Chinchillas are very smart and touching animals. They quickly get used to the new environment. However, do not forget that any rodent is very shy. In the wild, he must be very careful not to become a breakfast for predators, so the owner of this small fluffy lump should be patient and earn the trust of the pet.
If we talk about whether it is possible to tame the chinchilla in his hands, then this animal is smart enough to learn to recognize its owner and not be afraid of his touch. Some owners of rodents are making great strides and even manage to train them. This once again confirms that, despite its size, the chinchilla is able to show the necessary communication skills with the person and the world around him. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that this is not the easiest process. It is worth considering a few recommendations on how to tame a chinchilla in your hands.
Start of communication
Do not immediately put on a rodent. As soon as this charming animal appears in the house, you need to give him at least one week to get used to the new environment. During this period, do not pull the pet out of the cage. It is necessary to refrain from sudden movements and loud sounds. At first, the chinchilla is very easy to stress, so you should not irritate the shy animal.
However, this does not mean that for a week you need to install the cage in a dark place and not approach it. Studying how to tame a chinchilla in your hands, you need to understand that before you go to action you need to start talking. Therefore, every day you need to approach the cage and talk quietly with the baby. If the animal hears a familiar voice, the process of taming will take place without undue stress.
Delicacy
As with the training of any animal, when communicating with rodents, the fastest way to gain their trust is through encouragement. The taming of the chinchilla to the hands begins with the fact that a person holds out an open palm to the pet, in which lies something delicious. However, do not give your baby candy or cookies. Chinchillas love the wilted berries of hawthorn and wild rose, as well as dried apples.
First you just need to put the treat in the cage. When the animal tastes it, he will want more. After some time, you need to put berries or slices of apples in the palm of your hand and slowly stretch them to the pet. You need to wait until he comes up and gently sniffs the owner’s hand. As a rule, after this, the rodent grabs a treat with its small paws and hides. However, the beginning of communication has already been laid. You can proceed to the next stages of taming the chinchilla to your hands. How often to repeat this manipulation? Experts recommend doing this every day.
Tame to hand
When the pet stops behaving wildly and hiding with every rustle, you can begin to take more active actions. First you need to give the rodent a familiar treat. If he himself begins to climb on his arm, you can gently pull him out of the cage. However, an important rule on how to tame a chinchilla in your hands is that in no case should you make any sudden movements. Do not raise the pet by the coat or under the paws. You need to gently palm up under his stomach and only when the rodent is completely on it, you can remove it.
If you take it by the hair, then you may encounter the fact that the animal will completely “drop” it. This is a protective mechanism that rodents in the wild constantly use. This is due to the fact that chinchillas live in the mountains. There are frequent cases when their thick fur gets stuck between stones and babies have to partially get rid of it, so as not to die.
Games time
The next stage of taming chinchillas is a joint pastime. The more comfortable the animal will feel in the new house, the more willing it will be to go to its owner. Therefore, it is worth putting toys and sweets in the room. After that, you can let the chinchilla stretch its legs for a while. During games, she quickly gets used to the owner. However, you must adhere to strict safety rules.
Features of Chinchillas
These animals are very cunning. This fact should be taken into account when answering the question of how to teach a chinchilla to his hands. Your pet can simply run away and hide. For example, the animal can lie peacefully in the palm of a person and even pretend that it is sleeping, and after a second it will jump off and head at a tremendous speed under the closet. Therefore, it is worthwhile to understand that in the arsenal of these animals there are a huge number of tricks that help them survive in the wild.
In addition, getting used to the hands, the chinchilla begins to be interested in other objects. Therefore, the playground should be prepared so that the baby could not hide in a hard-to-reach place.
Important Rules
Speaking about how to tame a chinchilla, it is important to remember that so far these animals are not so domesticated. Therefore, they may well begin to behave unpredictably, once in a new environment.
Before you start playing with a small pet, you need to close the door to the room and windows. Even if a nimble rodent escapes, the search area will be much smaller.
