IS A CHINCHILLA THE RIGHT PET FOR YOU?
CHINCHILLA CARE SHEETNatural History- Chinchillas are hystricomorph rodents that originated in barren areas (desert-like) of the Andes Mountains in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina at elevation ranges from sea level to 16,000ft. These regions are arid with limited vegetation. Chinchillas are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dust) and in the wild live in large rock formations and rock caves because it is very warm during the day and very cold at night. There were three “species” of chinchillas: Chinchilla lanigera, Chinchilla brevicaudata, and Chinchilla costina. The captive populations that we see as pets are believed to be a cross-breeding of the langeria and brevicaudata. Special CharacteristicsLongevity: If well cared for, chinchillas can live up to 20+ years. The average lifespan in captivity is 15 years.Adult Weight: 400-1000 grams (females are usually larger than males)Birth Weight: 40-70 grams and precocial (well developed at birth; eyes are open, teeth are present, fully furred)Gestation: 111 days (105-118 days)Litter Size: 1-6 (Avg. 2-3)Body Temperature: 95.8 °F -101°FAge at Maturity: 4-12 months (depends on color mutation)Temperament: Chinchillas make great pets. They are very social animals and long lived if cared for properly. Most chinchillas can be trained to use a litter box to catch their urine. Some even will come to their names when called. Keep in mind that because they are most active at night, they may be inadvertently noisy if kept in a bedroom.Interesting facts: Chinchillas have continuously growing teeth. This is important because in captivity we must provide them with a variety of items (food and toys) for chewing (gnawing) to help file their teeth. If we fail to do this chinchillas will develop dental disease. Chinchillas must take dust baths to cut down on the oils produced in their skin by glands called sebaceous glands. Chinchillas are crepuscular. This means they sleep during the day and are awake at night. Common Ailments: Dental disease (malocclusion), ileus (intestinal obstruction), miscellaneous gastrointestinal issues, diarrhea (e.g. giardia or imbalanced diet), heat stroke, pododermatitis (inflammation of the foot pad), fungal skin infections, heart disease, and seizures. Please note this is only a partial list of some of the more common conditions that occur. Captive Care Requirements Cage: Chinchillas need a cage that will provide them space to run, climb, and jump. The ideal cage size for a chinchilla is 24”x24”x24”. Cages should preferably have at least two levels/stories. No cage is too big. Never use wire shelves as your chinchilla can catch and break a leg as they bounce around. For breeding chinchillas ¾ x ¾ inch or ½ x ½ inch mesh wire is appropriate so the babies (kits) cannot get out. Substrate: Aspen shavings, pine shavings, or pellet bedding are the best options for bedding. Do not use paper bedding or newspaper as it can cause impaction if ingested. The oils in cedar shavings are toxic to chinchillas and can cause respiratory issues so should never be used. Please contact your veterinarian if you see any upper respiratory signs (sneezing, watery/goopy eyes, and/or discharge from the nose). These can be signs of allergies or of something more serious. The collection tray substrate should be changed once a week. The chinchilla should be removed and placed in a carrier while the cage is entirely disinfected four times a year with a isopropyl alcohol solution. You can return your chinchilla to the cages once it has completely evaporated. Water: A glass sipper water bottle affixed to the outside of the cage. The water should be filled with fresh filtered water every few days and the stopper checked for leaks or calcium deposit plugs. The water bottles should be thoroughly cleaned once a week in the dishwasher or by hand. The rule of thumb is: if you wouldn’t drink the water then neither should your chinchilla. Algae is toxic to chinchillas and care should be given that it does not build up on the water bottle. Using a ceramic or stainless steel bowl for water is not recommended because it often gets dirty and can be tipped over. Plastic water bottles will be quickly chewed apart if your chinchilla can reach the plastic parts of the bottle.Diet: Chinchillas are hind gut fermenters and have a type of digestive track similar to that of a horse. A high roughage diet is critical to maintaining the chinchillas gut motility, gut flora, and to keep their teeth in good condition.Pellets: Fresh pellets should be provided daily in a ceramic or stainless steel heavy bowl. Two good brands available at some pet stores are Mazuri chinchilla or Oxbow chinchilla. Whatever feed you choose, the most important thing to check is the mill date (freshness – should be within 2-3 months of the date of purchase) and to ensure the pellets are green and smell fresh. Often pellets or hay in chain pet stores have been sitting on warehouse shelves for too long and the nutritional value is lost (i.e. the mill date can be from a year prior). Avoid purchasing any sort of pellet that contains colorful treats as too many treats can make your chinchilla sick. Most chinchillas eat 2-3 tablespoons of pellets per day.Hay: Hay is a necessary part of a