Chinchillas are quite possibly one of the cutest little bundles of joy when it comes to pocket pets. With their soft, thick coat of fur, large mouse-like ears, and big endearing eyes, we can see why so many pet owners choose to have these beautiful and fascinating creatures in their home.
One of the main questions that potential owners want to know is are chinchillas are noisy at night?
This is a question we hear time and time again from pet owners who are curious to find out all there is to know about Chinchillas before bringing one into their family home.
So are chinchillas noisy at night? Chinchillas are noisy at night. They are nocturnal and crepuscular creatures that are by far more active during twilight hours than during the day. Chinchillas love to be active from dawn onwards and let out their energy by jumping and climbing throughout their cage which can make them pretty noisy pets.
Read on to discover…
Why are Chinchillas Noisy at Night?
Chinchillas are 100% night owls. They are classed as nocturnal/crepuscular, meaning, they are awake during the night or from dawn until dusk. Source:
They are also known to be crepuscular, meaning their activity often peaks at dawn.
They are very active creatures that love nothing more than to bound around their cage and play.
Chinchillas are quite large for a pocket pet and providing them with a roomy cage is very important, to give them the space they need to exercise sufficiently.
The minimum cage size for a pair is 1m x 1.5m floor space and 1.3m tall. Chinchillas require a suitable environment to live in.
You can check out our recommended cages for chinchillas in our easy to follow guide here…
Chinchillas can make various vocal sounds and tones depending on their current state of mind.
They are likely to make these sounds when giving birth, breeding, playing, fighting, or just relaxing.
In my experience, vocalisation in pet Chinchillas is limited, although I may just have been very lucky!
One of the most frequent noises you will encounter at night won’t actually be vocal sounds at all.
Chinchillas display so much activity at night that the noises you are most likely to hear will be the sounds of them jumping around in the cage.
When I tell you they literally rebound off the walls of the cage I am not exaggerating! This can be pretty disturbing and can affect sleep in the whole household.
Are Chinchillas Noisy During the Day?
The very simple answer to this question is, no. Chinchillas are usually up all night and therefore tend to sleep during the day.
They are known to sleep on average between 11-14 hours a day, which in my opinion, is definitely living your best life!
It isn’t impossible to find your pocket friend snoozing here and there at night in small blocks of time, but the majority of sleep will occur during the day. But do not fear, this is completely normal Chinchilla behaviour.
For the most part, Chinchillas are literally zombies during broad daylight. They love to sleep and cuddle up for the most part.
It isn’t uncommon to see them hiding away if you have provided them with a safe zone, which is always advisable.
The bottom line is, you will experience very little noise from your Chinchilla friend during the day,
Can I Reverse My Chinchillas Body Clock?
Absolutely not! This is considered cruel and unkind. It would effectively be changing their natural way of living to suit your own needs.
Imagine someone asking you to stay up the whole night when you had work the next day? You wouldn’t be very happy.
Is it possible to change my Chinchillas body clock? A very reluctant answer to that question is ‘yes, anything is possible’. Is it the right thing to do? ‘In short, No’.
The best way to manage any animal is to accept them for the way they are unless training can be beneficial.
Researching can be a great tool when looking to purchase a new pet. It gives you a thorough understanding of the characteristics and traits of that animal as well as the volume of care needed.
Buying a pet on a whim with no research is not a good choice and research has shown that it could be causing mental and physical misery for millions of companion animals according to the PDSA.
I believe there is the perfect pocket pet out there to suit all lifestyles and choosing wisely can ensure both you and your pet lead the best life together.
The 3 Ways to Reduce the Noise My Chinchilla Makes at Night
Have I put you off yet? Before ruling a Chinchilla out of your life completely, consider ways in which you can make the situation better for yourself.
You may not be able to stop them from getting up to antics at night, but there are some steps you can take to give yourself the best chance of a good night’s sleep.
Let’s explore some of those options in more detail…
1. Keep your Chinchilla in a different room
Sleeping with a Chinchilla in your room is definitely not a wise idea. The noise exhibited at night will be sure to prevent you from sleeping unless you are an extremely heavy sleeper.
The rebounds on the cage, use of the wheel, eating and drinking is enough to drive anyone insane!
Vocalisations can also be disturbing. They can be high pitched and can consist of barking, cooing, crying and teeth chattering. This can be pretty alarming to wake up to when you are half asleep.
Instead, find another room in the house which is ideally as far away from your bedroom as possible.
Tip – A room with a carpet or rug is ideal as it tends to soak up some of the sounds, unlike wooden or laminate flooring which is likely to emphasise the noise and clattering.
Do not consider putting your Chinchilla outside for the night to get some relief.
Although they can manage reasonably well in the colder weather thanks to their fur coat, they are highly susceptible to attacks from other animals such as cats and foxes.
2. Choose Cages Wisely
Choosing the right cage for your chinchilla is not only beneficial for the welfare of your pocket friend but also highly beneficial for you too.
Many of the older style, wire bottom cages are extremely noisy, and as your Chinchilla climbs and plays the impact of the wire displays a clanging, tinny sound which becomes irritating over time.
Manufacturers have since cottoned on to this annoyance and the newer style Chinchilla cages are often made with much stronger, durable, noise-reducing materials which really help to take the edge off.
