Where would someone go to get a chinchilla and about how much do they run? And how do you care for them?

Question

My daughter keeps seeing chinchillas on Diego and Dora the Explorer. My husband says that you can get one as a pet, but where would you get one of these things? How much are they and how hard to take care of are they?

Answer 1

YES they can be quite HARD to care for. Actually in my opinion, they are the HARDEST rodent to care for.

You can get them from a breeder (they are usually more healthy and cheaper than petstore/pet supply store ones) or an animal shelter

From a breeder they range from white to black and range from about $50 to $200

From pet supply stores (such as Petco) and petstores, they range from $100 - $500 and usually these stores only carry gray or animals that were not healthy enough to breed.

The cages can be quite expensive. The plastic ones are about $75 but BEWARE....rodents chew so they will eventually eat the cage. I have one and am working on an all metal one.

All metal ones range from $60 to $300. These are the best of the best and I advise getting one of these. I am currently looking at these

http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/chinchilla/

They are VERY well designed. By the way...be sure to get ceramic dishes.

As far as supplies....

Dust bath. Chinchillas can't get wet so this is needed

Good food. This cannot be purchased anywhere but a feed store. I feed Mazuri. Also provide fresh fruits and veggies but not too much. Also they need timothy hay. The best hay is from the feed store.

Wheel. You MUST get a non plastic one (otherwise (s)he will eat it) or one with spaces as their feet can get caught. I recommend the Flying Saucer that ranges at about $70. These are the safest and chinchillas can get the most out of them.

Litter. Chinchillas poo wherever they please but can be litter box trained. With an all metal wire cage...you won't have to worry about a chinchilla sleeping in its poo since it will fall through the holes.

Chew toys...and lots of them. All rodents need to wear down their teeth so chews must be provided. A T-Rex chube is really fun. My chillas love them.


CARE.

These animals are very heat sensitive and shouldn't be kept in a room that will get above 80*F. They are quick to have a heat stroke. Also they are nocturnal and if you don't give them enough toys, they will go crazy and bang on their cage all night. I also noticed with the plastic cage...when they chew on their chew toys it is extremely loud for whatever reason lol.

If your daughter makes one wrong move with hers, the chilla may reject her forever as they remember people by smells and never forget. They hate to be held (shame because they have REALLY soft fur) and may bite if held. Also for defence...their fur might come out if held the wrong way....and if stressed, they will rip out their fur.

In other words you REALLY shouldn't get your daughter one just because she saw it on a cartoon. Many end up in shelters because of this. Most animals end up in shelters because their parents got it for their kid who saw it on tv and wanted one (why some animal shelters don't adopt out if you say its for a birthday present or christmas). Seriously think about this. Are you willing to take care of it if your daughter doesn't want it after a while? Are you willing to look for a vet that cares for exotic pets? Its not easy. Also they can live for up to 15 years.

If you still want to get her one, read books. Check out web pages such as

www.lonestarchinchilla.com

This is a really good site and I go here all the time.


A better rodent would be a rat or guinea pig. These tolerate more (except guinea pigs who will scream if not played with in a few days) and are cheaper. Also they can be taken to any animal shelter since their care is more well known than an animal shelter.

Answer 2

You can usually buy chinchillas at the big chain pet stores (Petco, PetSmart, etc.). However, I encourage you to instead consider adopting a chinchilla from your local animal shelter or from a chinchilla rescue organization. (I've put a link to a list of chinchilla rescue organizations throughout the U.S. below.) When you adopt from a rescue organization, you will get much more information about caring for your chinchilla and you'll have a resource to go to if you encounter problems with your chinchilla. (When you buy a chinchilla from a pet store, they'll try to load you up with products that may or may not be appropriate for your chin, and then send you on your way, but they won't likely have any good information about chinchilla care to give you.)

In terms of cost, when I've seen them at pet stores, they usually seem to be about $30 to $40. Typically, at animal shelters, the adoption fee for small animals can run anywhere from $10 to $40. Same with rescue organizations. California Chins, the rescue organization in the SF Bay Area, where I am, actually does not charge an adoption fee, but does have a suggested adoption donation of $50. Rescue organizations may be pricier than pet stores, but they will often send you home with starter stuff for your chin, including food, toys, etc. And again, rescue organizations will still be there to help you after you adopt. So, once you get your chin home and then start realizing that you don't understand some of its behavior, the rescue people will be happy to take an e-mail or phone call from you to help you because they want to see you happy with your chin and want to see the chin in a good home getting good care.

I could write you a whole book on how to take care of chinchillas, but rather than do that, I'll just put some links to chinchilla websites below. After visiting a few, you will come to understand that while chinchillas can be very sweet, rewarding pets to have, they are a lot of work. Given that your daughter is watching Diego and Dora the Explorer, I'm guessing she's still pretty young. A chinchilla is definitely not a pet that you can just get for a young child and expect the child to take care of it herself. You and your husband definitely need to be on board with getting the chinchilla and be willing to take care of it together as a family pet.

Answer 3

Chinchillas come to you, you don't grab them, and that might be hard for a little girl to comprehend. They are sweet little pets once tame and oh, soooo soft! But very easily stressed!! Grabbing hands, loud noises, etc make for a short life.
I would do some research and find the highest quality chin feed, locate a large roomy ferret cage (plastic would be easier to clean than a wooden hutch) and they can be expensive, they chew on wood and alfalfa hay, need a dust bath, they need an occasional raisin, and some ferret furniture would be great-especially for a place to hide!
See what's available in your area, chain stores will have your basics, if you can find a speciality mom-n-pop store, so much the better! They run from $149 to $189 around here in Texas.
I'm sure you'll find a wealth of info on google and cage suppliers too!

Answer 4

They are waaay too hard for a small child to take care of. Plus usually you have to buy 2

Answer 5

I love Chincillas. They're delicious.