Taming Your Chinchilla

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

30 Jun 2007 03:23 PM

Chinchillas are active and playful pets, and can become accustomed to human handling with a little time and patience.

The younger your chinchilla is, the easier time you'll have. Try to find a chinchilla who has been handled frequently -- this will make your work a lot easier. But you can tame just about any chinchilla of any age. Here are a few basic tips:

• Take your time. When you first bring your chinchilla home, give him a chance to adjust to the new environment. Keep interaction and cage maintenance to a minimum for the first few days -- that means don't reach in, don't chase or grab your chinchilla.
• Do spend time sitting near the cage to get the chinchilla used to your presence.
• Move slowly and speak softly around your chinchilla.
• Start your taming in the evenings -- chinchillas are nocturnal and will be more active (and more receptive) if you aren't waking them up to be handled.

As you sit near the cage, reward your chinchilla for bravery and curiosity -- when he approaches the cage bars, offer a bit of raisin as a reward. Once your chinchilla is regularly accepting bits of raisin through the cage bars, it's time for the next step: offering a bit of raisin through the open cage door.

Take your time with each step! Don't rush. Be sure your chinchilla is comfortable with each step before moving on.

After your chinchilla is regularly taking raisins through the open door, it's time to offer a treat on your palm. You want the chinchilla to climb onto your hand to take the treat, but don't grab him or make any sudden movements that might frighten him. Let him climb up and get the treat at his own rate. The next step is to place the treat on your wrist/forearm so the chinchilla will climb up onto your hand. Gradually move the treat up towards your shoulder so he will climb onto your arm.

Once your chinchilla is used to climbing on you, you can try gently petting him. He may shy away from this at first -- remember to move slowly and be patient. Be sure to keep handling your chinchilla regularly so he stays well socialized. If you stop handling him for a period of time, you may find yourself needing to retame him.

If you'll be letting your chinchilla out of the cage to play, don't chase or grab him to get him back inside. Lure him back into the cage with treats instead. And be sure your out-of-cage play area is safe -- keep electrical cords and other dangers out of reach.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger