Kirby seems to be settling in now, about 3 weeks after he arrived. He no longer barks at the cats when they come to investigate, and he doesn't always hide from me. The cats find him a little intimidating, I think. He isn't like any rodent they have seen before - Cleo and Oliver are used to hamsters, and I'm sure Creamsicle is accustomed to mice - he is big, and can make loud noises. Not dinner, that's for sure! Anyway, they mostly ignore him, except for occasional staring matches.
He loves raisins, and will try to force himself between the bars to reach them if I have them in my hand. I think they must be the chinchilla equivalent of crack. He also likes dried apples and his daily ration of Timothy hay. With the apples, he will take the piece in one paw (he is right pawed) and nibble on it. I haven't gotten a picture of that yet, but it is pretty cute.
He gets time out of the cage most evenings to hop around the computer room. He doesn't always want to come out though, and when he does, I still can't pet him. My attempts have sort of turned into a game - he will come so close he is almost touching me, I will reach out, and he will hop off. Repeat until he tires of exploring and goes back to his cage to eat or run on his wheel. I'd love to get him a larger, more interesting cage, but like many things these days, it will just have to wait until we have a house ourselves.
I'm not chubby, I'm just fluffy, honest!
He also likes his little munchie treats. Raisins are still his favorite, but he has branched out into dandelion drops and a fruit/nut/seed/bean mix. Do you see the way he is holding onto the dish with one paw and the treat with the other? It is pretty cute. When he takes a raisin out of my hand, he will often hold on to the finger with the paw not engaged in stuffing his face. I loved my hamsters when I was a kid, but as an adult, a chinchilla is far more interesting.
