My chinchilla is afraid. How can I build trust and bond with him?

Be patient. Allow him to acclimate to you gradually. Start by simply sitting next to his cage for ever increasing periods of time. Move slowly and talk softly around him. Progress to placing your hand in the cage, again for ever increasing periods of time, until he gets used to you. Wash your hands thoroughly before to remove all scents of food or treats. End each session with a small treat or reward. Do not attempt to hold him or force him to do anything. If he is curious about your hand in the cage, let him smell you and crawl on you. If he nips or bites, take your hand away and try again after he settles down. He will soon begin to realize you are the one providing food, water, toys and treats and then will begin to respond to your presence.

I am sorry to hear that things are not going ideally with Dikta. Chinchillas can be a bit standoffish, and some of them are not very cuddly. However, let’s see what we can do so you don’t get bitten it peed on as much (if at all). If she likes treats, you may just need to keep making all of your interactions positive through the use if them use caution with treats, however, as many of them have dairy, fruit, or sugar in them and are not healthy for chinchillas. To avoid getting bitten, you can also feed her with feeding tongs, and this will put you further from her which may make it less intimidating. As far as training with her, keep it positive. She sounds like she may be nervous around you, and intimidated, so just keep giving her pieces of food (can even be her pellets if she likes those) whenever you are near her. Don’t try to touch her yet, just the treats until she is coming up to you anytime that you go by. Then begin to approach her by small amounts, and if she doesn’t move away, give her a piece. Then you can continue moving closer and closer over time. Remember to be patient, as this can take a while. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Steward is very cute! IT can take a while for these guys to feel comfortable with people. They are usually hiding and running from other animals. I would recommend trying to find a treat that Steward really likes. Than you can hand feed him the treat a few times a day. I would only allow you to give this specific treat. That way he can start associating you with a positive yummy treat. I would recommend getting him neutered. You are correct that anesthesia on Chinchillas can be higher risk than dogs/cats but if you find an experienced vet who does the procedure often you will most likely have a great outcome! hope that helps

Congratulations on your new hamster. I am linking an article here which gives an in depth discussion on methods to try to tame your hamster: http://www.yourpethamster.com/care/taming The key is having patience and persistence. Working at this several times a day and taking it slow to build up your hamster's trust in you. Best of luck to you and Charlie!

Time is your friend! Taking things slow and getting Dandie used to you over time may help her to feel a little more comfortable around you. You can begin by making sure her cage is in an area that is low traffic/low stress to help reduce external stresses. You can then begin to offer a favorite treat any time you walk past the cage, without touching or interacting. Once she is used to this, you can then offer the treat from your hand each time you come by. After a while you can graduate to petting and then gently handling while offering a treat each time. Over time she will begin to associate you with positive things (yummy foods) rather than scary (big giant person coming and handling her).

Thanks for reaching out about Coco & Peach. Winning the trust of your birds will take time. Start with quiet deliberate movements, and offering treats via hand. Since many birds can be cage defensive, you might have to allow them to come out of the cage, for them to be less protective. Take the time, as trust can take some time. Good luck.

Time, patience, and lots of treats. If you notice Curio has a favorite food, you can start by offering that favorite food only when you're interacting with him. IE, when you pet him, approach his cage, let him out, etc. This can help him to associate you with something fun/good and also make him more curious every time you come by to spend time with him. The same can also be done with toys he likes to play with. Sitting near them when he's out of the cage playing, and feeding a treat every time he comes close or shows interest in you can help teach him that you are safe to interact with and play around. If at any time Curiou becomes nervous or scared, stopping the activity and letting him calm down is best. From there, you can go back to the previous way he was OK with (IE just giving a treat from your hand but not petting) and work again from there.