Chinchilla Care Sheet
PLEASE-feel free to print this!
Chinchilla Care
Chinchilla means "little chinta" a name given by the Indian tribes in their area. The chinchilla is from South America, more specifically in the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile in the high altitudes of the Andes Mountains. Their scientific name is Chinchilla lanigera, which means long-tailed chinchilla. Their class is Mammalia (Mammals), their order Rodentia (Rodents), and their family is called the Chinchillidae (Chinchillas and Visachas).
Feeding
Chinchillas are not expensive or hard animals to feed. Their main diet should consist of pellets, alfalfa, timothy hay, and water. The best time of day to feed these critters is in the evening when they are up and active. There are many different types of bowls or feeders to feed them from: Crock type bowls, metal feeders, glass bowls, etc. I use ceramic tip proof cat bowls so when the chins are running (and flying) through their cage they won't spill the food.
Changing feed
If you have to change feed for some reason you need to do it gradually. A chin has a sensitive GI tract and you could cause your chin unnecessary stomach problems. You should mix a very small amount of the new food to the existing food and over time add more of the new to the old. This allows the chin time to adjust to the differences and causes less stress or illness. This process should take several weeks! There really should be a reason to change feed though since Petsmart now carries Mazuri chinchilla pellets as a regular item.
Pellets
Chins should be fed pellets, as pellets are their staple food. Most chinchilla pellets are made from ingredients such as alfalfa meal, molasses, soybean oil, oats, added vitamins and minerals as well as wheat germ. Each person has their own opinion on feeding other forms of pellets such as rabbit, guinea pig, etc. to their chins. (Some individuals say that rabbit pellets have hormones thus making them harmful to chins; however, this is not true. In the United States rabbit pellets do not contain hormones!) It is best if you are going to feed rabbit pellets that you use a good Show Quality rabbit food. I personally only use actual chinchilla pellets called MAZURI CHINCHILLA PELLETS (which can be purchased on line or at any local Petsmart), because they are formulated for them and their sensitive systems. There are many kinds of pellets available to the consumer. The most important thing is that the pellets are fresh! Rule of thumb: Throw out any food that is more than 3-6 months old because it begins to loose its nutritional value" You can keep feed fresh by storing it in air-tight containers and placing extra in the freezer in air-tight containers. You should give your chin at least 2 tablespoons of feed each day preferably in the evening when they are most active.
Chinchillas have about 70 hairs per pore in their body so as you can imagine they are very well protected from the cold. Unfortunately this makes them more susceptible to getting over heated. They should be kept between 65 and 75 degrees. They can handle (unhappily) up to 80 degrees if the humidity is pretty much at zero, but put a lot of stress on them and cause a heat stroke which is deadly. I do not recommend to allow them to go over a maximum of 78 degrees. If a chin has gotten too hot, you can use a 2-liter bottle of frozen water to put in the cage to keep the chin cool. This is not something that should be used as a regular thing. This is something that can be used in a emergency. You must have and be willing to use an air conditioner for you pet chinchilla. If you do not have one or are not willing to use it, this is not the pet for you! PLEASE NOTE- A CHINCHILLA CAN DIE IN TEMPS HIGHER THEN 75 DEGREES!!!
Favorite Toys
Chinchillas are very playful animals. They love to run around the house inter-acting with their family. They play tag, sit in your lap and watch TV. and love getting into things they shouldn't be getting into. They also need chew sticks and treats. They can eat 2 raisins a day. Rule of thumb is no more than one kind of treat per day! Any more can upset their stomachs. Also, No treats until the chinchilla is 4-6 months old. For fun you can drill a little hole in their chew sticks a place a raisin in the hole to entertain them. Also keep in mind chins LOVE to chew since this is the only way to file their teeth, so if you are going to let your chin run free in the house to play, be sure to "chin proof" the house. Chins also enjoy ferret type tubes to run and play in, as well as a chinchilla safe wheel.
Milestones
Chinchillas can be litter trained to urinate in a ferret type litter pan. Simply put some pine shavings, care fresh or staple pellets in the litter pan and put it in a corner of the cage. For the tray at the bottom of the cage you can use pine shavings or aspen. Some people use carefresh, I normally would not suggest to use it since it is not digestable, but many people use it with no problems. Keep in mind if you are going to use it, there have been many cases of chinchillas dieing from impacted intestines or needing surgery from ingesting it. Be sure to give your chin plenty of quiet time during the day since they are nocturnal animals and need their beauty sleep during the day. They also need a den or house to sleep in. Chins take dust baths. You can get a fish bowl or an actual "dust house" from any local pet store, put a layer of dust in it and enjoy! Dust baths are a natural instinct for chins and will know exactly what to do when placed in the cage. Chinchillas can be bathed daily if desired, but must be done at least 2 to 3 times a week. However, do not leave the dust in the cage for longer than 20 minutes. Chinchillas will sleep in the dust, which is very unhealthy for them and will also use it as a rest room.
