aggression or territorial?

[rabbitwhisperer]

i have a female chinchilla who seems to have moods. when i pick her up, i have to use gauntlets as she bites everyone. once she is out of her cage i can take them off and she seems to relax a little, sometimes even closing her eyes if i scratch the right places. i have taken her to the vet recently as she had a very red and sore looking nipple which has now been removed. any tips on how to calm her down? i left her for a week before i even tried to pick her up, just talking to her and feeding her and changing her water. she seems to be more trusting (when she is out of the cage) than when i first started handling her. she also sprays at people so nobody can walk past the cage. can anybody help me with this behavior?? if you need more information on it then feel free to ask, all help will be much appreciated. x

[fliddie]

Oh dear it sounds like she is really putting you through it. What is her history? Where did she come from? Has she been roughly handled or mistreated in the past? Did the vet give her a clean bill of health other than the nipple problem or could there be an underlying health issue behind her aggression?

Most chins hate being picked up full stop and will squirm like hell, although I have fortunately never personally come across any who bite.

My Spyro was highly aggressive when I first got him, he barked and snarled at anyone who dared to approach his cage or walk past it, he was pure evil! Having said that it was all verbal and whislt he didnt like me going into his cage, he didnt bite. I spent a lot of time sat next to his cage talking to him with the door open, eventually he started to climb out onto me and I would reward him with treats.

What kind of cage do you have? Spyro was in a standard chinchilla cage which was way too small for him. I got a massive cage (originally an aviary) and put a load of shelves into it and his personality literally completely changed overnight. It was amazing, he went from evil to gorgeous. I think he was probably cramped up in the tiny space and bored with little to do. It was interesting that when introducing him to Vespa I had to put them both into a smaller cage as Spyro became extremely territorial in his cage and he again started to display unhappy behaviours and noises which disappeared the minute he went back into his cage.

I obviously dont know what your cage is like but I would suggest that if you have room then get a larger - or even just a taller cage and see if that improves your little lady's temperament. On Ebay you can pick up aviaries for next to nothing. Mine is 3'x3' square by 5'10"ish tall and the girl I got it from bought it for £20 off ebay. A lot cheaper than small chin cages and any chin will be happy with the largest space you can give them!

Here is mine:






Spyro is now the softest, most beautiful natured chin in the world. Instead of barking and snarling at people he chatters away quite happily to himself, bounces over to see me when I enter the room, will let me give him little scratches under his chin and on his front and I spent a long time introducing him to another lonely little chin and they are happier than ever.

Its just a thought, there are probably a million and one reasons why she could be aggressive but this is what cured my little man and turned him from a hell-beast into an angel! x

[fliddie]

Sorry the second pic should have been this one:

[rabbitwhisperer]

well i got her from the pah where i work and got quite attatched to her as other people were frightened to handle her so i had all the contact and decided to buy her. she has behaved the same way since we got her in at the shop and had not been mis handled as i trust that my colleagues would have mentioned it, she was very grumpy (and stressed) when i first saw her after the journey of the delivery.
The vet has cleared her, he said it was irritated and that removing it would have no side effects, just that it would stop causing her discomfort. her cage is roughly 3ft x 2.5ft x 2.5ft. its a pretty standard cage with 1 inch wire mesh and a solid metal base.
Thanks for the tips, i think ill try sitting nutside the cage with treats. she seems to allow me to stand neer the cage without spraying at me now wich is an improvement. she does however spray everybody else. do you think i should slow down and stop trying to pick her up. this is the first chinchilla i have owned but i have had contact with several and i will say she has the worst temperement i have ever seen (but she is still very cute and like my baby).
It is very strange though because when i take her out of her cage (using thick gloves) i can handle her fine and she really seems to enjoy the company, even other people can hold her if i get her out. is there any explination for this jackle and hyde behavior?

[fliddie]

Did she initially have company in P@H, I dont mean any offence with this but it absolutely breaks my heart to see a bonded pair of chins in a cage there one week and the next only one is left there. They really do need company and she may be nervous and missing her 'other half' if she has been separated and moved around from cage to cage all in a short amount of time.

I am by no means an expert but have had 6 chins now and would always try and keep them in pairs if at all possible.

