Sunshine Chinchillas

  Chinchilla Care             

• Chinchillas have a life span of up to 20 years. That is longer than most dog breeds!
• Chinchillas take a dust bath, not a water bath. Chinchilla fur can get a "greasy" look if not given a dust bath on a regular basis and is not healthy for the chin
• Chinchilla teeth never stop growing. They need  wooden toys / shelves or pumice stones to help wear them down.
• Chinchillas cannot get hot, they need to be kept indoors with a temperature no higher than 75 degrees.  Imagine going outside in 85 degree weather in a fur coat.
• Chinchillas should be kept indoors. They are not suitable for living outside (actually no animal is) and need A/C in the summer.
• Chinchillas need playtime. What is playtime? Time outside of their cage to jump , run and just get crazy in a chew safe enviroment. No cords, open windows, un-safe situations for them to get into. What they don't need is a giant plastic ball, those work better for gerbils and hamsters, not chinchillas.
• Chinchillas love to run on wheels, they are fun to watch. Watch out! Cheap plastic wheels , and metal with wide spacing  are no nos. A good chinchilla wheel has a solid base, so no feet or tails can get caught. Chances are if you purchased a cheap wheel, more than likely it is not chin safe. Check out my links page to web sites that sell chin safe wheels. 

                     

Cage

Cages are a very important part of owning a chinchilla. They will spend most of the day in this enviroment, thus caution needs to be taken when choosing a cage. Avoid pet store cages that say they are chin friendly. Most are not high enough, or have wire or plastic shelving and flooring.  Lets first talk about plastic shelves. Being that your chinchilla will chew, he is going to chew on the plastic. One the shelf will not last, and two, the chinchilla is going to injest the plastic , which could cause some health issues. This is why that plastic igoos and shelving  should be avoided.  Metal flooring, this is the floor where all of the poop and pee can fall to the bottom of the cage. Nice idea, but chinchillas have tiny feet, and can lose a toe to those floors. The best cage set up is a pull out pan, with wooden shelves. Check out my links page for great sites to purchase a good chinchilla cage.

 

Toys

I suppose that chins don't need toys, but what fun would that be?  Keep their enviroment fresh, hanging toys, fleece hammocks, excerise wheels, cardboard tubes and more. Stay away from anything plastic, and toys made with cotton rope.

Vet Care

If you don't have one , get one! Chins will get sick, and like any other animal should be taken to a proper vet for a diganosis. Be careful when choosing a vet, not all are created equal. Ask around, check references and don't be afraid to ask questions.