Care for Chinchillas
Chinchillas are adorable, gentle animals and need quite a bit of care. If they are handled from birth, they will be tame and docile. They make great pets but are delicate so should be handled gently.
Steps
- Provide a suitable cage. Chinchillas should be kept in cages. Since they are extremely active, the larger the cage, the better. Tall and wide is the best, but tall is better than wide if you can't get both.
- Chinchillas love to jump, so multiple levels are advisable. Ferret Nation and Critter Nation models usually have multiple levels.
- Ensure the cage has a solid bottom as a chinchilla can get their feet caught in wire floors, and cause serious harm to themselves trying to get free, such as feet sores and broken legs.
- Ensure the cage bars are close enough together that the chinchilla can't stick his head through them. If his head fits through the bars, his whole body will fit through them and he will escape. He may seem too big, but don't be fooled. It is all the fur.
- If you choose a wire cage, ensure that there are no bits of wire poking out that your chinchilla could cut himself on.
- Provide healthy bedding. Never use cedar or pine shavings as bedding, as the phenols are very strong and cause serious respiratory, skin, coat and liver problems. They are also poisonous to chinchillas if they try to eat them. Try to only use kiln dried shavings or Carefresh. Watch if the chinchillas consume the Carefresh bedding. Take it out immediately if you notice them consuming it. You can replace the bedding with Aspen Shavings.
- If desired, provide a nesting box for your chinchilla. This should measure at least 50 cm (20 in) in length and 25 cm (10 in) width and height. The nesting box should be placed on the floor, not on any shelves because the chinchilla might throw it down.
- Lift your chinchilla properly. Lift your pet like a kitten. Slide your hand under the chinchilla's belly and place your other hand on top of the chinchilla. Use the hand under the chin to support its hind legs and bum so it feels secure. Don't hold the chinchilla too tightly but do remember that they can be squirmy, so you need to hold them firmly. It is very important you don't squeeze, especially around the upper torso because they have what is known as a "floating ribcage" and you can cause severe internal injuries to him or her by doing this.
- Provide proper food.
- Your chinchilla should always have a supply of good quality timothy hay or second cut local (you can feed them small amounts of alfalfa, but not too much because it could cause foaming at the mouth). Keep it in a hay rack or hanging wire basket to help keep it clean.
- If providing Chinchilla pellets, don't buy the kind with little treats in it.
- Feed them treats infrequently as it can cause digestive problems. Never give fruit or vegetables (dried or fresh). Never give nuts or other treats that are not safe. Safe treats include: dried blackberry leaves and/or rose petals from plants that have not been sprayed with poisons of any kind, unsweetened cheerios (~3 a week), unsweetened shredded wheat (just a pinch), dried rosehips (~3 a week), safe wood chew sticks.
- Replace the drinking water daily. Remember to sterilize the water bottle when changing the water. The algae that grows in their water can cause liver problems, severe diarrhea, or kill them. Use either bottled or filtered water - never use tap. Chinchillas can not handle naturally occurring bacteria or parasites in the water like humans, dogs, cats, etc. can. This can be a fatal illness
- Remove soiled hay and bedding from the cage daily.
- Wash the cage with hot water. It is generally suggested that you use no soap or chemicals, so use hot water and swish it around the cage's plastic pan and then clean it thoroughly with hot water and then let it air dry, it is a good way to kill most of the bacteria that can harm your chinchilla. Don't ever use bleach or any other chemicals that harm your chinchilla.
- Give your chinchilla a dust bath for 10-15 minutes anywhere from daily to twice a week. Too much will cause dryness. but too little will cause their coats to build up oils which can cause a disfiguring and deadly fungus to grow on their skin.
- Provide exercise. Chinchillas are very active animals and should have an opportunity to exercise every day.
- Provide an exercise wheel. The wheel must have a solid surface, and not be made of wire or mesh that can ensnare their feet. Never use the giant hamster balls (death balls) pet stores try to sell you.
- If you let your pet out of the cage for supervised play time, it should be in a small room and the room should be chinchilla proof. Chinchillas can jump several feet in the air, and can squeeze through tiny spaces. They will also gnaw on wires, furniture, and anything they can get their teeth on. .
- Give them something to chew on for dental health. Chinchillas' teeth can grow up to 12 inches a year. Purchase a special block of wood or pumice stone for your chinchilla to chew on.