All wires, especially those that are on the floor, are best hidden. If the rodent gets to them, he will enjoy the wiring with pleasure. After that, part of the household appliances will stop working.
It is also worth removing indoor plants. By their nature, chinchillas are very curious and, having seen a living plant, they will definitely want to try it. However, most indoor flowers are poisonous to rodents. In addition, plants are often treated with chemicals. Therefore, it is better not to take risks. Also, do not use fumigators and other traps or poison for insects in the room. The poison exuded by such devices is dangerous.
Make sure that no other animals, especially cats, are in the room. They can harm or scare the animal. After that, he will have to win his trust again.
Human appearance
If you plan to take a rodent in your hands, it is important to look at your clothes. It should not have small objects. For example, glass or plastic jewelry will cause great interest in the rodent, who will definitely want to taste them. There is a risk that the pet accidentally swallows a bead.
Better to remove the earrings. If the pet climbs on his shoulder, he will definitely want to touch them. As a result, he may injure himself or cause great discomfort to its owner.
It is desirable that there is no varnish on the hands. Rodents are very fond of biting people by the fingers. In this case, not only will the manicure be damaged, but there is also a risk of poisoning the pet itself.
How to tame an adult chinchilla in your hands
If the animal is wild and at the same time it is already quite large, then in this case it is more wary of people. It all depends on the conditions in which he was previously. However, even if the rodent runs wild, there is every chance of making friends with him.
Of course, if we talk about how to tame an adult chinchilla, you need to understand that in this case it will take more time. However, any rodent can be appeased if you offer him a treat. You need to talk with him in a soft voice and constantly praise the baby, if he takes at least a small step towards when communicating with the owner.
In this case, the same recommendations work as described above. The only difference is that it is extremely difficult to train an adult animal. But you can accustom him to his hands.
What you should not do
During communication with the rodent, in no case should you resort to violence. If the pet does not want to leave the cage and stubbornly hides in the house, you do not need to pull it out by force. So he will develop a persistent hostility to man.
Also, do not use punishment. Firstly, it is very cruel, and secondly, such methods of education do not work with rodents. Do not be impatient. Each skill must be practiced until the necessary information is recorded in the head of the rodent.
It is important to understand that when building a relationship between a person and a chinchilla, there must first be trust. The pet must understand that he is completely safe and nothing can harm him. These animals love affection and tenderness, so it is worth praising them more often.
If the rodent is frightened by other domestic animals or by too aggressive actions of its owner, then it will simply clog into the corner and will not be able to learn to do what is expected of it. If the pet does not want to go hand in hand or execute commands, it is better to postpone the learning process until the chinchilla is in a more supportive mood.
You should not expect too much. Even if the rodent begins to just climb into his arms or sit on a person’s shoulder, this can already be considered a huge progress.
General recommendations
There are a few more tips that will help with the taming of this cute animal. First of all, it is important not to rush. One animal only needs a few repetitions of actions, while others require more time to memorize information.
Communicating with chinchilla is best when the animal is active. Do not wake up the animal if it is sleeping sweetly or tearing it away from food. Like many other rodents, these representatives of the wild world are very active at night. Therefore, you can use this period to start communication with your pet.
Rodent character
Considering the question of whether it is possible to tame a chinchilla, it is worth noting that these animals have different temperaments and habits. Like humans, rodents are of a different nature. For example, you can easily meet chinchilla, which manifests itself as a melancholic, choleric or sanguine person. Some lead an active lifestyle and enjoy studying people and the world around them, while others prefer to protect themselves from the external environment.
Depending on the character, the rodent is more or less amenable to taming and training. Phlegmatic animals take the longest training. However, if they nevertheless study new information, then it is fixed in their brain much faster.
It is also worth considering that it is not worth using the same methods with respect to chinchillas as when taming and training cats or dogs. Rodents are not predators, so they perceive the mechanical impact much worse. It is best to use a reward system. For example, you can treat the rodent with a treat or scratch behind the ear. The kid will definitely appreciate this display of tenderness.