Chinchilla Sounds
Posted by Jennifer Snyder on Sun, Apr 20, 2008 @ 11:54 PM
Chinchillas have a wide range of sounds they make to
communicate with other chinchillas, animals and humans. Though much of
the time chinchillas are quiet, there are many sounds that they make to convey
different feelings. The sounds
they make range from high pitch squeaks, to a gentle purring sound. You will be
most likely to hear these noises in the twilight hours when your chinchilla is
most active. Below are some explanations of common chinchilla sounds and there
interpreted meaning.
Contact Call
This is one of the most common sounds you will hear your
chinchilla make. This sounds seems to say "hey anyone out there." It
is a soft ongoing series of grunts or throaty sounds that seem to be a
chinchilla's way of asking if you are in the room, or asking another chinchilla
to give it some attention.
Alarm Call
The alarm call is a call used by chinchillas in the wild to
alert the herd of predators or danger. I have heard this sound used when there
was a cat next to my chinchilla's cage and they were feeling threatened. The
alarm call can be a series of loud cries, or a loud short burst, but it will be
pretty clear that something is upsetting your chinchilla and you should
probably check it out.
Pain and Fear
A very loud shrill squeak is a chinchilla's typical response
to pain and sometimes sudden fear. If your chinchilla is injured or roughly
grasped this is likely the sound you will hear. This should be a rare sound to
hear from a chinchilla and never a pleasant one.
Warning Clicks
Teeth chattering is the way a chinchilla will warn humans and
other chinchillas to back off! It is a series of clicks that will typically be
matched with the chinchilla trying to hide itself, back away or flee.
Aggressive Grunt
A chinchilla will grunt when it isn't thrilled with
something going on. Some chinchillas will make this grunting sound when you try
to pick them up, or when another chinchilla tries to snatch something from their
hands. It has been our experience that this sound is more annoyance than a chinchilla
being very upset. If teeth chattering starts, that is the best sign to leave
your chinchilla alone.
There are a variety of other sounds that chinchillas make
including very cute baby chinchilla sounds that tend to be higer pitch squeaks, unique mating sounds and soft cooing sounds when they are being
affectionate. http://www.chinchilla-sounds.de/index_en.htm
is a great site to hear the sounds described above. Cheeky Chinchillas also offers a variety of sound clips http://www.cheekychinchillas.com/chinsounds.html