Chinchillas are a social species. In the wild, they gather in groups called 'herds', where they groom each other, play, and mate. Being in such a colony is also safe for these cute critters because they watch out for one another, sending warning calls when a predator approaches. Forms of communication with one another include rubbing their noses, nibbling on each other, and making a variety of sounds.
Although chinchilla care gets tougher when you have more than one, it's really worth it! To begin with, they are very playful and curious by nature. Their personalities vary, as well. You can always expect the cage to be filled with noise and activity: chinchillas scurrying about, nibbling on something, climbing and leaping, mating, and sometimes even fighting.
As social as they are as a species, being in an enclosed space can leave room for them to fight. Most likely, it's either because one is defending a certain space in the cage which it may prefer or perhaps two males are vying for the attention of a female chinchilla. Resulting actions are biting with both animals standing on their hind legs. A set of aggressive squeaks may also be heard. If the female refuses the advances of a male, she will do a similar defensive stance and squeak violently. Most owners will agree that if you prefer to keep many chinchillas in one cage, it would be best to avoid having fewer females than males. More often than not, males will fight each other for a mate.
Most males are ready to mate if given the go signal by a female in her sexual peak. The mating ritual includes them both rubbing their chins on the floor of your cage, with the male wagging his tail. Some owners have observed the male to leap around his prospect mate as well. Since they are nocturnal, much of the activities occur either in the evening or at dusk. If the mating happens, be sure to find a lot of hair in the cage. Chinchillas have no specific mating season, so expect that having a male and female in one cage will result to pregnancy and a brood of baby chinchillas.
The most important in chinchilla care is feeding and bathing. It may be complicated with many chinchillas. The mess that you'll have to clean up after can be extra work. It would be ideal to have more than one feeding tray and water bottle with a couple of chinchilla pets. Make sure the food dish is big enough to accommodate the crowd that you have. In most cases, chinchillas may fight each other when there isn't enough room for them to feed. This goes the same with the bathing container. Aside from grooming themselves during dust baths, they have fun time rolling in the dust. With many chinchillas, bath time can get crowdy.
For owners who prefer having just one chinchilla pet, the furry creature is playful enough to amuse itself with various activities in the cage. It will leap, scurry about or climb; and if you have an exercise wheel, it will spend quite some time using it. If you have other accessories such as chew toys and a good amount of bedding, expect it to constantly nibble and burrow. In the wild, biologists have observed chinchillas to be always active, scampering, leaping, finding natural objects to play with and gnaw at. You will observe similar activity while it's in its cage. Don't be surprised though that there are some chinchillas that are timid, spending the day just sitting in a corner or sleeping in its house.
Chinchilla care is not very hard but is very rewarding. Watching a chinchilla or a few of them going about their day is so much fun and interesting. They have colorful personalities that provide so much for their owners to discover and remember, surprising you with activities that you won't get enough of.
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