Almostperfect10
Well-known member
I have lost chins before, and in the past, we have always allowed the others to acknowledge their lost friend and say their goodbyes. Until now, it had been my experience that they usually only take a few seconds, then run away.
My sweet almost-3 year-old boy chinchilla, Alfie, passed away on Sunday. When I let Willow, my 12 year-old black velvet girl, see him, her reaction was VERY different this time. She immediately draped herself over his body as if she was keeping him warm or protecting him. She stayed on him for the longest time. When I attempted to stroke his lifeless little head, she reared up, got in my face, and scolded me quite a bit in typical grumpy black velvet fashion (I so desperately needed that laugh). Each time I tried to touch him, she scolded me. She eventually draped herself completely over his body and stayed there for so long. When my boyfriend attempted to pet Alfie, she started making warning calls.
This behavior really surprised me. Willow and Alfie did not live together. They actually lived in separate rooms and only got to socialize through bars a few times a week. Willow has been an only chin for about 1.5 years. She used to have two female cagemates; one died almost 6 years ago and the other 1.5 years ago. About 7 years ago, we lost another boy who lived separately. Each time, I have let her see her deceased friends. She has never reacted this way before.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Was she protecting him? Was it because of the age difference? Was it her maternal instinct (she had a baby before I rescued her at age 3)? Was it because he died unexpectedly and didn't have a drawn out illness so she didn't understand?
My sweet almost-3 year-old boy chinchilla, Alfie, passed away on Sunday. When I let Willow, my 12 year-old black velvet girl, see him, her reaction was VERY different this time. She immediately draped herself over his body as if she was keeping him warm or protecting him. She stayed on him for the longest time. When I attempted to stroke his lifeless little head, she reared up, got in my face, and scolded me quite a bit in typical grumpy black velvet fashion (I so desperately needed that laugh). Each time I tried to touch him, she scolded me. She eventually draped herself completely over his body and stayed there for so long. When my boyfriend attempted to pet Alfie, she started making warning calls.
This behavior really surprised me. Willow and Alfie did not live together. They actually lived in separate rooms and only got to socialize through bars a few times a week. Willow has been an only chin for about 1.5 years. She used to have two female cagemates; one died almost 6 years ago and the other 1.5 years ago. About 7 years ago, we lost another boy who lived separately. Each time, I have let her see her deceased friends. She has never reacted this way before.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? Was she protecting him? Was it because of the age difference? Was it her maternal instinct (she had a baby before I rescued her at age 3)? Was it because he died unexpectedly and didn't have a drawn out illness so she didn't understand?
