A chinchilla bites more often lately

[Ippo456]

I have 2 chinchillas who don't get a long, Winnie & Tubby, & they live separately. When it's their out-of-cage playtime, I do musical chairs with them (more like musical cage), so that they'll never get to see each other. Most of the times, when Winnie smells Tubby on my hand, Winnie will do a soft "kack" sound & bite my fingers (not hard). This is not what I'm complaining about because this behavior is expected.

What I'm complaining about is the fact that now Winnie is biting me more during other times. The chinchillas' cages are in the study room. Since I'm in the process of moving, I have gotten rid of my desk & hardly spend any time in the study room this past month (whereas before, I'd spend hours from afternoon until before I go to bed in the study room). My desk used to be right across Winnie's cage & he'd be able to see me at all times. Nowadays, in the mornings when I come into the study room to give Winnie scratches, he'd greet me with this sound & bite me, but a quieter version. In the evenings too, when I'm about to take him out of his cage for playtime, he'd make a similar sound & bite me.

He doesn't put that much pressure into his bites & he's never drawn blood. Is Winnie biting more & more often because I've spent less time hanging in the study room? He used to be much more friendlier & the only time he'd bite was if he could smell Tubby on my hand.

Thanks.

 

[monarch]

You say he isn't biting really hard, he could just be tasting you. My chin bites my finger tips often but never hurts, he seems to go it just to taste or play. Does your chin let you pet him (scratch his neck)?

 

[Ippo456]

He lets me scratch him but he doesn't like me petting his back (he doesn't like being dominated & my hand on his back is similar to another chinchilla mounting him).
I don't think he's tasting me just because his bites are accompanied by the "kack" sounds.
Even though his bites are not hard, they hurt for a second or 2.