Teach Your Chinchilla To Do What You Want
Chinchillas are very clever animals and their brains have been compared to those of a squirrel. They have very long memories and it is for this reason you can teach a chinchilla to do what you want within reason.
A chinchilla will obviously not understand a full conversation or sentences but can understand the odd word over time.
It can be very useful to teach your chinchilla certain words and it can sometimes be life saving! It also contributes towards your bonding and trust together and also helps the chinchilla to relax and feel safe in your company, especially if they understand some of the things you are saying.
The key to teaching your chinchilla to do what you want is by repeated behavior and reward (initially). It is also key to not overload them with too many words before understanding what each word means. The tone of your voice is equally as important and this should be remembered when talking to your chinchilla. Always use a lowered, deep tone when discipline (for example the word 'no') and higher tones for encouragement. Never shout at a chinchilla or use loud instruments (as some sites suggest) as this will only terrify your chinchilla and make them frightened of you for a long time (remember their long memories). The only time you are ever allowed to shout or make a loud noise is if a chinchilla is about to jump out of an open window that your foolishly left open or they are about to chew through an electrical wire you forgot to hide.
The first obvious word to teach your chinchilla and the easiest is its name. This usually happens automatically over a couple of weeks and can be done by sticking to the same name at all times and calling the chinchilla its name each time you see him/her in a friendly tone. You will notice after a couple of weeks, each time you call the chinchillas name he/she turns to look at you. This is also useful when the chinchilla is up to mischief, as calling its name (in a lowered tone) sometimes stops them doing what they are doing as they know you have spotted them and are not happy.
One of the most important and earliest words you should teach a chinchilla is 'No'. This word will end up being a life-saver at some point especially if a chinchilla is about to do something that is dangerous to itself. The best way to teach the word 'no' is to allow the chinchilla out of its cage and to wait until he/she is doing something you are not happy with. When this happens clearly say 'no', stand up and slowly approach the chinchilla. You will generally find the chinchilla will run off as you get near but if you have a defiant chinchilla on your hands you will need to clearly say 'no' as you gently move them away from what they are doing with your hand, repeating the word 'no' as you do so.
Every time the chinchilla does something you are not happy with, you must clearly (but not too loudly as to startle it) state 'no', stand up and approach it. A chinchilla generally runs off just as you are getting close but over time you will be able to sit there and say the word 'no' (in a deep tone) and them move straight away. The more confident chinchillas will most probably always wait until you are about to get up before they decide they are going to move away from the item you don't want them near. This doesn't mean they don't understand you but just means they are being cheeky by ignoring you and seeing how far they can push you.
I am not too sure what clicking your fingers together means but i have found with chinchillas if i do this together with the word 'no' it signifies a big telling off and they automatically return to their cage and sulk. As I am not too familiar with the reasoning behind this, clicking fingers should only be a last resort as some chinchillas do seriously sulk afterwards. I came across this by chance whilst singing and clicking my fingers at the same time and noticed my chinchillas were seriously unhappy. I don't think it was my singing technique that did it (although some may argue this) but more the sound the click makes. In the wild a clicking sound can be familiarized as a warning to other chinchillas and maybe this is the reason they rapidly return to the security of their cage. I only ever used the clicking of fingers together with the word no whenever i noticed some fighting commence or if a chinchilla was about to do something seriously dangerous to itself. This would immediately stop them in their tracks or if they became out of sight would return them to their cage immediately. You may try this technique and find it doesn't work but if it does, then please do not over use the clicking of fingers and only use it in extreme cases of emergency as it can break a bond of trust you have built up with the chinchilla.
A useful word to teach a chinchilla is the word 'bath'. I suggest its useful as can be a great means of catching a chinchilla or helping a chinchilla to return to its cage as and when you want it to. The word 'bath' is also one of the easiest words to teach and is very quickly understood by the chinchilla. Once a chinchilla has understood the word 'bath' it is quite funny when you say it as you will notice them suddenly get excited and start to look around for their bath, even follow you as you go and collect it!
The quickest way to teach this word is to place some dust into a tin and shake it as you offer it to the chinchilla. As the noise of the sand swirls around inside the tin say the word 'bath' as you place it in front of the chinchilla. Each and every time you provide a dust bath, shake the tin so the chinchilla can become familiar with the noise and repeat the word 'bath'. As the chinchilla is rolling around bathing itself, keep repeating the word 'bath' and its name - for example, 'Fluffy (name) Bath'. Over a couple of weeks a chinchilla will fully understand what is coming when it either hears the sand in the tin or hears you mention the word 'bath'. You will even begin to get a response when you ask the chinchilla "Fluffy (name) Bath?" When you are at this stage, you will notice the chinchilla become extremely excited and active as it knows its about to have its favorite thing - a good roll-around and grooming session.
