To understand the habits of chinchillas, you need to go back to the basics. Chinchillas are not entirely nocturnal animals; their peak activity occurs during evening time. It is then that they require maximum attention, which is manifested in games, bathing, feeding with natural or granulated food, communication with owners and relatives, courtship (not only during the mating season). But if the owner is nocturnal, rodents are able to adopt this habit.
The behavior of rodents is easily explained, since most of the actions performed by chinchillas are in one way or another related to stress, including mating games. If, during boarding, they begin to scream, swear, and run around the entire cage, leaving strings of scraps of fur behind them - this is quite natural and there is no need to interfere. Although, it’s worth being nearby at such moments, because things can go too far, because when teeth come into play, everything can end in disaster.
There are several basic signs among chinchillas that help owners understand their pets:
- sounds: rumbling, quacks, screams;
- gestures accompanying sounds;
- change in behavior, from quiet to loud and back;
- fur pulling;
- splashing of urine and increased odor.
Sounds that chinchillas make
A soft dog whine is used when communicating with children, a sexual partner, or when the animal is lonely. A similar sound, but made at a greater interval and sharper, means a search or request: to be released from the cage, to feed, or in case of loss of the baby. They express interest in something with a light, quick squeak; most often, such a sound can be heard by simply letting the chinchilla walk in a new place for it, for example, in another room.
Fast, frequent grunting from the male signals to the female that he wants to get to know her better. At the same time, the rodent often waves its tail, attracting attention. If the female refuses, he will begin to howl very sadly, even squeak desperately. At the same time, you can hear a loud and sharp quack - this means that the female is very aggressive and, if the male continues to pester, she may bite. In this case, you need to be on your guard and not leave the animals alone.
Cubs make slightly different sounds. More often you can hear a piercing short squeak - the baby demands milk from the mother. His mother answers him with a gentle grunt, simultaneously licking his skin. When the female starts licking the baby's abdomen, he changes his intonation and begins to squeak at a higher pitch. high tones, distinctly cheerful. Chinchillas are generally quite talkative. They like to squeak most of all, but sometimes you can hear sounds from them that resemble purring.
One of the characteristic sounds of indignation is short, offended howls, signaling that the animal must be left alone. A hoarse growl and a high-pitched squeak, in that order several times, is an expression of protest, a demand to stop. What amuses many owners most is how chinchillas can quack. But there is nothing funny here - the rodent is ready for battle and will defend itself if you do not stop what the owner or his relative is doing now. The alarm signal is similar to loud shouts; they are distinguished from quacking by tonality.
Signs of illness and stress
Chinchillas' behavior often changes unpredictably. They are very temperamental animals, so if a hitherto quiet female suddenly becomes aggressive, you should not worry in advance and “get on your nerves” with trips to the veterinarian. Without other manifestations, a change in behavior can happen simply because of the mood. Statistically, the first pregnancy in females manifests itself in the fact that previously active ones become quiet and timid. This happens often, but again, it's not a hard and fast rule. But if the animal begins to tear its own fur into shreds, you need to pay attention to this. The most obvious reasons- pain or stress. You should review the conditions of detention, observe behavior and other signs, and only then consult a doctor.
In an irritated state, a chinchilla can suddenly stand on its hind legs in a fighting stance. Sometimes this is followed by splashing urine, although this is not a common occurrence. Particularly harmful females use this method to defend themselves from persistent gentlemen. Sometimes this may mean that the rodent has a complex character and will require more time and effort to tame. One way or another, you should not be afraid of urine; it is completely harmless and can be easily washed off with water. Before this aggressive behavior, the animals begin to smell more clearly. One of the reasons for this may be an attempt at dominance by the male, since in chinchillas it is the females who most often dominate.
With all the variety of behavior and signs that chinchillas show to their owners and other inhabitants of the house, one should not forget about the basic rules when handling animals. You must be attentive to your pet, keep it clean and well-fed, do not try to raise it by force, and simply love and protect it.
