Chinchilla Pet Care Guide: Caring for Chinchillas as Pets in 2020
While you may think of a fur coat when you hear the name chinchilla, they are actually one of the softest, cutest rodents that you can have as a pet. Now keep in mind that these little critters are going to require a spacious, clean cage that has lots of accessories for them to play with. If you can do that, you and your chinchilla will be perfectly happy together. But before you go out and purchase one, here is everything that you will need to know about having a chinchilla as a pet.
The chinchilla is a small rodent that originated in several different areas of South America, but is now only able to be found in the wild in the country of Chile. They are very curious, fun loving, and intelligent animals that will make a great pet for anybody who is going to be dedicated to them. With that being said, you should be aware that having a chinchilla as a pet is going to require extra special attention if you wish to maintain their happiness and health.
If you’re planning on bringing a chinchilla, or herd of chinchillas, to your home, your main consideration is going to want to be their habitat. This is the place that your new pet is going to be spending most of their free time and they are going to need some special considerations in order to keep them in good health and happy.
What You Should Know About Chinchillas
Prior to actually bringing home your new chinchilla, you should spend a few minutes researching all the different aspects in regards to caring for your new exotic pet. This will allow you to make sure that you will be able to satisfy all of their needs and requirements. These include:
- Medical requirements
- Common behavior
- Grooming requirements
- Recommended diet
- Requirements for their habitat
- Socialization needs
You are also going to want to find a veterinarian who is local and has some type of experience dealing with chinchillas just in case you require them for any type of reason. Once you have successfully learned about what requirements chinchillas come with, as well as found a veterinarian who has experience in dealing with them, you are now ready to start preparing the perfect habitat for them.
Size of the Habitat for Pet Chinchillas
When you are figuring out how large their cage should be, keep in mind that chinchillas love to jump around and play. This means that they are going to require a decent amount of space in order to do this.
When you are buying or building their cage, you are going to want it to be a minimum of 30 inches in length, 18 inches deep, and 30 inches tall. Now keep in mind that these are the bare minimum when it comes to their cage size requirements, keep in mind that the bigger it is, the better. In fact some chinchilla owners have cages that go as tall as 4 feet high.
Another option is to build them a pen as opposed to a cage. You can create a permanent play area for them by simply fencing off an extra closet or section of a room by using a tall dog pen or something similar. This is because chinchillas are great at leaping, so you would need your open pen to have walls that were at least 6 feet tall, or even all the way to the ceiling in order to keep them inside.
Required Materials for Your Chinchilla Pet
Chinchillas are notorious for chewing, so it would be best to use a cage that is made out of wire and not plastic. You are also going to want to make sure that the mesh the cage is made out of has no openings that are no larger than 1”x2”, as any bigger than this and your chinchilla will be able to escape from the cage.
If there is a ramp on the inside of the cage that was included when you bought it, be sure that you remove it. This is because ramps are the leading cause of broken legs when it comes to chinchillas. Wire levels and wire floors are the second leading cause. Instead of a ramp, you can install wooden shelves that will create ledges for them to jump to different levels. Since wood is solid, it will be much easier on the chinchilla’s feet and legs. Just be sure that if you do use wood to create ledges, that you stagger them on adjacent or opposite sides of their enclosure in about 12-inch intervals.
On the bottom of their cage, you should have a solid metal sliding tray that will help make cleaning up after them much easier. Keep in mind that you are never going to want to use mesh on the cage bottom, as your chinchilla can easily get their leg or feet stuck, which can lead to them breaking.
Be sure to include a pan of about 4 to 6 inches that is packed full of litter if you are able too. But don’t worry if you are unable to do this as you can always cover the bottom of the cage with a minimum of 2 inches with litter. As for the litter you do use, you want to make sure that it is safe litter. Using non-kiln dried pin or cedar litter can potentially cause your chinchilla to have liver or respiratory problems.
Placing The Chinchilla Habitat
The one thing that you don’t want to do when you are choosing a place for your chinchilla’s cage is to place it on the floor. If you do, they can catch a draft, which will not be good for their health.
Also, keep in mind that chinchillas are also extremely intimidated by height. For this reason, you are going to want to place your chinchilla habitat on a sturdy table or stand so that it will be at eye level with you. If you do this, it will be far less scary for your new pet.