With Spyro, I stopped trying to handle him after a while - and bear in mind he was an ex-show chin so was very used to being handled and still hated it. I instead let him come to me and rewarded him with treats when he did so, this meant that he started to associate me with nice things rather than as the giant creature that came into his home and grabbed him and therefore as something to fear. Try moving her cage to somewhere that she can jump in and out herself and run around without you having to handle her, if she can use you as a ladder to get in and out all the better as she gets used to climbing on you at her instigation so that she feels secure rather than imposed upon. And try sitting out with her when she has a run around so that she can use you as a climbing frame.

Unfortunately most chinchillas - of any temperament - absolutely hate being picked up, they are not as cute and cuddly as they look. But they can become quite attached to you for little affectionate scratches and come and chat to you if you talk to them. I think you are probably onto a loser if you want a cuddly pet as it is not in their nature as a prey animal to enjoy being picked up, but they can be rewarding in other ways.

If you are unable to experiment with a bigger cage, then try and give her lots of changing toys to play with and different things to do and boxes to hide in to make her feel secure in her new home. You may find that after a while you may want to try and pair her up to provide her with some calming company. Although chinchilla introductions can take a LONG time and are not always successful, but if it does work, then you may see her calm and feel more relaxed with the security of a companion.

It is essential that she gets out of her cage every day for a run around to run off excess energy and to provide some mental stimulation as the standard chinchilla cages are just far too small to provide her with any opportunity to do much else but sit there all day. With my previous chins I got 2 chinchilla cages for each pair and frankensteined them together so that they had double the space.

In all honesty I have never had a particularly aggressive chin (other than Spyro verbally) and so other than hormonal problems or loneliness or insecurity causing her aggression, then I can only think that a change in caging or environment could make a positive contribution to her mental welfare.

My advice would be to stop trying to pick her up (as all chins hate that, regardless of angelic or demonic temperaments) and let her get used to you in her own time. Make sure that you are there when she comes out for playtime and let her jump on you in her own time so that she feels safe with you and associates you with treats and playtime which can only be positive!

I hope that Susiechinchilla comes online soon as she is an expert and may well be able to offer you more advice!

Best of luck, am sending happy vibes xxxx

[fliddie]

I have just re-read your first post, I take it from what you have said that you have only had your chin for a week or so? Sorry, I missed that bit the first time round and thought you may have had her a while. The main reason that she is spraying and biting will almost certainly be because she is feeling threatened, if she has only been with you for a week or so, then probably she is feeling unsettled in a new cage, in a new environment, alone, getting used to a new owner and having been in a shop she has unfortunately been subjected to a whole lot of different scary looking people poking at her cage and no exercise outside of the cage and no companion for comfort and support so she is probably quite depressed as well as scared. In addition to the other stuff I have suggested, make sure that her cage is somewhere quiet (as in not next to your tv or stereo!) and spend a lot of time talking to her in a soft tone so that in time she comes to see you as a soothing influence. It is a good sign that she has stopped spraying at you but she is obviously feeling very threatenend by anyone else wandering past and unfortunately it cant be too nice for your friends who get the full force of her fright! Let her get used to you alone first before a load more people come along poking at her new cage as she must be terrified of them. Hopefully with a bit of peace and letting her out but on her terms - ie not picking her up but letting her find her own way in and out, she will come round with a little TLC xx

[susiechinchilla]

Hiya

Reading your posts it appears the chin has only been with you for a little while and it is very early days and she is bound to be feeling very unsure due to her new surroundings and needs time to settle

However In over 12yrs of owning chins and over 6 years runing a reccue I have never had to use gloves to handle any chins , which makes me wonder what has happened to her in her previous home its quite possible she has been ill treated as the spaying is used as a defence mechanism

You have to go really really slow dont rush things> I would stop trying to handle her until shehas built her trust in you. You can sit by her cage talking to her quietly , then openthe door & slowly put your hand in below her head height, use a treat like a raisin or shredded wheat, slowly but surely she will get used to you & realise your not going to hurt her.

