Chinchilla Tricks
Would it somehow shock you if you find out that your pet chinchilla is actually capable of entertaining you with a few tricks here and there? There is no denying that these little rodents are such special creatures that they can actually perform tricks that might very well surprise you. They are not only soft and cuddly but they are also trainable.
Chinchillas have great memories. If for example a certain person or thing has frightened it in the past, they are able to remember that experience when they encounter that thing again and thus will withdraw themselves whenever they encounter it again. Their memories are responsible in making them do the tricks that they perform. By gratifying a chinchilla whenever they do something that amuses you, they will then recall that experience and do it again. If a chinchilla however does something that you do not like, always remember to remain calm and never raise your voice because if you do, it will frighten them. This is one good practice that you should remember if you do not want your chinchilla to chew on electric wires and even their cages. Make sure that your chinchilla trusts you enough before performing this on them. The important thing here is that your pet chinchilla develops trust in you first. If chinchillas however approach electric wires, use a loud sound or noise instead of using your voice such as by whistling.
One basic training that you could teach your chinchilla is to eat pellets from your hand. With your palms upturned, try putting some food in the middle. In order to get the food in the middle, your pet chinchilla must first step on your hand. You need to be patient enough to perform this trick. If during your first try your pet refuses, do it again and never make an effort to move your hand towards your pet. Because chinchillas are prey animals, they might think that by moving your hand towards them you are chasing them, and they hate being chased. As soon as your pet becomes accustomed to eating from your upturned hand, try moving the food to your forearm. Your pet must then step up to your hand in order to get to the food.
You must also get your chinchilla accustomed to being handled by you. If your chinchilla is shy, do not pick them up immediately. Allow them time to get used to you and the gesture. Do the training mentioned above first before handling them. Once they are used to getting treats from your hand and forearms, let them get used to making them crawl on your arms even without the treat. Do not always put your pet inside the cage. Put them on a small space with you in it. This will make them enjoy playing even when you are around. They might even climb on you and use you as a substitute mountain. Your aim here is to build your pet’s trust in you instead of immediately grabbing them.
If trust is there, it will be a lot easier to train your chinchilla to do some tricks. They may not be easier to command like dogs but they can be trained in a way that dogs will not be capable of doing as well. Learn to love and understand your pets. Discover new possibilities with them. In this way, your time together will not only be fun but also a wonderful experience.