The chinchilla is a rodent native to South America, in nature it lives in the South American Andes, where the climate is cool, humid, and harsh. During the day, chinchillas sleep, hiding in holes or rock crevices, and at night they are active in search of food. The main food for these rodents are stems of grasses, branches of low-growing shrubs and their dry fruits (berries and seeds). The source of moisture for chinchillas is dew.
Chinchillas have short front legs, which they use to grab and hold food, and strong back legs, which help them move easily over rocky terrain. These features must be taken into account when thinking through place to keep a chinchilla at home. These animals require a large, spacious high cage, the size of which will allow the animal to actively move and jump. The cage must have shelves or steps, as well as something like a house or hole.
Be sure to equip the cage with a special water bowl for rodents. This device has a long tube at the end, which is covered by a ball, which provides the chinchilla with easy access to water. Place a small handful of compressed sawdust, a special wood filler, at the bottom of the cage. It needs to be changed as needed, which will avoid the appearance of unpleasant odors in the apartment and discomfort both for the rodent and for you and your household. Pour the filler into the same corner of the cage: chinchillas are very clean animals and their toilet is only in one place in the cage.
Also purchase special sand for bathing chinchillas. Once every 5 - 7 days, pour a small handful of sand, which looks like very fine sand. gray dust, to the bottom of the cage, but not in the same place as litter or food.
Chinchilla nutrition
Provide your pet with a variety of foods, including seeds and shelled nuts, and occasionally add dried fruit as a treat. It is not recommended for rodents kept at home to be given wet food, such as pieces of vegetables or fruits, as this can lead to serious disturbances in the animal’s gastrointestinal tract. There are enough dry nuts, seeds, fruits and berries, and the chinchilla will find the required amount of water in the drinking bowl. The water needs to be changed daily, since a chinchilla may not drink stale water at all, and a lack of moisture will negatively affect the pet’s health. Once every 2-3 days, offer the rodent dry hay purchased at a pet store. Hay should be placed in a special wire mesh so as not to create unsanitary conditions for an animal.
Peculiarities of behavior of chinchillas
When deciding to buy a chinchilla, consider several features of these animals:
- not all animals make contact equally easily;
- chinchilla is a nocturnal animal and at night is capable of creating a lot of noise, running and jumping in its cage;
- As a rule, a chinchilla is ready to play with its owner late in the evening, then it easily allows itself to be controlled, it can be released to run around the apartment and explore the territory.
At the same time, try to ensure maximum safety for your belongings and equipment, since a chinchilla is, first of all, a rodent and can gnaw on everything, especially likes to gnaw on wires.
Character of chinchillas
Chinchillas are sociable and inquisitive, they easily get along with other pets, and take part in games with cats, which are also more active in the evening and at night.
When experiencing severe stress, rodents tend to shed their fur. For the animal to come to its senses, you just need to leave it alone, let it hide in a hole and sit for a while.
In general, keeping and caring for a chinchilla does not present any difficulties for the owner. A chinchilla is suitable for busy people who, due to their busyness, cannot afford a more sociable animal, for example, a dog or cat. A chinchilla, provided with a sufficient amount of food and water, does not experience melancholy or any discomfort if the owner is forced to be absent for a relatively long time.
Chinchilla - your pet
Today we want to start a series of publications about chinchillas and their maintenance at home. Until recently, most of our compatriots associated these fluffy animals exclusively with natural luxurious fur coats. However, the time has come to throw such stereotypes aside and look at the chinchilla as pet, which, by the way, is ready to dislodge classic pets from the podium - and. It turns out that keeping a chinchilla does not require much trouble, and this animal itself has a number of advantages over other pets. But first things first…
Benefits of keeping a chinchilla at home
So, you have long been planning to have a pet, however, due to certain circumstances, cats and dogs are not suitable for this role. Well, then perhaps the perfect chinchilla is just what you need. Do you doubt how this is possible? Then what do you say to the fact that by their nature these creatures, which are usually classified as rodents, belong to the category of telepaths. After all, chinchillas are capable of sensitively responding to human emotions and even... predicting ours further actions . Some chinchilla breeders sincerely believe that what lives in their house is not an ordinary animal, but a real messenger from other worlds, so close emotional contact can be established with it, and so well do the owners understand their pets. Also, these are very energetic and active creatures that have their own character and their own habits, which you want to observe, you can, and the secrets of chinchillas - you want to unravel them.
