Chantel - Chinchillas

[crazyanimal]

I am just wondering what they are like for a pet?? Can you give more information on them?? I've seen them and think they are cute but know nothing about them. Do they like to be touched?? Better as a single or a pair?? Noisy?? Smelly??? Messy?? Diet???

I'd love to hear more.

 

[Chantilly Lace]

I think they are a very misunderstood animal. They are a great pet if you can give them a few things they need, like cool temperatures, a place away from cats and dogs, an all metal cage, and at least 20 minutes out of the cage each day. They don't smell at all, and they can get very friendly if you play with them often, but they are not really still like rabbits, they are more fun and active, so it depends on what you want in a pet. Here is my little "shpeel" that I send to potential clients

They need to be kept cold, at 74 degrees or cooler at all times, no exceptions. Fans do not help them because they do not have sweat glands like humans do, so they need the AC on at all times, even when you leave the house. That is the number one most important thing.

The cage is hard to find because it needs to be ALL metal. No plastic, not the bottom or the shelves. All metal. There are only a few cages you can buy at pet stores that are safe.They can have no plastic in their cage at all, they chew it and die because they can't digest it. A nice cage is a ferret nation 142. The sell them a bit cheaper online at ferret.com. The single unit or the double unit will be large enough for two chins. If you want, you can just buy the bottom unit and add the top part at a later date. You can replace the bottom plastic tray with a metal one for around $25 and then it is a perfect cage. It needs to be no smaller than 30" high, 20" deep, and 30" wide.


Chins are quiet pets that don't smell at all if you clean the cage twice a month. They are not like a rabbit, they won't sit really still in your lap, they are much more active. They are playful and can jump about 4 feet high so you must play with them in a either a bathroom where there is no furniture (they will climb into couches, etc and hide and never come out), a hallway that you can block off or you can use a playpen or a few playpens combined. The most common place to do playtime is the bathroom you sit down with them and they will run around and play with you, maybe come sit with you for a few minutes, then jump around some more. The more you play with them the more tame they become. We have a handful of chins that are so tame they are like rabbits, but that is not the norm. Adults are typically much calmer than babies, and we have a few adults that are extremely calm and will sit still for long periods of time, but that is rare.


I suggest to people who have never seen a chin to watch some youtube videos.


The chin needs to be kept in a closed room away from the dogs, they don't like to have other animals near them, especially when no one is home to make sure nothing happens. Cats can kill them through the bars of the cage or even just from stressing them out, and a dog barking and just watching them will freak them out. If they get stressed, they will chew off their fur and can become completely bald, so you don't want that! They also can stop eating. Keeping them in a quiet bedroom is usually the best room.

Food is really important, you cannot feed pet store food at all. You will want a quality feed like Oxbow or Purina.


There are so many unsafe treats, and unsafe treats can kill them. Pet stores and old books and even some websites will say raisins are a good treat. That is so untrue! You CANNOT give them any treats like raisins, veggies, fruit, dried fruit, yogurt drops, nuts, any "chinchilla treats" from the pet store, or any vitamins, any of those things will kill them or shorten their lifespan. Once they get to be full grown, they can have cheerios, plain shredded wheat, plain uncooked old fashioned oatmeal, and a few other safe treats like organic rosehips and organic rosebuds which can be ordered online. That will ensure they live a long healthy life. You also cannot switch food, they have very delicate digestive tracks, so just keep them on the food we suggest and you will not need to see a vet. They do not need shots, neutering, de-worming, or anything like that, so you would only take them to a vet if there was a problem.

Hope that helps! Here are some pictures

 

[GlassOnion]

They are so cute

 

[Meatball]

I can answer most of your questions Delta. I currently have one chinchilla and had 4 at one time. Of course Chantel is way more experienced so hopefully she chimes in too

Do they like to be touched??

The awswer to this is it depends. Much like parrots some like to be handled and others don't. My 2 rescue girls were more hands off, liked to be talked to but not touched.

My Delilah on the other hand LOVES her scritches and being pet. But only in her cage, once she is out of the cage she is to busy for that! Got lots to do, getting into everything and making messes
In my experience most don't like to be held, as in cuddled. they can't sit still long enough for that. But I do know of some that will sleep on you and let you hold them.


Better as a single or a pair??
Chins are hard to introduce to each other so if you wanted a pair I would suggest getting them at the same time. But a single chin can be just as happy. Delilah prefers to be single, I did try to pair her up and she wanted nothing to do with it.


Noisy?? Smelly??? Messy?? Diet???

They make no noise at all unless they bark which some chins do and some don't. Delilah rarely barks, maybe once a week. Some bark because they are scared, or to get your attention. Delilah just barks to hear herself

The noisiest part of a chinchilla is their wheel and when they have their parties at night, jumping all around and making a ruckus. They are nocturnal so sleep most of the day. Delilah is in my bedroom but I am a very heavy sleeper otherwise it would not work because of all the wheel running and craziness

As far as smell, virtually no smell at all. I never smell Delilah, I change out her fleece once a week but vacuum her cage every other day because they poop a lot!! But its hard like rabbit poop and non smelly.

Their cage gets messy if you don't keep up with it because they poop a lot and eat hay. But it only takes a few minutes each day to straighten it up and vaccumm out the hay and poo.

