You know how excited I get when I am offered a chance to communicate with a new species and today, guess what happened!

An animal I’ve admired for a long time was part of my clientele today and what a delight! I’ve always wondered about Chinchilla, but never had an opportunity to speak to one directly. My client had two Chinchilla companions, both females. Their people, a couple, had a list of issues to check into, as well as a few requests for behavioral changes.

Humans as Predators or Caretakers?

One of the things that fascinates me about this animal is it’s evolutionary history, and it’s present-day status. Chinchilla’s have historically been raised for their fur, and those that come into our homes to be domestic companions are truly evolving their human/animal relationships at a rapid pace. But their cellular memories know their history. And as a species, being close enough to humans to be considered companions is an understandable stretch for them.

At Cross Purposes?

I often wondered about the delicate dance between a humans need to touch and feel, and the Chinchilla’s need NOT to be touched. I opened the floor to the small furry rodents by asking them, “how does it feel when humans touch and caress you?” They told me that the electrical charge that comes from the human hand was hard to take. (I was shown that if the human would run their hands under cool water prior to touching them, it would be helpful.)

They also showed me that the oils from the human hand created a sticky substance on their coats. It required cleaning once they were released. I asked,”Do you understand that humans are tactile and they absolutely love to touch and cuddle you?” At that, Chinchilla sent pictures of the hands coming down into the habitat and as they descended, a feeling like a predator moving in.

Their people wanted to know what would make them more comfortable with handling.

They said they needed to know when their people planned to ‘catch’ them and to give them time to prepare for that. They gave other instructions on ways to help them cope with “capture.” For this animal, touching felt like restraint.

Close to the end of the session, the Chinchilla companions showed me the joy of having a dust bath. This was in part to assure their human companions that they were quite content. Their love, the lovely habitat they had built, and the companionship they enjoyed with each other made life grand.

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