Sleeping with their eyes open, jumping 6 feet and spraying are just some of the behaviors to expect from amazing chinchillas.
Guinea pig — um — squirrel? No! That peculiar creature with cute little arms, perky ears and a squirrely tail is none other than a chinchilla. And chinchillas have some eccentric behaviors to match their eccentric appearance. Here’s a look some common "chin” behaviors.
1. Twilight fan.
For chinchillas, day is night and night is day — as in, their normal sleep cycle has them sleeping most of the day and awake from dusk until dawn. In the wild, chinchillas live in burrows or in rock crevices, places that offer safe havens for them to take cover so they can get some stress-free sleep. In your home, a pet chinchilla will appreciate an enclosed sleep area, such as a tunnel or hammock, which keeps way prying eyes!
3. Likely to leap.
A chinchilla might not look athletic, but this little critter can, in fact, be a sprightly jumper. Just how far? Up to 6 feet! Take that into consideration as you go about chinchilla-proofing your house — cords resting on countertops might not be safe from a chinchilla nibbling on them.
5. Spreading whiskers.
A chinchilla’s whiskers can be a prominent facial feature, and these long, wiry hairs are sensitive to the touch to give the chinchilla a literal feel for his environment. If you watch your chin when he explores your home, you might see that he spreads his whiskers — especially if he becomes startled.
7. Urine coming your way.
A less-welcomed behavior pet chinchillas do is spray urine on perceived threats — their not-so-subtle way of saying, "Back off!” So be prepared for the possibility of being met with a spray when you approach your chin’s cage or when you attempt to scoop him up in your arms, especially if your chin is not used to you yet. Give your chinchilla time to adjust to you and his new surroundings and don’t force interactions — a good approach if you want to be pee-free!
9. Barking mad!
The chinchillas you saw at the pet store were likely quiet (especially if it was during the day, a time when they are naturally drowsy). But when awake and running around their home environment, chinchillas aren’t so hush-hush. In fact, they can emit a wide range of sounds, including barking, chirping and squeaking. A chinchilla that barks or squeaks is expressing his displeasure. A grunting chinchilla, on the other hand, is contact calling — his way of staying in contact with others in his colony (the name for a group of chinchillas), and your chinchilla might consider you part of the herd if he’s bonded to you.
A chinchilla that is in a playful mood will do what a lot of toddlers do when happy — jump and hop around! For chins, "hopping mad” doesn’t apply — they’re "hopping happy!” You might see your chin hop across the room like a kangaroo or jump straight up into the air, land and do it again.