Chinchillas are very social and vocal creatures, often making a variety of noises depending on their environment.
So, why do we think chinchillas purr? Is it because they snuggle up to us, whilst making such adorable sounds? Is it because we can ‘feel’ the sound (as they vibrate slightly against us), much as we would with a cat purring?
Or is it because they chatter or grind their teeth together? But, do they really purr?
Chinchillas make a lot of soft cooing noises, and can often vibrate slightly when they are held. This vibration can feel and sound like purring. However, chinchillas do not actually purr.
Why Do Chinchillas Vibrate?
So, why do chinchillas vibrate? Chinchillas vibrate for a number of reasons, and not always happy ones I’m afraid.
Chinchillas vibrate because they’re cold
Like us, and any warm-blooded animal, they shiver when they’re cold, but we’re unlikely to see this in domestic chinchillas as they’re so well adapted to keeping warm in their natural habitat (The Andes Mountain Range) which has harsh winds, and freezing cold conditions, that room-temperature situations are not going to cause them to feel cold.
Getting too hot at room temperatures, however, is another story – check back here in a few weeks for an article on heatstroke. Meanwhile, if you’re worried, then this article
is an excellent read.
Chinchillas vibrate because they’re scared or stressed
Chinchillas shake if they’re scared or stressed – this is a reaction to the adrenaline released in the flight-or-fight response, which causes the muscles to twitch and quiver. This can look like full-body shakes, or just a gentle vibration.
Chinchillas vibrate when they’re ill
If chinchillas get ill, which is rare, thankfully, then they can shake as a result. This can be due to a number of causes, including nerve- or muscle-affecting diseases, excessive heat, heart or lung problems (causing labored breathing, which can mimic shaking), or end-of-life diseases.
In most cases, if your chinchilla is sick enough to exhibit shaking under these conditions, then there will be other indicators that something is wrong and you should consult your vet. If shaking is prolonged, you should always seek veterinary advice.
Chinchillas vibrate when they’re in pain
This is similar to the stress-response – if chinchillas are in a lot of pain, then they will shake or vibrate. Again, if prolonged shaking is observed, please seek veterinary advice.
Chinchillas vibrate when they’re sexually excited
Male chinchillas when they’re sexually excited will gently rub up and down the female (or you if that’s where he is at the time) – this can be felt like a gentle vibration, and he’ll often make soft noises to accompany these loving ‘hugs’. These noises can be heard below:
This is nothing to worry about, and is completely natural. Your chinchilla is comfortable enough around you to show his natural behavior.
Chinchillas vibrate when they’re happy
This is a nice one! Chinchillas may gently vibrate when they’re sat/standing on you – it’s just their way of showing you affection. They do it all the time to their cage-mates, and family in the wild, but we never normally see it. It shows your chinchilla is very comfortable with you, and not fearful.
Again they may make happy noises to go along with this vibration – the little guy below was just happy eating hay!
Some Chinchilla Noises Can Sound Like Purring
Not all chinchillas will vibrate when held, but they may make noises that appear like purring. So, what noises do chinchillas make? And, more importantly, what do those noises mean?
In the sections below I’ll describe a few noises that chinchillas make that could be confused with purring, explain why they make them, and let you listen to some audio files of chinchillas communicating with us, and each other.
Curious Chinchilla Sound
These noises are generally when your chinchilla is exploring new things – this may be outside the cage, or if you’ve added extra stimulation inside their cage.
They can also do it when they’re sat on you – maybe you smell different today?! Either way, it’s the sound of a contented chinchilla.
Happy Chinchilla Sound
These noises are associated with a happy chinchilla – they may be talking to other chinchillas, to you, or just to themselves. Whoever they’re chuntering to, I think it’s a lovely noise to hear.
Reassuring Chinchilla Sound
These noises are generally heard between chinchillas, and most often between younger and older chinchillas. They’re reassuring the rest of the colony that everything is okay, there are no predators here, nothing to worry about.
Irritated Chinchilla Sound
Another sound that they may make, which is most definitely not a purr, (or even a happy sound), is the sound they make when they grind/chatter their teeth. These noises mean they are extremely irritated with something (possibly you), and they want it to stop.
If you hear these noises (below), then you should try to reassure the chinchilla, speak softly, and ideally return it to the safety of its cage to calm down. If the thing that’s upsetting them isn’t removed, then they may become fearful and start to shake (see above for stressed-related shaking).
Chances are, however, that a male chinchilla is pushing his luck and aggravating the female – in this case, split them up for a time-out if possible.
These noises can then progress to angry irritated chinchilla noises – these are signs of an annoyed chinchilla, and you should stop whatever is upsetting it as soon as possible!
These sounds can progress to much more upsetting noises if the source of their irritation doesn’t abate, and can lead to fights, and/or terrified chinchillas. I’ll share some of these noises in another post – please check back to hear them.
In summary, all of these noises may involve the chinchilla’s body moving as they create the sounds, which can feel like vibrations, similar to purring.