do you own this pet???? =)?

Question

do you own a chinchilla? Im thinking about buying one at the local petstore when i have the money for the pet, cages, foodd,ect.
i was wondering if they are:
1.hard to care for
2.is it similiar to take care of like a guinea pig or hamster?
3.how big should the cage be just for one animal?
4.should i buy a chinchilla from brand name petstore liek petsmart/petco, or should i buy from a local breeder (at petsmart thay are selling a male for 150 dollars, is that alot of money for these animals?)?
5.what are some signs (health wise) too look for when buying a chinchilla?
6.and this is a random question but do you think that if im allergic to guinea pigs wil i be allergic to a chinchilla? lol

thanks in advance.
any other important advice would be great too!

also if you have a chinchilla please tell me how you like him/her and their temperment (if they bite, or are aggressive or not) or any other things you liek about your pet =)

Answer 1

Yes I have one and he's about 4 1/2 years old I got him when he was a baby. They are sweet they are not aggresive or biters (they may nip you b/c they think you are going to give them something). They are not the type of animal you will be able to hold, they don't like that. We let ours run around a closed room for exercise. They chew on stuff alot too. We give ours a box from soda or towelette paper roller to play with. We give him a dust bath (which you can buy at a pet store) 2-3 times a week.

1. No they are not hard to care for you just have to clean their cages out once every couple of weeks
2. I had a hamster before and Gizmo (that's my chinchilla's name)is much sweeter, like I said before they don't bite and my hampster bit me ALL the time
3. You should probably get a ferret cage I got mine from www.jefferspets.com. Something that they can run around in they have alot of energy and are nocturnal.
4. I don't really think that it matters who you buy them from most pet stores get theirs from a local breeder
5. Just make sure they don't look sickly and out of it (you know how you feel when you are sick)
6. I don't know about this one although the fur on the two are totally different so if it's the fur your allergic to then no

After I got Gizmo he started getting seizures and found out that it was a mineral and vitamen deficiency sso I had to buy mineral drops (the type for birds or ferrets) to put in his water. Don't let that scare you it's not that bad. Also don't use cider chips it bad for them and can give them respitory (sorry spelling) problems. I use the Feline Pine cat litter chip and it works great.

You can also go here for any additional info :)!!!
http://www.critterhut.com/care_sheets/Chinchilla_info.htm
Good Luck

Answer 2

Hi! I have a friend who has a chin. (Martha Stewart also loves her "CHINS") Here are some of the things she's told me: They are nocturnal & will keep you up at night if they are kept close to where you sleep. You DON'T bathe them. They take dry baths in certain material you supply for them. I don't think they are agressive or bite but so seriously nocturnal that they're not very interested in the time of day that you want to play/cuddle. That's 3rd hand information (I've never had a chin but always was interested). They are SO SOFT amazing. No wonder they have been so popular for EXPENSIVE fur products (bad, selfish people!).