Advice
I would love to hear if anyone has any advice as to how to better bond with a chinchilla? We let him out to run around and he usually comes up to us, snuggles for second, and then is off again. If we pick him up he will crawl all over us. He is not a fan of being pet, but will tolerate it. Still, lately he seems a bit more independent than "part of the family." If that's just his personality, well we all love him regardless, but we would like to try to better bond with him. Suggestions and stories welcome.
Although it is possible he bonds with us in ways we don't really notice, or don't pay much attention to. His cage is in the living/dining room, so we can see him from the table as if he was sitting at an invisible fifth seat. Every time we sit down to dinner he grabs some hay and climbs on his perch to eat and watch us while we eat, which is adorable.
But when we first got him he would come to check out whatever we were saying or doing when we spoke to him to opened his cage. Now he ignores us unless he is out running around or unless he has decreed we are worthy of his attention at that moment.
Also, how in the world can we convince him to go back in his cage when we want him to and not when he decides he is done playing/trying to eat everything in our apartment including the walls (which would be next to never).
Although it is possible he bonds with us in ways we don't really notice, or don't pay much attention to. His cage is in the living/dining room, so we can see him from the table as if he was sitting at an invisible fifth seat. Every time we sit down to dinner he grabs some hay and climbs on his perch to eat and watch us while we eat, which is adorable.
But when we first got him he would come to check out whatever we were saying or doing when we spoke to him to opened his cage. Now he ignores us unless he is out running around or unless he has decreed we are worthy of his attention at that moment.
Also, how in the world can we convince him to go back in his cage when we want him to and not when he decides he is done playing/trying to eat everything in our apartment including the walls (which would be next to never).