Getting to know the chinchilla
Chinchillas belong to a genus of furry animals from the chinchilla family and from the order of rodents. The homeland of these creatures is considered to be South America, where these nimble animals live in nature at an altitude of 5000 meters above sea level in the mountain ranges.
What does a chinchilla look like?
White chinchilla
As a rule, an adult chinchilla reaches a size of 22-38 centimeters, and the length of the tail of this rodent is 10-17 centimeters. The chinchilla's head is rounded, the neck is short, the body is covered with durable and thick fur, and hard guard hairs can be found on the tail. An adult chinchilla can weigh up to 800 grams. The eyes of this creature are large, black with vertical pupils; by the way, chinchillas have excellent vision in the dark. Their whiskers can reach a length of up to 10 centimeters, and their ears can grow up to 6 centimeters. As a rule, the ears have a round shape. By the way, the structure of a chinchilla’s ear is very interesting, since the auricle has special membranes with which the animal closes the ear canal while it takes sand baths and cleans its fur. The chinchilla's skeleton also has the amazing ability to shrink when pushed into vertical planes - thanks to this ability, these animals can penetrate the narrowest crevices. Their forelimbs have 5 fingers, similar to small hands, while their hind limbs have only 4 fingers. The standard color of a chinchilla in nature is an ashen gray-blue color, although it is also possible to have a white color in the chinchilla’s belly area...
Sexual differences in chinchillas
Peculiarities of behavior of chinchillas
We have already written that these are very affectionate and emotional creatures that very subtly and sensitively feel the mood of their owner. Moreover, chinchillas can even carry on a conversation with you. If they don't like something, they will make loud sounds that look like chirping or quacks, and if the chinchilla gets very angry, it can even growl and snap its teeth. The chinchilla expresses its hurt and pain with a loud squeak. By the way, if you really drive the animal crazy, it can rise on its hind legs, start growling, let out a stream of urine and grab your hand with its teeth. But it’s better not to let it get to that point.
Despite the possibility of giving such a rebuff - chinchillas are very timid animals, and even a loud sound, a sharply turned on light or a blow to the cage can plunge them into a state of stress - the animal can nervous soil start to get sick from such a shock and even die. Therefore, remember this and take care of your chinchilla’s nerves.
Types of chinchillas
Chinchilla is a tame animal
Today, experts distinguish between 2 types of chinchillas that can be kept at home: the coastal chinchilla or small long-tailed chinchilla and the large chinchilla or short-tailed chinchilla. The appearance of these representatives different types a little different, however, as is the behavior. Thus, coastal chinchillas reach a length of up to 38 centimeters, and boast a fluffy, chic tail, the length of which can be as much as 17 centimeters. By the way, the tail of such a chinchilla is very similar to the tail of a squirrel. The eyes of such an animal are black and large, the mustache is long, the ears are round and large, and the animal itself is nocturnal. Whereas a large chinchilla is distinguished by short front legs, powerful hind legs, a short, inconspicuous tail, and a thick neck. Chinchillas of this species are larger in size, they have a wide head and small bluish ears.
In addition to these 2 main types of chinchillas, many are also known today mutation species, which arose as a result of crossing animals, however, as a rule, they differ mainly color scheme color, while the standard parameters of the chinchilla’s body and its habits remain preserved.
The most common colors of chinchillas
As a rule, among chinchillas that live at home, you can most often find animals with a standard gray color, black velvet, white, beige, homobeige, ebony, purple and even sapphire colors. It is noteworthy that crossing these colors allows you to achieve up to 200 different combinations of hybrid colors, some of them have a very complex structure, and in order to obtain them you need to go through several stages of breeding.
- Gray color - as a rule, it is the gray color that is considered to be the standard color of the chinchilla. Crossing 2 gray chinchillas produces offspring of a similar color. However, among gray chinchillas one can distinguish light gray, medium gray and dark gray animals. Moreover, sometimes in a gray chinchilla on the bends of the body you can observe how Bottom part hair - almost black rises to the middle part and becomes white and in the upper part becomes black again.
