Pets

(Sorry Australian readers, the Chinchilla is not allowed here)
Scientific Name: Chinchilla lanigera

Life Span: Usually about 15 years, but 18-22 years is not uncommon.

Size: Body length about 25 -35cms; tail is another 12 cms or so.

Temperament: With gentle handling from a young age most chinchillas will become quite tame and bond closely with their owners, although sometimes they do not like to be held or cuddled, this is part of their nature as a prey animal, the fear not being able to escape a predator. They are very active and playful. They can be kept singly, and usually will do fine as same sex pairs especially if they are littermates or introduced at a young age.

Habits: Chinchillas are nocturnal so will be most active in the evening and night. They should be kept in a fairly quiet area during the day. They prefer a consistent routine for handling a feeding times and may be stressed out by changes to their routine. They are very active and playful and need a roomy cage for exercise as well as daily playtime.

Cage Setup
Do not put the cage in a draft or near a window that has the sun blazing out on it. Chinchillas tend to be nervous animals, so don't place the cage beside your pet rottweiler's kennel. Make sure that your chinchilla gets some light, not direct sunlight, but do not keep him a dark cellar.

The cage should have the hay rack, food dish, bedding and littler pan set up. It is better to have the hay rack outside if possible and the water bottle should be outside.

DAILY- Put the pellets in the food dish according to the directions given by the manufacturers. Remember that young chinchillas will overeat and make themselves sick, so don't overfeed the pellets. Give fresh Timothy Hay or one of the other hays that I mentioned daily. Clean out the old or it may get soiled and harbor bacteria. Clean out the water bottle daily and give fresh water. Clean up the soiled bedding and litter and replace with fresh. Remember, even if your chinchilla is litter pan trained, she will only urinate in it, she will defecate anywhere she can. Also give some fresh veggies sparingly about three times a week daily if your chinchilla will take some. Do not force the chinchilla to eat veggies.

When your chinchilla has gotten used to you, take your chinchilla and put him in a chinchilla-proofed room for exercise. chinchilla-proofed means that there are no electrical wires or outlets that your chinchilla can get into. Do not leave the room even if you think that it is chinchilla-proofed. Your chinchilla can still chew on treated wood, the walls, the woodwork etc. A chinchilla is like a tiny baby. It must always be watched. Your chinchilla should have at least a half hour of out time daily or an hour four times a week. I always let my chinchillas take their dust baths when they are out. If you leave the dust bath in the chinchilla's cage all of the time, then the chinchilla will make a mess, defecate in it and dry out her coat due to too much bathing. A couple of minutes daily is enough for bathing or five minutes four times a week.

WEEKLY-Take all bedding out and clean the cage entirely with vinegar or steam clean. Make sure the chinchilla is out of the cage. All toys should be cleaned as well as the wheel and anything else that the chinchilla uses. Make sure that your cage is dry before returning the chinchilla. If a chinchilla gets wet, he or she can become very ill. Your chinchilla bath should also be cleaned and the chinchilla dust should be replaced. Everything else should be dry before placing it back into the chinchilla's cage. Brush and or comb your chinchilla's coat. Make sure that your chinchilla has fresh uncoloured untreated wood to chew. Give the water bottle an extra good rinsing to prevent bacteria growing inside.

Taming and Holding
Chinchillas are a prey animal and it knows that it will make tasty morsel for many other animals. Therefore, you can expect it to be nervous, jumpy and maybe even terrified of you. Even if the chinchilla came from a breeder, it does not mean that the chinchilla will jump into your arms and you will live happily ever after. Some chinchillas will never let you snuggle and hold them for long. That is just a fact and you must accept that. Most of the time, you can get a chinchilla to jump on your arm when you come to take it out of your cage and to come when you call his name. That does not always happen either.

Whatever the chinchilla's personality is like, we must never chase, him handle him roughly, hit him, or raise your voice to him. If you do you may lose his respect and confidence forever. When you first take your chinchilla home, put her in the cage and let her be by herself for a few days with you only doing the basic daily chores. For the next five days or so, sit for a while each day and just softly talk to your chinchilla. Continue to do your daily chores. Then, for the next week, just put your hands near and then in the cage while talking softly to the chinchilla. When you think that you have gained his confidence then see if the chinchilla will jump onto your arm to be taken out. If not, then keep trying until she does.

Never pick up a chinchilla by the tail. Experts may do it, but it is not a good idea because you may damage the tail. Don't hold on to the chinchilla too hard because she will slip or lose some hair to get away from you. Do not pick up a chinchilla by the ears or you can cause severe damage. When you get used to your chinchilla and she to you, you may look into a chinchilla's mouth to see the colour. A chinchilla should have yellow teeth. Baby chinchillas may take a time to develop this. If a chinchilla does not have yellow teeth, then consult an exotics? veterinarian for help. Also make sure that the ears smell okay. If not, also consult a vet. There might be an infection.

The correct way to hold a chinchilla is to put one hand behind it, put your hands under the feet so that you can hold the entire chinchilla and lift it up. Be very careful about squeezing a chinchilla because you can break the bones. A chinchilla is a very delicate animal when it comes to holding and that's why children are not to do it without adult supervision. C chinchillas do not usually bite hard, but if you accidentally hurt it, a chinchilla can give one very good painful bite. Never grab a chinchilla's neck or head.

A Chinchilla is very social and needs to interact with you every day but will be scared when you first bring him home. The first day leave him alone to get used to his new home. On the second day talk to him softly and place your arm inside the cage. Don't try to hold your new pet or take him out until he has begun to trust you. Use treats to get him to come to your hand. It may take a few days but with patience your chinchilla will soon be meeting you at the cage door. Once he has learned to trust you its OK to take him out to play. Remember your chinchilla will chew on anything so keep him away from electrical wires, plastics, and your favourite furniture. If you play with your chinchilla in the bathroom be sure to close the toilet. He can easily jump that high and many chinchillas have gotten a surprise swim that way!

Health
They are generally very sturdy animals, but they will occasionally get sick. Your local vet may not have any experience with them, so seek if your chinchilla does fall ill, you are best to seek out a vet that specialises in exotic pets. If this is not possible, any vet is better than not bet Some signs of illness are: diarrhoea, soft stools constipation, seizures, weakness, lack of eating or different eating habits, difference in the chinchilla's personality, leaning the head to one side or any difference or possible sign of illness. Please take your chinchilla to a vet. Do not try to treat the chinchilla yourself. If no vets are open, then take it to an emergency clinic, whether or not they specialize in chinchillas. All vets know basic animal care.