Your Pet CHINCHILLA And Environmental Stress

Environmental stress can affect your pet chinchilla in different ways.  This type of stress results in either health or behavioral issues.  Your pet can experience the following:  anti-social behavior that includes biting, fighting, spraying urine, fungus, or irritation of the eyes.  Your pet can also feel angst toward other chinchillas, biting the fur, gnawing on their cage or even depression.  

Rocky sloap near Auco, Andinas, Chile. Natural area of the wild Chinchilla lanigera. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Unless you know in advance, you won't necessarily detect that one of these actions can come from environmental stress.  You usually find out when the behavior or illness becomes a chronic issue.  If you are not aware of the issues of environmental stress, your pet may be more prone to suffer the after-effects.

If your pet is hyper, environmental stress will just compound the way they're already feeling.  In order for them to get a grip, behavioral rehabilitation would help them regain their footing.  Of course, if your pet is already easy-going, then rehabilitation is not necessary.  Environmental stress can affect how the chinchilla was treated, before and now.  Environmental stress can affect your animal if they were abused or handled badly.  This in turn, can cause them to exhibit anti-social tendencies towards the next owner.  

If your pet is experiencing boredom, this may eventually suffer from stress.  Your pet should be in an environment where there is some movement and noise.  On the other hand, enduring constant loud noise can take its toll on them, also.  It's better for them to have noise, but it should be at a moderate level.  This way, if they do experience noise out of the ordinary, such as people, thunderstorms, etc., they'll know how to handle it.  Your pet has to have a happy medium between the two extremes (boredom and chaotic noise).

Your pet will have to make adjustments if they came from an environment where there was boredom or chaos.  They'll have to make adjustments to the unfamiliar and unknown.  Like a human being, your pet will feel strange because all they know at the moment is the environment to which they were accustomed to.  It may take your pet at least a week to regroup.  You can help by putting them in a quiet room with some soft jazz music.  There should be no other pets in the house while your pet is getting acclimated to different surroundings, including the owner.

Giving your pet this transition time is crucial and imperative because if they came from a chaotic environment, they will have to learn to relax and if they came from a boredom environment, they must have time to get in the groove to handle noise in a timely manner.  If they take on too much too quickly, your pet can get overwhelmed, causing additional stress.

You will have to learn to be sensitive to their needs and get a sense of when they might be ready.  It's always best to start out small and gradual, then work your way up with your chinchilla.  This way, your pet can accept the gradual transition with ease.