- Black color - was first bred in 1960 in America. Distinctive Features This color consists of horizontal black stripes on the chinchilla's front legs, a white belly, and a black head and back. It is noteworthy that black chinchillas cannot be crossed with each other, as the offspring will have defects or will not be born viable at all.
- White color - like black and white chinchillas - cannot be crossed with each other.
- Beige color - was discovered in 1955, as a rule, beige chinchillas have pink or pink eyes. dark red, and the ears and nose have pink color, sometimes even covered with small black dots. The fur itself can be either light beige or dark beige. In fact, beige chinchillas can be crossed with each other.
- Purple color is considered quite rare, and animals of this color begin to reproduce only after 14-18 months.
- Sapphire color - when you see a sapphire chinchilla, it’s hard to believe that the color of the animal’s fur will not change during its life, however, this is true.
The chinchilla animal is a rodent that inhabits the territory of South America. Chinchillas are known for their valuable fur, because of which their numbers have rapidly decreased and these animals are listed in the Red Book. Today the chinchilla animal is a very popular pet. Below you will find a description of the chinchilla, and you can also learn about the features of caring for and keeping a chinchilla at home.
The chinchilla looks very cute and funny. The chinchilla animal has a large head, short neck And round body. She has big ears, long mustache and short tail. The chinchilla looks like a small rodent. Chinchillas range from 25 to 35 cm in length, with females being larger than males. The rodent weighs 500-700 grams.
The chinchilla looks fluffy, as if made of plush. She has soft, thick and beautiful fur. The chinchilla looks inconspicuous due to its gray-blue color and only on its belly its fur has a light gray tint. Modern colors of captive-bred chinchillas are varied and have many variations.
The description of the chinchilla includes a lot unusual facts about these rodents. Eg, ears they have special membranes with which the animals close their ears during sand baths to prevent sand from getting inside. Chinchilla fur is very dense, because from each hair follicle grow up to 80 hairs.
Thanks to the developed cerebellum, the chinchilla animal has good coordination and is adapted to night life. The animal's hind legs are longer than its front legs, which allows it to jump to a height of 2 meters. Chinchillas make many interesting sounds, they can quack, chirp, growl, squeak and click their teeth.
Where and how long do chinchillas live?
Chinchillas live for about 20 years. The homeland of these animals is South America. IN natural conditions The chinchilla lives in the Andes of southern Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. Chinchillas live in the mountains at an altitude of up to 5 km above sea level. IN natural environment The chinchilla animal lives in rock crevices, under stones or digs holes.
The chinchilla animal is perfectly adapted to life in the mountains. The structure of the skeleton allows the animal to crawl through even the narrowest spaces, and the developed cerebellum ensures confident movement along rocks. Chinchillas live in colonies and are active at night. In nature, chinchillas feed on various herbaceous plants (cereals, beans, mosses, lichens, shrubs, cacti, tree bark) and insects.
The chinchilla animal is mostly monogamous. Chinchillas become capable of reproduction at the age of 7-8 months. The duration of pregnancy is a little more than 3 months. Usually 2-3 babies are born. The female is capable of bearing offspring up to three times a year. Chinchilla babies are born with with open eyes, erupted teeth and covered with primary hair.
It's no secret that the chinchilla animal is a source of valuable fur. Chinchillas began to be hunted for their beautiful fur in the 19th century. To make one fur coat, it takes about a hundred skins, so chinchilla fur products are rare and expensive. In 1928, a fur coat made from these rodents cost half a million gold marks. In 1992, the price of a chinchilla fur coat was $22,000. Currently, the chinchilla animal is protected in South America. Now in many countries there are special farms where chinchillas are bred for their fur.
It is better to get a chinchilla when the animal is no more than 2-3 months old. At this age, the animal quickly adapts to a new environment than older individuals. If you decide to get a chinchilla, remember that this is a nocturnal animal that will be active in the evening and at night. The first time after the animal appears in the house, give it a few days of rest so that it gets used to its new home.
