Chinchilla Behaviour
Chinchillas are quite complex by nature and they can exhibit a wide range of behaviours and sounds. They are very independent animals and it's not easy to have any real control over their behaviour, however there are some methods you can at least try to influence this to a certain extent. Understanding why they're acting a certain way is the first step, then you can look at ways to try and shape their behaviour if need be.
Please note that all the behaviours listed below are natural to chinchillas, including urine spraying and biting. Unfortunately too many owners re-home healthy chinchillas for simply displaying these natural behaviours. Had they done a bit of research before getting a chinchilla they would have known these behaviours aren't uncommon, and could've avoided the chinchilla having to go through the stress of being re-homed.
Please note that all the behaviours listed below are natural to chinchillas, including urine spraying and biting. Unfortunately too many owners re-home healthy chinchillas for simply displaying these natural behaviours. Had they done a bit of research before getting a chinchilla they would have known these behaviours aren't uncommon, and could've avoided the chinchilla having to go through the stress of being re-homed.
Fall-outs or fights with other chinchillas
Even bonded pairs can suddenly start fighting and if biting occurs you must permanently separate before they seriously injure or kill each other. Once chinchillas have gone as far as biting, the relationship is damaged beyond repair and you must keep them in separate cages from now on.
If the fall-out is less severe and biting hasn't occurred, they may work it out among themselves. Signs of slightly less serious arguments include barking at each other, some chasing and possibly fur pulling.
However you must watch very carefully to ensure the argument doesn’t escalate to a physical level or occur regularly, as fights between chinchillas can quickly become fatal.
If the fall-out is less severe and biting hasn't occurred, they may work it out among themselves. Signs of slightly less serious arguments include barking at each other, some chasing and possibly fur pulling.
However you must watch very carefully to ensure the argument doesn’t escalate to a physical level or occur regularly, as fights between chinchillas can quickly become fatal.
What you can do to help:
Distraction is a good technique so try topping up their food bowl and adding some hay to diffuse the situation.
Offer a sandbath - this provides both distraction and helps neutralise their scent, which can calm the situation. During a fall-out may be a good time to vacuum their room - the sound of this may shift their focus from squabbling to huddling together instead.
On another note, make sure the cage is big enough to accommodate the number of chinchillas and that there are plenty of places to hide.
The absolute minimum size for two chinchillas is 64 x 61 x 91cm (25" x 24" x 36"), however for many pairs this is still too small and more space is required to get along. If chinchillas aren't given the room to stay away from each other when they want to, then fall-outs will inevitably occur.
Offer a sandbath - this provides both distraction and helps neutralise their scent, which can calm the situation. During a fall-out may be a good time to vacuum their room - the sound of this may shift their focus from squabbling to huddling together instead.
On another note, make sure the cage is big enough to accommodate the number of chinchillas and that there are plenty of places to hide.
The absolute minimum size for two chinchillas is 64 x 61 x 91cm (25" x 24" x 36"), however for many pairs this is still too small and more space is required to get along. If chinchillas aren't given the room to stay away from each other when they want to, then fall-outs will inevitably occur.
Mounting or humping cage mates
Providing you definitely have same sex chinchillas then mounting isn't generally a problem, unless it is excessive or distressing the other chinchilla. Mounting can be a display of dominance or a sign that the chinchilla is feeling excited or playful.
What you can do to help:
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If the chinchilla is trying to mate with a same sex cage mate then you could try a chinchilla safe toy buddy for them to direct their affections to instead! Otherwise, ensure they are getting regular playtime to help burn off all their energy and that their cage is a sufficient size - at least 64 x 61 x 91cm (25" x 24" x 36"). A chinchilla safe wheel (at least 14" wide, solid floor and no spoke or plastic) can also help reduce boredom and provide an avenue for the chinchilla's playfulness.
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If you have implemented all of the above, just monitor the situation carefully to ensure the other chinchilla isn’t becoming stressed or causing fall-outs to occur as a result.
Biting
Chinchillas can bite people for a variety of reasons such as fear, aggression or as a part of grooming, and their bites can take several forms. Listed below are the 3 different types of bites, the likely reasons for this and the steps you can take to prevent it.
Please ensure you have not rushed the taming process and are holding your chinchilla correctly as per the handling chinchillas page. If your chinchilla does bite hard regularly, it's a good idea to take them for check up at the vets to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with them. Biting can be a sign that that they're in pain.
Please ensure you have not rushed the taming process and are holding your chinchilla correctly as per the handling chinchillas page. If your chinchilla does bite hard regularly, it's a good idea to take them for check up at the vets to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with them. Biting can be a sign that that they're in pain.