People often ask if a male or female make a better pet, or if a certain color is a better pet. Like people, all chinchillas will have different personalities. I do believe that you mold the personality of your pet. The more time you put into the chinchilla the better the pet. Gender, color or even eye color does not determine the personality.
Another thing people ask is if chinchillas go through a "heat". Yes, every 28-33 days they go through a cycle, but unless you are looking for it you will not notice. They do not bleed like a dog or smell terrible like a hamster. It is subtle and often missed, unless there is a male chinchilla around!
I have had people tell me that they would not want to own a female because they have read that they "spray". This should not deter you from owning a female. This is simply a defense they would use in the wild. Very rarely will you have a female actually do this to you. A pet will only do it if they are scared or get very mad. Females tend to use this to keep a male away when they are not ready to mate. This is not something that you should be afraid of happening to you and discourage you from owning a female as a pet.
Some people are also turned off by the fact that with a male you must do a "hair ring" check every so often. This problem is most common in breeding males and not pet males though you should always check since a pet can still have this happen, though rare. A hair ring is when hair gets wrapped around the "male parts" and can not retract back into the cone. In most cases the male is able to clean itself, but every so often he may need assistance in the removal of the hair. Again, for pets this should not deter you from wanting a male. It is something to watch for but not something so bad that you would not want to own one.
CAGES
A good cage company is www.martinscages.com These cages are made for chinchillas with chinchilla safe wire. Most cages at the pet stores are made with plastic ledges which get chewed through and are not really good. They are also cheaply made. Martins cages are designed much better for your pet chinchilla.
If you do not use this type of cage. What ever cage you use should have multi levels and MUST NOT HAVE WIRE LEDGES since most cages in the stores do not use chin safe wire. Chinchillas can get their legs caught in the wire and can break thier legs which can lead to amputation.
I do not recommend cages over 30 inches tall for a baby under 5 months old unless it is a martins cage. They can climb up the side of the cage to the top and fall which can cause injury. In the martins cages there is a solid middle level to prevent this from happening.
BRINGING BABY HOME
The first few weeks in a new home are very stressful for a chinchilla and ANY animal can die from too much stress. To relieve some of this stress I highly suggest not to handle your new chinchilla for the first 4 to 5 days. Try to keep your new chinchilla as quiet as possible in this transition as well. This will help greatly to relieve some of the stress the first few weeks. After the 5 days you can begin to take the chinchilla out for short periods of time then let the baby back into the cage to relax, eat and drink. However, if the chinchilla is still hiding and not curiuos of its surroundings after the 5 days I would suggest to wait on play time till the stressed behavior has stopped.
A good book to have on hand is "The Joy of Chinchillas". This book is written much better then any book in pet stores. This book can be purchased on line if you do a search for it.
INTRODUCING 2 CHINCHILLAS
INTRODUCTION SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. IF DONE INCORRECTLY CHICNHILLAS CAN BADLY INJURE EACH OTHER OR KILL EACH OTHER.
When deciding to get a second chinchilla as a cage mate to one you may already have it is important to remember YOU WILL NEED A SECOND CAGE FOR THE TRANSITION TIME. Also remember that not chinchillas will accept a cage mate so a second may could be a perminant situation. Note to remember, chinchillas can be like people in where not all people get along, not all chinchillas get along. Though it natural for chinchillas to have a companion, some if left alone too long will become independant on not want a cage mate.
When bringing home a new chinchilla you will want to start it off in its own cage with no contact with the other chinchilla for at least 3-4 weeks. This way the new one has time to adjust to the change of environment and not have another added stress of introduction during the transition period which in itslef is stressful enough.
After the 3-4 weeks in the new home you can start in neutral territory. Usually in a bathroom or play pen with a ust house down to get each others scent on one and another. This is a process that could take some time and different ways of introductionk if this does ot work.
IF DECIDING ON ONE OR TWO
Again, chinchillas naturally live in family herds in the wild so it is a natural instinct to have a companion. If deciding on two I would recommend getting both at the same time from the same breeder. You will have less trouble with dominance problems if they are young chinchillas. Also getting from the same location would mean no need to quarantine. If they come from two seperate places it is HIGHLY recommended to quarantine from each other for about 30 days. This is to insure the health of both animals. Also getting two babies from the same breeder at the same time will reduce some of the stress from change of invironment. It helps to have a friend while dealing with transition from one home to the other. :)
Here is the info for my vet:
DR. Tom Greek
Village Animal Hospital
23379 Golden Springs Dr.
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
909.861.7463
He will be moving soon to a perminant office, so if you need info in the future on where he is check out his site at www.tomgreek.com