chinchilla’s diet. They need the roughage to maintain healthy intestinal flora and to wear down their constantly growing teeth. It is best to place hay off the floor of the cage as this prevents it from being urinated on. Often feed stores sell broken bales (called flakes) that you can buy for a few dollars. Use caution when feeding alfalfa on a daily basis as it is too high in protein for chinchillas and can cause diarrhea. Remember that good hay should be green and fragrant. If it is brown it is old and should not be used. Always make sure your chinchilla has plenty of hay. Hay and pellets should be your chinchilla’s main food source as it is the best at keeping the teeth worn properly and the digestive tract properly moving. Orchard grass is another good alternative to timothy hay.Treats: Safe treats for your chinchilla are dried treats that do not contain sugar. Chinchillas can get sick and develop diabetes if given too many sugary snacks. Pet stores and pet websites market many different types of 'chinchilla' treats that not recommended or safe for your chinchilla. Safe treats are easy to find at your local grocery store: plain (no sugar) shredded wheat, goji berries, rose hips and old fashion oats are all safe chinchilla treats. Moderation is strongly cautioned with any treats as they can cause your chinchilla to bloat. One treat a day is plenty for your chinchilla. We do not recommend any treats containing nuts as this can lead to fatty liver disease in chinchillas.Vegetables: We do not recommend giving chinchillas any fresh treats including fruits or vegetables despite claims that they are safe. Fresh vegetables and fruit can give your chinchilla diarrhea or even kill your chinchilla. Never give your chinchilla carrots, if ingested in large amounts they can kill your chinchilla.Cage furniture: In nature chinchillas live in small caves and rock crevasses. Giving your chinchilla a hiding place such as a wood hut help them to feel safe and secure. We do not recommend plastic huts as your chinchilla will chew on the plastic.Toys: Toys for gnawing on and for personal enrichment. Chinchillas have continuously growing teeth and must chew to file their teeth or they will develop dental problems. They constantly need things to chew on. Wood toys such as baked applewood sticks are always preferred. Avoid buying any toys with plastic or unsafe woods such as peach, cherry, plum, (fruits with pits) or fir, also rawhide is not good for your chinchilla. Dust Baths: All chinchillas require dust baths at least once a week. Dust can be purchased at most pet stores. Make sure the dust purchased is fine and not granular and does not contain silica which can cut their fur and give it a dull appearance. Put the dust in a dust house (a glass cookie jar works great) and place it in the chinchilla’s cage for 15-20 minutes each time. They will roll around and bath themselves. Make sure to replace the dust for the next bath if the chinchilla urinates in it. Dust can be quite messy so placing a towel over the cage while your chinchilla baths will help prevent the dust from landing outside of the cage.Temperature: Chinchillas have thick fur coats (80-100 hairs per follicle) and therefore, hot temperatures can cause heat stroke and death. If you live in areas where it gets hot in the summer or very humid make sure the room in which the chinchilla lives never gets above 85° F. Overall humidity should be factored in as well. Ideal temperatures to maintain your chinchillas would be between 55 and 72 F with less than 40% humidity. Should the temperature in your home get above 85°F immediately take your chinchilla to a cooler environment. Do not blow a fan on your chinchilla. They do not have sweat glands and blowing a fan on them will not help cool them down and could further stress them.Exercise: Chinchillas love to come out of their cages and run around and explore. This can be done in a supervised fashion in a cordoned off area. Chinchillas love to chew anything and everything. Wires, outlets, and baseboards will be chewed quickly and can be dangerous. Therefore, tiled, linoleum, or wood floors without wires are the safest areas and make for an easy clean-up. Kitchen floors and bathrooms tend to be ideal places for playtime. Make sure to keep the lid of the toilet bowl down if you choose the bathroom to prevent accidental drowning. Chinchillas love to run on wheels. However, if you do purchase a wheel make sure to purchase one made specifically for chinchillas that is metal and not plastic. They need to be of a minimum diameter (15-18 inches) and have a solid metal floor. Do not buy wire wheels as a chinchilla can easily break a leg on them. Health Care: Chinchillas do not require any type of vaccinations. If they become ill an exotic veterinary specialist is preferred for treatment. Things to look out for: Soft feces. If your chinchilla develops soft droppings then his intestinal flora is out of balance. Acidophilus is a good way to help get your chin back on track. Sprinkle acidophilus on your chinchillas pellets and make sure he has lots of loose timothy hay.Not eating: If your chinchilla completely stops eating immediate intervention is needed. A chinchilla can die within a day or two to die from not eating. Should your chin go off his feed, grind up his