Here are some tips for bonding with your chinchilla-

Remember be patient and be calm!

26 Responses

  1. I used to have a chinchilla, I love pets but this one was quite the work. The pbreloms I had with my chinchilla April were that she needed a lot of excersize, and whenever I let her out of her cage in a closed off room, she would find somewhere to hide and it would take sometimes hours to catch her. I was very friendly with her and took care of her well so there was no need to her to be afraid of me, she just never got used to me over the 3 years that I had her. Another problem was she chewed on everything, wood, wires, floors, so you constantly have to watch them. Asides from that she was a great little chinchilla, but they are not much fun as a pet, more work.

    1. I understand your problem, and honestly, some chinchillas just don’t like people! If you are going to get a chinchilla or recently got one that has this problem, don’t be discouraged. Your pet still loves you, but they just might not like contact with you. I’ve heard using your nose instead of your hands, so that is something you could try. I also would find any nooks or crannies that your chin could hide (along with any dangerous wires) and block those up. I usually use cardboard boxes. Provide many hiding house so that they can go some where that they can feel safe and alone. Finally, if you feel bad that you can’t interact with your chin and she feels lonely, get her a friend! Just make sure you take it slow and do your research.

  2. Hi I have a very skittish male chinchilla which I had to seperate from the more calmer male chinchilla because he was often being chased and bitten. So I have to rotate play time.
    Yet I’m not giving up on bonding the two. I have put them together in a small bathroom,just us together on the floor with my water spray bottle in case a fight broke out. So far…it’s been good. The calmer chinchilla seems to want attention from the skittish but whenever the skittish runs away, then he chases him. Anytime I see that I know he means to bite him so I spray the water on his face. He stops. Is this okay?
    I would like to find a way to stop the calmer one from chasing the skittish one. Is this possible?
    I’ve tried spraying areas with part water and part vinegar to neutralize their scent and the play room has everything,2 dust baths,2 of everything and the room is large size with hiding areas.
    I don’t think, the calmer one is trying to fight, more like play fight but he gets too rough. Often times, he leaves the skittish one alone but when he wants to have some fun,chasing him he looks for him. I think, he’s going through a growing phase like puberty, being macho and all.
    They are both supposedly 3 years old but I think, the calmer one is little bit more younger. I bought them together from Chinchilla rescue. They are not bought as a combo. She did say, they can’t be bonded. The skittish one had his tail amputated and he was a mess, meaning agitated and stressed out. The calmer one was rescued from neglect as a pup nearly dead from a chinese pet store. He was held and cared a lot by humans when rescued. That’s why he is more comfortable with people and other pets.
    So my really question, how can I stop the calmer male chinchilla from bothering the skittish male chinchilla. I am following your article about 3 times a day bonding in a neutral area. So I wonder if there is anything else I can do? It’s a bit of a hassel to rotate so I would really like everyone to get a long.
    Jean Beck

    1. Personally I would never trust a chinchilla who has tried to bite his potential cage mate to get along. What happens if they are getting along for a while then one day your bitter gets irritated at the other? While it’s a possibility that this could happen with any pairing, I would think it’d be more likely with one that was more aggressive at the start.

    2. If I were you, I would find a different method of breaking up the fights. If the chinchillas get too wet, they can drown and die. Instead, try keeping the m separated by a fence of some sort and let them get used to each other. If they are forced to like each other, then they won’t want to be friends.

    3. I understand your problem, and honestly, some chinchillas just don’t like people! If you are going to get a chinchilla or recently got one that has this problem, don’t be discouraged. Your pet still loves you, but they just might not like contact with you. I’ve heard using your nose instead of your hands, so that is something you could try. I also would find any nooks or crannies that your chin could hide (along with any dangerous wires) and block those up. I usually use cardboard boxes. Provide many hiding house so that they can go some where that they can feel safe and alone. Finally, if you feel bad that you can’t interact with your chin and she feels lonely, get her a friend! Just make sure you take it slow and do your research.

