Chinchilla Care

Chinchillas are easy pets to care for in comparison to other exotic pets. They best suited for people who are night owls and like idea of watching rather than cuddling a pet. That's right people, they do not really like being held despite the cute cuddly appearance they have. Some chinchillas can be affectionate with their owners if they have bonded well with them. To some up their temperament they are very much like timid cats and since they are prey animals they startle and frighten easily. So be careful about loud noises and quick movement around your chinchilla.

Enclosure and Environment
A chinchilla needs a large vertical cage with shelves and perches for hopping and climbing on. The cage shouldn't be any smaller than 3 feet tall x 3 feet wide x 2 feet deep. If you go taller than this please make sure that your shelves are spaced at least a foot from each other and have some soft things such as hammocks to catch your chinnie if he should miss his step and fall. A five foot fall can injure a chin, heck even a one foot fall can hurt him if he lands badly. They have have tiny bones that break easily so you have to be very careful with them. Anyway back to the cage. Yes the cage should be sturdy and all metal with a solid metal base. No metal mesh squares. How would your feet feel if you had to walk on that all the time with no shoes? Pretty sore right? So don't subject your chin to that either. The shelves and perches can be made of metal or kiln dried pine but never plastic. Chinchillas chew up plastic and aside from it being made useless it's also bad if they ingest it. It causes all sorts of trouble in the intestines and digestive tract so no plastic anything mk. They also tend to chew wood but kiln dried pine is safe if ingested and it looks better even if it has been chewed.
Chinchillas have these nice soft puffy fur coats that they can't take off when they feel hot so naturally they like it cooler. The best temperature for him would be between 65 and 72 degrees F. but never above 74. Heat can kill your chinchilla so during the summer months THEY NEED AIR CONDITIONING NO MATTER WHAT. Unless you live in a place that is abysmally cold all year round and the warmest it ever gets is 60 degrees -not likely unless you live in a place like Alaska. Also do not put your chin's cage in a room that gets direct sunlight. They are nocturnal beasties, not only will the sun make them hot but it's also very hurtful for their eyes. However if you keep your chin in a nice airy room with filtered sunlight that is very healthful for them because they do need some daylight to regulate sleep patterns and such.

Feeding your Chinchilla
Chinchillas of the wild variety eat the indigenous plants and seeds of their environment and some insects too but not our pets. Domestic chinchillas eat a diet of commercially prepared pellets and plenty of fresh timothy hay, or at least they should. Some good food choices are Mazuri, Oxbow Tradition, Panr, Manna Pro Show and Pen Pals. These are all pellet only feeds that offer your chin a quality source of nutrition. Some horrible food choices are Charlie Chinchilla, any chinchilla food by Kaytee, Nutraphase and Sunseed. The reason these foods are bad is because they are either lacking in nutrition or have unhealthy additions in them such as nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. These things seem good and surely your chinchilla will gobble them up but they are too high in fats and sugars that can irritate their delicate stomachs and ultimately bring about serious health issues.
Treats are an occasional thing that should enhance the bonding experience and give your chin a variety from his pellets and hay. Chins really don't need treats though they can live quite well on pellets, hay and fresh water their whole lives. Some healthy treats are rose hips, rolled oats (the old fashioned kind not the instant), unsweetened cheerios and other unsweetened whole wheat cereals. Bad treat choices would be meat, chocolate, alcohol, raisins and other dried fruit, sweetened cereals, salty snacks, nuts and fresh fruits and veggies. Some of these foods are poisonous (err chocolate, alcohol, and some fruits and veggies) and others are just not meant for them to be eating so use your common sense and don't feed this stuff to your chinchilla OK. Oh yeah, only give treats sparingly also maybe once or twice a week.
The best way to serve your chinchilla his food is in a sturdy metal or ceramic crock and ditto for the timothy hay. This keeps the food from being wasted and contaminated with urine. You really want to avoid your chin from peeing on the hay because this tends to smell really bad. You will also need to find a way to attach the dishes to the cage or make them not flippable because some chins think the treats are hidden under the dish and others just like to make a mess.

Behavior
Each chinchilla has his own character and set of quirks that make him totally unique. For little animals they have surprisingly big personalities. They are intelligent and have long memories and also tend to hold grudges when you do something they don't like. In general though, they are shy gentle natured animals that are more likely to run away from you rather than attack you. In the wild they live in large groups called herds so they are naturally social. Many people like to keep more than one chinchilla so that they have a buddy to cuddle with, groom and play with but chins can be kept alone too as long as they get plenty of interaction from their owner.
Chinchillas are most active in the early parts of the night and early mornings but some will play all night long. This is why you shouldn't keep your chinchilla in the room you sleep in because they play hard at night and can be very noisy. Apart from the bouncing around they do in their cage they are vocal too. They bark, grunt, squeak and chortle. My favorite sounds are the cute chortles which they do especially for you when they are content or excited. It's a noise that most chins do to appeal to one another or their beloved human slave. They also popcorn when they are happy which is a literal leap for joy. More and likely they will do this when they first wake up in the evening to burn excess energy or during free run times. It is highly entertaining to watch possibly the most endearing trait a chinchilla has.

