Chinchilla

Chinchillas can make wonderful and ideal pets however there are certain things to take into consideration. The main problem with chillies is that people see them and think they are adorable, cute and interesting animals...which of course they are! ^_^ however they are also very inquisitive and flighty and while they will come up to you to check you out...and possibly sit on your shoulder to have a nibble on your ear, they do *not* like being restricted and generally don't care for being held. They also dislike loud noises and lots of movement and in this sense don't make good pets for young children, they could be good for older more responsible children though. They are also crepuscular meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk however you will also see/hear them up and about during the day and night but it is best not to break their regular routine as they can become stressed and agitated easily so if you let them out of there cage at 8/9 every night then try to stick to that time for their own sake.

Next you need to ask yourself are you considering getting one chin or two? One chin can be fine on it's own if you have enough attention to give it, you can also form a stronger bond with it but chins are very sociable animals and I think most chin owner's will agree that it is better to have a pair so they can "chat" and as a source of mental stimulation towards one another. They are best kept in same sex pairs or a mixed pair with either the male/female or both fixed. Don't be tempted to get a breeding pair when you don't know enough about these lovable critters.

They have a history of genetically pre-disposed diseases due to being inbred, badly bred and over bred, the most common being the often fatal malocclusion. They should only be bred by those with a good understanding of the animal and who have at *least* a 3 generation pedigree to lessen the likelihood of any of these genetic diseases cropping up as the end result is not pretty and so many of my friends have lost their fur-kids due to irresponsible breeding.

Next comes the diet, which is very important concerning chillies. They're diet should be made up of roughly 60/70% good quality hay (timothy or a herbal based hay is best) and 40/30% dried food, preferably specially made *chinchilla* pellets (no rabbit/guinea food will do) or a chinchilla mix if they aren't eating the pellets. Don't be tempted to feed them anything other than chinnie food though as hey have extremely sensitive tummies.

They are also not able to digest fats very well..sort of like how it is difficult for guineas to absorb vit. C. So you have to be careful when feeding treats, fresh fruit and veg is not advisable, as they will more than likely cause an intestinal blockage. There are some commercially available chinchilla treats, just make sure they are high in fibre and low in fat/protein! Things like rosehips, rosebuds, dried dandelion leaves, dried blackberry/nettle/strawberry leaves are examples of healthy treats...some people also give there chins dried papaya/apricot/raisins, however these should be given in moderation as they are all very fattening! all nuts are much too fattening for chinnies as well. It is also important to note that their water should be either boiled, filtered or use bottled spring water to protect their sensitive tummies.

Next comes the housing, it's quite difficult to get decent chinnie housing in Ireland. The cage needs to be quite large, ideally as big as possible and will need several different levels as they love to jump and be up high! Most cages that are available for chinchillas on the Irish market are intended more for rats/ferrets and will have plastic ledges, the ledges will have to be substituted with wooden ledges (I find kiln dried pine is best and safest) also make sure that between these ledges there is no more than a 15 inch drop as the chin may hurt itself.

I find hammocks (hammocks made from polar fleece are the safest for chewers like chins) help in this sort of instance as you can hang a hammock so they can land in it if they do fall! Also if the bottom of the cage is plastic, just keep an eye out for any excess chewing. Some cages will have wire bottoms, but it is all up to the individual owner, I myself prefer solid bottoms however a chin which is not fully grown should *never* be on wire as they're little feet may get caught. Special dried grass mats can be bought to put on top of the wire in order to protect their feet until they are fully grown. Also if using wire keep an eye out for bumblefoot, a painful infection of the feet.

A good selection of chew toys should also be made available for your chin to help keep it's constantly growing teeth in good shape. Vine, sea grass, rattan, willow, bamboo, pear twigs, apple twigs, cholla and natural pumice all make good chews however remember all these woods must never be given fresh but dried out thoroughly so no sap remains which is why it is often better to buy them rather than dry them out yourself.

Chinchillas also need about 40-60 mins of supervised exercise a day in a chin proof area (no wires, treated wood, plastic etc. to chew on.) This is plenty of exercise as they are unable to sweat and can overheat easily..a cooling tile in the cage is also recommended to help cool them down in warm weather or after exercise.

A chin also need access to a dust bath which is like a very fine sand however the sand found on the beach is most definitely not suitable! Most pet stores have chinchilla dust available these days just make sure it is not quartz sand (for hamsters). A few rolls a day in the dust bath is more than enough, never leave it inside the cage all day. If a chin is showing signs of dry skin cut the bathing down to twice a week.

...hope that helps lol I am very passionate about these wonderful critters and want to raise knowledge and understanding of them so they don't have to end up unwanted or in rescues so if you have any more questions please ask away, I could talk about chillies all day! I have plenty of experience from my own four as well as previously studying about chins and also being a moderator on a chinchilla forum ^_^