Chinchillas

popecatapetal

Does anyone have any? I came across them in my local pet shop the other day, and I thought they looked brilliant, but they're about a hundred quid each... Any idea why they're so expensive? Would the price be likely to drop over the next few years? I'd be quite interested in getting a few, but that's pretty steep for such a small creature...

LuckyStar

hello, i have noticed that animals that are harder to get tend to be more expensive. chinchillas live a long time though, a lot of rodents only live a couple of years

Our man in Havana

Chins have ALWAYS been expensive & I am sure they always will - unlike a lot of rodents they tend to have 1 - 2 litters a year & have 2-3 babies. They live a long time - need a friend so you will need 2 chins to have happy chins. They need a large cage as well.

bounty_hunter

They're so expensive because they're quite rare, only breed a maximum of 3 times a year (which is extremely unhealthy for them, any reputable breeder will never breed from the same mother more than twice a year, or even once) and can live for up to 20 years in captivity if well looked after. I keep and breed them myself, they make excellent pets but are a lot of work. As Bond-007 has already pointed out, it's unfair to keep a lone chinchilla so you would need two. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the cost of housing, etc. for them or anything else

eeyore2502

I got my first chinchilla yesterday and his large cage. I wasn't told in the store that it was advisable to keep them in pairs, is it possible to introduce another chinchilla to my current one later down the line?

Original_Sin

A hundred quid is pretty cheap i think, ive recently got a pair myself but i had been looking to get some for the past few years, the average price i found them was about 120-140euro

Eemia

eeyore2502 wrote: »

I got my first chinchilla yesterday and his large cage. I wasn't told in the store that it was advisable to keep them in pairs, is it possible to introduce another chinchilla to my current one later down the line?

Yes it is! And some take to others straight away and others take time to introduce. I replied to your other thread i have 2 and 2 babies but getting a new one (white one) once the babies are gone and asked the fella about introducing a new one to the others and he said they should be fine once its gradual. I payed 100e for my two (a standard and a voilet) but the white one is priced at 150e but have him down to 120e.