Chinchilla Behaviour

Chinchillas originally come from areas of high altitude in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. In the wild they live in colonies of 20 - 100 animals and  make tunnels in a succulent plant of the bromeliad family known as Puya berteronia although some live in crevices amongst the rocks.

Chinchillas given adequate human attention can live alone. Indeed they can be aggressive towards one another unless introduced when young or very carefully as adults.

Females are the dominant sex and may bully a male companion who will need space to get away from his cage mate.  Females, and to a lesser extent males, spray urine to deter unwanted intruders. A chinchilla standing with its back legs up is warning you off.

Chinchillas have a range of vocal expressions which help communicate with other chinchillas how they are feeling.  It is useful for their human owners to understand these too.  See  Chinchilla behaviour and sounds and Chinchilla sounds

It is important that you provide your chinchillas with special chinchilla 'sand' to dust bathe in.  This is made of a special material called sepiolite.  You should only use proper chinchilla 'sand' as regular sand that we use in children's sand pits or for building work is dangerous to use for chinchillas.

Baby chinchillas learn about their world, just as human babies do, through putting things in their mouth and tasting them.  These little nips are their way of exploring their world. Painful nips should be met with the word 'No!' in a firm manner without shouting. 

Chinchillas don't like loud noisesChinchillas find loud noises disturbing.  They should be kept in a quiet part of the house that is quiet during the day.   To have a radio or TV on at night when they are active can help acclimatise them to noises they might encounter during the day. Their cage should have plenty of platform and a nest box or more where they can rest during the day.

Young males may mount each other and also objects like human hands.  If this behaviour is excessive, it may indicate a fur ring around the penis that needs attention.  Fur ring can cause an infection or worse if not treated.

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