If you are looking to have a pet but are not sure which animal to keep as a pet, then you could try adopting a chinchilla.Chinchillas are very cute, small, and furry animals. The only thing which restrains people from getting a pet chinchilla is their bites.Chinchillas are a member of the family called Chinchillidae. These animals are basically crepuscular rodents. These are a bit like squirrels but slightly larger. They are native to the Andes mountains which are in the western part of South America. Do you know that chinchillas have the densest fur among all the mammals which live on land? They are also hunted for their fur. They got the name chinchillas after the Chincha people who live in the Andes. Those people used to wear coats made from the chinchilla’s fur. Due to this, the chinchilla’s population had been reduced a lot. Chinchillas are reared in farms for their ultra-soft fur. Chinchillas are also popular as pocket pets because of their small size. Do you have a pet chinchilla? Or do you want to have one? Let’s discuss some things which you should know about chinchillas before deciding to get one.Do chinchillas bite and does it hurt?Chinchillas are rodents, and like every rodent, they also have very sharp teeth which grow throughout their life. Chinchillas generally do not bite. Chinchillas have large and sharp teeth and because of that, many children are afraid of them. In reality, you don’t need to worry as chinchillas rarely bite, and only tend to do so when they are frightened.Chinchillas are very friendly and sociable pets. They are sometimes very aggressive towards other chinchillas but they rarely fight with each other. A chinchilla bite can be quite painful; yes, your chinchilla can hurt you with its bites. There are two types of chinchillas bites. One is a playful act that does not hurt much, and the other is an actual bite that is a lot more painful.Chinchillas are wild animals and biting is their defense mechanism. They are small animals and whenever scared they run and hide in their burrow in the wild. However, your pet chinchilla does not live in a burrow so to defend itself when you suddenly grab it, a chinchilla bites you to protect itself. It simply feels threatened by you. To avoid this you can make the environment comfortable for your chinchilla so it does not feel afraid.Why do chinchillas bite?Chinchillas used to live in the wild so they have a tendency to bite anyone from whom they feel threatened. If you frighten a chinchilla, it is more likely to bite you. Chinchillas bite out of fear when they do not feel that the environment is good for them.Chinchillas also bite if they are feeling aggression towards something. They are aggressive when they are fighting with another chinchilla for their territory or food. Uncomfortable habitats can also make chinchillas aggressive. Did you know that chinchillas are also aggressive after they give birth? This is the reason your mom doesn’t want you to play with a chinchilla who has just given birth to a baby chinchilla. When chinchillas bite in aggression, this bite is the most painful chinchilla bite. They will not let you go and hold on to you with their strong and sharp teeth.What To Do When Your Chinchilla BitesNow you know the reasons behind a chinchilla bite, you can take steps to avoid them biting you. You can make the environment comfortable for your chinchilla so that it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. You have to take care of its basic needs. Provide good food and enough fresh water for your chinchilla. It might have bitten you to convey a message that it needs food or something else such as a little of your attention.The cage of your chinchilla should be in a quiet place in your house so it feels comfortable and nice. You should visit your chinchilla cage often so that it can get to know you and understand that you are not a threat.A chinchilla also bites as a grooming activity. It may bite you to groom you and show its love to you. These chinchilla bites do not hurt at all. In fact, this is the sweetest form of showing love by chinchillas.Other than these reasons, there can be psychological reasons behind the biting of chinchillas. They can bite you when they are scared or under stress. Yes, your pet animal can also suffer from stress.If your chinchilla has bitten you even after you’ve taken all precautions, and you are bleeding, try not to worry. Chinchilla bites are not harmful. You can simply wash your wound with water and apply some antiseptic or a band-aid to it. Chinchillas have very strong and sharp teeth which can give you a blood wound, but your body can handle this. This wound will easily recover in a few days.How hard do chinchillas bite and what you can do to avoid it?As you now know, a chinchilla can bite hard enough that the biting may lead to bleeding and a small wound. However, you also know that it is not very harmful but this doesn’t mean that you would want to let your chinchilla bite you. You are probably thinking of ways to avoid these chinchilla bites after you bring one home as a pet. Here are some ways for chinchilla owners to avoid biting.You should handle your pet after you wash your hands. Chinchillas are very sensitive to smell and might get aggressive if they smell any other pet scent on your hands. If you smell