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| Name: |
Amber
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Age: |
Eight years old
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| Gender: |
Female
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Kind: |
Chinchilla
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| Home: |
Ontario, Canada
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When I was deciding to get a chinchilla I didn't want a beige one (Amber is what one would call a homogenous beige chinchilla). I wanted one of the 'pretty' black ones or white ones or a mosaic (spotted basically) chinchilla. I went to a private breeder because I - as a personal preference and just because I've seen some scary documentaries -- bought Amber from a local private breeder. Well, semi- local. When I got to the breeder's house she had two medium sized, very energetic, dogs-. She took us (me and my mom) upstairs to where she kept the chinchillas and she asked: "What are you looking for?" I obviously said my color preference and that it has to be female. My last two pets had both been males so I wanted to mix it up a bit.
Unfortunatly she didn't have any chins in my color range. She did have two chins that were CLOSE, though. She brought them out, they were four months old, a hetero beige one and a homo beige one. It wasn't much of a contest as to which one I'd pick after the hetero beige one bit me - talk about a first impression!
A few weeks later I brought her home in a cardboard box since the carrier I had bought wasnt big enough (a major mess up on my part!) but the drive wasnt long and her cage was already set up in my room.
Nearly eight years later she's still here as my little roommate! Nibbling on E-V-E-R-Ything she could possibly find.
Amber, unlike my hamster, has a very big personality that much reflects my own--I know, I'm either crazy or every other pet owner says that but I'm both crazy and own a pet so I fit the bill!--shes very much an introvert unless forced to socialize and shes very lazy unless shes outside. Shes fine with lazing about all day but at night she wants to play--and not let me sleep!
Over the years I've taught Amber some tricks. Just little basic ones. I've taught her how to jump onto my shoulder (she'll only do it if I'm either holding her or if Im' sitting), she knows that when I extend my arm with her on my shoulder towards the cage that its time to go back in, and - this is more something she picked up on her own that I tried to turn into a trick but she was just not having it. Whenever I walk into my room she'll greet me--she won't do it for anyone else. If I'm in my room and my sister walks in she barely even moves. My mom says that Amber only ever reacts to my mom coming in my room if she's sleeping--she'll simply just get up and watch my mom (my mom thinks its creepy). If I put my face up to the bars of her cage shell come and sniff me and rub against the bars-- very cat-like!
Amber is very odd with her socializing skills. She's fine with me. She shares my room, so she kind of has to be! But she hates it when other people try to take her out of her cage. The very few times Ive let somebody take her out she'd basically go limp and slide out of that persons hands. I'd go and pick her up and she'd run right on up to my shoulder while my friend is just there like: "Why doesn't she like me!?" (I've actually been asked that!) I am to blame for her poor socialization because I am not a social person myself and when I first got her I didn't trust my much younger brothers with her--still don't, for that matter--and everybody else in my family basically hated her saying she was a fluffy rat. Not all my fault that she's only used to me handling her, since nobody else would.
For an exotic pet she costs me upwards of $30 a month, but every three months that just doubles up to anywhere between $60-80. Exotic pets are very expensive and because she is exotic I do go with the bigger name brands and chinchilla-safe (or rabbit and guinea pig safe) toys. I give her Oxbow chinchilla pellets, timothy hay cubes (loose hay was just too messy!), and vitamin C supplements.
Caring for Amber is like caring for almost any other pet, once you get a routine down, it becomes super easy and not a hassle at all. I love Amber and she loves me.
Talk about Amber in Pet Talk!
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