Hello,
I am new to chins and this board. I just recently purchased an adult (?) chin (see below) from a pet store. He seems healthy and is very active, alert and curious. However I do have one question about his behavior. He is very timid and even somewhat scared of people. When I open his cage door, he runs from me or at least trys to get away. He does not really like being held, squirming and kicking to get free but is getting somewhat more calm as I try to socialize him. When I put him out on the floor, etc. he does come near people and myself, and even climb up on us and sniff us, but try to pet him and he runs away. He also tends to stay put on whatever he is on (e.g. a couch or chair), preferring not to jump down, but is still very curious, exploring ever square inch of it. While in his cage, he spends most of his time either sitting or running in his wheel -- he even sleeps in it! We got him a large clear ball and he also enjoys running around in it, and picked up on how to use it very quickly.
I was wondering is this is normal and typical behavior of a new chin, or if for some reason he has become anti-social due to isolation or trauma. My friend has a chin and he is VERY friendly, albeit he has had him for several years. Also, based on my chin's size, would anyone care to guess how old he is? The pet store didn't know and couldn't even tell me his sex.
Thanks,
Johnathan
