Hello, i need bonding help with my chinchilla. All she seems to do whenever I let her out is hide somewhere dark and bark all day long. It's very difficult to get her back into the cage too, since i can't seem to get near her without her running away from me. And i know that chasing is very bad to do, but it's currently the only way i can get her back in the cage. She's resorted to hiding between the space between the dresser and the wall just so i wont get to her..
Hi there! Stitch does his fair share of this too, in fact he’s currently under my bed making his squeaky toy barks haha!
Chinchillas are naturally pretty shy and love dark spots, especially if they’re sleepy, since they mimic their natural burrows. To help with the hiding, try to block off all the areas outside of her cage that she could hide in,if she has access to her cage and thus her sleep houses in there (though I know, it’s extremely difficult to actually keep a chinchilla out of somewhere they want to go for long). Make sure you’re working with her during the evening when she would naturally be awake; since they’re crepuscular, it’s natural that they want to be sleeping earlier in the day. Reserve a hidey house in her cage (and bring it to her play room if it’s away from her cage) that you never ever try to touch her in except for real emergencies. This will build her confidence around you as well as giving her an alternative to hide in that’s not in your furniture!
As for bonding, I’d recommend starting by either sitting down with an actively desired toy or a few low fat and sugar treats like oat groats in your hand/lap OR laying down under a blanket on the floor with just your head sticking out with treats near your face and on your belly/back. Whichever position you chose (the latter tends to be more approachable to start with), make sure you are relaxed but completely still, even when she hops on you. Let her approach you and get the treats herself. Position the treats where she needs to put at least two feet on you to reach them. As she gets more and more comfortable with this exercise (a process that will probably take weeks, don’t rush it!), you can try tickling her under her chin when she hops on you, approaching from a low angle. If she shies away, go back to just treats/the toy and try again the next day.
You can do a similar exercise without treats or toys if those don’t work for her in a smaller play space, like a bathroom, lay or sit in a position that requires her to climb on you or run across you to move around much.
If she isn’t scared of your hands, make sure that whenever you let her out for playtime, you pick her up out of the cage and put her down on the ground so she associates your hands with happy times.
As far as getting her back in her cage after playtime is over, I usually put Stitch’s dust bath in his cage to tempt him back in. If luring her in doesn’t work, unfortunately chasing is pretty much the only option. Use something like a broom to usher her towards the doors rather than your hands so she doesn’t see your hands and automatically go into flight mode. Try to use smooth rather than lunging motions, and set up a sort of ‘funnel’ towards the door so that you can move her towards the cage more easily without needing to pick her up.
With all of these issues, your main goal is to build trust, which is tricky but definitely doable with a lot of patience and rewards. You can check out my bonding tag in the header or here for more ideas too!
I hope that gives you some new ideas, let me know if I can help with anything else!