    4. First of all get rid of the water bottle BECAUSE they’re NOT to GET WET, that’s why their bath is powder. I own one he is very sweet I was able to get him used to but holding his food in my hands and then I’d pet him then I’d pick him up and hold him for a few seconds. Always Google if you’re not sure about a pet you’ve never owned. They don’t like sharp noises, they also need a dark wooden house so they can sleep thru the day. In other words they are from the rodent families. They poop a lot the more the healthier they are. Clean the cage at least twice a week to keep them healthy. READ food bags for directions, so you don’t make them sick. Day: they sleep
      Night: the romp around. Plus they need a big cage so they can have room to play with wooden shelves.
      Enjoy your new friend. But have no idea why it doesn’t get along with its lil friend. Just Google or ask Pet Store owners.

  3. Hi,
    I’ve had my two male chinchillas for about seven months now. I’m having issues bonding with them. I’ve tried to be patient but they only come near me when I have a treat. I suspect maybe they were abused at one point (they were rescues). Can anyone give me suggestions about what to do? They are destroying my home and I just want them to realise I mean no harm so they don’t need to bite me when I put my hands in their cage.

    1. Hi Sarah,
      Make sure to wash your hands before putting them in the cage. Maybe they are smelling treats or lotion or other food on them and that is why they are biting. Or perhaps they have come to think that your hands=food. Have you had any success in being able to scratch or pet them?

      1. I would try just gently laying your arm inside the cage, and letting them come to you. If this doesn’t happen, try using some of their pellet food and do what you would do when you get out a treat so they think that’s what it is, and then laying it on your open calm, fingers, or the back of your hand. Keep all movements slow, and do things that make them associate you with positive things; treats, – dust bath, etc. If that doesn’t work, I’m not sure what else would work.

  4. I just got two chinchillas a few days ago . They are mates and have been together since they were young according to the store . Their last owner couldn’t keep them so they had petland adopt them out requesting it be for free . The male allows me to pet him but they female jumps the moment I make any contact and then she itches after , I don’t know what that means . She takes food from my hands and is very gentle but I’ve only been able to pet her once for a few seconds . Does anyone know what this means ?

    1. Hi Shana, hopefully she has gotten more used to you by now. I think she probably did not have much human contact before and is not used to being touched or is easily startled from being in an unfamiliar environment.

    2. My chinchilla used to do this! Herbie just doesn’t like his sides being touched, but is very open to head scratches and sometimes belly rubs. It really just depends where your chin does and does not want to be touched! Herbie was my first chinchilla so I had no idea their mannerisms and mistook his irritation with me petting his sides as aggressiveness and not wanting to be touched at all. Turns out it just might be a sensitive spot! Good luck with your chin!

    3. She probably itches because she feels a bit dirty, my Chili runs to his bath after touching him, they are very clean pets. Never use water on them. This can cause them to get mold built on their skin and lose their fur, possibly causing them to die. Google for more info on them.

  5. I have a chinchilla named totoro. We have had her for almost a year and yet she still seems scared of me or rather doesn’t like me. She allows me to stroke her and scratch under her chin or behind her ears or just rubbing her neck, but not for a very long time. Sometimes when I touch her she will stand on her two hind feet and start… squeaking? At me. I don’t know what to do. I’m too scared to touch her whenever she starts squeaking. Hence I don’t play with her for a long time. Moreover, she’s in a really tiny cage. I don’t think muchin likes me and I regret getting her as a pet ??. How do I bond with her? I can’t let her out of her cage cause she will just run under the bed and start hiding there and never come out or chew on all my wires. I don’t have a play place for her either. Please tell me what to do. I don’t even dare to carry her out.

    1. First off, she sounds relatively normal. My boys still at 13 years old do not let me pet them for a long time and really only one sits still long enough to scratch him; very few chinchillas will let you pet them for long. It’s good that you don’t touch her when she stands and “squeaks” because I think that’s her warning you she’s going to spray you with urine if you continue. To bond more, I would use the dust bath house to catch her in the cage and them transport her to the bathroom. Make sure there is nothing she can get into and you can let her run around in there. It will take time to catch her again but you can try using the dust again to transport her back.