pellets mix with a little bit of water and feed with a syringe, another option is to purchase critical care from your local vet. Make sure not to squirt any mixture down your chinchilla’s throat as it could cause him to aspirate.Heat Stroke: Signs of heat stroke include bright red ears, lethargy, panting and seizures. Immediate intervention is required if your chinchilla gets too warm. Should your chinchilla become limp and demonstrate symptoms of heat stroke immediately cool him by putting him in a carrier with an ice pack. A chinchilla in this condition should be immediately transported to the vet in a vehicle with a/c where the temperature can be kept at 70 degrees or lower.Lethargy: Chinchillas are prey animals and usually don’t show any signs of illness until they are critically ill. If your chinchilla acts lethargic and listless or is gasping and wheezing then he is most likely very sick and should be taken to a vet immediately. Generally a chinchilla will not live long in this condition without immediate intervention.Malocclusion: This disease is a misalignment of the teeth where the roots of the teeth grow up and into the sinuses. It can be the result of bad genetics, improper care, or injury. Symptoms of malocclusion are drooling, watery eyes and inability to eat pellets. Malocclusion is always fatal and very painful. Should your chinchilla develop malocclusion discuss with your vet whether continued treatment or euthanasia is the best option for your chinchilla.
Bringing Home Your New PetBringing a chinchilla into a new environment can be a very stressful time for them. Young chinchillas tend to be in the highest risk group of death caused by stress. One in four do not survive to the age of six months. We recommend the following tips to give your chinchilla the best start at success in his/her new home.First 24 hoursHave your cage set up prior to bringing your chinchilla home. If you haven’t done so keep your chinchilla in a quiet and dark place such as a closet or covered carrier until the cage is ready.Immediately allow your chinchilla an opportunity to explore his new cage when you bring him home. Keep in mind your chinchilla will probably be very timid and just look for a place to hide. It’s important to have a box or hut available in his cage to allow him to decompress.Keep noise at a minimum and talk softly around your new pet. Keep other pets away from the cage. If your chinchilla starts frantically bouncing off the cage walls and shows signs of heavy breathing cover the cage with a blanket and leave the cage alone and covered overnight.Make sure your chinchilla is eating and drinking. This can be done by watching for excrement in the cage and by marking the water level on the bottle. If the droppings are extremely small or non-existent your new pet is not eating and intervention is needed. Offer a few raisins or goji berries in the first 24 hours. The purpose of this is two-fold. One, to encourage your pet to drink water and avoid dehydration and two, to gain trust and promote bonding.First WeeksLimit handling your chinchilla for the first few days, allow him to settle into his cage and acclimate to the new sights, sounds and smells of his new home.Offer your chinchilla your hand to smell and a treat before reaching into the cage. Chinchillas love to nibble, if your chinchilla nibbles on you it is probably out of curiosity and not an intentional bite, treats help direct the curiosity to something other than your skin. Nibbles of curiosity generally do not break skin. True bites are rare and usually a response of extreme fear while being grabbed aggressively. If your chinchilla squeals when you pick him up he is communicating to you that he is very frightened it does not necessarily mean that you are hurting him. Chinchillas can take a long time to acclimate to a new environment. Often times it takes a month or so to see the true character of your pet. Be patient and gentle, this will help establish trust between you and your pet.Other ChinchillasIntroductions to other chinchillas should always be done in a neutral place as chinchillas can become territorial in their cages especially if they’ve been housed alone for some time. Closely monitor new cage mates the first few weeks as fights can be sudden and deadly.Young chinchillas (under 6 months of age) are usually easiest to pair as they haven’t developed dominant behavior patterns yet. Same sex pairings can work quite well as long as males cannot smell female chinchillas nearby. The scent of a female in heat can lead to fighting between two males who otherwise get along well.HandlingNever grab your chinchilla around the waist. Chinchillas have delicate rib cages that are easily crushed. Squeezing the animal around the middle also causes them to squirm even more as they try to escape the pressure of the grip. Chinchillas have a prehensile tail. The best way to hold your chinchilla is to support all four of their feet while holding on to the base of their tail to avoid them jumping out of your arms. This helps your chinchilla to feel secure. Never grab the lower half of the tail as it can break off or cause a de-gloving injury.Most importantly we hope you enjoy your new pet. Chinchillas can be quite engaging and offer a lot of love and entertainment value to their owners.