1. Nibbling
Chinchillas may nibble your hands, fingers and fingernails and may get quite rough doing this. Nibbling is actually a good sign, it is your chinchilla's way of grooming you as if you were another chinchilla.
What you can do to help:
As nibbling is your chinchilla's way of demonstrating acceptance and affection towards you, try not to jump or make any noises that may frighten them and lose their trust. Chinchillas will not realise if they're hurting you, so if the nibbling does becomes too hard, gently move your hand away for a moment. Generally they learn the accepted level of pressure to nibble their owner with.
2. Pressure biting - holding onto skin with their teeth
The bite does not break the skin or leave any lasting marks but the chinchilla holds your skin firmly in their mouth.
This may be due to the chinchilla wanting to express a sense of urgency or test biting out of inquisitiveness, stress, fear, annoyance, or just because they want you to move your hand away. With a sense of urgency, the chinchilla may be trying to say they need the toilet or that they want to be returned to their cage after handling.
If a chinchilla is persistently pressure biting you, then they are most likely doing this out of fear or expressing their disapproval at being disturbed or handled.
This may be due to the chinchilla wanting to express a sense of urgency or test biting out of inquisitiveness, stress, fear, annoyance, or just because they want you to move your hand away. With a sense of urgency, the chinchilla may be trying to say they need the toilet or that they want to be returned to their cage after handling.
If a chinchilla is persistently pressure biting you, then they are most likely doing this out of fear or expressing their disapproval at being disturbed or handled.
What you can do to help:
It's a good idea to listen to what your chinchilla wants if they're expressing occasional urgency bites. If your chinchilla needs the toilet or is saying they've been held for too long, then return them to their cage.
Otherwise with pressure bites out of fear, dominance or aggression, first make sure you are holding your chinchilla properly and have not rushed the taming process. As long as your chinchilla is being handled gently and safely, do not react to the pressure bites - if they get the reaction they want they will keep doing it.
Instead try to calm the chinchilla by staying perfectly still and quiet, stroking them gently if they'll allow it and offering a safe treat when they don’t bite. You don’t want to offer treats following a bite, or they will think they’re being rewarded for this behaviour.
If the bites do become hard then wear thick gloves to protect yourself. Try regular, brief handling to get them more used to being held. This in combination with not reacting to their pressure biting will help teach the chinchilla there is no need to do this.
Otherwise with pressure bites out of fear, dominance or aggression, first make sure you are holding your chinchilla properly and have not rushed the taming process. As long as your chinchilla is being handled gently and safely, do not react to the pressure bites - if they get the reaction they want they will keep doing it.
Instead try to calm the chinchilla by staying perfectly still and quiet, stroking them gently if they'll allow it and offering a safe treat when they don’t bite. You don’t want to offer treats following a bite, or they will think they’re being rewarded for this behaviour.
If the bites do become hard then wear thick gloves to protect yourself. Try regular, brief handling to get them more used to being held. This in combination with not reacting to their pressure biting will help teach the chinchilla there is no need to do this.
3. Hard bites - sharp, painful and may break the skin
With these types of bites the chinchilla means business, so it's a good idea to wear thick gloves to protect your skin as the bites can be pretty painful. Your chinchilla may be biting because they are scared, being territorial, or trying to assert their dominance over you.
Remember not to take it personally, your chinchilla doesn't hate you - biting is just a natural reaction that you can try and encourage them out of.
In order to discourage your chinchilla from biting, it's a good idea to try and understand the reason why they're doing this in the first place.
Remember not to take it personally, your chinchilla doesn't hate you - biting is just a natural reaction that you can try and encourage them out of.
In order to discourage your chinchilla from biting, it's a good idea to try and understand the reason why they're doing this in the first place.
Why is your chinchilla biting?
- Territorial: Chinchillas can be surprisingly territorial, so if your chinchilla mainly tries to bite you when you put your hand in their cage, it may be because they're protecting their territory. Chinchillas can also be very protective of their cage mates and some may also try to bite if you try to touch the other chinchilla.
- Fear: A chinchilla biting out of fear is typically very skittish, tries to run away from you, may spray urine or experience fur slip when you hold them.
- Dominance or Aggression: With dominance bites these may appear similar to those that are territorial, only the biting doesn't improve once the chinchilla is away from their cage. The chinchilla may lunge at you to try and bite, stand on their hind legs, chatter their teeth and spray urine.
What you can do to help:
As mentioned previously, you should first take your chinchilla for a check up at the vets to make sure there is nothing physically wrong that could be causing them to bite out of pain.
