We’ve talked in the past about how chinchillas are very independent creatures. This means that whilst they’ll happily take a treat or a quick chin scratch, in all honestly he or she will soon want to go off exploring, rather than stay being petted. A lap pet they certainly are not!
They are also prey animals, so naturally nervous. But it doesn’t mean that your chinnie can’t be your buddy, and there are lots of things you can do to bond with your pet.
The power of speech
OK, so your chin won’t understand the actual words you use, but calm talking when you’re handling and around him will allow your pet to become used to the sound of your voice. Keep your voice low, address your chinchilla by name and over time you’ll be amazed how he can begin to respond to you. Chinchillas “chat” to each other using various different sounds to communicate. So by talking to your furry friend then you’re replicating what he would naturally do with another of his own kind.
Get down to the same level
To your chinchilla you’re a huge giant. Getting down to eye level with him each time you “talk” or need to reach into his cage will make him far more confident that you’re not going to hurt him. Combine this tactic with slow, gentle movements and over time you’ll begin to see a difference.
Play hard to get
When spending time with your chinchilla, rather than always being the one who makes the first move, wait for him to come to you. When you let him out for playtime in a chinchilla-proof area, sit and watch him. Do something interesting – rustle some papers or a handful of hay – anything that might get him curious. Being naturally inquisitive animals, a chinchilla’s curiosity will eventually take over. When this happens, just stay quiet and allow him to sniff and investigate you. The more this happens, the more he’ll get to trust and interact with you. As the trust grows you can begin to pet him, and once you begin to bond, most chinchillas are particularly partial to a quick scratch under the chin or behind the ears.
Here’s a video made by Jamie of Lucky’s Wonder of Chinchillas which shows the kind of thing you can do to bond with your chinchilla. This is a great example of how a chin would much rather be off exploring than sitting on your lap. However, with patience (and a supply of chinchilla pellets), you can interact with your pet and improve that wonderful animal-human relationship.
Most of all, never give up. The more effort you put into bonding with your chinchilla, the better your relationship will be.
If you’ve got any tips about bonding then we’d love it if you’d share them with us and the rest of the SPS community.
Till next time – love those chinnies…
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