Chinchilla Care

<BODY TEXT=#000000 LINK=#0000FF VLINK=#FF0000 BGCOLOR=#F0F0F0 > <BASE TARGET="_top"> <DIV ALIGN=center class=s14> <B>Chinchilla Care </B></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=center class=s2 style='text-align: center;'> <FONT style='color:#800080;font-family:"Goudy Old Style";font-size:40pt;'><B></B><B><IMG SRC="chin_i000008.jpg" BORDER=0 ALIGN=MIDDLE WIDTH=956 HEIGHT=5 > </B></FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=center class=s14> <FONT style='color:#800080;'><B> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script>  <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="_top"> <table border="0" bgcolor="#cccccc"> <tr><td nowrap="nowrap" valign="top" align="left" height="32"> <a href="http://www.google.com/"> <img src="http://www.google.com/logos/Logo_25gry.gif" border="0" alt="Google"></img></a> </td> <td nowrap="nowrap"> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="trendata.net"></input> <input type="text" name="q" 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style='text-align: center;'> <FONT style='color:#800080;font-family:"Goudy Old Style";font-size:40pt;'><B></B><B><IMG SRC="chin_i000008.jpg" BORDER=0 ALIGN=MIDDLE WIDTH=956 HEIGHT=5 > </B></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2> <FONT style='color:#800080;font-family:"Goudy Old Style";font-size:40pt;'><B></B></FONT><FONT style='font-size:12pt;'>Chinchilla Care Tips — While there are many different opinions as to every aspect of chinchilla care, these are things that have worked best for us over the years.  We had to learn by trial and error since there wasn’t much information available about caring for chinchillas when we first started rescuing them. </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Feeding </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> Chinchillas need to be fed a pelleted food that is "pellets only" without any "junk food" mixed in.  Mazuri is a very good brand and is available in small packages at Petsmart.  Most of the top breeders use Mazuri or Tradition.  We used Mazuri for years and currently use Tradition for our crew.  If you feed an alfalfa-based pellet, then you need to provide loose timothy hay and timothy hay cubes for added nutrients and roughage.  If you feed a timothy-based diet (Timothy Complete for chinchillas is one), then you'll need to provide alfalfa hay products.  Chinchillas need both types of hay in their diet to stay healthy.  To find some good sources of food and hay products, type CHINCHILLA FOOD in the search box on this page. </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Treats </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> Treats should be kept to a minimum.  It is recommended that a chinchilla only have one treat per day.  A suitable treat would be something like one raisin, one Craisin, one piece of banana chip, one small piece of dried papaya, one piece of unsweetened or lightly sweetened breakfast cereal (Cracklin' Oat Bran is a favorite here), and things like that.  An occasional sunflower seed would be ok but they are very high in fat and not recommended for chinchillas.  It will not hurt to occasionally give more treats but the norm should be a maximum of one per night.  Also, it is not necessary and really not advisable to buy the little boxes/bags of treats in the pet store that are marketed for small animals.  Those are overpriced, not always fresh (depending on the turnover in a particular store, and chinchillas love raisins or Craisins best.  Dried fruits are cheaper in the grocery store.  Chinchillas generally live several years longer when they're not overfed on treat foods.  Something that you do not want to get is a salt block because chinchillas do not need the extra salt like rabbits do.  To find online sources for treats, type CHINCHILLA TREATS in the search box on this page. </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Tap water versus filtered water </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> Chinchillas are extremely susceptible to the Giardia bacteria.  Small amounts of Giardia are present in many water systems and, while it's not enough to hurt humans, even a tiny amount can make a chinchilla extremely sick and even kill them.  Some people do give their chinchillas tap water but you have to weigh the risk against the convenience.  Simply buying bottled filtered water to use in the chinchilla's water bottle or investing in a small Brita-type filter is an easy and inexpensive solution.  If you buy bottled water, be sure to get filtered water and not distilled water. </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Toys </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> Wooden blocks, popscicle sticks, wooden hanging parrot toys with a parrot-safe bell are all good choices for chinchilla toys.  Chew toys with treats inside are not a good idea since you cannot easily monitor how much "junk food" the chinchilla is getting, unless you only give that toy to the chinchilla for a few minutes as an occasional treat.  Chinchillas love those heavy plastic ferret balls with several round holes in them.  We hang them inside the cages from a chain and the chinchillas play and sleep in them.  Wooden leapin' ledges and hidey houses can also double as toys since they chew on them, bounce/play on them, and sleep on/in them.  A scoria stone and a piece of lava rock are great “toys” that help keep their teeth worn down.  Many chinchillas love a wheel to run on.  Most of the chinchilla-safe wheels in local pet stores are all plastic.  It is ok to get one of those but they do usually get chewed to bits eventually.  There are many all-metal chinchilla-safe wheels available on the internet and those are a good choice.  You do need to get a wheel with a solid running surface no matter what the material is.  For ideas and sources for toys, type CHINCHILLA TOYS in the search box on this page.  To check out sturdy wheels, type METAL CHINCHILLA WHEELS in the search box on this page. </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Concerns </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2> <FONT style='font-family:"Times New Roman";'>1)      </FONT>Chinchillas are the least smelly of any of the small animals.  