Take things slowly and at her pace and you will find you have a well adjusted chin who learns there is nothing to fear from you

I also agree with fiddie and would suggest you ove her to an area where no one has to pass her cage thus making her feel threatened

Good luck with time , patience and tlc she will come round and I am sure will reward you ten times over

[rabbitwhisperer]

i have had her for about a month now and she never had a companion unless it was before her PaH days. she is used to my scent and voice and is much better with me than other people. i dont feel the need to cuddle her constantly but it would be nice for other people to see her without being covered in urine. once she is out i dont need gloves at all. so really i just need to back off and start from scratch? i have tried offering raisins, ill try the shreaded wheat trick. THANK YOU for all your help i will be patient and try to gain her trust. i think i can move her cage behind a wall sticking out in my living room and tell people to stay away. its good to know there is hope for her, i think its really sad to see the way she mistrusts everyone, ive never seen a chinchilla act like that and i looked after them at college and in total have cared for about 20 chins, it just woried me that she may be untamable. again thanks alot i really appreciate that

[susiechinchilla]

Aug 14, 2009 12:53:39 GMT rabbitwhisperer said:

i have had her for about a month now and she never had a companion unless it was before her PaH days. she is used to my scent and voice and is much better with me than other people. i dont feel the need to cuddle her constantly but it would be nice for other people to see her without being covered in urine. once she is out i dont need gloves at all. so really i just need to back off and start from scratch? i have tried offering raisins, ill try the shreaded wheat trick. THANK YOU for all your help i will be patient and try to gain her trust. i think i can move her cage behind a wall sticking out in my living room and tell people to stay away. its good to know there is hope for her, i think its really sad to see the way she mistrusts everyone, ive never seen a chinchilla act like that and i looked after them at college and in total have cared for about 20 chins, it just woried me that she may be untamable. again thanks alot i really appreciate that

yes honey I would go right back to scratch and not even attempt to pick her up for a little while . Just sitting talking to her and putting you hand in the cage will help her to build her trust in you

I would definately move her cage into an area where she is not having people pass her all the time as this should help her to feel safer and once she feels less defensive then the spraying should stop .

I have found if you take things slowly but surely at the chins pace then you will reap the rewards and will end up with a happy furrball .

Please do let us know how you get on

[rabbitwhisperer]

ok will do. thank you so much for your help. ill post it on here wen i see some progress with her

[fliddie]

How are you getting on with your little chin? Any improvement? x

[rabbitwhisperer]

i have completely avoided picking her up and just sat near the cage talking to her, she seems to be making some progress. she has stopped spraying at people, i have had my family sitting talking to her aswel in hope that she will come to realise that nobody is out to hurt her. i really think she is learning but still i wont touch her until i know she completely trusts me. x

[fliddie]

Oh good, I am glad you are making progress, she will come around, stopping spraying shows she is feeling more secure, good stuff!

Try hand feeding her a treat or two a day whilst you talk to her - they love a mini shredded wheat or a raisin, bribe her to love you!! Worked for all of my creatures - it may be conditional love but I dont care, I just love them all coming over to see me as soon as I start talking!!

[rabbitwhisperer]

good plan, bribary and corruption all the way lol. im off out to buy some shreaded wheat! x

[susiechinchilla]

It sounds as though she is starting to get used to her new surroundings and feelings less defensive . I would not overdo the raisins honey and try to stick to healthy treats .

I have had some very nervous frightened chins here and with lots of patience and tlc they do eventually learn to trust you

[rabbitwhisperer]

YAY! She actually came over to me this morning as soon as i opened the cage. I didn't pick her up, just stroked her under the chin. I don't want to push my luck with her. She absolutely loves the shreaded wheat idea. Thank you all so much for your help. x

[susiechinchilla]

Oct 12, 2009 11:34:24 GMT rabbitwhisperer said:

YAY! She actually came over to me this morning as soon as i opened the cage. I didn't pick her up, just stroked her under the chin. I don't want to push my luck with her. She absolutely loves the shreaded wheat idea. Thank you all so much for your help. x

Great stuff, thats wonderful news Some chins can take a while to build their trust in you but I have always found that patience does reap rewards

When you pick her up you could try scooping her with 2 hands either side rather than over the top of her as that can be less threatening to them

[rabbitwhisperer]

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone on here who has given me advice. Its now 8 months since i baught her and she is like a new chin and she loves me boyfriend and will go to me and him quite happily when out of her cage. thank you thank you thank you for all your support.

[DegutasticJen]

Oh thats brilliant news, after reading this thread im glad youve finaly made so much progress with her :-)

Im sure she is thankful aswell to finaly know that your not out to hurt her but yet to hand her some yummy treats :-)