Once this has been ruled out and if the biting still continues, buy some thick gloves to protect yourself. As well as stopping you from getting hurt, if you don't react when the chinchilla bites it helps them realise biting doesn't get the desired reaction. If a chinchilla has learnt that biting means they will be put back down, they will keep doing this.
If the chinchilla still continues to bite, you can try saying NO firmly, but gently to discourage them from doing it. Never shout, chinchillas are prey animals who are very sensitive to noise and easily frightened, so scaring your chinchilla will not help them to trust you and can make the situation worse.
Once this has been ruled out and if the biting still continues, buy some thick gloves to protect yourself. As well as stopping you from getting hurt, if you don't react when the chinchilla bites it helps them realise biting doesn't get the desired reaction. If a chinchilla has learnt that biting means they will be put back down, they will keep doing this.
If the chinchilla still continues to bite, you can try saying NO firmly, but gently to discourage them from doing it. Never shout, chinchillas are prey animals who are very sensitive to noise and easily frightened, so scaring your chinchilla will not help them to trust you and can make the situation worse.
Help your chinchilla enjoy being held
- Offer Safe Treats: You want to create a positive association in the chinchilla's mind with your presence and being handled, so this is a good opportunity to offer a safe treat at a time when the chinchilla has not bitten. Some chinchillas will happily accept their regular pellets or strands of timothy hay as treats, which is good as otherwise you must ensure that any treats given are from the safe list and not fed too regularly. However regular pellets, such as Oxbow Essentials, Mazuri and Science Selective, along with Timothy hay, can be offered in unlimited quantities.
- Get them used to your scent: To try and get your chinchilla used to your scent, sleep with some non pill fleece for a few nights then place it in their cage. Sit with them for each playtime session to get them comfortable with your presence. Don't try to stroke or hold your chinchillas during playtime, this is their free time and trying to catch them in an open space will only scare them further.
- Work with them: As you can't have any real control over your chinchilla's behaviour, try to work with them to a certain extent. If your chinchilla is scared, do everything you can to make them feel reassured and safe. Remember even the slightest noise or movement can seem terrifying to a prey animal.
If your chinchilla is territorial, try to spend more time interacting with them outside of their cage where they won't be so defensive. If your chinchilla is aggressive, calmly let them know you're in control by not reacting to their attacks and show your intentions are good by trying to hand feed them.
This process can take a long time so don't expect instant results. Almost all chinchillas' biting will improve with enough perseverance, however some will always be naturally more inclined to bite than others. If this is the case, you may always need gloves when handling your chinchilla.
Please remember that biting is not a reason to re-home your chinchilla and most certainly not a reason to have them put to sleep. Biting is a natural animal reaction and you should be aware and prepared for this before getting a chinchilla.
Urine Spraying
Females most commonly do this and it's one of the chinchilla's natural defence mechanisms. Female chinchillas have a pretty accurate aim and may stand up and spray urine at you if they feel threatened. A bit like biting, this may be due to the chinchilla feeling scared, trying to assert dominance over you or protect their territory (cage).
What you can do to help:
Again, not reacting is key. If you immediately retreat when your chinchilla sprays urine then they'll know the tactic is working. Try to completely ignore it and continue with what you were going to do.
If the mess of the urine is a problem then you can use an old towel to protect yourself. Talk to the chinchilla calmly and offer a safe treat or some of their regular pellets or timothy hay when they do not spray urine. In time, your chinchilla will learn that your presence means positive things for them and that there is nothing to worry about.
If the mess of the urine is a problem then you can use an old towel to protect yourself. Talk to the chinchilla calmly and offer a safe treat or some of their regular pellets or timothy hay when they do not spray urine. In time, your chinchilla will learn that your presence means positive things for them and that there is nothing to worry about.
Fur Chewing
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Not to be confused with barbering or shedding, this is when a chinchilla chews its own fur to the extent that certain sections are shorter than the rest of the coat. Sometimes this can be due to a cage mate chewing on the chinchilla's fur.
Fur chewing is thought to be hereditary, as well as sometimes due to stress or boredom. As genetics play a part, any chinchilla who fur chews should not be bred. |
What you can do to help:
Examine the chinchilla's environment and look for any possible causes of stress.
Noise from other members of the household, or pets such as cats and dogs can be some of the main culprits. If this is the case, keep other animals completely away from the room your chinchilla is in and ensure other family members are not shouting or being loud.
Fur chewing can also be due to boredom from not having enough mental stimulation. Make sure your chinchilla has a suitable sized cage with safe places to hide, plenty of items to chew and gets daily playtime.
