Can chinchillas pick up on emotions?

[Mystic]

After the death of Timber I went over to my parents to visit Toby and Tristan...and to also tell them that they're brother had passed away. I'm sure they didn't understand in words, but do you think that they sensed something is wrong? Or that he's gone? All 3 of my chins were in seperate cages so they've never bonded as buddies, but when I told them I was a mess, crying and hugging on them.

 

[Sandi]

If you were a mess, then yes, I do believe they can sense that. I'm sorry. I know when I lost my CJ, I was a huge mess for a while and all of my animals knew it. It's going to take time but try to keep your chin up and let your other babies help you heal.

 

[Pikaia]

Yes, I believe they can pick up on your emotions. When my ex boyfriend and I broke up, I was a mess for a while and Tribble totally picked up on that. He was also really depressed because my ex was a huge part of Tribble's daily life. It took him like a week and a half to get back to normal. I had to spend extra time with him and kinda fake a happy mood..

 

[ChinnyMom]

i fully believe animals pick up on our emotions. when we are mad, upset, happy, etc we release certain pheromones and animals sense those pheromones. while they may not be able to pinpoint your exact emotion, they receive communication from those pheromones.

this is why a dog will bite you when you are scared - the pheromones are the same as when you are angry. or so i have heard.

i'm very sorry to hear about Timber.

 

[Mystic]

Thank you all for the kind words. Usually my other two can help to cheer me up, and they do to a certain extent now, but whenever I'm holding one of them it just reminds me of Timber. I had Tristan out for playtime last night and he was tugging on my clothes and pulling on my hair as if to say "come play with me mom." It was adorable.