Chinchilla Community Forums
Chinchillas => General Chat => Topic started by: Jasonred79 on January 26, 2015, 04:40:10 PM
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Wow... Popsicle is getting... spoilt.
He's a rather atypical chin, for one thing, he LOVES being chased around. It's his game. He loves to have me try to catch him.
And during playtime, if I don't give him enough attention, ie CONSTANT and FULL attention, he can get frustrated and stressed and he will run back into his cage and throw himself into his metal house (he has several houses) and sulk with red ears. At first I thought he was overheating from playing, but after analysis, I noticed his ears don't turn very red from physical activity, but when he gets upset they turn bright red...
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That's funny.
Usually when I go to put my chinchilla back in his cage he'll jump out of my hands when I lower him to the cage floor. Recently he started a new thing where he'll just stay very still and center himself in my hands because he doesn't want me to put him down. When I do put him down and close the door usually he'll just go to sleep. Today when I did that he ran around the cage like he's had a tantrum and pressed up against the bars trying to get me to scratch his chin. Although I've never noticed him getting red for that. That's a very interesting observation.
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Oh, when I try to put popsicle back in his cage, he has 2 different reactions. Normally, I just let him sit on my hands, and just put my hands into his cage, above his hammock. Originally, I thought I would just plunk him in his hammock, but he's subverted this ritual:
a) he will sort of gather himself a little, hop over his hammock onto his wooden house, then hop onto his metal house, and sit there looking at me expectantly, where I either go "oh clever boy, went home!" and give him a treat or cuddle.
b) He gathers himself up on his hind legs.... and keeps backed up away from his hammock. And thouroughly communicates his reluctance to go home. At which point I decide whether to extend playtime or not. (usually I give in, which is why he's a pampered chin)
Popsicle doesn't run around and throw tantrums... he strictly sulks, goes unresponsive, shows me his butt, refuses to look at me, etc etc. ...