As fur chewing can be hereditary as well, some chinchillas will still do this even if they have plenty of mental stimulation and aren't kept in a stressful environment. However as with any fur chewing, you must first examine the chinchilla's environment to rule out that this isn’t part of the cause.
Noise from other members of the household, or pets such as cats and dogs can be some of the main culprits. If this is the case, keep other animals completely away from the room your chinchilla is in and ensure other family members are not shouting or being loud.
Fur chewing can also be due to boredom from not having enough mental stimulation. Make sure your chinchilla has a suitable sized cage with safe places to hide, plenty of items to chew and gets daily playtime.
As fur chewing can be hereditary as well, some chinchillas will still do this even if they have plenty of mental stimulation and aren't kept in a stressful environment. However as with any fur chewing, you must first examine the chinchilla's environment to rule out that this isn’t part of the cause.
Fur Slip
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A chinchilla's natural defense mechanism, when they are very afraid the chinchillas loses a clump of fur, known as fur slip. This happens most often when the chinchilla is being held if they are very scared, or if they get trapped in something.
The idea being that in the wild, the predator would be left with just a mouthful of fur and the chinchilla would escape and run away. Whilst fur slip may leave the coat looking a bit unsightly, it does not physically harm the chinchilla. However it does indicate the chinchilla is very frightened, which in the long run is not good for their health if it happens any more than just occasionally. |
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What you can do to help:
You may be handling your chinchilla incorrectly or rushing the process when they are not ready. Take note of the advice on handing chinchillas. Remember taming and getting them used to being held is not usually a quick process
Bar Chewing
Some chinchillas will repeatedly chew on the bars of their cage, which can be noisy and particularly frustrating if their cage is near to where you sleep. This may be due to boredom, trying to get your attention or just that the bars seem like an appealing item for to chew!
What you can do to help:
Make sure you don’t accidentally reward this behaviour, by responding with a treat, attention or letting them out to play as a result. Chinchillas learn quickly and otherwise they’ll soon start chewing on the bars constantly until you give in!
Instead make sure there are plenty of safe items in their cage to chew instead of the bars. Ensure the chinchilla is let out for playtime regularly, a chinchilla safe wheel in the cage is also the perfect toy to use up some of that endless energy!
If a chinchilla still chews their bars when you have tried all of the above, then you can place some seagrass mattresses or non pill fleece around the bars they chew to prevent them from doing this.
Instead make sure there are plenty of safe items in their cage to chew instead of the bars. Ensure the chinchilla is let out for playtime regularly, a chinchilla safe wheel in the cage is also the perfect toy to use up some of that endless energy!
If a chinchilla still chews their bars when you have tried all of the above, then you can place some seagrass mattresses or non pill fleece around the bars they chew to prevent them from doing this.
Popcorning
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You may notice your chinchilla do a series of animated jumps, with their legs twitching and appearing to fly out in different directions. This means the chinchilla is very happy and excited.
Many chinchillas will do this when they’re let out for playtime. |
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What you can do to help:
Popcorning is a positive thing and shows that your chinchilla is feeling very happy. Therefore there is no need to take any action, just enjoy watching your chinchilla's delight and feel proud that your chinchilla is so content in your care.
Chinchilla Sounds
Chinchillas can make a variety of sounds to communicate how they’re feeling. Some chinchillas are naturally more vocal than others - some may bark regularly whereas others remain almost always silent.
Common chinchilla sounds:
- Barking: the chinchilla makes a series of harsh calls. This typically sounds more like an alarm call from a large bird, rather than a dog bark. Barking is usually the chinchilla's way of expressing anger, fear or distress at something, and can be used as a warning call to other chinchillas. A chinchilla may bark to warn the other chinchilla away before a fight, or if there is a strange noise in the home that they don't like.
- Calling to other chinchillas: The chinchilla lets out a close sequence of throaty sounds, which may slightly resemble a very low pitch version of a seagull! Sometimes you can even see the muscles in the chinchilla's neck moving as they do this. This sound is usually the chinchilla calling out to other chinchillas that may be in the area. If another chinchilla does respond, they will typically call out again with even more force. You may notice this is more common if you have multiple chinchillas living in separate cages.
- Hacking: the chinchilla makes a hacking type noise to demonstrate their annoyance or disapproval of something. You may hear this if their cage mate over grooms them, or you stroke them in a way they don’t like.
- Series of small squeaks: chinchillas often make a series of small squeaks when they’re feeling happy or content. You may notice your chinchilla doing this as they run along when they’ve been let out for playtime.
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