Question:
I was wondering if anyone has any tips to help get an adult chin used to being picked up and held? Buddy is a fairly social chin (when he wants to be), but he will not let me pick him up. I can put my hand in his cage, and he will usually jump on my arm or hand, and from there, I can nuzzle him up against my body or face and he won't freak out. But it only works if things are done on his terms and he comes to me-he essentially just uses me as another perch. He will not in any way shape or form let me just pick him up or hold him-in order to get him in or out of his cage, I need to coerce him into jumping into his carrier or running ball.
Anyone have any suggestions?


Answer:
The only thing that works with Cub is to distract her with a treat & hold her as she eats. And that doesn't work great either...


Answer:
that just goes to show you that they have US trained.. and not the other way around.. lol


Answer:
Very true.


Answer:
I scoop my chins up in two hands. Basically I put one hand on each side of their body and then bring them together so that they are sitting in my hands. If the chin is jittery, change your hands to one on top and one on the bottom after you pick them up. I should warn you that this should be done in a secure place because it is easy for them to get away if they really want to. I don't really like the tail method and I don't think the chins would either.


Answer:
The problem is that he won't let me scoop a hand underneath him. I would have to wait until he decided to come to my hand.
The tail method scares me...


Answer:
It scares me too. I know that many breeders and pet owners do it and it's perfectly safe if done properly but I don't like it. When Santos was younger and a little bit more wild, I would scoop him up and then rest him against my chest with one hand on top of him and one hand holding the base of his tail but that was only so he couldn't get away if he made a sudden movement.
I would bribe Buddy. Santos doesn't really like having anything under his belly either so I started out by giving him a treat and then leaving my hand close by him. Usually he would sit still while he ate. Then I moved both of my hands next to him. Then I would stick a finger under his belly and scratch it. Then I would put my whole hand under his belly and make him sit on my hand. The key to scooping "difficult" chins up is to be quick and make sure that your hands are coming in from the sides, not the top.


Answer:
I have a few chins that loathe being held. Baxter for one. I have gotten so good at picking him up he doesn't have time to react. I simply scoop him up from behind and hold him close to me so there isn't much of a struggle.
The only time I handle my chins by the base of the tail is when I am grooming them.


Answer:
I have given up... but Snurr is usually good. If he's asleep I can uaually pick him up and it will take a few minutes until he has realized what's going on, hehe.


Answer:
I don't feel comfortable with picking them up by the tail either. The only time I have grabbed them by the tail is in an emergency and that only happened twice. But I have chins that hate being held too. What I did was made a box where they sleep and I attached the front of the box with hooks so it comes off. Then I just take the box out of the cage and take the front off the box and scoop them up. It's so much easier then trying to catch them.