Do you love fluffy soft fur? Maybe a chinchilla is the right pet for you! Meet Merry and Pippin. These two male chinchillas are brothers and must be adopted together. Just like puppies and kittens, they are constantly funny and curious, and will stay spunky through their old age. These boys like to hop, climb, “popcorn,” and roll around on their fleece and in their hides. They are very social, love to play with you, perch on you, but they need different care than other typical house pets. Please research chinchilla care and see if these boys would be a good fit for your home. Despite Merry and Pippin’s many similarities, they do have distinct personalities.
Pippin does not move quite as fast as Merry, and has more of a hop. He is also more likely to come sit on your knee. He also enjoys his “elevator rides” by sitting on the palms of your hands as you lower him out of his cage for play time. Pippin absolutely loves treats such as plain/dry/unflavored Cheerios and will sit on his hind legs, and use his front legs like arms to nibble at it (like a squirrel!). It is possible that Pippin watched a lot of football as a baby chinchilla because once he is comfortable with you, he will try to “blitz” you by running as fast as he can toward you while jumping to try to escape the play area to explore the uncharted territory. Pippin does not mind when you pick him up to place him back in the play area, if you gently guide him back in. Because he is so comfortable, he will keep at his play time escape attempts over and over and over and over. It’s so fun for him! Pippin also likes to chew (Did you read about chinchillas and chewing yet?). He will easily get bored with his chew toys, so keeping his toys on a rotation, and placing them in new areas of the cage seems to be key. Pippin also does not mind when you gently stroke his back. He also loves taking a dust bath twice a week. When he is very happy, he will get the “zoomies” like a puppy and sprint back and forth, bouncing himself off toys, walls, or just anything (like you!), and roll like an alligator. If he escapes, he will also immediately try to get under a bed to explore and find things you forgot about, his favorite being scraps of paper. He needs to be constantly supervised during play time! These boys are super fun and make great pets if you have the time for them.
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