- Provide your chinchilla with branches that can be climbed and gnawed on. Ensure that these branches are not cut from trees that have recently been sprayed with chemicals, or that are poisonous such as yew, laburnum and fresh pine. Recommended trees are sycamore and manzanita, they provide straight wood that is quite resistant to the chinchilla's sharp teeth. Apple tree branches are another good alternative that can be found quite easily. Unbleached toilet paper rolls are fun for them to chew on and also provide more fiber in their diet.
- Keep them cool. Chinchillas overheat easily. They cannot survive temperatures over 75F or below 50F. Keep their cage in a cool room with lots of air flow. Make sure their cage is not in a spot the sunlight can directly land on them, because it can cause them to be overheated. Do not allow them to be in high humidity either.
- Give your chinchilla dust. Water can harm the chinchilla's fur. Instead, give them a dust bath. The "dust" bath is made of formulating dusting powder made of volcanic ash or activated clay. The dust baths help the chinchilla get rid of excess grease in their hair. The dust should look and feel like dust, not sand. The sand baths that some stores sell are too abrasive on their fur. Look for items such as blue cloud or blue sparkle. If absolutely needed, spot clean the chinchilla with a baby wipe or damp washcloth.
Tips
- If you are using a nest box, place it on the floor, not a shelf, as the chinchilla may knock it off.
- Be sure not to use plastic! As you may know chinchillas will chew on everything and anything, plastic is a huge toxin to chinchillas, never use plastic unless you can't avoid it.
- You can buy Chin-Coolers to put in a chinchillas cage to cool them down.
- Always purchase your chinchilla from a reputable breeder. Most breeders will allow you to return your pet if you find you are unable to care for it properly.
- Chins have different psychology from cats and dogs, which are predators; chins are prey animals so they think different and are always on the look out for being attacked and eaten.
- Be sure not to give a lot of treats.
- Chinchillas are usually very friendly but shouldn't be over-handled.
- Make sure your chinchilla does not bark or then they are telling you to back off.
- Don't try to hold or get up close with your chinchilla until you earn their trust because they are shy animals and it can be stressful for them whenever they are in an unfamiliar place.
- Be kind to your chinchilla, and s/he will love you for loving them!
- Be careful when holding your chinchilla, it can bite if it feels threatened, or it could claw or scrape you a little.
- Chinchillas are low maintenance pets!
- When letting your chinchilla out of his/hers cage, do not let it anywhere near electrical items as they will chew anything they can get their paws on! Also if you have a fireplace make a cover or boarder around it as they do enjoy chewing the coals inside it which is not good fir them!
- Chinchillas do not like being looked down on. You should keep they're cage on a counter top or somewhere up that is kind of high. If you look down on them it can severely scare them.
- Chinchillas need playtime, they are nocturnal animals that need to be brought in a big area to run around. My chinchilla, Puff loves to play and gets playtime in our master bathroom every night. If you are going to be a chinchilla owner you have to take responsibility in his/her care, they need exercise!
- Try to get a tall cage because they can jump up to 6 feet high.
Warnings
- It's important to keep their cage in an area where it is quiet during the day so their sleep cycle is not interrupted as a rule.
- Do not get chinchillas wet. Their fur does not dry out like a normal animal, causing it to get moldy.
- Never feed chinchillas human food.
- Chinchillas are trainable, and should have less than 2 small treats a day. They can be trained, but be very gentle.
- Chinchillas have defenses such as losing fur, biting, and spraying urine. Make sure to be gentle with them to avoid scaring them.
- Keep plastic away from chinchilla cages; ingesting plastic can cause sickness and/or death.
- You can train a chinchilla, but you may stress them out if you try to teach them a trick too quickly.
- If you are planning to build your own cage, plan every detail, failure to do so could be fatal for your chinchilla
- Chinchillas are quiet and are nocturnal.
- Chinchillas are not good for children, because of their rather reserved nature and delicate body.
Things You'll Need
- Chinchilla or Two
- Large cage
- Chinchilla food (w/o treats added)
- You can also supply dry, uncooked, unflavored oatmeal (not quick oats - real oats!) to mix in with the dry food for a treat or if your critter is having tummy trouble, Chinchillas love it!!! :)[not too much, just a pinch]
- Chinchilla dust bath (unscented)
- Timothy hay
- Chew toys (wooden)
- Wheel (solid base to run on - no wire)
- Water bottle and food dish
- Bedding
- Wooden,cardboard,or/and soft material houses (clean and new cardboard and untreated wood)
- A place to have your chinchilla get exercise
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchilla
- A New Owner's Guide to Chinchillas by Audrey Pavia