Taming a chinchilla is not that easy. For the most part, chinchillas do not need much attention and communication with their owner. Therefore, a chinchilla should be tamed gradually. Try giving your pet a treat, open the cage door and hand the chinchilla something tasty. The pet will definitely take the treat from your hands, if not immediately, then after a while. The main thing is not to try to forcibly pick up the animal.
To tame a chinchilla you will need patience, calmness and careful attitude. Soon the tamed animal will be safely in your arms or sitting on your shoulder. Remember that by nature the chinchilla is a gentle, timid creature and does not like loud noises. Be careful when handling your chinchilla and do not frighten it.
Chinchillas are vegetarians, so when choosing food, you should take this feature of the animal into account. The chinchilla needs to be fed with special food. Pet stores have a huge range of granulated food. This food contains essential vitamins and minerals.
In addition to food, you must feed your chinchilla hay. You can prepare it yourself; for this you need to collect clover, dandelions and herbs. But you can also buy hay at a pet store. When purchasing, pay attention to the quality of the hay; it should be dry, clean, without unpleasant odor and mold. A special hay feeder should be placed in the cage.
The chinchilla should be fed once a day. Food and water should always be fresh. Water should be given filtered or boiled. There should always be a special stone in the cage for grinding teeth, which can be purchased at any pet store.
Pelleted dry food and hay are the best diets for chinchillas. As a top dressing, you can give your chinchilla flax seeds, corn grains, dandelion leaves, birch, willow, raspberry, apple, currant and linden branches. But under no circumstances give branches of cherry, oak and coniferous trees. You should not feed your chinchilla too much fresh vegetables and fruits, as this can lead to stomach problems.
Chinchillas especially love raisins, dried apricots, dried apples, pears, cherries and rose hips. But such treats should not be given often. Also be careful with nuts and seeds, they should be given in very limited quantities and only raw; fried grains are contraindicated for the animal. You should not give your chinchilla food from your own table (bread, cookies, etc.).
Care and maintenance of chinchillas at home
Keeping a chinchilla at home is no less popular than keeping a guinea pig. First of all, to keep a chinchilla you will need a spacious cage. It is better if the cage is of a tower type. The optimal solution in this case would be a display case for a chinchilla, which will be an excellent home for the animal and will fit well into the home interior. A display case for a chinchilla will satisfy all the needs of a rodent; it has a house, stairs, floors, balconies, a running wheel and other toys. In addition, cleaning in such a display case is even easier than in a cage.
Keeping a chinchilla requires maintaining a certain temperature. The chinchilla animal does not tolerate heat well, so the cage should be placed in a cool place, without direct contact sun rays and drafts. The optimal temperature for keeping a chinchilla will be +20-22 °C. At temperatures of +25 °C and above, the rodent will overheat. Never place the cage near batteries.
The bottom of the cage must be lined with sawdust or special filler. The animal goes to the toilet anywhere and it is very difficult to train a chinchilla to do it in one place. The litter will have to be changed at least once a week. It is better to hang the feeder and drinking bowl, otherwise the chinchilla may turn them into a toilet.
Caring for a chinchilla at home includes taking care of the rodent's coat. Chinchilla fur gets dirty very quickly, so the animal needs frequent hygiene procedures. But the chinchilla bathes not in water, but in special sand. Chinchillas take sand baths with diligence and sand will fly in all directions. That's why this procedure It is advisable to carry out it outside the cage so as not to collect sand later. The best option V in this case will become fishbowl or any other deep, stable, round container. Place it on the floor, lay newspaper under it, pour a 5-6 cm layer of sand on the bottom and put the animal there for 20-30 minutes.
Caring for a chinchilla at home includes bathing at least 2 times a week. If your home has high humidity and temperatures close to +25 °C, bathing should be done 3 times a week. Bathing – compulsory necessity for an animal, if you want the chinchilla to have beautiful fur. Do not forget that swimming in water is harmful to a chinchilla and will cause health problems.
In general, caring for and maintaining a chinchilla at home does not require much effort. The main condition is to protect the animal from overheating and observe correct mode nutrition. Try not to leave the animal unattended outside the cage. Remember that rodents love to taste everything and you will be guaranteed damaged furniture. The main danger there are electrical wires hidden inside. Also, do not forget that any hard-to-reach space in the apartment will be immediately explored by a curious animal.