With minimal cleaning and care, chinchillas don't smell. </DIV> <DIV class=s2> <FONT style='font-family:"Times New Roman";'>2)      </FONT>Chinchillas can bite very hard but only a few chinchillas ever bite out of aggression.  Many will nibble your fingers and if you give a little yelp to let them know when they're hurting you, they learn to be easy.  The only time I've ever been nipped by a chinchilla is when my fingers smelled like treats but I stuck my hand inside the cage without one.  If you wash your hands before handling chinchillas, they won't mistake your finger for a treat. </DIV> <DIV class=s2> <FONT style='font-family:"Times New Roman";'>3)      </FONT>It would be ok to use shredded newspaper if you get a cage that has a wire floor with a slide-out tray.  Otherwise, you should use one of the safe litters such as CareFresh, kiln-dried pine, or Aspen. </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Cages </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> If you want to order a cage, we suggest one of the Martin's Cages.  Type MARTINS CAGES in the search box on this page.  The smallest cage you should consider is the Chinchilla Skyscraper (30" x 18" x 36"), but the Chinchilla Highrise (30" x 18" x 48") or the Chinchilla Townhouse (36" x 30" x 60") would be better, depending on your financial situation.  Chinchillas enjoy large cages and you will enjoy watching them more when they have lots of room to play.  If you get a cage with a slide-out tray, cleanup is much easier.  Petsmart has a ferret cage that several of our adoptive families have bought and they seem to like it.  Type FERRET CAGES in the search box on this page to see what is currently available.  There is only a small problem with many of the ferret cages and that is the plastic clips that hold them together.  Most chinchillas will chew off the clips and can escape if you aren't careful.  We recommend that people use a heavy-gauge wire to put the cage together.  Many of the ferret cages we’ve seen look like really nice cages and the larger ones provide lots of room for a couple of chinchillas. </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Two males, two females, or one of each? </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> A same-sex pair is best and it doesn’t matter whether you get two males or two females.  If you are intent on breeding, there is much research to be done before undertaking that endeavor.  If you intend to adopt a male and then have him neutered, that is a VERY bad idea.  Spaying or neutering of chinchillas should only be done in an emergency situation to save a chinchilla's life.  Some people believe that animals need to experience motherhood at least once but that is certainly not the case, especially with chinchillas.  They are much happier and healthier if kept in same-sex pairs.  The females tend to be more aggressive in a breeding pair and we’ve helped people deal with cases where the female wouldn’t let the male eat or rest and the poor male was miserable until the pair was separated. </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Out-of-cage playtime </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> Chinchillas love having time out of their cage to play and interact with their humans.  This can be a fun time for all but some precautions should be taken.  You will need to cover all wires, baseboards, anything wood in order to prevent a disaster.  Chinchillas are as bad as children about wanting to play with and chew on things they shouldn't.  A very easy solution is to tape up pieces of cardboard to keep her from getting to the restricted areas.  Believe me, I know from experience how frustrating it is to try to keep a chinchilla from chewing when you've scolded them dozens of times.  You have to get up and go over to the chinchilla, and most of the time they'll scamper off just as you get there.  It is a fun game for them to make you get up and "play" with them.  Since we put up barriers, we can sit and enjoy watching the chinchillas bop and play instead of worrying about what they're getting into.  Another thing I want to mention is the space underneath the doors.  If the space is more than about 1/2" then you'll need to put wire or something at the bottom to keep them from sliding under.  We learned that lesson the hard way many years ago! </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> <FONT style='color:#008000;font-size:12pt;'>Keep them cool and out of direct sunlight </FONT></DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'>  </DIV> <DIV class=s2 style='margin-left: 3mm;margin-right: 3mm;'> The problem with a chinchilla being in direct sunlight is the heat factor.  Chinchillas need to be kept at a temperature between about 65 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit and can have heat stroke if the temperature approaches 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  If the cage were to sit in a sunny window for an extended period of time, it is likely that a chinchilla would become very uncomfortable from the heat and it could become a life-threatening situation.  If you’re ever in a situation where your chinchilla has gotten overheated, put an unopened soft drink (can or bottle) in the cage so the chinchilla can lay against it to lower it’s body temperature.  Many people think that a fan running in a hot room will cool off a chinchilla.  That is not true.  A fan only blows the hot air around and, since chinchillas can’t sweat, they will die just as quickly from overheating whether a fan is blowing or not. </DIV> <DIV ALIGN=center class=s2 style='text-align: center;'> <FONT style='color:#800080;font-family:"Goudy Old Style";font-size:40pt;'><B></B><B><IMG SRC="chin_i000008.jpg" BORDER=0 ALIGN=MIDDLE WIDTH=970 HEIGHT=5 > </B></FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=center class=s2 style='text-align: center;'> <FONT style='color:#800080;font-family:"Goudy Old Style";font-size:40pt;'><B><img src = "/counter/digits/a/4.gif"><img src = "/counter/digits/a/9.gif"><img src = "/counter/digits/a/7.gif"><img src = "/counter/digits/a/5.gif">  </B></FONT></DIV> <DIV ALIGN=center class=s2 style='text-align: center;'> <FONT style='color:#800080;font-family:"Goudy Old Style";font-size:40pt;'><B></B><B><IMG SRC="chin_i000016.gif" BORDER=0 ALIGN=MIDDLE WIDTH=489 HEIGHT=18 > </B></FONT></DIV>