Chinchilla

Tamed Chinchillas Telltales #Their Sounds and Meanings!!

Well, pets can be quite unique in their own right. Whether cats, dogs, or even rabbits, you would find them coming up with weird and strange kind of behavior. They tend to engage themselves in a few of the craziest behavior ever. If you are fond of chinchillas and love those cute animals, you would not find them different either.

We have found chinchillas indulging a lot of weird and crazy behavior that just brings a smile on your lips. Perhaps, that is precisely what makes you find them quite cute and great pets ever.

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But, have you ever give a thought to chinchilla calling? Do they bark or do they produce any sort of sound? Well, they do make a variety of sounds. If you haven’t been with chinchillas before, you will find it quite difficult to understand different chinchilla sounds and their meanings.

Let us try to understand the different sounds and their meanings. In addition, you should also find means on how to follow the body language of the chinchillas.

Contents

1 Different Sounds From Chinchillas & What Do They Mean?
2 Different Body Languages of Chinchillas & Their Meanings?
3 A Few FAQ’s About Chinchillas
4 Why Do Chinchillas Bark?
5 Why is My Chinchilla Crying?
6 Why Do Chinchillas Squeak?
7 Do Chinchillas Purr?
8 In Conclusion

Different Sounds From Chinchillas & What Do They Mean?

Chinchillas do indulge in several sounds. Of course, a few of the sounds that they make appear to be quite scary, but that should not mean they are actually worried. Some sounds are adorable, while a few others would be screams that may appear too scary.

We will check out a few of those sounds and understand their meanings.

Barking (Video)

While we use the term barking with the dogs, you would find the term being used when talking about chinchilla sounds as well. However, there is a huge difference between the two sounds of barking.

The term barking is used just because this genre of sound closely resembles a dog’s barking, but that does not necessarily mean it is exactly equivalent to a canine barking.

If you want to get a good idea of how this sound will be like, the following video should ideally give you a hint into the sound.

The sound is quite harsh, high intensity, and quite noisy. It would be somewhat like gasping for air. But, you should not find it akin to gasping though. The barking calls are typically in the form of 3 to 5 rhythmic vocal sounds. The first sound would be much intense and is then followed by the sounds of reduced intensity.

What does the sound signify? Well, ideally speaking, the barking should ideally be an indication of the fact your pet chinchilla is scared or upset with something. You should ideally find your chinchilla producing this sound when it does not want to be picked up.

There may be different levels of volume and pitch in case of barking sounds. But, you would find that they are always short and come with an aggressive tone. When in the wild, the barking sound is a communication option with other chinchillas to indicate a danger lurking around.

In the case of a pet chinchilla, it should ideally indicate that they are upset with something. They would begin barking when there is a loud sound. It can also be temperamental in nature. As we already stated, chinchillas usually do not like getting picked up. They would take a while to get used to you and thus would want a warm up time.

Screaming (Video)

This is yet another excellent sound you would find quite strange and scary. In fact, the screaming sound can be quite concerning in many cases. Screaming as a sound is also referred to as crying and be one of the major types of sounds that no chinchilla owner would want to hear.

You would find a chinchilla crying or screaming when it is in pain. The sound ideally appears like a baby is crying. Of course, the actual sound made by one chinchilla would appear different from the one made by another.

If they are experiencing excruciating pain, they are likely to come up with a loud shriek or cries. The best option in those circumstances should be to find the cause for the pain. In many cases, you should ideally experience a visual indication to the part of the body where it may be painful. The physical manifestation should ideally provide you with a better understanding of the problem that your chinchilla may be facing.

Also, note that the pain may not necessarily be due to external issues. It may also be due to something internal. In any case, it would be a wiser decision to take the chinchilla to a vet.

Cooing - Happy Chinchilla Noise

If your chinchilla is cooing to you, you should ideally be the luckiest of the pet owners. That should be one of the best sound options that you would ever come across. Cooing, once again, will be different for different chinchillas. Ideally, it should almost be equivalent to barking, but it would have a whistling sound in between.

You may also find a little squeak sound as well. Whatever be the individual sound, one thing is for sure – it is always appositive sound, and something you need not be worried about.

Cooing is one such sound that communicates to the other chinchillas that it is happy to be with them. A chinchilla may also coo to itself, just as an indication to let others know that it is happy and everything is fine. However, in case a chinchilla is not cooing, that should not necessarily mean the pet is not happy.

Warning Call (Video)

Warning call would be similar to barking sounds. It would help you let out short and rapid outbursts of sound. These would indicate that the chinchilla is either scared or wants to scare its enemy. That is the prime reason the sound is referred to as a warning call.

They can let out a warning call when they sense the presence of another animal in its vicinity. The sound would ideally be in the form of the chinchilla sucking in the air. The warning calls usually are followed or accompanied by the sporadic running.

Hiccuping - Chinchilla Mating Call

This is one of the softer versions of barking. The sound is typically a chinchilla mating call. There is no explanation to let us understand what causes the hiccupping. However, you do not need to worry about anything.

Yes, hiccupping is quite normal, and there is no reason why you should be worried to find your chinchilla is hiccupping. You would not be able to do anything about it. It will stop after a while, and you need not feel concerned about it.

