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[chinluver]

Hi all! My name is Angee and I am interested in getting a chinchilla, but would like to get more information on their care and personalities before purchasing one. I love animals and grew up on a farm. I would like to know if a chinchilla is a good pet to have around children. I have a 3 year old son, who is very well behaved, and he loves animals also. He is very gentle with our kitten and always asks permission before touching it. I am not sure that I would let him play wit the chin right off the bat, but let it settle in for a few months and get to know us from the cage. Also, are the large balls (like hamster balls) ok for the chins to run around the house in? Thanks in Adavance for your advice! Angee

[chinchillaboy4]

Hi Angee welcome to the chinchilla club! Youll find tons of great information in these forums. The ball is a bad idea because a chinchilla can over heat itself within 15 minutes. What would be better is having a chin safe room for your chin to run around in under your supervision. With a chinchilla you want the biggest cage possible.  It should have multiple levels or a wheel and with a wheel the flying saucer wheel is the way to go.
Chins personalities are so varied just like humans so theres no way to tell how your chinchilla will act until you get it. Mazuri is the best brand of chinchilla food and oxbow hay is good too.
 Sorry thats a little scrambled

[chinclub]

Hi Angee,
I am a chinchilla breeder and have had them since before my children were born. They are now 6 and 8 years old.  We have found that as long as the children understand the rules they get along great with the chinchillas.  With our kids, we found the best way to let them interact was to have the kids sit down on the bathroom floor.  Then we would bring in the chinchilla.  The kids would lay down and then the chinchilla would crawl all over them.  It was important to us to keep the kids sitting because a chinchilla will run so fas and almost blindly through the room.  If the kids were standing they would get so excited that they couldn't stand still and the chance for having the chinchilla stepped on was a real concern...
I would suggest that you go to a breeder and get a young chinchilla.  Older chinchillas can be harder to tame and would have a higher chance of biting out of fear.  A baby may nibble at your fingers out of curiosity but they hardly ever hurt or break the skin.

[Jo Ann]

Hi Chinluver Angee,

      A chinchilla's cage wire should be no larger than 1/2" x 1" ,  they can escape easily if the wire is 1" x 2" or 1" x 1", if you have a small chin.   One of our six week old kits went through a 1"x2" wire in less than 15 seconds.  Check out the picture below.

 
Jo Ann

[FluffBall]

he is such a cute naughty little guy
I want more chins!!!!! I only have 2 but they are soooooooo cute when you have more than 1
Buddy L would probably do anything for a raisin too
Snowball is just now getting to like them I don't think that he ever had raisins before I got him I know that she would give him peanuts and he loves those but since I joined I learned they you are not supposed to give them nuts cause they can't handle them so no nuts here!!!!!!!!!!!! just raisins
my guys are always together   

[chinchillagrl06]

Chinchillas are amazing pets. Read all you can about them before you get one.  Also, you might want to look around your area for a vet that will see chinchillas, chins are exotic and not everyone will take them. Also have an emergency vet lined up for just in case.  I love my chins, I am up to 5 of my own now, they are addicting!  Do you have any feed stores in your area? That is usually the way to get the freshest hay and pellets for you chinny, if not online ordering is great. 

[chinchillaboy4]

O a great book is "The Joy of Chinchillas" its got tons of GOOD information, its sad how many chinchilla books are misleading.

[Jo Ann]

The Joy of Chinchillas by Lani Richie, is a great one ... you can get it on the CA Chins website.

After Forty Years by A. Kline is a wonderful one also! A great loss to the chinchilla world when she passed away a couple of years ago.

Both authors have worked with not only the breeding and raising of chinchillas, but also in the research on them.

Both books are a must!

These books you find on chinchillas that others have written are no always correct.  Some are even written by people that have never even owned a chinchilla!

 
Jo Ann