To tame your chipmunks

 

For a squirrel bought in a pet shop, 4 months old or older :
At the beginnig, despite all temptations, you must stay in the room next to the cage, talkng to him slowly. You can try 2 or 3 days later to give it a treat like a peanut or some apple. The first time, it won't come. Then it will eventually accept and will come to steal the treat from your fingers, thus smelling your smell. You must continue like this for some days : it will begin to trust you and it will not be afraid of your hand anymore. It will come to ask by itself, you can then go to the next step.

Then you must introduce your hand in the cage with its favorite treat in the middle of your hand. It will then come smell your fingers, and steal the treat from your hand and eat it in a corner. When it stays in your hand to eat it, the most difficult part is past... You must then move slowly your hand in order that it becomes used to movements.When he is used to that, you can let it outside the cage.Fot that, it must trust you and must begin to climb on your arm by itself.
If you want to stroke it, do it when it's eating : it will concentrate on what it's doing and will not take care of you. Then it will become used to it.

 

For a young 2 months old hand reared :
The technic will be somewhat different, as your chipmunk will be used to man's hand.
After having left it alone one day, you can already begin to give him treats (like some milk when it's young) and stroke it. When it is not much afraid anymore, you can catch it delicatly, the hand under the belly and the thumb on the back, to put it in your tshirt so that it will become used to your smell. If it is not too stressed, in the warm darkness it will fall asleep quichkly. If it tries to flee, put it back in its cage (do this in a small room where it cannot hide in case it flees). The more you handle it when it's small, the less you will battle to catche it when it will be adult.
To let him out of its cage, it must trust you and climb without fear on your hand. If this technic does not work try the first one.

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© Copyright Anne-Cécile WOLF, 2004-2006. Toute reproduction interdite.