amazing tricks?

[Ann Vole]

I have not had the opportunity to do any serious training efforts with chinchillas but have trained a number of other rodent species in the past. YouTube shows some cool tricks by these other species but looking for chinchilla training, they were just doing boring stuff. Chinchillas have amazing physical abilities so I am excited about getting a large room dedicated to loose rodents set up again and train these chinchillas. I am asking for links to videos of amazing chinchilla tricks you may know about. For other rodents, African Soft-furred Rats (ASF), Multi-mammate mice, and Natal Rats are all names for the same species. These little guys are nasty for biting but very quick to learn tricks (as evidenced by YouTube videos and my own experience with them). Gerbils and jirds were also easy to train with their long-range vision and how they would actually watch you (also the key advantage for ASF). Another question is treats. The three above-mentioned rodents eat high calorie diets so there are lots of treats available but for the diabetic degus and related chinchillas, there are only so many treats you can give them without risking a sugar-high. Nuts are lower in sugars but still rather high in fats. what would you suggest?

 

[Cuddlebug]

You can use old fashioned oats or you can divide a Cheerio into pieces and use that. Keep in mind that chinchillas should not have treats more often than once or twice a week.

 

[Ann Vole]

Keep in mind that chinchillas should not have treats more often than once or twice a week.

This is specifically the problem I have... need to provide some sort of pleasurable experience dozens of times a day... need a treat that is acceptable in larger numbers without health risks. I do find giving them normal food can trick them into thinking they are getting something special but the trick only works once or twice.

 

[Nostrils]

I give my chinchilla a feed pellet every time he does something I wanted him to do. Since his pellets are limited to 2 tbsp daily, I just subtract those single pellets from the daily total.

 

[arf2184]

I would use oats for a treat (old fashioned oats and oat groats) and pearl barley. You should be ok to give to a few pieces a day without messing up their diet too much.

 

[mistywaterwoman]

Apple sticks are a great reward, my girls will take them anytime and consider them a prize.

 

[saphire]

I believe to give to much oats is not good. Oats are high in phosphore and phosphore/calcium is important, because phosphorus allows the binding of calcium and if the "result" of the report does not lie between 0.4 and 0.6, the binding of calcium will not happen.
I believe it can cause maloclusion. I would opt for the apple sticks. Just cut the twigs to 1/4 inch and I would also offer rosehips.

 

[Ann Vole]

here are some YouTubes of chinchilla tricks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=724becYYHYs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMBSSZCM82g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t85ivNFXmyY

They can bounce off walls and do back flips (seen that in person) but have not seen very good videos of this. One chinchilla I had would slide fast toward the door and slide right though the door crack much like this video but faster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVXzXzO97ck