Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => Health => Topic started by: mistywhitt on May 31, 2008, 04:04:47 PM
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After 3 weeks we can only feed him treats or pet him in his cage. He wont come onto our hand or be handled at all. When we let him out every night I lie on the floor and watch him under the couch(ha ha)and then trying to put him back in his cage is like a rat race trying to catch him. He does seem very smart (and blind) and he is extremely picky about his treats ( he only likes 2 different ones)
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It takes time and patience . My guy still doesnt like to come out of his cage and we have had him over a year . It took time for him to trust and now he will come sit in out hands and groom us and loves to be petted . Treats should be given in moderation . Raisens are the only treats my little guy likes .
Just be patient and he will come around but most chins dont like being cuddled and held they seem to prefer to sit on you .
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Sounds like you're working hard at it & in time it should pay off. It does take a long time for a chin to soften up to you....seemingly like forever. Be careful with those treats. Don't give too many or you'll have another problem--like intestinal blockage & more vet bills. Good luck & it will be worth it the wait. JANE ::silly::
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They do sometimes take a lot of time to warm up to you. Dont give up and keep trying to earn his trust
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After about three months I could pet adn pick up my M'noke, although she doesn't really like either. My Kira, who is very strong willed, only started letting me pet her last week (after six months exactly). she's liking the petting, but still testing if it's safe. You need a lot of patience. I cut up raisins and lay on my back with them in my hand. They only get a raisin if they are on top of me. This has built a lot of trust. Also, try to get them to eat out of the palm of your hand, as this is a great trust game.
To get my girls back in the cage, I reward them with a raisin (be careful how much you give them, I always cut mine into small pieces so it seems like they're getting more, oats are good too, and they can have as much as they want). They work like clockwork, and as soon as an hour is up, they are in their cage asking for a raisin. It takes a week or two to get them to do this, but will save you a lot of hassel. I don't feed them until they are snug in their cage, so that they have other incentives.