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People have one interesting feature: we all perceive a furry animal as a completely harmless cute creature. And we always get into trouble. The same thing happens with chinchillas. A cute fluffy creature, just bought from a breeder, suddenly screams, shoots urine and even bites. But the man just wanted to stroke his new friend. How to accustom a chinchilla to hands?
Not a single video on the Internet shows a scene with a chinchilla attack. And breeders assure that these animals do not bite. Why does a newly acquired animal attack? He’s just being defensive.
Chinchillas very painfully endure a change of residence and owner. For them, this is always a very big stress. An unfamiliar place, perhaps a hostile environment, and then someone else is approaching with incomprehensible goals.
Trying to scare a potential predator, the unfortunate animal first screams and aims to shoot with jets of urine. If this does not help, the rodent rushes into the last battle, trying to sell his life at a higher price. It takes a lot of time to accustom chinchillas to hands.
Do chinchillas bite in familiar surroundings
When communicating with any animals, trying to tame them, you must always remember the rule: there are teeth, which means it bites. Animals always measure their capabilities with the forces of a potential enemy. A chinchilla, if possible, will not fight with a person, since people are much larger.
But in relation to relatives, these animals are often very bloodthirsty. Since female chinchillas are larger, it usually goes to males. Breeders admit that sometimes, waking up in the morning, they find only the female and bloodied pieces of the male in the cage. So we can say with full confidence: if desired, these rodents bite. And very strongly.
But an animal that feels safe has no reason to be aggressive. In a familiar environment, the animal really does not bite people, preferring to splash out its irritation not on a person, but on relatives.
What to do to avoid bites
In order not to suffer when trying to tame a chinchilla, and not to be disappointed in her friendliness, several important rules must be observed.
- When buying a new animal, you should not immediately try to stroke the chinchilla and pick it up. It takes at least a week for a rodent to settle in and feel safe in a new home. It is best not to pester the animal at all for 10-14 days.Important! You can not try to catch and forcefully hold a chinchilla.
- After the animal gets used to it and stops panicking, you can begin to slowly accustom the pet to your hands. No violence can be used. In taming chinchillas, the main factor is patience. The animal is lured with a treat. No one can say how long it will take to tame an animal. It depends on the nature of the individual. Some of them are still wild. If an already adult chinchilla was bought, there is a chance that she will never get used to the new owner.Comment! The younger the purchased individual, the easier it is to tame it.
- When the animal, when opening the door, goes to the person himself, they begin to teach him to go on the hand. Here, too, it is important not to rush and gradually encourage the rodent to move further and further.
- After the pet begins to calmly eat the treat, sitting on the arm, you can start stroking the animal. Sensitive places in a chinchilla are the neck, chest and area behind the ear.Important! You can not stroke the back, sides, stomach and especially the tail of these animals.
It is always clear from the rodent whether he likes affection. If the chinchilla does not want to be scratched, she is indignant and pushes the hand away. There are individuals who do not like to be touched at all. But even if you do not scratch your pet, then you need to teach him to go on your hand. It must be possible to take the animal for examination or veterinary procedures. You can also teach the animal to “walk” around the house, sitting on the owner’s shoulder.
How to train a chinchilla
Chinchillas are not trainable. They can only develop conditioned reflexes using their love for treats. But there are videos on the Internet in which chinchillas perform simple tricks. Training is based on food reward.
So you can train a rodent
- “kiss”;
- come to the call;
- sit down in the pose of a gopher;
- give a paw.
Nickname Approach
Each time you feed or give a treat, you need to call the chinchilla by name. The animal develops a conditioned reflex: he heard the name – he came up – he got a tasty piece.
“Kiss”
To accustom your pet to this trick, you will have to catch the animal when, out of curiosity, it reaches for the cheek or lips. First, the desired command will have to be given after the action performed by the animal and immediately stretch out the delicacy. Slowly, you need to ensure that the rodent “kisses” after the command given. After the trick, the animal is sure to be given a reward.
“Give me a paw”
Teaching this team is similar to how the animal is taught to “kiss”. After waiting for the moment when the animal, for some reason, stretches out its paw and touches the palm, they say: “Give me your paw!” – and then they feed a treat. Gradually, a connection is formed in the rodent: the team – touched the palm of the hand with a paw – received a tasty piece.
Gopher pose
One of the easiest tricks. The chinchilla is made to reach up for a piece and is given a treat as soon as it sits on its hind legs.
What is important to consider when training
Chinchillas should not be overfed, so the rate of treats during training should not go beyond the daily. In other words, when training a chinchilla, she is not given additional treats. Those top dressings that the animal should have received as a daily allowance, it receives in the process of training. And the tidbits should be very small.
It is also impossible to psychologically overload the animal with long activities. It is better to train your pet twice a day for 5 minutes than once for 10 minutes.
Conclusion
Among rodents, chinchillas are centenarians. If the owner manages to establish mutual understanding with this animal, he will find a good friend for many years.