Squeaks & Soft Chirping (Video)

Squeaking usually is observed when a mother is nursing its baby, or when the baby chinchilla wants food from its mother. A happy chinchilla can also be seen chirping continuously. Once again, that should not be strange in any way. This isn’t a sound that you should feel worried about.

Squeaking and chirping should be one of the common sounds that you would find a chinchilla to make. If your chinchilla is making any sound of that sort, you can be assured that your pet chinchilla is quite happy.

A few of the chinchilla sounds you would find interesting can be found on this video:

Different Body Languages of Chinchillas & Their Meanings?

The sounds made by chinchillas apart, you would perhaps also want to understand the sounds made by the chinchillas to understand what exactly are they trying to communicate. The body language of a chinchilla would be an indication of its mood and attitude.

Chinchillas are always inquisitive and would want to explore new objects and environments quite thoroughly. However, since they are inherently prey animals, they may remain cautious most of the time. You would find them showing a huge range of body language and visual indications. Some of these behaviors would include jumps, head shaking, hopping, bucking, running, and body twisting. A wide range of these activities can be quite fun to watch and should indicate that your pet chinchilla is happy to be in your company.

Do note that you may also find the chinchilla showing a few body languages that may also indicate aggressive behavior. This can be a result of an incompatibility with the cage mates or aggressive behavior with the pet.

Some of the postures that would be interested in would include the following:

Standing Still & Straight

Standing still or straight would indicate that the chinchilla has found something unfamiliar. It may either be sound or smell. Do note that the ability to sense a sound of a chinchilla is quite more robust and it can listen to a sound we humans are unable to listen to.

It may run off after this posture. The posture may also be associated with a warning or alarm call.

Listlessness

This will be indicated by the chinchilla lying idle. This can indicate a wide range of scenarios. It could suggest that the chinchilla is taking a quick nap. It can also be indicative of the fact that it is feeling bored or may even be ill.

While it should be quite a typical posture most of the time, it may also be an indication that the chinchilla may be facing an underlying condition.

Chattering Teeth or Grinding

This is one of those scenarios that can be included both in chinchilla sounds or postures. Maybe they would be doing for a variety of reasons. In many cases, they may chatter the teeth if they are in pain or find something anxious.

It should be noticed that they may also indulge in this sort of behavior when they are happy. Understanding the exact reason for chattering the teeth may need to be analyzed carefully.

Jumping Around

If you find your chinchilla jumping around in the room or cage, it should be a clear indication that the chinchilla is in a very good mood. Jumping and hopping around is what would make it one of the excellent indications to prove that your chinchilla is happy to be with you.

A few of the weirdest things that chinchillas do may be interesting in understanding your chinchilla really well enough.

A Few FAQ’s About Chinchillas

Well, we have covered almost every aspect of chinchillas and their behavior. However, checking out a few queries that most of the chinchilla owners may have in their mind may be practical and useful.

Why Do Chinchillas Bark?

Well, we have already covered that aspect in the previous sections in this post. However, we will cover the aspect in more detail here.

Barking is usually seen as an activity that chinchillas show when they display behavior when frightened. It can also be used to warn the other chinchillas about the impending danger. In fact, it is a mode of communication and is used to address the concern if it finds something to get frightened.

Some of the reasons you would find your chinchillas barking would include:

They may be distressed and frightened
They may be injured
Your chinchilla may be in pain
They may be suffering from changes in the environment.
They may also be feeling grumpy.

Why is My Chinchilla Crying?

Crying or screaming has been associated with a feeling of pain. Unlike other sounds that chinchillas make, the crying or screaming has one single meaning.

They are in pain and will indicate a severe health issue in some cases. In some cases, the chinchilla may also show a physical indication of any pain. This should be more so if the injury or pain external in nature.

However, crying and screaming does not necessarily need to be limited to external injury alone. You may also experience the same kind of sound manifestation even in the case of an internal pan of any nature. We would recommend taking your chinchilla to a vet whether or not you witness any causes related to pain.

Why Do Chinchillas Squeak?

Squeaks in a chinchilla are common only when it is with the mother. It is the way the baby chinchilla is asking its mother for food. The act is accompanied by a nose to nose contact. The squeaks tend to be in high pitch and louder. The mother too will ideally reciprocate the squeaks in most cases.

The baby chinchillas can show this squeaky behavior when they are extremely happy. In fact, you would find that the young chinchillas tend to be more talkative when compared to the grow up chinchillas.

Do Chinchillas Purr?

Well, yes. They do purr. Of course, the purring is not similar to what you find in the case of a cat or other similar pet animal.

You would find the chinchillas producing purr noise only in some occasional cases. It is not precisely the purring noise, but a slightly different from what you might be expecting.

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In Conclusion

Well, while e have discussed a wide range of chinchilla sounds and perhaps you are now content with the information you have gained with respect to the sounds that your chinchilla makes. That way, you now understand your chinchilla in a better way.

However, never be under the impression that you have mastered the behavior of your pet chinchilla. The behavior of one chinchilla may be entirely different from that of another. In fact, the chins are expected to pick up some sort of attitude over time, and you would definitely find them behaving entirely differently from the other chinchillas.