  6. Hi There,
    A few months ago I bought a 2 year old male chinchilla from a pet store and we have a very good bond. I recently rescued a new 4 year old male chinchilla last week and I have them separated. I let them see each other through each others change and they seem quite happy without it. Is there any tips or pointers I can get on bonding the two?

    I also realized the rescue has a eye infection so I have to deal with that first.

    Thanks so much

  7. My mother and I adopted a chinchilla recently, and she’s skittish around us. She’ll bite us, and she made me bleed at one point. We put her in the bathroom, and she’ll run around. The person whom was breeding chinchillas told us she was “stress shedding” it’s worse than our other animals. This is the first chinchilla we’ve had, but we know we aren’t supposed to let her overheat, and not to get her wet. I want her to enjoy being near us, but she won’t stop biting us. Is there anything we could do to make her stop biting, and shedding so much?

  8. Hi I am Alyssa. I am 13 years old and I have had a chin for about 2 months now I followed your instructions and Mila now lets me scratch behind her ears and on her face! I really want to make a smooth transition to the next step. Any tips?

  9. I got my Chinchilla Today and named her Smoky. She came up to my hand and sat on it for a while, but when I tried to touch her she ran and hid behind the wheel. I don’t know what to do. When I picked her up she started squirming, and then she was calm. I put her in her dust bath and she had some fun, but other than that she won’t let me touch her. While I try to bond she just hides. It is her first day with after all but I hope it gets better. I really don’t want her to hate me for the whole time I have her. Maybe time is all that she needs. Someone plz help me! When I saw her at the pet store she seemed to like me, She came and even sat on my shoulder!; but when I brought her home she just started running away from me! I am afraid that I might have shattered any type of bond we had before 🙁 because now when she sees me she runs and hides. I tried using treats but she ignored them. She doesn’t bite tho. She just tries to clip my nails with her teeth! Maybe I should get another Chinchilla because at the pet store she had a friend. I bought her on black Friday and someone had picked up her friend earlier that morning. When I was putting her in the dust bath she was squirming and trying to run away. I hope that I can fix our problems and eventually bond with her. Someone, please help me! maybe you can tell me how to make her trust me. I was also wondering if I should socialize her with my small Chiwawa. My Chiwawa is probably more scared of Smoky than Smoky is scared of her. I need al the advice I 🙁 can get. When I researched and watched vids it all looked so easy!

  10. I have two chinchillas, smokey and bandit smokey is a month older anyway the older one doesn’t let me catch him in his cage bandit does anyway I work with them everyday.

  11. I just got my chinchilla yesterday and I’m kinda of terrified of it lol.. he is 5 years old and cage was not indecent shape but I plan to get him the critter nation 162..I have touch him today and he was fine for a while and then but me (well nibbled). But since I have read this thread I will leave him be for a few days while he settles in..Thanx

  12. My female chinchla and I are very close. She climbs in my lap falls asleep…stands on her hind legs begs we are just buddies. I’ve had her since she was two months old and she’s now about six months. My question is if I was to get her a mate (male) will she change and not be how she is now with me. I want her to have a little buddy but not if it will make her aggressive towards me or not as playful and friendly.

  13. Greetings!
    My name is Elizabeth Johnson. I’m a long-time animal lover. I have about 4 years’ experience as an animal rescue volunteer and I work as a pet sitter. I’m also a freelance writer. I self-published my first novel 3 years ago.

    I’d love to put my animal skills and writing and editing skills to use to increase activity and productivity for your website! I love learning about animals and I love finding and correcting grammar mistakes, typo or formatting errors, and oddly worded sentences. 🙂

    For freelance writing or editing, I currently charge $18 per hour. If you’d like, I could send you a writing sample to give you an idea.

    Best wishes to you and yours!
    Elizabeth Johnson

Leave a Reply to Sarah Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *