Author Dea Freiheit
Pacific Northwest Chinchillas
Care Of Your Pet Chinchilla
Chinchillas are relatively simple animals to care for, but there are a few things that the new owner needs to be aware of.
Cages:
There are a wide variety of cages available at your pet store or feed store that will make a suitable home for your chinchilla. However, a couple things should be kept in mind when selecting a cage. The first is the size of the cage. I tell people to get the largest cage they can afford with a minimum size of 2" x 2" x 2". The wire mesh size is important if you are considering breeding. Baby chins can get out of any wire larger than ½" x 1", including 1" x 1" and 1" x 2", both of which are popular mesh sizes. Also, I prefer to keep my chins directly on the shavings on the bottom of the cage, but wire bottoms are okay as long as the wire is no larger than 1" x ½". Ideally the wire should be no larger than ½" x ½". You can use newspaper in the bottom of a wire bottom cage, although I prefer to never let a chin sit directly on newspaper, as it will stain their coat. As I mentioned earlier, I really prefer my chins to be directly on pine or hemlock or fir shavings. Do not use cedar shavings as they are toxic. There are other products available to use as bedding, I like the little scrunched up paper. I have no experience with the pelleted bedding, and corn cob bedding. I would be cautious using these, the pellets might swell if ingested and the corn cob bedding has a tendency to mildew when wet. Of course, you can make your own cage, and incorporate shelves, wheels etc. into the design. Please change your chinchilla cage weekly. A clean chin is a healthy chin!
Food:
I feed a locally manufactured high quality pelleted food. It is 18% protein, and a low fat, low salt diet. I chose this because my chins do really well on it and it is made fresh weekly. Obviously this is not available to everyone, so look for a comparable pelleted diet. Chins should get about 1 to 2 heaping tablespoons per chinchilla per day. I also feed hay cubes. Loose hay is fine, but it is messy and you need to make sure it has no mold or mildew in it, or your chin will get diarrhea. For treats, I feed my chins 2 raisins or craisins (dried cranberry), or one dried banana chip, or the equivalent of some other dried fruit. Do not give baby chins treats until they are old enough to eat them without getting diarrhea, usually around 3 to 4 months of age. For pregnant or lactating females, I give my chins small amounts of calf manna which is high in calcium.
Water:
While chinchillas do not drink a lot of water, they do need access to fresh water at all times. I prefer the water bottles made by Edstrom, which are available via mail order, but a more easily obtained bottle is made by Lixit. Both work well, but the Lixit bottles tend to leak occasionally. Change the water in your chins bottle daily.
Dust Bathing:
I offer my chinchillas a dust bath once a day. This is for 2 reasons, one, they love it and two, they look better. Put approximately 1/8 of a cup of dust in a container and stand back, the chins roll in it and love it! I leave the chins in the dust for about 2 or 3 minutes and then take it away, otherwise they will soil the dust. You can use any container that is large enough for the chin to roll in.
Heat:
It is vital to know that chinchillas are extremely resistant to cold, and can survive freezing temperatures as long as their feet are not directly on metal, but they CANNOT survive temperatures over 75°. Even at 70° chins are stressed, especially in high (over 50%) humidity. Chinchillas can and will die if kept over 80°. Please keep this in mind during the summer months. Provide air conditioning for your chinchilla or keep them in a cool place such as a basement. Put a thermometer near the cage (but not where the chin can get to it) to see exactly what the temperature is.
Tricks:
I have had several clients train their chin to use a littler box. This is quite easy to do, just put the litter box where they naturally urinate in their cage. Then move the litter box out of the cage when your chin is running around. Keep them in a relatively small area until they get the hang of it.
Many people also train their chin to sit on their shoulders. This is a lot of fun, just make sure your chin doesn't decide to jump off. Many of my chins will actually fall asleep on my lap.
One client even taught their chin to walk on a leash. This is the exception, but his chin is proof that it can be done. Use care if you attempt to train your chin to do this.
Common Sense:
Please keep the following in mind:
1. Your dog or cat may decide your new chin is a brand new toy for them. Your chin may think this is not fun and can be hurt. Be watchful!
2. Chinchillas will chew on baseboards, electrical cords, wood furniture, etc. Either remove these items from the area where your chin will be or remove your chin from the area where they are!
3. Chinchillas can jump a far distance, and usually they land safely, but keep in mind that chin leg bones are very small and they can break. Use good judgment when putting your chin up high on a bed, sofa etc.
4. Chinchillas are generally pretty steady emotionally, but they can become stressed by loud noises, especially if it is a new noise that they are not used to. This can even lead to further chewing and loss of appetite. To circumvent this, I keep the radio going all the time in my chin room, and on a soft jazz station. This is not necessary, but do be mindful of loud, sudden noises.
5. Chinchillas are very smart animals and learn to distinguish their owners from strangers. Your chin may be more reserved around a stranger than they are around you. Plan on it taking up to 2 or 3 weeks for chinchillas to adjust to their new homes.
6. When you hold your chinchilla, don't let their feet dangle. They hate this!. It is better to scoop them up in both hands and cuddle them against your chest. If a chin is frightened, they will be soothed by having their eyes covered by your hands.
7. All animals have the ability to bite. It is not common for chinchillas to bite, but if they do, do not hit the chinchilla. The best way to train your chinchilla is to suddenly blow directly on their face when they are biting. They hate this and will quickly learn to associate this with the biting behavior and stop it. Baby chins are much like small children, they love to put everything in their mouths to check it out. If this gets too rough, try the blowing technique. Biting is not to be confused with a chin grooming you, they will gently nibble softly on your skin or hair, but it is a very soft feeling. This is your chinchilla's way of letting you know he is totally at ease with you and considers you to be his best buddy!
8. Most importantly, enjoy your chinchilla!! They will bring many, many hours of companionship to your life.
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