The chinchilla, the maintenance and care of which is quite simple, has a number of advantages and one disadvantage. The advantages include the small cost of the animal, beautiful appearance, lack of odor and shedding, peaceful character. But the disadvantage is the nocturnal lifestyle. If you decide to get such an animal, you will have to get used to rustling, squeaking and fussing at night.
Chinchilla diseases
If you have the slightest suspicion that your chinchilla has health problems, you should contact your veterinarian. It is extremely undesirable to delay visiting a doctor, because the sooner the problem is identified, the greater the chance of curing your pet.
Take care of your pets, take care of them and do not forget that we are responsible for those we have tamed. If you liked this article, subscribe to site updates to receive the most interesting and useful articles about animals first.
Continuation
Habits of chinchillas.
“My character is not bad, I just have it!” (WITH).This phrase could not be more suitable to describe chinchillas. Judging by the stories of the owners, the variety of characters is in no way inferior to human ones. But you can find out what your furry’s character is and enjoy his friendship only if you yourself are ready to be a patient and understanding friend.
What can't you do?
1. Don't grab or squeeze chinchilla. This is completely unacceptable treatment, for which the chinchilla can repay you with all its defense methods: from a stream of urine to a bite.2. You can’t scare chinchilla: scream, scold loudly, and even more so beat, even symbolically spank. The animal's trust can be lost forever.
3. It is undesirable to change her daily routine and make frequent rearrangements in the cage. All changes must be made extremely slowly and carefully.
4. When training, the commands once chosen should remain the same. If you have taught chinchilla to the word “impossible”, then let it continue to be exactly this word, and not “stop, stop, ah-ay-ay”, etc.
5. Disturb her sleep. During the day chinchilla sleeping And this means that you cannot scratch her, stroke her, grab her, talk to her, etc., etc. She's asleep, and that's all.
What should you do if you want to tame a chinchilla?
First, be patient. It would be very nice if you read about how they live in wildlife, - this way you will better understand your tailed one. In nature chinchilla Reaction speed saves you from danger. That's why chinchilla always on guard. Natural instincts force her, at the slightest suspicion, to make a lightning-fast jump in a direction unpredictable for the enemy. Definitely chinchilla The movements of the hand from above are frightening. Apparently, this is because birds of prey are the main enemies of rodents and a shadow looming from above is a clear signal of danger. Therefore hand chinchilla It’s better to bring it from below, back side palms up. There's no need to rush. Even if you are already old friends, let the animal sniff you and take a closer look. Also chinchillas are afraid of snakes. Therefore, avoid the sounds of hissing, something long-crawling, rapid movement, in general, imitation of a snake’s presence and attack.
If the animal has not yet become comfortable with you, then immediately prepare yourself for the fact that it will need as much time as it wants. For the first few days, it’s better not to pay attention to it: just change the water, add food, put on a bathing suit (this is not only hygiene, but also pleasure, a cure for stress). And only when you see that the chinchilla is no longer shying away from you to the opposite corner of the cage, you can start communicating with it. To begin with, you can talk to her very quietly. Kind words and an affectionate tone may not be on the first day, but they will definitely calm the baby. Then you can open the door, put a treat on your palm and quietly put your hand into the cage. There is no need to rush further. To the eyesight chinchillas weak, but the sense of smell - wow! If the chinchilla shows interest in the tasty treat, then there is no need to rush further. If the baby takes the treat, consider half the job done. After that you need to leave him alone.
In our case, several days were enough for the mustachioed one to run to the palm when the cage door opened, and then eat the treat while sitting on the hand.
The next moment of taming was walking. I’ll say right away that chinchilla breeders have very different attitudes towards walks. There are people who, having heard about walking outside the cage, are ready to burn you at the stake. And there are those who think this a necessary condition health and development chinchillas. We'll talk about walks later, I'm just sharing my taming experience here. Actually, our main communication takes place on walks. When Shurshik runs around the whole room, swims to his heart's content in the sand and makes the required number of leaps, leaps, somersaults and flips, he certainly goes to the one who is walking him.
