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[glafond]

Hello everyone:

I have had my guys for a little under a month now.

Rambo is the dominant one.

Fluffy is passive one.

I can actually grab fluffy around the middle (gently) and bring him to my chest and hold his tail (he leaves hair on me still, though). Rambo on the other hand barely likes me to pick him up by his tail. He yells at me sometimes (I would say kacking). It is hard for me to get Rambo by his tail, if he feels the slightest touch on his tail he runs away.

But, it seems like both of them are scared of me. When I try to pet either one, they run in the opposite direction. How many times is too many times to try and pick each one up when they are out? Will the scardness eventually go away with more and more picking up, or should I lay off for a while picking them up?

They both take things from me and they both crawl ontop of my back while I am laying on my belly.

When you have picked up a chincilla (either sitting or standing) and you have them by the tail should you let them go if they try to kick away or should you hold onto them and keep them on you (mind you none of this is letting them fall on the floor) or should I put them down? How long is too long to hold them on your chest against their will?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks!

[GrayRodent]

Kacking noise is not a good noise with chinchillas. It is a distress noise and it probably makes the other one upset and fearful of you as well. As you know shedding fur is a sign of distress as well.
It sounds like you may need to start over with the bonding process. Neither one trusts you. You may have tried to move too soon. I'd say give it a few more weeks before you try to pick one up (unless necessary). Chasing them outside of the cage will strongly re-inforce this unwanted behavior.

If you don't restrain your chinchilla completely when holding them they get panicky and can flail and hurt themselves (which was pointed out on a earlier post and resulted in a tragic injury). The idea is to not let them associate you with that kind of stress. If you need to hold one just hold it securely for a minute or two to let that initial panic wear off. If they know they won't get away simply if they kick and flail they will learn to calm down. I've never held a chinchilla before but this has been my experience with other animals.

Starting by reaching for their tail may not be the best thing to do. I would hope at the same time you are coming around from the front to support their body so they can see it coming and will not grab them unless you are in a position to very quickly secure your chin with both hands. I would think otherwise this would cause a chinchilla to panic. I hope others will comment.

[glafond]

Yes, I do scoop them from the front as well.

I will refrain from picking them up on a regular basis and see what happens.

I tried picking both of them up last night and they were better than they were the night before. Rambo did not kack at me and he sat a little more calmly. I always make sure to give Rambo a  treat when he lets me pick him up and hold him. Fluffy on the other hand does not really like treats, so bribing him is a little harder.

Thanks!

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

What do you mean by kacking? It's possible that I purchased a very mellow, trusting boy so maybe that's why I am unfamiliar with the sound.

[glafond]

I would characterize it as yelling at you, have you ever heard a mad rodent make a noise? This is what it sounds like. I do not get it much out of my guys, if at all Rambo. Fluffy, never.