My daughters chinchilla lives primarily in her bedroom (she lets him out of his cage daily but he gets pretty frantic if she tries to take him out of her room). She's had him for a few months and she takes really great care of him.
Every night for as long as she's had him after I tuck her in I say good night to him too. Started out with me just saying good night and occasionally offering a raisin as he was really really scared after we brought him home. After he started anticipating that I began opening the cage and worked up to giving him pets. I was rewarded for this patience when a few weeks ago he started coming out into my arms. First he'd just step a foot onto my arm, then he started sitting for just a moment perched, then he relaxed and would chew on the strings on my hoodies, climb up onto my shoulder and now he even nuzzles into my hair if it's down.
Last night I tucked her in, and went to spend just a minute with him. I opened the cage and he near flew out of the cage, latched onto my arm and started going to town with a fury that shocked the heck out of me. My daughter started cracking up saying she's never seen him do anything like that before (she's only 9 and had no idea what he was even attempting to do- I choose NOT to fill her in). I pushed him off with my other arm back into his cage and he gave a sort of loud angry chirp at me. She says he makes all kinds of noise, but that was the first noise he's ever made in my presence.
He had never behaved so boldly before and I'm worried this means his behavior in general will get bolder. He's never bitten or anything, in general he's great, but I didn't anticipate that at all. Makes me nervous of what else might come out of the woodwork in the future!
This is our first chinchilla, I have no previous experience with them at all. What I know about them I've learned here and we're still incredibly green as far as behavior goes. Why on earth would he do that? Is there something wrong with him? Is he lonely? Does he need to be neutered? Will this happen again, and if it does what should I do? Was pushing him off the way I did ok to express to him I don't want him doing that?
I went downstairs to her bedroom to check on him this morning after she said she woke up to him "looking sad" and he about lost his mind jumping around and biting on the bars of his cage. I'm so nervous he's going to try to do the same thing again tonight as there is obviously something about me that's setting him off. Which doesn't seem right at all as my daughter is the one who cares for him.
Much thanks in advance for helping me sort through this......erm..........incredibly awkward "situation."
Every night for as long as she's had him after I tuck her in I say good night to him too. Started out with me just saying good night and occasionally offering a raisin as he was really really scared after we brought him home. After he started anticipating that I began opening the cage and worked up to giving him pets. I was rewarded for this patience when a few weeks ago he started coming out into my arms. First he'd just step a foot onto my arm, then he started sitting for just a moment perched, then he relaxed and would chew on the strings on my hoodies, climb up onto my shoulder and now he even nuzzles into my hair if it's down.
Last night I tucked her in, and went to spend just a minute with him. I opened the cage and he near flew out of the cage, latched onto my arm and started going to town with a fury that shocked the heck out of me. My daughter started cracking up saying she's never seen him do anything like that before (she's only 9 and had no idea what he was even attempting to do- I choose NOT to fill her in). I pushed him off with my other arm back into his cage and he gave a sort of loud angry chirp at me. She says he makes all kinds of noise, but that was the first noise he's ever made in my presence.
He had never behaved so boldly before and I'm worried this means his behavior in general will get bolder. He's never bitten or anything, in general he's great, but I didn't anticipate that at all. Makes me nervous of what else might come out of the woodwork in the future!
This is our first chinchilla, I have no previous experience with them at all. What I know about them I've learned here and we're still incredibly green as far as behavior goes. Why on earth would he do that? Is there something wrong with him? Is he lonely? Does he need to be neutered? Will this happen again, and if it does what should I do? Was pushing him off the way I did ok to express to him I don't want him doing that?
I went downstairs to her bedroom to check on him this morning after she said she woke up to him "looking sad" and he about lost his mind jumping around and biting on the bars of his cage. I'm so nervous he's going to try to do the same thing again tonight as there is obviously something about me that's setting him off. Which doesn't seem right at all as my daughter is the one who cares for him.
Much thanks in advance for helping me sort through this......erm..........incredibly awkward "situation."