I usually sit on the mat and wait patiently. I already have a tasty treat in my hand, and Shurshik knows this very well. He stands on his hind legs and looks at me with a sly look. You can play staring contest for a long time, but if you tell him: “Shurshik, here!”, then the little hooligan rushes headlong, jumps on his knees and begins to squeak impatiently and poke his nose with a long mustache into his palm - vibrissae. Having eaten, Shunya begins the second series of “Marlezonsky Ballet”. Having made sure that there is nothing else tasty, he again runs in Brownian order throughout the room, not forgetting, however, to run over me. Can jump on your shoulder, sit on your lap, or hide behind your back. And then the test of strength begins. Suddenly jumping up, Shurshik rushes to a corner convenient for gnawing wallpaper or to a pile of wires behind the computer. Pretending that now he will gnaw on this property, the little bandit takes an expectant pose and looks back at me.
At this moment, you need to say in a reproachful tone that, in fact, mom sees everything, and therefore you need to behave reasonably. Shurshik drops everything, stands on his hind legs and pretends that wallpaper is the last thing that could interest him in this life. If he really starts gnawing on something or finds a piece of paper that he drags into the cage or under the table, then you need to strictly and loudly say “no”. You can also teach that “no” is accompanied by clapping of palms - this is non-traumatic and intelligible.
The cage door must be open during the entire walk. If your child runs home and stumbles upon the impossibility of getting there, or, even worse, hits it, consider that you have injured him and undermined his trust. The next walk may take a very, very long time.
I trained Shurshik for three main commands: "It is forbidden", "on the" And "home". WITH "it is forbidden" everything is simple - you see illegal actions and clap your palms, repeat this word in a firm voice. If you stop, you immediately praise him and give him a treat. With the second word, everything also turned out to be quite simple: every time you treat with a treat or a stick, extend your palm and repeat "on the" until he takes it. But with the team "home" It turned out to be more difficult. Shurshik wanted to sneeze at my training and run into the cage on command. Then I began to guess the moment when the animal got tired and went into the cage itself. At that moment I quietly but persistently repeated “Home, Shurshik, home.” When the chinchilla jumped into the cage, I immediately gave him a treat and praised him, repeating: “I came home, home, well done, home.” Two weeks later, Shunya went home without a treat, just on command.
Don't think that everything chinchillas so understanding and sociable. These animals have different temperaments, different trust in the world, different speeds. But they all have a need for communication. And that's why you can make friends. Now, when I open the cage, and Shurshik has already woken up and is sitting on the shelf, I slowly offer him my palm, and then approach him with my shoulder. Our sun jumps on my shoulder, then on my head, squeaks joyfully, and tickles me with its mustache. A little later he will ask to go for a walk, standing on hind legs and holding the front bars of the cage. He will run from one wall to another, flashing his touching fluffy belly and putting on a naturally pleading look. An orphan, no matter what. Give me something to drink, good people, otherwise I’m so hungry that I have nowhere to sleep. We are not locals ourselves...
I must say that even now, when Shurshik and I are on excellent terms, I try to respect his boundaries and habits. And if I want to caress him, and he starts to grumble with displeasure, then I obediently remove my hands, no matter how much I would like to feel this unimaginable softness of fur in my hands. For this Shurshik rewards me with fame "chinchilla smile".
The only exception in which I am tactless and shameless is treatment and scratching. Well, here you have to spit on etiquette and decent manners, catch the gray aristocrat by the tail, grab him in the right way and execute necessary procedures. After this, Shurshik sulks for a while, turns sideways, or even swears with his unique bark-croak. However, good food and a sincere request for forgiveness soon do their job - I am graciously forgiven.
What else can be said about taming chinchillas? For me this is a friend. I respect his boundaries and habits, I make sure to talk to him, find time to scratch his cheeks and neck, and give him a treat. Not every day, but I try to find time for a walk. And the animal pays me with affection, clearly distinguishing me from the rest of the family. Do you want tenderness and affection from your pet? Then be patient and you will discover a completely different chinchilla- the sweetest creature on earth. She comes into your heart once and remains there forever...
To be continued
