seem to enjoy when you blow on their backs, so make sure it's in their face. It may seem cruel, but he needs to learn that biting is not ok. Blowing on the chinchilla is not painful to it, so maybe give that a try. I blow on snickerdoodle when he tries to escape. He's learned to stop.

[Jenova]

My advice is to sit by the cage and put your arms in. Don't try to pick him up or stroke him, just let him come to you and investigate you. Chinchillas do bite to investigate you. If they're just small bites where he's just putting his teeth around you then let him because it's normal behaviour, but as soon as he bites too hard and it hurts, squeal. This is what another chinchilla would do to tell him off and tell him he was biting too hard.

Chinchillas are very intelligent animals, but they take a long time to trust new people and as he is a baby this is all completely new to him, he may not have had human interaction before. It can take six months to a year for them to fully trust you. It takes lots of time and lots of patience but it's always worth it.