Unfortunately, metal cages are the best option for Chinchillas due to their need for climbing.
Turning to fleece liners and plastic trays can, however, really help with noise reduction.
Anything that helps soak up some of the sounds at night can really aid in you being able to have a peaceful night’s sleep. This is definitely something to consider if you are already suffering from this problem.
Remember to check out our recommended cages as we have handpicked only the top options as well as sharing the best place to get them from…
3. Play Time
Chinchillas are pretty active creatures and adequate playtime is a must.
Although it sounds like your Chinchilla may get enough exercise at night, it’s important to note that they spend most of their time hauled up in a cage so letting them out frequently to stretch their legs is critical to overall welfare.
Allow a small amount of time each day to let your pocket friend out of their cage for a good run around.
This will allow them to burn off some of their pent up energy which in turn may help with activity levels overnight.
We have written a full guide that details exactly how much time your chinchilla needs out of the cage each day and you can see the surprising number here…
Envision owning a Chinchilla like owning a dog. It is a need for a dog to exercise regularly and if you haven’t taken them for a walk one day, you are very likely not to hear the end of it.
Make sure when letting your Chinchilla out they are fully supervised at all times. Source:
These guys absolutely love nothing more than to chew through furniture, wires, and……well…….pretty much anything they can get their teeth into!
Their teeth are pretty sharp and can potentially cause a lot of damage in the home if left unattended.
4. Accepting
The final piece of advice I can offer on this subject is accepting. Coming to terms with the fact that your Chinchilla is very different from me and you and leads a life which seems to be incorrect, but in fact, is very right for them.
Speaking from experience I can assure you that time is a healer.
You can learn to adjust to your pet’s quirks and eventually accept the fact that they are very different from you.
I can’t emphasise enough on the importance of research before purchasing or adopting a new pet.
Many potential issues can be rectified early on and it may be the difference between deciding to own a chinchilla or not.
Chinchillas are not the lowest maintenance pets around, but by learning to accept our differences, we can learn to cohabit peacefully.
What Time Of Night Do Chinchillas Make The Most Noise?
While there is no guarantee to what time your chinchillas will be most active and making the most noise, we can look at the natural behavior of chinchillas as a whole and have a pretty good idea.
Chinchillas have one of the rarest sleeping patterns called ‘crepuscular’. They share this sleeping pattern with other animals such as rabbits.
Crepuscular animals are generally most active from the hours of the hours of dawn until dusk.
This means that chinchillas will usually be more active and make most of their noise from around 7pm up until 10-10:30pm.
While there is no concrete evidence why crepuscular animals are most active at these times, scientists believe that it’s because in the wild, most of their predators are active either during the day or through the night.
This means they have a small window of opportunity to come outside and find food when the diurnal animals have gone and before the nocturnal animals come out.
Establishing that your chinchilla is most likely to be active between 7pm-10:30pm doesn’t mean that they won’t make noise at any other time of night but it does help you to understand what their noisiest times are likely to be.
What Noises Do Chinchillas Actually Make at Night?
Through the night, you might hear different kinds of sounds coming from your chinchilla.
It’s important to know what to expect and to understand what level of noise your chinchilla will cause through the night.
Let’s not take a look at what noises you are likely to hear from a chinchilla at night…
Jumping
Chinchillas love to jump and climb by nature and during those nighttime hours when they become most active you will likely see an increase in the behaviour.
This in turn, can lead to your chinchilla inadvertently jumping into the sides of the cage.
It can sometimes seem like they are bouncing off the cage walls as we mentioned earlier.
This is a natural behavior for chinchillas and something you can’t stop them doing, however, you can allow them to let off some steam by giving them apple time out of the cage each day for play time to reduce their energy levels a touch.
Exercise Wheel
Another common sound you are likely to hear from your chinchilla at night is the sound of them running on their exercise wheel.
It’s important to provide your chinchilla with a wheel to give them a way to exercise while in their cage.
AS they are most active at night, you are likely to hear your chin running for large periods on their wheel during these twilight hours.
Some wheels will make lots of noise and even annoying squeaks, our advice is not to go cheap with the exercise wheel you provide your chinchilla as a better quality wheel usually makes less noise and even next to zero noise.
You can see the only exercise wheel we recommend you purchase in this guide right here…
Vocal Sounds
There is also a good chance that you will hear vocal sounds coming from your chinchilla through the night.
Chinchillas can make vocal sounds for a number of reasons including mating, wanting attention and even make sounds when they are sleeping.
Depending on the personality of your chinchilla and how many chinchillas you own, you can expect to hear different sounds at night.
Here are some common sounds that chinchillas make…
- Barking
- Chirping
- Cooing
These sounds can also vary in meaning from feeling happy and content, feeling scared as well as general communication.
Conclusion
It’s true to say that Chinchillas are not the perfect pocket pet for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, they can make wonderful pets and are a complete joy to have in the house, but they can be slightly higher maintenance than some owners are willing to take on.
If you are already fortunate enough to have a Chinchilla in your life, congratulations! The tips above may be useful for you to implement in day to day life, particularly during the night when our furry friends decide it’s time to run a cage marathon!
So in conclusion to the initial question; “Are Chinchillas Noisy at Night?” Yes! They most definitely are. “Is it all worth it? Absolutely!
