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[Missy8964]

I often wonder how smart chinchillas are.  Honestly, sometimes I'm really disappointed when I call to them and they try to come through the cage bars rather than using the door.  And I know that they know where the cage doors are!

But I was pleasantly surprised when Newie learned how to open the lid to his jar of almond treats.

See it for yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t85ivNFXmyY   

[nemue]

Too cute.  Wish I had on video my kira on her jail break!

[Leslie]

I think it depends on the chinchilla.  I have two, and one is as dumb as a doorknob, but the other is too smart for his own good.

[Jenova]

I've seen Chong calculate jumps up to and over high places. First making smaller jumps and bobbing his head up and down, guaging the distances. Then up and over he goes. He never falters a step, is nimble, agile and fast. Cheech on the other hand is the clumsiest thing I've ever seen, but learns our actions and how we think and she can trick us into doing anything from giving her a treat to pretending she wants a cuddle and then 'falling' off our laps onto the floor and oh no she's going to have to have a run around the room.
Chong can't understand us or anything we do.
So they are both cleverer than any animal I have ever seen but in completely different ways.

[Lightest]

That is so CUTE! 

[Mattster]

I'm doing a science project to figure out if chinchillas are color blind ( if U know please don't tell me) and I'm doing an experiment where i show my Frisky three boxes. One is red an two are white. If she puts her paws on the red box she gets a treat of dried papaya. ( All natural and no added sugar) So far she has shown high intelligence and goes to the red box every time. We just moved the boxes around tonight during her run. At fist she went to her original spot but after looking at it she didint put her paws up and went to the red box which was on the other side. In my opinion chinchillas are some of the smartest rodents and perhaps one of the smartest pets in the world. P.S. I hope they think this project is good for a grade eight-er.

[chinclub]

Chinchillas are very smart and I think that is a great science project!  Let us know how you do.  I would love to see a picture of your board when you finish it.

[GrayRodent]

I think that will be a great science project. Keep in mind that you will need to use the exact same kinds of materials, textures, and paints. If one panel is glossy and the other is matte a colorblind animal may be able to tell the difference of the texture and appear to see color. One type of cardboard may appear different than another or a rough spot on the surface may give it away.

Also make sure to limit the amount of treats they get to no more than the equivalent of about two raisins by mass in a day or you still risk bowel trouble and possible weight loss by offsetting its normal diet with junk. You can make it three as long there is no evidence of loose stools.

As far as intelligence goes in my experiences I think chinchillas are smarter than pet rats and are typically about as smart as parakeets. But like Leslie said, it can depend on the animal and I think that is true for most species. I think the African Grey parrot is one of the smartest animals on earth. We can see that in Irene Pepperberg's experiments.

[glafond]

One of my chinchillas is borderline retarted, but really agile. Some of the others are crafty and like to play mind games and some of the other ones are social and understand what I am doing and why.

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

Please do not give nuts as a treat. Although they're not immediately toxic, they can cause liver damage and obesity in the long run. But that trick sounds sooooo cute!

[Snickerdoodlesmom]

And Snickerdoodle is very bright, but also quite clumsy. He comes when he's called (sometimes), and when we bought him, we were told that he was the brightest chinchilla the pet store had ever had (and they spent time with their animals). However, he does crash into his cage door sometimes when he doesn't realize we closed it.

[Mattster]

I finished my project! The three boxes were exactly the same exect that one box was red. Frisky responded well and went to the red box each time.

[GrayRodent]

That's great. I am glad you got a result. That is something I will bring up to my brother's kids if they are looking for science project ideas.
 
Some sources I've read say chinchillas are colorblind but I don't think that is entirely true because I have seen a retinal micrograph demonstrating there are two types of cones in their retina. These are short and medium wavelength "cone" cells that can see primarily blue and green light. Long wavelength receptors are absent which means they can distinguish blue from green but not oranges and reds from blues and greens. Apparently your chinchilla was still able to pick out the red piece which I think should not have happened. Although you have a positive result it may still be inconclusive and warrant further research and refinement of the test.

[GrayRodent]

I was curious about what you were using for a control. Have you tried this using three boxes all the same color?

[Mattster]

What do you mean by a "Control"?
i dont leash my Frisky