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[xktee]

Hi everyone, my name is Tiffany and my fiancé adopted a heathy chinchilla from his friend. Chinchilla is about 2 years old and is a bit cheeky/a-hole ish. I've had him for 3 weeks now. First week and a bit in, he was a bit shy and skittish which is understandable. Second week in, I've tried bonding with him by playing through the cage game (grabbing pellet or wood sticks and trying to get him to come close or luring him to grab it) he was not interested, he just pushes everything away. I've been sitting / talking / singing/ humming by his cage for an hour+ around 3AM when he's active, he'll come up and rest his hands on me, he'll also let me give him chin rubs/pats. I've tried taking him out for playtime in a bathroom but he doesn't seem to like it... How do I introduce out of cage playtime? I know it takes a lot of time before he can get comfortable. I've only learned two things from him, he doesn't like his butt being touched lol (he barks at me) and he will allow you to pet him if a treat is involved. And he chirps a lot when I talk to him, I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

[GrayRodent]

Welcome to our boards and congrats on your new pet. Sounds like you're going to need to work with your chinchilla for a while. My first thoughts are you may be trying to go too fast with him.

Typically chinchillas are quite stressed the first two weeks after relocation and some of them seem to go into a state of shock. While they're in that state they tolerate being handled in ways they normally do and when they come out of it they act a bit more like they normally did before the relocation. When it comes to chinchillas that are not well socialized they revert to a more stand-offish mode.

My advice is to start as if you're initiating the taming process on an animal that more than likely is not used to being handled and is fearful of human interaction. The barking is a sign that it is trying to drive you off. (If it were my pet I'd probably pick him up, hold him for few seconds and then put him back to not allow him to think he can drive me off but don't overdo that if that technique fails.) If it were a female chinchilla it would also try to spray you with urine. Some males try but they don't get very far so be observant of this especially if he's outside of the cage.

You'll need to further condition him to be handled. It's something that will take several weeks but you're pretty much there now. Considering you haven't been bitten tells me he is not totally wild so you're not starting from scratch which is good. You have some good things going for you, especially that he'll let you scratch him, and that he'll come to you in the cage. Keep in mind that chinchillas tend to be independent and they are not always in the mood to play with you. Chinchillas typically are not cuddly pets like cats or dogs so don't feel bad if you find they're hard to please.

My advice is take it in gradual steps and avoid upsetting your pet by startling him. Take him out of his cage and hold him for a few seconds and then put him back in. Repeat this several times a day and you'll see gradual improvement each day. Over weeks and months extend this time out and eventually your pet will not care near as much that he's being handled. Chinchillas typically don't like to be held and restrained. My chinchillas do but it was work to get them there.

Open the door and see if you can get him to play with you through the door of the cage. Go to the cage just to play and not try to touch or remove him from the cage. Do this often. I have cage with really big doors and I'll stick my head head in there and let my chins groom my face and hair. That's a good bonding exercise and it's quite entertaining. Just hold still and be quiet. They'll get curious.

When approaching your pet don't reach over or behind his head or corner him. They need to see what is going on. Instinctively chinchillas are looking for predatory animals that grab them from the back or overhead. If you want to pet your chinchilla's back you need to get him used to being scratched under the chin. This is where they groom mutually, and work your way back from there. You'll be more successful that way than if you start at the back.

Don't make fast movements or talk loudly near him. Wait a couple more weeks and see if he'll become more friendly to you before you try to take him out of the cage for playtime. Chances are he is more averse to the way you're removing him from the cage than being out of the cage. Chinchillas don't like to be restrained or cuddled at first and this is something that must come with time. Some pets will not take to that at all. Of course when actually moving him you should practice proper handling technique to avoid injury or falls when he's out. For your pet I recommend making sure that kind of handling is infrequent and short as possible.