Bringing Home Your New PetBringing a chinchilla into a new environment can be a very stressful time for them. Young chinchillas tend to be in the highest risk group of death caused by stress. One in four do not survive to the age of six months. We recommend the following tips to give your chinchilla the best start at success in his/her new home.First 24 hoursHave your cage set up prior to bringing your chinchilla home. If you haven’t done so keep your chinchilla in a quiet and dark place such as a closet or covered carrier until the cage is ready.Immediately allow your chinchilla an opportunity to explore his new cage when you bring him home. Keep in mind your chinchilla will probably be very timid and just look for a place to hide. It’s important to have a box or hut available in his cage to allow him to decompress.Keep noise at a minimum and talk softly around your new pet. Keep other pets away from the cage. If your chinchilla starts frantically bouncing off the cage walls and shows signs of heavy breathing cover the cage with a blanket and leave the cage alone and covered overnight.Make sure your chinchilla is eating and drinking. This can be done by watching for excrement in the cage and by marking the water level on the bottle. If the droppings are extremely small or non-existent your new pet is not eating and intervention is needed. Offer a few raisins or goji berries in the first 24 hours. The purpose of this is two-fold. One, to encourage your pet to drink water and avoid dehydration and two, to gain trust and promote bonding.First WeeksLimit handling your chinchilla for the first few days, allow him to settle into his cage and acclimate to the new sights, sounds and smells of his new home.Offer your chinchilla your hand to smell and a treat before reaching into the cage. Chinchillas love to nibble, if your chinchilla nibbles on you it is probably out of curiosity and not an intentional bite, treats help direct the curiosity to something other than your skin. Nibbles of curiosity generally do not break skin. True bites are rare and usually a response of extreme fear while being grabbed aggressively. If your chinchilla squeals when you pick him up he is communicating to you that he is very frightened it does not necessarily mean that you are hurting him. Chinchillas can take a long time to acclimate to a new environment. Often times it takes a month or so to see the true character of your pet. Be patient and gentle, this will help establish trust between you and your pet.Other ChinchillasIntroductions to other chinchillas should always be done in a neutral place as chinchillas can become territorial in their cages especially if they’ve been housed alone for some time. Closely monitor new cage mates the first few weeks as fights can be sudden and deadly.Young chinchillas (under 6 months of age) are usually easiest to pair as they haven’t developed dominant behavior patterns yet. Same sex pairings can work quite well as long as males cannot smell female chinchillas nearby. The scent of a female in heat can lead to fighting between two males who otherwise get along well.HandlingNever grab your chinchilla around the waist. Chinchillas have delicate rib cages that are easily crushed. Squeezing the animal around the middle also causes them to squirm even more as they try to escape the pressure of the grip. Chinchillas have a prehensile tail. The best way to hold your chinchilla is to support all four of their feet while holding on to the base of their tail to avoid them jumping out of your arms. This helps your chinchilla to feel secure. Never grab the lower half of the tail as it can break off or cause a de-gloving injury.Most importantly we hope you enjoy your new pet. Chinchillas can be quite engaging and offer a lot of love and entertainment value to their owners.