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[marrria]

One of our two chinchillas (they are brothers who are in the same cage) still hasn't warmed up to us.  (We have had them a couple of months.)  One of them, Monk, is really social and comes out on our hands when it is the usual time for him to play in the playpen, but Leon won't come out.  We have spent a lot of time sitting with a hand in the cage and talking to them.  We hand feed them some supplement pellets every day and spend a lot of time around them, so I'm not sure what else to do.  It has become a huge ordeal to get Leon to come out of the cage for some exercise, and another ordeal to eventually put him back in his cage.  We have tried offering his dust bath to him so that he can hop into that and then we can carry that to the playpen, but that rarely works.  I can see that he wants to come out, but is too scared to.  Has anyone else had this problem?  Are there other tactics we should try? 

(PS - I haven't posted pictures of them yet, but I hope to borrow a friend's digital camera this week!)

[Jo Ann]

Hi Marrria,

   So far, you are trying all the right things.   

   We had an anti-social chin once ...

   We were the third breeder to have him.  He not only disliked humans, he also disliked other chins.  He would stay at the back of the cage and dare us to try to touch him.  We tried to make friends, my husband got him to be a little better, but not like our other chins.  We tried 3 different mates with him ... he didn't hurt them, but he would ignore or fuss at them and would not allow them to get close to him.  Finally, the 4th female chin mate, was Miss Daisy.  Instantly, it was like switching a light on ... he love her and us and was immediately friendly with all.

    We now have a second chin ... basically the same ... we are working with him and will be trying some different mates with him. 

    Patients is the word, time and understanding.  Just don't give up on him.  Please, keep in mind that all chinchillas have a personality all their own ... and, as with humans, they do not always get along with other chinchillas.  This is also true between a chin and their human ... not all will get along. 

    Is he better with any one particular human in your family.  If so, it will probably be best if they work with him alone, until he comes around, then the other family members can try again.  If this does not work ... you may think of getting another chin and finding Leon a new home, or just be content with letting Leon stay in his cage and take his brother out to play.  Even that may be a tactic you might want to try ... eventually, he will want to come out and play.

     Chinchillas like a regular routine ... try to keep it as close to time each day as possible.

     Keep us posted ... I'm sure others would like to know what might possibly be a new thing to try!  I'm sure many others will have other suggestions on what to try also.   

 
Jo Ann

[Chins To Love]

I agree with Jo Ann each chin has it's own personality, and some are not as comfortable around humans. But like she said don't give up, keep at it, and remember chins are pretty good at reading people. If you are nervous around them they will feel it, so try to be relaxed when you try to play with him. Talk to him a lot so he learns your voice, and just be patient, and keep us updated.

[marrria]

At least Leon likes his brother, so they play around together inside the cage.      I'll keep talking to him and feeding him supplements by hand everyday, and hopefully it will pay off down the line.  In the meantime, though, he really doesn't want to come out to run around - is that okay for him health-wise?  Is a wheel inside the cage enough exercise and stimulation for him?  I worry about him becoming totally neurotic without a lot of mental stimulation in there. 

[Jo Ann]

The "pay-off" can happen when you least expect it.  He could be stand-off-ish at the beginning of a play period, then want to come out to play, when you put his brother back into the cage.  Just watch him, you may see a gradual change, then, again, it could be a sudden change.    

In the meantime, though, he really doesn't want to come out to run around - is that okay for him health-wise?  Is a wheel inside the cage enough exercise and stimulation for him?   

Exercise and socializing always is better, but having a brother to play with him and especially with the exercise wheel, he should be just fine. 

Think about all the breeding chinchillas on ranches ... they have to be at their peak health to produce kits ... most are never let out to play, there is not enough hours in the day for a rancher with hundreds of chins.  They are given a good diet, supplements and dust baths regularly, but don't even have an exercise wheel.  In breeding runs the females are in individual cages and the only playmate they have is the male.  Yet, they do good and stay healthy.  They've never known any different.

Now, Leon is a different story ... he knows how much fun it is to play .... soooo ... he will miss playtime ... you use this as a way to get him to come out to play.   He sees his brother playing and having fun and he will want to also.  (Or,that is the way it usually goes.)   Time and temptation can do lots of things for getting a chin to do what you want it to do.   

Keep us posted!

 
Jo Ann

[Debbie.nl.ca]

One of the rescues I took in before Christmas still won't come out to me.
We have a relationship going though, and are bonding in his way.
Every night I ask him if he wants to come out, he has to come to me to get out.
Most nights I just play with him in the cage, give him a scratch and pet him. Some nights I'll give him a bath right there through the opened door. Then he knows right where to sit to get his treat, so he's coming around.
He has come out a few times, but at least once a week I'll take him out and let him run.Some nights he gets in the bath to get back, but some nights I do have to catch him. He's now starting to like the cuddle before I put him back.
He's only 5 and will be around for years, so I don't rush it.
I find most times it's just fear of the unknown, and as has been said out the blue they will trust you with their lives.
I like that they are all so different, and let them be who they are.
As long as they are healthy and happy in there own little world, what ever type that may be.

[marrria]

It's great to hear that it is a personality thing and that chins can come around any time.  And the idea that I have years to bond with Leon, if need be, really puts things in perspective.  Whew!  It's a relief!

It is funny to see Leon in the cage when Monk is out playing.  Leon can see Monk jumping around, and he watches him intently.  So hopefully one day soon he will feel comfortable enough to come out and join in.   

[totolover]

Have you tried scratching him behind the ears? They love that. Other than that patience is the key.

[marrria]

I am proud and happy to say that my previously unsocial chinne, Leon, is now social! woo-hoo!  It took a little while, though.  What we ended up doing was using their little travel pet carrier as transportation between the cage and the playpen.  For a while, Leon wouldn't go in the pet carrier and so would just sit in the cage while his brother, Monk, came out to play.  After a couple weeks of seeing Monk excitedly scamper into the carrier, Monk finally felt comfortable enough to go in with his brotherAnd he was so excited to finally run around in the play pen.  Now Leon comes out to the playpen with Monk every day.  He likes to be pet now and comes up to us all the time. Thanks for all the advice!

[Jenova]

I'm really happy for you, you must feel so proud.
It's a great feeling when patience and hard work pay off.

[Jo Ann]

4 months of patients finally paid off!  Something to be proud of and I know it must make you so happy to see him join in on the fun. 

He trusts you now, be careful not to loose that trust.  With a chinchilla trust is often hard to get, but easy to loose.

 
Jo Ann

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Way to go marrria & Leon, no feeling like it.
When one like that comes around I aways think of breaking a wild horse.
Chins are just as bonding once broken.