good or like food, then they might bite you to taste that good thing.Learn how to approach your pet. Chinchillas are small, wild animals so they can sense a threat when you grab them from above. This may lead to a bite on your finger. Do not suddenly grab chinchillas, this may also frighten them. Let them feel your presence, and then after that pick up your pet gently.Chinchillas used to hide in their burrow when they felt any threat but in your house, they do not have any burrow but they can have some hiding spots in your house. When your chinchilla is in a hiding spot this means that it has some kind of fear or a warning from other pet animals like cats or dogs. If you grab it or try to reach it, it may try to bite you.If you are still frightened by the thought of a chinchilla bite, then you can use leather gloves while holding them from their hind legs. These gloves will protect you from sharp teeth.How To Train Your Chinchilla To Stop Biting YouChinchillas are not very fond of being tamed. They are not like other pets such as cats and dogs. Training a chinchilla could be the most difficult task of your life! In reality, it is not that difficult but may take some time. To train them, you have to first gain their trust. You will get to know the methods to gain the trust of chinchillas in a later section of this article. If they trust you and feel comfortable around you, then you can think of training a chinchilla to stop biting.You can train it by giving it treats. If you want your chinchilla to come out of the cage, you can keep a treat outside the cage, or inside the cage, if you want them to get back in. Slowly they will get to understand you and may be able to do it without treats. One thing to make sure of is to talk to your chinchilla in a calm manner, whether it is inside the cage or outside the cage, and do not force it to do anything. This will also make your chinchilla a calm pet. Otherwise, it may become aggressive in nature towards you.Do not try to play with it when it does not want to. Let it come to you, instead of going to it. This means that you have to let it feel comfortable to come to you, instead of you going to its cage and grabbing it by force.If you want to make your chinchilla use a litter box, use this trick. When you firstly bring a chinchilla to your home, for the first few days, take notice of the spot where it urinates. Chinchillas have the behavior of choosing a particular area for litter. When you know the spot, place the litter box in that place. Simple!Understanding The Difference Between Chinchilla Biting And NibblingChinchillas groom each other in the wild. Obviously, their moms can not take them to the salon, so they have to groom themselves. They have very dense fur which requires frequent grooming. They may bite you with the intention to groom you. This is the way they show love and affection to you. They do not want to hurt you when they are doing this. This can be understood as nibbling and a nibble does not hurt much, though as they have very sharp teeth, a nibble from a chinchilla may cause a little scratching.When they bite you, however, this can hurt a lot. There are many reasons behind the biting of chinchillas as we have discussed earlier. You now know the difference between biting and nibbling.If you do not want your chinchilla nibbling you, you can follow some easy measures. Whenever your chinchilla tries to bite or nibble you for grooming, you put it down. If you do it frequently, it will stop trying to nibble as it wants to play with you instead of being kept down. You can also give it a treat when it tries to bite you, so it bites the treat instead of you.You can also buy a lot of chewing toys for your chinchilla. They love to chew things. This will also prevent them from chewing your furniture and curtains.Gaining The Trust Of Your ChinchillaIf you want your chinchilla to not bite you, then you have to gain its trust. Gaining the trust of a chinchilla is very important because otherwise they will not feel comfortable around you and might consider you a threat.When you bring a new chinchilla to your home, do not rush things. Let it understand you and the environment. If your chinchilla is in a cage then sit by its cage often so it can get used to you. Let it feel your presence. Let it understand that you are not a threat. You can put your hand inside the cage and let your chinchilla smell you. If you frequently greet it in its cage, it will get to know you and trust you.Talk to your chinchilla with a gentle and polite tone. It will make them feel that you are not a threat. Do not try to approach your chinchilla too often as it might get irritated and this is when it can bite you.When carrying a chinchilla you should be very careful and gentle. Chinchillas are small and fragile. If you do not hold your chinchilla gently, it may lead to some kind of injury to your pet. Remember that when you are holding your chinchilla in your hands to keep it close to your body. This will give it a sense of protection and care.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do chinchillas bite then why not take a look at why do chinchillas take dust baths, or Chinchilla Facts.
If you are looking to have a pet but are not sure which animal to keep as a pet, then you could try adopting a chinchilla.