Hygiene and Special Care
Chinchillas are very clean animals and do not smell the way some pet rodents can, but none the less weekly cage cleanings are a must. Along with cleaning out the cage weekly, you will also have to sweep up what falls out of the cage on the daily basis since they kick the bedding and poops out on a nightly basis. The best kinds of bedding to use is kiln dried pine or aspen shavings. These offer the best urine absorption and odor control. Never use ceder shavings because these are poisonous and can cause allergies. There are other types of cage floor cover out there that are made of recycled paper and some owners like to use fleece liners. Some owners don't use anything and instead train their chinchilla to use a litter box. (please use the recommended beddings in the litter box and not cat litter it's bad for them) Owner be warned though on litter box training chinchillas can only be taught to urinate in a litter pan they do not have control of their bowel and will poop whenever and where ever.
The best thing about chinchilla ownership is not having to ever bathe your chinchilla in the traditional way. They roll in volcanic dust that absorbs the oils and separates the hairs and keeps the chinchilla looking fluffy and soft. You can by chinchilla dust from the pet store or on online. The best dust out there is Blue Cloud followed by Blue Sparkle which is cheaper. Give your chinchilla his dust bath at least once or twice a week (more in humid places) to keep him looking and feeling good.
You can also brush your chinchilla using a fine toothed comb. To do this you will need to hold your chinchilla by the base of his tail. Start combing from the base of the tail and work your way to the rest of the body. This is good to do when your chinchilla is shedding or matted and he will look great once you are done. Use caution though many chinchillas do not like this kind of handling because it means being held tightly and having hair pulled.
Male chinchillas need to be checked for hair rings around their penises every month. Most of the time the male can take care of this on his own but sometimes he will need help. To do this you will need petroleum jelly for lubrication and another set of hands to hold "Mr. Wiggle Away". With lubrication carefully pull the penis all the way out of the sheath if there is no hair ring then there is nothing to do except let the penis ease its way back into the sheath. If there is a hair ring with more petroleum remove it carefully and let the penis go back where it belongs. (perfect opportunity for giving treats by the way because your boy will not like this)

Cage AccessoriesWhat would a house be without furniture? Plenty of space but really boring right? Well the same goes for your chinchilla's cage. First of all what you do need is some kind of slumber box or hidey house. Most owners like to give their chinnies at least two. They can range from a simple wooden box to an elaborate hanging thing made of fleece. Fleece items have recently become a hot commodity among chinchilla owners. These objects range between large tubes to hammocks and even miniature teddy bears for lonely or less secure chinchillas.
Another must is wooden chew toys they actually need these to help wear down the teeth. Like other rodents they have incisors that constantly grow so they need things to chew to keep them short and neat. If not the teeth will grow until the mouth becomes jarred and they can't open or close it properly so they end up starving to death. Another thing that I should probably mention is that chinchillas have bright orange teeth. Yes I know it's not part of accessories but still seeing this for the first time is quite shocking, also it's very healthy and normal. Back to accessories. Wooden toys can vary and are quite easy to find just make sure they are made out of safe woods such as kiln dried pine, apple, manzanita and pear are are just a few. You can also make them yourself if you are the crafty sort and that can be fun if you are looking for a hobby.
Running wheels are are a big hit among chinchillas. If you get one it can't be plastic or made of metal mesh and it must be at least 15 inches in diameter. There is also another kind called the flying saucer which was made for the chinchilla especially. Wondering what it is? Basically its this metal wok looking thing that is positioned at a 45 degree angle and allows the chinchilla the space to run the way they naturally do. Either wheel will keep your chin busy and content, but both kinds are considerably big and not exactly cheap so make sure you have the space in your cage.

Playtime and BondingThe fun part of having a pet is the interaction you get to do with it. Chinchillas are no different and lets face it that cute pudgy body and fluffy hairdo your chin has is just begging to be touched. The thing is though with chinchillas its really hard to say if you will actually be allowed to touch one.
First of all if your chinchilla is new you really have to let him be for at least a month. Your pet needs to get used to the new sounds and smells of your home and being moved from one place to another is very scary for most pets. So for that first month the only interaction you should be doing is the necessary stuff like feeding and cleaning out the cage. (To get your chinchilla out of his cage for a cleaning during this transition time use his dust house to transport him to his carrier or just prop the carrier by the door and let him climb in on his own.) What you can do for the first two weeks is talk gently to the chinchilla offer timothy hay by hand and pellets if he likes his food or even a bit of treat (sparingly). You can even put some dust bath in your hands and see if he will take a dusting in your hands. Anything gentle and non threatening will work. Never grab at your chinchilla or chase him because he will learn to associate you with fear and that will make bonding harder.
Once your chinchilla feels more comfortable with you he will willingly come to your hands when you open the door and he will seem to be looking for you at the usual times you feed him and such. Some chinchillas will let you caress them behind the ears and on the tummy. Once you can achieve some or all these good things you can start out of cage play times. Just remember though a month is just a rule of thumb some chinchillas take longer or shorter to learn to trust. Most of it has to do with their time before you had them. If your chinchilla is young and came from a breeder who handled them with love from birth more than likely they will be more trusting. If they came from a rescue or pet store it will probably take longer, but you never know they are all very different.
The best kind of play time place is a safe one. That means no holes to get stuck in no wires to chew and no way to get lost forever. Bathrooms are great spots for play time and so are hall ways with no exits. Some pet owners even have a special room dedicated for there chinchilla. You will also need to provide your pet with things to chew on and some interesting things to explore. Plain dye free card board boxes are perfect for this since boxes are so versatile. Be creative with the boxes use different sizes and shapes. Cut holes in some for your chinchilla to hide in also add his dust bath house since it's the easiest way to capture your chin without chasing and the safest for transporting to and from the cage. You can even sit on the floor and be something for your chinchilla to climb on. The time length is up to you it can be as little as 15 minutes to as long as 2 hours. Just play it by ear and watch for cues from your chinchilla if he's just sitting there most likely he wants to go back to his cage.
Well that's all for now people but I will be back from time to time to post more interesting things about chinchillas. I hope you enjoyed this read as much as I did writing it.
If you want more chinchilla info check out this site: www.chins-n-hedgies.com A great forum full of useful info and have experienced chinchilla owners to answer your questions.