They also take dust baths a couple times a week, it is so fun to watch! I use a gold fish bowl to help keep the dust contained but you can use a baking pan or they sell chin baths.

They have the easiest and cheapest diet ever. Absolutely NO fresh foods ever, just pellets and hay. You can buy specific chinchilla pellets or use rabbit pellets which I use. Because a 25lb bag of Manna Pro Sho rabbit pellets runs about $9 where as chin pellets can run about $1 per pound plus shipping.

They like wood, lots of wood. Apple, pear, willow, sycamore, mulberry, pine etc. Also shreddables like finger traps, vine, paper etc.

No plastic anything in their cage ever, they ingest it and it can kill them.

Chinchillas are one of my favorite animals! They are pretty easy to care for and keep happy. Only need about an hour or so out of cage time per day and are quiet and non smelly.

Oh and the most important thing about Chinchillas, they can overheat very easily. The temp can not be over 75F and ideally should be less than 70 degrees. That is easy for me as I keep my house around 60-65 degrees year round. But that is a must for chins, they can not sweat, therefore fans are no good for them and also they can not get wet. Their fur is so dense it takes forever for them to dry and they can even mildew.


Again Chantel probably has more and better info but this is just what I have learned from owning chinchillas

Oh and 2 of the toys I ordered from you (Chuchu) are for my Chin Perfect toy for her, all wood and natural stringing materials. Plus Apple wood is a favorite!

 

[Meatball]

Oops, I was typing as Chantel posted, thanks Chantel! Great info and some stuff I forgot!

 

[crazyanimal]

Wow, that is so interesting. I was quite surprised with the mildew thing. Well, if I ever choose to add one to my house then it will be when we move. Our house is an older one and gets very hot in the summer, even with conditioners on. I have admired them from my distance and had always wanted to hold one but never had a chance.

How long do they live for??

Are they in the rabbit family???

OMG Chantel, that last picture is so adorable. I love it.

Thanks for sharing the info.

 

[Meatball]

Wow, that is so interesting. I was quite surprised with the mildew thing. Well, if I ever choose to add one to my house then it will be when we move. Our house is an older one and gets very hot in the summer, even with conditioners on. I have admired them from my distance and had always wanted to hold one but never had a chance.

How long do they live for??

Are they in the rabbit family???

OMG Chantel, that last picture is so adorable. I love it.

Thanks for sharing the info.

They can live 15-20 years I believe. And they are actually in the Rodent family believe it or not! So not related to rabbits at all.

And yes, if you can't keep temps down below 75 at the hottest then best to wait. That is really important for them as they can't cool themselves off and die of heat stroke.

If you get a chance to hold one you will instantly fall in love!

 

[crazyanimal]

Wow, quite the life span too huh?? Rodents don't bother me at all and I've considered rats as pets because I've heard they make good pets too but never followed through with it. Someday maybe... with the new puppy... he needs to calm down more too as he is keeping me so busy right now.

I love hearing information on all animals. Whether I get them or not, maybe someday it will help me educate someone else someday. LOL

 

[jmfleish]

This is really, really interesting! I had chins when I was in college and loved them but really didn't know anything about them...this was in the late '80s. I had never bought them any toys other than their dust bath and a pumice stone but my first one really liked boxes...his first box was a Triscuit box and that's how he got his name. I have no idea how I kept him alive as long as I did because I never knew about the heat requirement. The summer I had him, it had to have been in the mid to high 80s most of the summer. I did eventually lose him because his cage was next to our couch and he ate some of it (think old college couch that you wouldn't realize if it was missing anything or not!) and we tried to save him at the UW but it was a no go...complete impaction and so sad. He was such a character though and did like to sit with me and would play tag with my roommates. One of his favorite things to do was to bother my roommate when she was studying at the kitchen in the table and he'd go and bother her feet.

My second one died while I was at work...my roommate contacted me via phone to say she had given him a raisin and he just keeled over after that. I always figured that she had done something to him...can raisins kill them that quickly? His name was Smudge and he wasn't as friendly as Triscuit but still a really wonderful pet.

 

[kcbee]

Crystal and Chantel got it covered!

One thing I'll add is that medical issues can be quite costly and stressful with them. They cannot go without eating because the digestive tract will completely stop moving and they will die. You have to catch it right away. My first chinchilla passed away a few months ago because of that. I did catch it right away, but even with a week in the hospital, hand feedings, medications, etc. he still passed away.

As for personalities, they can really vary. My chinchilla that passed away LOVED to be scritched behind his ears, didn't mind being held and loved being out of the cage to play. I brought him home when he was a baby.

I brought home a new chinchilla a few months ago. I adopted him from someone who was getting rid of all their chinchillas. She didn't know his exact age, but probably around 3 years old. He is hands-off. He likes me, but doesn't seem "attached" (likes me because I bring food and toys!) and he doesn't like to be touched. And I cannot hold him. And he does not come out of his cage. I can leave the door open all day and he will never come out. He obviously did not have that kind of life before he came to live with me.

 

[HelenVanessaDavies]

& they can get teeth problems, like all rodents their teeth grow continuously - hence needing hay to keep the teeth trim but even then they can get problems. I've seen many chinchilla dentals!
I'm in the process of trying to adopt some, over here rhe cages are a nightmare to find though! they're so funny to watch, I also love how their hands are so tiny so everything they hold looks massive But they're quite sensitive as everyone's said