Chinchilla’s have a very specific temperature that they prefer to be in. So whichever room you decide to place your chinchilla, be sure that the temperature in that room does not go past 79 degrees. In fact, if you can, you should try and maintain a temperature of between the mid-60s and mid-70s to create the optimal environment for them. On top of that, chinchillas also don’t do well with any type of humidity either, so having them in a dry, cool location would be the best for them.
No matter where you end up putting your chinchilla, be sure that you have a humidistat and thermostat in the same room and are checking them on a frequent basis for any kind of temperature fluctuations. If the room gets to be too hot or humid, it can cause your chinchilla to have a heatstroke, but if you have the temperature and humidity too low, it can cause other health issues and even dry out their fur.
Cleaning Your Pet Chinchilla Habitat
When it comes to cleaning your chinchilla’s habitat, you should make it routine to clean once per week. For this, you are going to remove the sliding tray at the bottom of the cage, as well as any water bottles, bowls, and even metal toys. Once you have done this, you are going to need to clean them all with a cleaning solution that is safe, some of which can include a vinegar and water mix, or bleach and water mix. What you are not going to do is use dish soaps to try and clean anything. They will leave a residue that will be able to potentially cause health problems and make your chinchilla sick.
Remove all of the old litter and replace it with some fresh new litter. If you have wooden shelves, be sure to check them to make sure that they in good condition and not strained or damaged in any way. If they are you will need to replace them to avoid any potential injuries. Another thing to look out for is whether or not they have chewed the shelves close to any of the metal screws holding the wood in. If they have, you will need to discard and replace the shelve. If you don’t, there is the potential for them to chip a tooth on the metal screws. But if you used plastic shelving that you got from a pet store or online, you can simply take it out of the cage and wash it with the same solution that you washed the rest of the cage with.
Every few months, you are going to want to take the whole cage outside and give it a good washing from the top to the bottom, the inside and outside, with a good solution comprised of water and bleach. After it has been completely cleaned, simply allow it some time to air dry and it will be fresh as new again.
Chinchilla Accessories
Your chinchilla is going to require many different accessories to keep them happy. Some of these accessories include:
- Litter box with up to 6 inches of litter
- Heavy, tip resistant bowls for food and a glass water bottle
- Nesting box that has ventilation
- Some chew blocks made of untreated wood
- Dust bath bowl
- Toys such as a non-mesh wheel or cardboard rolls from paper towels and toilet paper
While there are many different accessories available for your chinchilla, it is best to do a little research before buying the first thing you see with a chinchilla on it. This way you can be sure that your chinchilla will love their new accessories.
Socializing Your Chinchilla
When it comes to your chinchilla, they love dealing with people. They enjoy being cuddled with and handled, as well as they have been well socialized. This means that you are going to need to start handling them at a young age.
If you wait until your chinchilla is an adult to try and start handling it, they will have not been trained, making this task much harder for you to succeed in. In fact, studies have shown that an adult chinchilla may never be completely comfortable being handled.
So when your chinchilla is younger, be sure to take a little bit of time every day to handle and cuddle with them. In fact, you can even start small. You can do this by starting out sitting next to their cage and simply talking with them. Slowly start to offer them some treats such as smaller sized pieces of carrots, first by placing them on the floor and eventually moving to your hand.
As they get more comfortable with you, they will allow you to pick them up and touch them. When you do this, however, be sure that you are not squeezing them too hard. Chinchillas have very fragile rib cages and when you squeeze them too hard you may cause an injury.
Nutrition and Feeding for Chinchillas
Your chinchilla is going to need clean water all the time. Preferably you will have some type of glass bottle that is mounted to the outside of their cage. You are going to need to check this water multiple times per day to make sure that it is fresh and that they have not drunk it all. On top of that, your chinchilla will need:
- High-quality hay
- A couple of tablespoons of chinchilla pellets that are grass-based
- Small amounts of root vegetables and other dried fruits
- Avoid any types of nuts, as they are higher in fats
Owning a chinchilla can be one of the most rewarding things that you will ever do. They are fun, friendly, and will give you just as much love as you give them. While they are a little bit of work when compared to some of the other possible pet options available to you, if you give them a chance, you will absolutely love your chinchilla.
