Chinchillas are one of the most adorable and playful pets you can ever have. If befriended well, this little guy can be seen hungry for playing more, every time you end up spending a nice time with it!
But if you don’t know how to play with your chinchilla, you may end up wondering if this tiny creature is funny at all. This, of course, is not true, as it shows its true color once it gets the ideal environment and vibe it needs.
So in this piece, we will be sharing some tips on how you can make your chinchilla play so that both of you have a great time!
Playing With Your Chinchilla – Inside the Cage
Yes, you can play with your pet inside the cage, as well. That doesn’t mean you need to get inside, as well, duh! It’s the way you decorate the cage for your lovely pal. Here are some of the arrangements you can present your pet with.
Build A High Cage
Chinchillas love to jump around. That means you need to make a cage that can actually work as a playhouse for it. The height should be high enough so that the chinchilla cannot reach the top with its highest of jumps.
That means no matter how high it jumps, it won’t hurt itself and have a great time, as well. On the other hand, you need to take care of the bottom of the cage, too. Never go for steel wired bottom.
It will hurt the tiny feet of your pet and may even cause skin problems to the tender skin. Again, completely avoid plastic cages, as the pet will start chewing on them and hurt itself. Let alone the cage will be damaged.
Set Up an Exercise Wheel
Although Guinea pigs are quite famous for this, chinchillas are equally obsessed with an exercise wheel. If you put one big exercise wheel inside the cage, you can see the excitement the pet will show. It will immediately storm the wheel and start running on it.
Gift Some Toys Made For Rodents
There are plenty of rodent toys out there for Guinea pigs, hamsters, and chinchillas to play with. You can put a few of those toys inside the chinchilla cage so that your pet can chew on them. But before you put these toys inside, make sure these are made from wood that is free from pesticides.
Otherwise, the pet will get sick, and eventually, something bad may happen to it. Be very careful in this regard.
Make A Hiding Place
Oh, dear! How much a chinchilla loves a hiding place! Being a prey animal, it is the basic instinct of this pet to hide somewhere. If you can make a hiding house from clay or wood, it will simply take it as a resting place and even hide inside all day.
You can see it is taking a nap or simply chilling out inside the house. That’s a way the pet is relaxed and recharged. So, make sure you make it a bit large so that it fits inside pretty well.
Playing With Your Chinchilla – Outside the Cage
Once in a while, open up the cage door and let the baby out. It will be so much happy to be running outside. Here’re some tips for playing with it while it’s outside.
Let It Climb Stairs
Climbing the stairs of your house can be equally enjoyable and a physical exercise for the pet. It’s a good way to keep it busy as you can always keep an eye on it while it goes up and down. It’s pretty much fun for it and you, as well.
Give It Boxes
Another way to make it happy is by simply giving it to chew on some cardboards you have. These paper-made boxes are quite enjoyable for pets to chew on. It will not harm its teeth and will not cause a mess in the house, as well.
Let It Play With Chew Toy
You can also give it some toys to chew on. But make sure these toys are healthy enough and free from any type of toxic material. Chewing the toys will strengthen the teeth of your pet. But remember, make the outside toys a bit different so that it can recognize the difference between inside and outside playing. It gets a lot easier if you know what do chinchillas like to play with.
Treat It
While it is playing, don’t bother it by chasing. Chinchillas hate when someone chases them. So let it play with itself. But at times, try to grab its attention and offer some treat. If it notices, it will come jumping towards you to have a bite. This way, you can enhance your relationship with your pet even better.
Scratch It
Once it comes near you and accepts your treats, carefully and gently pick it up in your arms. Slowly scratch its body and observe its reaction. Focus on scratching under its front foot paw and under the chin. If it is showing a positive vibe, then you are okay to continue. That means it loves it.
But as soon as it shows some squirm and starts resisting, you should leave it.
Final Words
There’s no biblical rule on how to play with your chinchilla. Although there are some common ways a chinchilla acts when it is happy, every chinchilla would be different in nature. This is equally true for literally every pet – be it a dog or a cat, etc.
It’s up to you to find out how your pet reacts to the way you try to play with it. If you can observe that the chinchilla is positively reacting to certain acts of the play, you should try to stick to that as much as possible.
Happy petting!