How to tame, handle and bond with a chinchilla

How long does it take to tame a chinchilla?

Between two weeks and two months for most, says Supreme, and longer for a very timid one. Burgess is clear that progress depends on the individual and that a chinchilla must choose to interact on its own terms. Young chinchillas handled from an early age are the quickest to trust people, and the RSPCA says chinchillas handled young can come to see people as companions.

Being "tame" doesn't mean cuddly. VCA calls chinchillas quiet, shy animals, and PetMD says most are not particularly cuddly even when well socialised. A tame chinchilla comes to the front of the cage when you arrive, takes food from your hand, hops onto you during play and lets you pick it up for a health check without panic. That is the goal.

Before you start: the first week

Leave a new chinchilla alone to settle for at least a week, Supreme advises. It has just lost its home, its smells and maybe its friends. During that week, do the daily jobs quietly and calmly, and sit near the cage and talk so it learns your voice.

• Cage in a quiet room, away from TVs, speakers and busy doorways (Burgess, Supreme).
• Room kept cool, around 10 to 20°C (50 to 68°F) (VCA).
• A hide for each chinchilla, so it can always retreat.
• About 12 hours of darkness for daytime sleep (RSPCA).
• A small stock of treats: dried rose hips, dried herbs or a few of its usual pellets.
• No other pets in the room during sessions.

Chinchillas have very sensitive hearing and startle easily at loud or sudden noises, says the RSPCA, so a calm room does half the taming for you.

How to tame a chinchilla, step by step

This combines the methods from Supreme, Burgess and Woodgreen, which agree closely. Move to the next step only when your chinchilla is calm at the current one.

1. Sit and talk. Each evening, sit beside the cage and talk quietly for 10 to 20 minutes. Crouch low; Burgess says to make yourself small and let the chinchilla approach.
2. Offer a treat near your hand. Open the cage door and put a treat on the shelf just in front of your hand. Supreme advises against pushing treats through the bars, which can teach it to nip fingers.
3. Treat on your palm. Once it takes treats near your hand, put the treat on your open, flat palm and wait. Let it decide.
4. Chin scratches. When it comes forward for food, gently stroke under its chin, as Burgess suggests. Most chinchillas love this.
5. Hand and arm. Woodgreen suggests offering your arm for it to sniff and hop onto. Supreme says wait until it stands on your hand for a treat.
6. First lift. When it stands on your hand calmly, scoop it up gently, one hand underneath and the other cupped over its back to stop a leap. Keep it low, over a soft surface.
7. Play together. Sit on the floor of a chinchilla-safe room and let it climb over your legs and arms, rewarding it with treats.

How to pick up and hold a chinchilla

Gently but firmly, close to the ground, with the whole body supported. Chinchillas have delicate skeletons, PetMD and Chewy both warn, so a fall or a squeeze can break bones.

1. Guide, don't grab. Woodgreen suggests placing a tunnel for it to walk into, then lifting the tunnel. Or let it step onto your hand.
2. Support underneath. Slide one hand under its chest and belly. The MSD Veterinary Manual says to hold the base of the tail gently and support the body with the other hand.
3. Hold it to you. Woodgreen says to hold it against your chest with all four feet on you. PetMD and Chewy describe cradling it like a rugby ball (football) so it can't kick free.
4. Stay low. The RSPCA says handle chinchillas close to the ground, away from shelves and furniture they could leap from.
5. Keep it short. A few seconds at first, then put it down calmly and give a treat.

Never pick a chinchilla up by the tail, which can cause serious injury, says Burgess, or by the fur, which causes fur slip. The MSD Veterinary Manual says the lost fur takes months to grow back. A towel wrapped loosely around a nervous chinchilla can help for a vet trip or health check, as PetMD suggests.

Do chinchillas bond with people?

Yes, many do, in their own way. Burgess says a bonded, relaxed chinchilla may chatter, make excited squeaks, hop over you or enjoy a little snuggling, and that chinchillas enjoy gentle chin scratches from people. The RSPCA says friendly chinchillas will come for petting, but most still resist being held, so let them come to you.

A chinchilla bonds best with you when it also has a chinchilla friend. The RSPCA says chinchillas should live with at least one other chinchilla, and a single chinchilla needs daily time from you to make up for it. A pair still bonds with people; it just isn't relying on you for all its company. Our chinchilla behaviour guide explains the sounds and body language that show how your chinchilla feels.

Free-range time once it trusts you

Woodgreen says to start free-range time only once your chinchilla is settled and feeds from your hand, because then it will come back to you. Use a secure, chinchilla-proofed room, ideally the one the cage is in, with every cable protected and houseplants removed. The MSD Veterinary Manual suggests about two hours of supervised exercise a day. Our chinchilla enrichment guide has a step-by-step for setting up a safe play room.

Taming a rescue or older chinchilla

The same steps work, but expect them to take longer. The RSPCA says chinchillas that have had little or rough handling can be distressed around people, which shows as fear, trying to escape, fur loss or aggression. Ask the rescue how the chinchilla has been handled and what it likes. Go back to step one, keep sessions short, and let it set the pace. Our guide on where to get a chinchilla covers choosing a rescue.

Can I leave my chinchilla alone for 3 days?

No, not without someone checking in every day. Food and water would last, but the RSPCA says to check chinchillas for illness or injury every day and to have someone else do it when you are away, because a chinchilla that stops eating, or whose droppings stop, could be seriously ill. A hot day with no one there can also be dangerous: chinchillas get heatstroke above about 27°C (80°F), says the MSD Veterinary Manual.

The MSD Veterinary Manual says travel is stressful for chinchillas and suggests a reliable pet sitter or a boarder experienced with chinchillas, away from barking dogs. Give the sitter written instructions, your vet's number and plenty of supplies, and ask them to practise before you leave. For the full routine they will need, share our chinchilla care guide.