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Inca-bink

Inca-bink

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
63
Location
Lynnwood, WA
Hi All,

I've got a bit of an unusual girl - she gets really excited when I play music. She runs around the room or her cage, sticks her nose through the bars, and gets almost hyperactive. I thought it was funny, and it didn't seem to be causing any problems, until recently. Yesterday, she was running around, listening to music, and I had to pick up the phone. As soon as I started talking, she ran up to me, jumped on my shoulder, and bit my ear hard. Then, every time I made a sound, she would grump back at me (that almost grunting sound they make when they're displeased) and she kept trying to run up and bite me.

I picked her up and put her away while I finished my conversation, but she kept running around her cage and got a little snippy with one of her cage mates (I live in an apartment, I couldn't leave the room to talk so I saw the whole interaction). It doesn't seem to be a problem at other times, this is the only time it happened, I talk to my girls all the time. I'm a little worried that she's getting a bit aggressive and pushy with me, and I'm even more worried that she picked a fight with her cage mate.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Has anybody seen behavior like this before?

Thanks ahead of time!
 
Liking music is actually pretty common. A lot of large breeders and rescues leave a TV or radios on for their chins since the chins seem to respond so well.

As for the snipping, first thing's first: how old is she? She could be coming into her 'teenage' phase when hormones can make chins a little... unpredictable. Another option is that she wanted your attention at that point, and was ticked that she wasn't getting it, hence the biting and barking. The good news is, sometimes the moodiness can be trained out or they grow out of it. Once you figure out the cause, it's probably just a matter of waiting it out or adjusting her routine a little. :)
 
Thanks!

I've heard of leaving TV or talk radio on, but I haven't really heard anyone describe the kind of hyper behavior I see in her. She is the most pernicious of all my girls; I think she's a little smarter than the others. They leave doors to cupboards and the playroom alone, but once she figured out that there was stuff behind the doors she had to open them all. And then check them every day. You might be totally right about the jealousy... she's just the girl to make that connection.

She is just over 3 years old. Do you have any suggestions for how I should respond if this behavior continues - ie. how to train the moodiness out? I don't mind a little bit of pushy-ness, that may just be her personality, but I draw the line at biting me or other extremely antisocial behavior. Other than younger chins (<6 months, and they're just curious) the only biting chin I've had was a frightened rescue, and she stopped after a month or so of regular handling.
 
My guy gets a little excited during video games and bounces around, so I think that's something that depends on the chin too.

When Crash does something I don't want him to do, I say "aht aht" (The "stop that" noise my father used. Cesar Milan uses a "pssht" noise for the same thing when he trains dogs, as a better example.) If she's as smart as you say, she'll come to associate the sound with "no" and either stop, or keep it up just to push you. If that's the case and she does go back for another chomp, I'd do a 'time out' in the cage and just let her have her tantrum in a safe place. When she's calm, she can come back out. :) Amazing how like toddlers they can be sometimes.
 
That is exactly what Jade and Pearl do too! My eldest daughter pulled out her guitar and they went crazy. They do get a little aggressive with each other (no biting) but only because they are trying to be the closest to the guitar. LOL!

Allie hides in her fleece tube and couldn't care less about the guitar.


psycho_ash said:
You mean she gets like this?

I'm not a big fan of the guy who posted that video, but I do adore his chinchilla. Liking music is pretty normal, some people already posted that. Good luck on getting her to stop her tantrums!!
Click to expand...
 
My chins all love it when my brother plays his guitar. They all smush up against the front of the cage. It's pretty cute.

Canned music, they don't really care about.
 
Yeah, almost exactly like that video! Only over the last 2 days now insert grumping at me whenever I talk... she did it again yesterday, no music playing before or after. I guess she just doesn't like the sound of my voice anymore! I must not be as aesthetically pleasing as music!

In the rare occasion I need them to stop, I'll usually make a loud sharp sound, so maybe I'll be more consistent with that. And I'll have to use time out, or else I'm going to get bitten to shreds.

Do you think that she is associating my voice with some sort of chinchilla aggression behavior? Or do they get PMS?
 
Lol, I guess I'm lucky, even when they're kinda pissy none of my chins have ever sprayed me! Thanks for the advice.
 
I cluck/kack at mine like with my cheeks and tongue...like you'd do to get a horse to canter. When they go to bite the baseboards, I make this noise sharply, and then say 'don't eat that' every time. I am hoping eventually I can just say don't eat that, but I'm not going to hold out hope that'll ever happen, haha. :thinking2:

The sharp clucking seems to work though. All the rest of the time I am usually talking softly to them , so there is quite a contrast...they know they're doing something bad.

I know it's not good, but I think that grunting sound is the cutest noise they make...it's like the most disgruntled noise in the world!
 
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