General Characteristics of Communication

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alpayton

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Copied from http://www.chincare.com/HealthLifest...#communication

General Characteristics of Communication

It's important to bear in mind that all chinchillas are unique and deserve to be understood and related to as individuals, "general" characteristics are just that.People who have a good, close relationship with their chin never cease to be amazed at how perceptive and intelligent they are. Ours understand several phrases, we've had chins respond on the first try to something we said just because they're observant of our habits and motivation and because chins are intelligent enough to use what they know to anticipate what we're trying to communicate. Chins are very empathetic and intuitive creatures, this results in a keen ability to relay what they mean or want from their chinparents, which is successful provided the chinparents are also observant and practice some empathy and intuition on their part.

Avoid breathing or blowing directly into your chin's face. According to our exotics specialist vet, chinchillas CAN catch a virus from people, such as cold or flu. Cold sores can also be a danger if they're scratched before handling the chin or the chin comes into direct contact with them. Also, from handling ranchies we've learned that by instinct a chinchilla reacts to human breath as if they're being bombarded by another animal's natural defenses. That is, they think that we use our breath in the same way another chin sprays urine, the way a porcupine uses its quills or a squid shoots ink; human breath can be overwhelming, repulsive and even threatening, especially if they're not accustomed to interaction with people.

If they want something replenished or adjusted INSIDE their cage, or if they want a treat, are eager to greet you and want some attention or would like to get out for a run, they'll get your attention by standing up on their hind legs with their forepaws against the cage mesh as if they're searching for something or "begging." When they want something changed OUTSIDE of their cage environment (TV volume or channel changed, room temperature adjusted, if dishwasher or something is too loud...), they'll bark.

There is a head shake, sometimes both a head and body shake, but it's a trembling that chins do when they're frightened, fearful, caught off-guard or don't know what to expect. It's not the same as a seizure or a convulsion, it's a reaction that's situation-specific, such as when being picked up suddenly or if they're not familiar with you, and this fear should be soothed away by speaking softly and reassuringly while holding the chin close, cuddling. Also be sure to reassure your new chinchilla with the First Contact Procedure. We've noticed that the black velvet mutations seem more prone to this than others and can continue using the head shake even after they know there's nothing to worry about.

Chins do smile and wink, and as often as we've seen it done, it's not inadvertent or blinking, it's really part of the way they communicate to people. It can be done to show contentment, to acknowledge our communication efforts, or to say, "please be gentle and love me, I'm little and scared."

Be aware that chins do nibble and this should not be reacted to adversely, they nibble each other while grooming to demonstrate acceptance and affection and they may nibble you while you're giving chin scratches. Kits nibble just as a baby will explore his environment by putting things in his mouth, and all you'll need to do to discourage more insistent biting is to gently pull away when they start nibbling harder and say "no" or "gentle" firmly, NOT loudly or in a frightening manner. If a chin knows not to bite but gently nibbles your hand or fingers while being held, this is a typical way of communicating with you, it's usually a sign that he wants to be put down or put back in his cage in order to eat, drink, play, urinate, etc.

If a chin is getting into something (while outside of his cage) that he shouldn't, snap your fingers or clap your hands once or twice and say "no" in a firm, not loud or frightening, manner. Use this tactic sparingly or its effect will diminish.

When afraid, they may release an odor from their anal gland, which is "a scent gland located in the opening of the anus". The odor isn't particularly pungent but it is definitely noticeable within a range of about 2-3', and has been described as the smell of "burnt almonds."

Expressions of sheer joy and happiness include: bouncing off walls, sometimes referred to as "wall surfing" and the mid-air jump and twitch, sometimes called "popcorning" but better referred to as a "happy dance."

When a male chinchilla is near a female or is smelling a female's urine marking, this can get him "in the mood." The male expresses his interest in mating by wagging his tail (and making the mating call), but the tail doesn't wag from side to side as if it's one solid piece. Rather, because the chinchilla's tail has many ligaments (between 20-30), it curls rapidly from side to side.

They will learn routines or sounds associated with what affects them: bags crinkling, footsteps coming down the stairs, a food dish being screwed on, etc.

Chins will often try to catch their chinparent's attention by climbing up to their chinparent's eye-level ("they're up high, I'll have to get up high"), sometimes scaling their cage wall to do so. Likewise, if you drop a treat in through the cage bars while trying to hand it to your chin, stoop to where you're at eye-level with the treat on the cage floor, perhaps gesture toward it as well, and the chin will find it more quickly when he can better deduce where, specifically, you're looking.
 
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