Before you can begin training your chinchilla, you'll need to build a rapport with your pet. This may take a few days, weeks, or even months, depending on your pet's personality and its previous experiences with people.Be sure to familiarize yourself with your chinchilla before attempting to introduce other friends or family members to your pet. Meeting too many people before a chinchilla feels comfortably "at home" with you could be stressful and confusing.
Put your hand in the animal's cage from time to time, but don't reach for the chinchilla. Let it come to you while you hold your hand inside to build trust and establish familiarity.
When your chinchilla does come to you, put your hand under its chin instead of on top of its head. This will help your pet feel less threatened as it gets to know you.
 The best way to begin training your chinchilla is to handle it as often as possible. This will help your pet become calmer and more comfortable around you, which, in turn, will make training much easier.Chinchilla personalities are often solidified as early as 10 weeks of age. If you purchase an older chinchilla, be aware that it may not be as playful or easy to train as a younger animal.
Some chinchillas are nervous, especially when they're first handled. If you pet your chinchilla and handle it often, though, it should become more playful and affectionate as it learns to trust you.
Don't expect this change to happen overnight. Even if your chinchilla is young, it may take a while to build a rapport with your pet, and it may be fearful of being handled at first.
 As you progress with your training, you may encounter some environmental stimulus that frightens your pet. This can potentially hinder your training progress and it may also cause your pet to become fearful in your home, so it's important to identify the cause of your pet's fear and address that stimulus accordingly.A frightened chinchilla will run or hide. If you and your chinchilla have bonded, it will most likely run to you and cling to you for protection.
Any time your chinchilla does this, it is an indication that something in your home has frightened your pet. You may need to monitor the situation over time to determine the source if it's not immediately evident.
Once you've identified the environmental stimulus that's frightening your chinchilla, you can remove it or modify it so that your pet feels safer in your home.
 Some chinchillas are naturally skittish, while others develop a fear of people from insufficient handling during the animal's first weeks of life. Whatever the case may be, your pet may become frightened or anxious from time to time. When this happens, you'll need to calm the animal down if you hope to continue playing with and training your chinchilla.Hold your chinchilla by the base of the tail. If you grab the middle or end of the tail it will permanently fall off, as the chinchilla will believe it is in danger.
While holding the base of your chinchilla's tail, use your other hand to support the animal's body from its underside. This will help your chinchilla feel safe and secure.
Always handle your chinchilla while sitting with the animal's body close to whatever surface you're seated on. That way if it falls it can land safely.
 Sometimes chinchillas bite people or other animals. A rambunctious chinchilla may also engage in barbering (pulling out another animal's hair), usually out of fear or anxiety. Any time your chinchilla bites (you or other animals) or attempts to pull the hair out of other chinchillas, you'll need to step in and stop that behavior.Make a loud, abrupt sound, like clapping your hands. Your chinchilla should become frightened and freeze in its tracks.
Continue to interrupt undesirable behavior as soon as your chinchilla engages in it. The loud sound will distract your pet, and over time it should learn that the undesirable sound is related to its behavior.
Let your chinchilla get comfortable with you.
Handle your pet often.
Identify signs of fear.
Calm an anxious chinchilla.
Stop a chinchilla from biting or barbering.
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