Keeping a chinchilla - guidance required

Ours don't bite at all, they'll have an exploratory nibble to find out if you are food or not but they hardly apply any pressure and let go as soon as they realise you're squidgy.

We don't really let ours out as often as we should as catching them again can be a right pain and quite stressful for them. They are awesome though :D

bam0 said:
Mine also used to enjoy raisins as treats.
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We can't even say the 'R word' any more without them getting all excited, clever little blighters.
 
Nanoman said:
They look quite cute but painful bite?
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Very unusual for any of mine to bite! I have been bitten once full on when I went up to Kent to collect one of my chins, I tickled this ebony colour chinchilla under the chin and it sank its teeth into the tip of my finger and I bled like a bitch lol:(.
 
They've bloody weird tails, I really don't like their tails, there's something not right about them. they look a bit like they've stolen their tail from another animal or something. : /
 
I'd recommend John Hopewell for cages: http://www.johnhopewell.co.uk/

I've bought two off him and they've been excellent.

Otherwise get good quality pellets and hay (timothy or alfalfa), preferably the same type as the breeder used. Oh and buy from a good breeder please, i know a few if you need any advice, don't go anywhere near a pet shop. I've got a standard grey and an ebony for £100, typically a coloured will cost a lot more due to the rarity in the breeding process.

Be careful what you feed them because they have very delicate internals, i give them shredded wheat as a treat as it's the only cereal without additives and they go crazy for it, they have a sweet tooth as well so only give sugar based snacks like raisens in moderation, gogi berries are good.

Otherwise buy a proper quality chinchilla bathing sand, not generic stuff from your local B&Q.

Make sure you give them lots of toys, especially things to chew on as many chins have teeth problems, mine have got a pine box that they like to hide in when it's light, plus a few ledges and chew toys.

Best toys i have...

Hammock!! - http://www.hammockyhammocks.co.uk/

Flying Saucer Wheel - http://www.fswheels.co.uk/

Chinchillas on their own can get very lonely as they are community animals, a lone chin will bond with you if you're willing to play with them on a daily basis and have a lot of patience. However it's much better to get a couple of animals, they'll not be as house friendly but they'll be happier animals overall, once they've got used to you it'll be fine.

Drop me an e-mail in my trust if you want any advice, my family have had chinchillas for 18 years so i'm fairly clued up for an amateur.
 
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Chinchillas are cool, but they make loads of noise in the night which can be annoying.

They're very quick too.

Get a tall cage, will give it lots of room to jump around, and don't forget to give it a sand bath.
 
Justin said:
Get a tall cage, will give it lots of room to jump around, and don't forget to give it a sand bath.
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It's my understanding that that's bad advice, in nature chinchillas are rock hoppers, not climbers. A tall cage can lead to some pretty nasty falls and injuries, they're better off with a large floor area and not too much height.
 
Shame no one's watching. Put this in your journal:
"Dear Diary, Chinchillas sure are nocturnal"
 
kaiowas said:
It's my understanding that that's bad advice, in nature chinchillas are rock hoppers, not climbers. A tall cage can lead to some pretty nasty falls and injuries, they're better off with a large floor area and not too much height.
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Yeah that's right, i've got a tall cage but it has 2 separate levels split with a pop hole, you can get mesh levels added but i opted to pay more to get a proper tray for the top level, would've been quite funny to see one taking a pee and catching the other while he was running below.

Wide and deep is better but they're quite demanding space-wise, tall is ok as long as you reduce falling height.
 
They are fantastic, make sure you get a cage with quite a narrow mesh, if the gaps are too big they can slip and trap and break their arms/legs.

Dont give them too many treats, they wont eat their main food dried food.
Give them plenty to play with in the cage, they are very intelligent and require a lot of attention and play.
Make sure they have somewhere cool to hide, or lay on, but not in a breeze, they do not regulate their body temperature very well and will become ill if they get too hot, or too cold.

DO NOT GET THEM WET AT ALL, their fur is very fine and very dense, if they get wet the water is trapped between the fur and the skin and they cannot dry out, nasty skin diseases and worms develop that to all intents and purposes eat your fury pal alive.
 
mattyfez said:
I was looking into getting one, but I read they are pretty much 100% nocternal, so not really a good pet unless you are a night owl.
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Ours will still come out in the daytime if we're about, if we're not then they'll just sleep. That makes them pretty ideal if you work all day as they're quite happy when you're not there but lively enough in the evenings to be entertaining.
 
Justin said:
Chinchillas are cool, but they make loads of noise in the night which can be annoying.

They're very quick too.

Get a tall cage, will give it lots of room to jump around, and don't forget to give it a sand bath.
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WRONG, get a horizontal cage as they are rock hoppers, tall cages are **** and potentially lethal! as mentioned give John hopewell a buzz I have got all my cages custom made by him:cool:.

Here is one of my cages. 9ft wide, 2.5ft deep, 6ft tall.

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The cage is separated into three levels so the first two levels have a 9ft long running area and the last level has been separated into two cages with 4.5ft due to fighting.
 
atpbx said:
DO NOT GET THEM WET AT ALL, their fur is very fine and very dense, if they get wet the water is trapped between the fur and the skin and they cannot dry out, nasty skin diseases and worms develop that to all intents and purposes eat your fury pal alive.
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Oh lol!

I thought that they turned into gremlins or something! :D:o
 
mattyfez said:
I was looking into getting one, but I read they are pretty much 100% nocternal, so not really a good pet unless you are a night owl.
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We're hamster keepers and have been for years so I'm used to the night time activity thing so it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment in that respect.
 
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