WORD OF WARNING - Never under any circumstances tease a chinchilla by saying a particular word it understands and not following it through. This will cause a break-down in trust, confusion for the animal and will undo any progress you have already made.
When you and your chinchilla are fully bonded and it's happy for you to hold him/her, you can begin to teach the word 'Kiss'. What i mean by the word 'kiss' is the action of rubbing noses together in a side-to-side motion. Whilst the chinchilla is facing you, say the word 'kiss' and slowly move your face forward with your eyes closed or diverted away from the chinchilla's eyes and gentle rub your nose across your chinchillas, quietly repeating the word 'kiss' as you do so. It must be mentioned here that you should not stare directly into the chinchilla's eyes as this will be interpreted as threatening so always either close them or look downwards when approaching them for a kiss.
The first time you attempt to kiss a chinchilla they may respond by running off, if this happens, wait until it is close to you again and repeat the sequence always making sure your eyes are not staring directly into the chinchilla's eyes as your face approaches. As you rub noses, quietly say the word 'kiss' each time your nose moves from side-to-side. You will need to do this on a daily basis for a chinchilla to begin to understand what you mean and when it does all you will need to do is say the word kiss and they will approach you, unless of course they don't fancy a kiss at that time (remember chinchillas are independent and generally do as they please). When you have a bond or trust built up you will notice when you kiss a chinchilla they begin to nibble the end of your nose out of affection. You may also be privileged by them exploring your face and nibbling your eyebrows, even rummaging through your hair and nibbling your earlobes, squeaking into your ear as they nibble.
'Treats' is another easy word to teach a chinchilla and can also be an easy way to get a chinchilla to return to its cage when all else fails. Saying this there are only certain treats you can offer a chinchilla and a list of these can be found at the bottom of this page. For your chinchilla to understand the word treat, simple say this word every time you offer the chinchilla something other than its pellets and hay. You can place the treat in a small bowl and give it a shake so the chinchilla becomes familiar with the sound or offer the treat by hand repeating the word each time you offer it. The word 'treats' together with the word 'bath' are a useful tool in getting a chinchilla to return to its cage if he/she doesn't return on its own accord. Should this happen and the chinchilla is familiar with these words, all you need to do is say the word and place the item of choice into the chinchilla's cage saying the word out loud and calling the chinchilla's name and they will immediately come.
A chinchilla can also learn to come and sit on your shoulder given time and especially after trust has been built up. To do this you must always remain seated! Never walk around with a chinchilla sat on your shoulder as at some point they will want to jump off, which can prove fatal from such a height. One websites even suggests you may be able to take the chinchilla out for a walk whilst on your shoulder - this is ridiculous and should NEVER be attempted!
To begin training a chinchilla to sit on your shoulder they must first be comfortable with you, understand the word treat and be out of their cage environment. Sit on the floor and have some small 'safe' treats hidden in your hand. Allow the chinchilla to jump onto your lap, which they generally do without much encouragement (if they are happy with you) and entice them with a treat moving it up one arm so they can follow the scent and place it on your shoulder. This maybe the only time i would recommend a raisin (to start with) that has been broken open so the aroma can ooze out. Don't allow the chinchilla to eat the treat until they are on your shoulder and once there place the treat on your shoulder and do not move a muscle otherwise a chinchilla will quickly jump off. Whilst the chinchilla is sitting on your shoulder keep repeating the word 'shoulder' quietly. Don't keep offering treats as the chinchilla is sat there as this will be detrimental to their health but allow the chinchilla to run off and play and repeat the process the next day.
Teaching a chinchilla to sit on your shoulder is one of the longest terms of training as you cannot keep feeding a chinchilla treats on the same day! Saying this if you save your one treat per day for this purpose you can repeat the process on a daily basis, moving the treat up your arm onto your shoulder and only allowing the chinchilla to eat it once its sat where you want it to. Over a couple of weeks and maybe up to 2 months a chinchilla will come and jump onto your shoulder (whilst you are seated remember!) and instead of feeding it treats you can provide a kiss instead (as instructed above).
The above is only a small list of things you can teach a chinchilla but you must remember at all times that a chinchilla is generally independent doing exactly what they want to do when they want to do it. For this reason and to prevent breaking any trust the chinchilla has of you, you must never force a chinchilla into anything or shout at it for not doing what you want it do. They are not a circus animal and cannot perform tricks as some people suggest, they can however be taught to do certain things or understand certain words but only if they trust you!
For a list of safe treats you can offer whilst training please click here.
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