Can you cuddle with chinchillas

Some chinchillas like to be held, and others do not. It really depends on the individual chinchilla. A chinchilla from friendly parents who has been handled since it was born will be happy to be held.

One that has missed that important socialization will be far less keen. When holding a chinchilla, place its hind legs on your hands and its front legs against your body, rather than just in your outstretched hands. This offers more stability for the chinchilla, making it feel safe.

Some chinchillas tend to be a bit high-strung, so it is best that young children do not handle them. A frightened chinchilla may act aggressively our of fear, and you could risk being bitten if you are rough or scare them. If a child does want to hold a chinchilla, be sure to show him how to hold a chinchilla correctly.

It is rare that a chinchilla likes to cuddle with people. Chinchillas in general are fun and lively pets, and very entertaining. But occasionally you will get one that likes to snuggle up to you. The best time to see if a chinchilla will like to cuddle is after its weaned from its mother, at about 8 weeks. It will miss the company of its mother and naturally want to bond with someone.

That someone could be you! This is the best time to check if it will like to cuddle. Missing its mother, it will be looking for a replacement and the chances of bonding with someone new are pretty big. That new companion might be you! In general, a young chinchilla will have the same temperament as its parents. To choose the one with the best temperament you might want to go to a breeder rather than a pet store. The main reason is that thoughtful breeders will be very scrupulous when selecting mating pairs.

So they will have a higher chance of producing gentle chinchilla babies. In addition to selective breeding, the young chinchillas will be regularly handled and socialized with other rodents and with humans. A chinchilla that has been socialized from a young age is more willing to interact with its new owner. You also have to be really careful when you handle one of these small, furry rodents.

Avoid lifting them by their abdomen. You might hurt them since they have sensitive rib cages. Without moving suddenly, place your hand outstretched into the cage. You can put a treat into your hand. Wait until the chinchilla comes to a complete stop in the palm of your hand. Use the other hand to help them keep balanced as you gently lift them. You should never apply pressure or try to restrain them in any way while doing this.

If chinchillas feel trapped or threatened, they will shed their fur. Put the other hand under the belly to keep them in a more natural position. Hold the chinchilla against your chest, allowing its legs to rest on you.

Be careful as they tend to move a lot in order to get loose. You will need a lot of caution when holding a chinchilla this way. She was shy and scared during this time, but at the end of the day, she slowly started coming around and getting used to the environment. While chinchillas may not be the most cuddly creatures, they are certainly extremely social pets. Lack of attention for a chinchilla can lead to boredom.

Boredom can even lead to depression. After your chinchilla is comfortable with its new environment, things begin to change, and you can start to see the love. I would get her out for about minutes every day and interact with her. A few weeks into it, she would jump on me , sit on my shoulders, climb on my head , and from time to time even nibble my ear. I never invaded her space non-invited.

If your chinchilla gets squirrely when you pick it up, set it down. Now things have shifted dramatically. Me just walking into the room near her, gets her excited. She comes to the front of her cage ready to play. I can pet her in the cage and outside of the cage. She loves being scratched behind her ears and under her chin no pun intended. Now, during playtime, she is cuddly.

She was not cuddly in the beginning but she has become very cuddly since. If I lay down on the floor, even though the room is decent sized, she will burrow into my chest, lay on my shoulder, or just hang out for several minutes.

Trying to push the issue too much will just have them fleeing in the opposite direction from you. No need to have your chinchilla wanting to run away from you. Forcing it too much in the beginning, or in general, can cause a lot of anxiety and stress in your chinchilla. I have a post that discusses all the reasons why chinchillas lose their fur that you.

You can see it here. A fur slip is nothing more than a defense mechanism chinchillas use in the wild to protect themselves from enemies. Chinchilla shedding is normal. Give it space and stop attempting to force any form of cuddling. It happens, and the fur will grow back. My 2-year-old son was the first person to make my chinchilla have a fur slip for trying to force cuddling and handling it a bit aggressively or too often.

I believe this is what has led my chinchilla to be more open to cuddles and interaction with me and my family. I clean her cage daily and give her a treat while doing so. I pet her in her cage but only if she comes to me, and I just treat her with the same respect that I would treat any other animal. If the video doesn't start playing momentarily, please install the latest version of Flash.

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