Tell me about Chinchillas???

[jackrooster]

I thinking of getting one ??? Tell me about them what i need to no and stuff??

 

[spish]

chinchillas are nocturnal so sleep during the day and become active in the evening. they are not cuddly or a 'lap' pet like rabbits and hamsters are. they dont like to be handled and love nothing more than to run around your living room destroying all your wooden furniture

they need a good quality chinchilla pellet to eat (not hamster/guineapig/rabbit food as some people think is good to feed them!)
they need a spacious cage, preferably longer than higher...a fall of 10 inches can kill a chinchilla, they have a very fragile skeleton and can easily break bones! they also need a chin proof play area / 'playtime' out of their cage for an hour or so each evening. chin-proof meaning no cables/furniture..no anything really because they will chew anything they get their teeth into!

they must not get wet or chilled or stand in a draft, they must also not get too warm as they dont sweat they cannot cool down and can die of heat stroke. anything over 25 degrees celsius is TOO HOT! sudden temperature swings can make them very sick so a room kept around 15 degrees celsius is good. also high humidity can kill them as their fur is so dense. they are classed as exotic pets so speacialist vets that deal with exotics are needed and are more expensive than regular vets

they require fine chinchilla sand to bathe in, leave a large bowl of sand in the cage for half an hour a day, if you forget to take it out they will poo and pee in it(!)

they need chinchilla safe wood to gnaw on, their teeth continually grow so they need to wear them down.
they also require fresh hay every day to aid digestion, alfalfa hay is best

chinchillas are best kept in twos or small groups (same sex groups if you dont want breeding!) they get depressed if they must live alone

they are not good pets for children or people with allergies. they shed A LOT of hair and as its fine it really gets up your nose!

also dont forget, chinchillas can live for up to 25 years so really are a long term pet

you'd be amazed at how many chinchillas we get brough in that are only about 5 years old but the owners are already 'bored' with them and didnt realise they lived so long...duh!


hope that helps

any questions please dont hesitate to ask

 

[bemba]

What are they? are they from south america? heard of them I think, not sure, any pics anyone?

 

[duckyfromoz]

lol..Bemba...I only have one on farmville and had never seen what they are really like either. I did a quick google and found this page- might be a good read for the OP...but for us..there is a pic of a little guy that looks part mouse, part hamster and part squirrel.

http://www.chinchillaplanet.com/

 

[bemba]

That sucks....... we get stuck with rats and mice !!!! LOLLLLLLLLLL