A little background info: Got my very first chin just shy of a week ago
Unfortunately I had only done mild preliminary research before purchasing him (I know, I'm not proud of it) and have since scoured the internet, a few books, and this forum for every scrap of insight into my little fur ball that I could find. We got him from a local pet/feed store, and the employee that helped us was quite knowledgeable about chins & helped us select his cage, food, hay, etc. She said that he was a bit over 6 months & was a male Mosaic. We brought him home, and the first night he was incredibly skittish (understandably) and mostly hid inside his little house; within a day or two, he was allowing us to reach in the cage without freaking out, & would occasionally allow us to lightly stroke his forehead for a few minutes before turning away. Now, he won't even flinch when we stick our hands in the cage & will always allow us to pet him gently, his ears even go back in anticipation & sometimes purrs when he's in a friendly mood
He still refuses to be held yet. We let him out each night for at least an hour, leaving the cage open for him to come & go as he pleases and he always makes pit stops between bouncing off the walls to eat, drink, & typically power nap before coming out for another round! I've never had to chase him back into his cage thanks to this, and when he's tuckered out he always goes back to his cage and crashes on the top shelf for a while.
So, onto my questions!
I've looked extensively into taming/bonding guides, posts etc. and most seem to be based on a treat reward system; I've attempted this, but my lil guy simply doesn't have much interest in treats! It's not an appetite thing, as he eats plenty of his pellets & Timothy hay, and lord knows he poops constantly so he's certainly eating lol; I've tried at least 4 different kinds of treats, both brand name treats from the feed store & little bits of raisin, and he just stares at me like I'm stupid, barely sniffs them. He seems to be getting used to us regardless, but without treat incentives I worry that if I need to lure him into a travel cage (for vet visits, etc) that I won't be able to corral him without scaring him. Any alternatives or advice in this area? Is this an uncommon trait?
I've also noticed that he doesn't nibble on much - at all. I've given him chew blocks, toys, etc and none show any signs of use. When we let him out at night, we give him the run of a quite sizable (chin-proofed!) room, and he hasn't even shown an interest in chewing on any of the furniture or cardboard we use to blockade him from bad areas. Is this something I should be worried about? I read quite a bit about malocclusion, but he shows no other symptoms...he has a healthy appetite, no wetness around the mouth, nose or eyes. I know I'm quite possibly overreacting, I'm just nervous from a lack of experience/knowing that these little guys can be fragile!
And my final concern lies with his visits to the the vet. I haven't taken him yet due to his discomfort with being picked up & not wanting to damage the bonding progress we've already made, but I'm nervous about his health after reading a lot of posts/articles about malocclusion & other problems that are more prevalent in store-bought chins
I wish I'd gone to a breeder instead, but I've already come to love my lil buddy & can't change history now. Anyway, should I wait until he's comfortable being held, or is it pressing that I get him in for a first checkup? I've already located an exotic pet vet with great reviews here locally, and they have 15+ years of experience treating chins.
Thanks in advance for any replies! I know that each chin has a unique personality, however I'm just cautious due to lack of experience & don't want the little one suffering due to my ignorance as an owner
Gizmo owes you one!
I was thinking over what you said about not letting him out as much, GrayRodent, and I'm thinking of using it as an opportunity to try and get him comfortable with being held; I was contemplating opening his 2nd level cage door at the same time each night (the routine time we've already been letting him out), but instead of letting him just wander out on his own, holding my cupped hands in front of it like a platform, so that the only way he can get out is to crawl into them. That way, he'll have to learn to get comfortable with letting me hold him if he wants out for playtime, but he can approach the new experience on his own terms...any thoughts on that particular approach?
