I am not home during the day from about 7 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. I have plenty of time to play with it during the evening/night. I also have 2 fish and 4 (tiny) birds. Money shouldn't be a problem. Any other information would be great! Thanks!
2007-02-08 07:55:01 · 9 answers · asked by Lisa 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I am gone from 8-6:30, and I own a chinchilla and he's very happy. He usually doesn't want to play until sundown anyway.
What's most important to know in advance is they need lots of room to run, and they can be destructive. Mine has chewed some holes in the wall and ruined a windowsill when I wasn't looking. He has a bedroom to run around in, but we also used a bathroom for a few years too.
Chins can be fine alone, but after having had mine for 5 years, I wish I'd bought two chinchillas so they could keep eachother company. They need large cages, hamster cages won't work. I got mine from martinscages.com.
Also, chins can easily live to be 10 years old, even as long as 20, keep that in mind too! please check out chins-n-quills.com if you have more questions, it's a great chinchilla forum, the best on the net.
2007-02-08 09:50:20 · answer #1 · answered by Mary 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like a chinchilla would be a good fit for you. They are nocturnal, so they sleep during the day anyway. You're not being there will give them ample time to get good sleep, which keeps them from being crabby (and sometimes nippy) when the evening comes. Having other pets besides the chin should not be a problem at all, as long as you don't try to get your chin and birds to play together (not sure how that would work . . .) I own two chins, and well as a hamster, mice, fish, frogs, and a gecko, and I've never had any problem with them all being in the same room of the house together, as long as they have their own cages.
Chinchillas need fairly large cages (generally 3x3x3 at least) to roam around in, as well as free time spent out of the cage. This is always a fun time because they hop all over the place, and they're very fast! But it is in their nature to chew things, which includes things that should not be chewed such as wires, plants, woodworking, etc. Bathrooms are generally a good roam room because they don't tend to have the kind of hazards lying at chinchilla level like a TV room would. Just remember to keep the toilet lid down :) Also, because they are chewers they will require many wooden chews which you can get at any pet store (these are the same wood chews they sell for hamsters, rabbits, mice, etc.)
Another important aspect of chin care is the dust bath, which they take a few times a week. A pet store will sell a specialized bath house for a chin, or you can use a shallow pan, as well as bathdust. They basically flop around in the dust and it takes the oils out of their coat and makes them extremely soft. This little trick is also a great way to catch a chin that has escaped his cage. As soon as the dust is in sight, they'll come running. It's a very funny and cute thing to watch.
All in all, they are great pets, but they may not be a good pet for people who have small children (they can be fragile, especially if dropped) or who do not have the time to devote to giving their chin daily attention. Go to the library and do some research on care before you invest in one of the little guys. Know what you're getting into. And call around to local vets and make sure one of them is qualified to treat a chin if anything happens.
Good luck.
2007-02-14 05:30:05 · answer #2 · answered by hmx_mail 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Get one that is very tiny, so that it will get use to you, they are a nervous animal if they are scared or stressed out they can lose their fur, if you get a small enough one you should be able to comb it out regularly so the fur does not mat. They need to be kept warm, if they get to cold the ears and tail can fall off. If it dies, and you've taken good care of if you could skin it and sell the pelt for anywhere from $10.00 to $200.00 if the pelt isn't missing alot of fur. There are alot of colors to choose from, the Taupe and browns are good, the most popular are the black,silver, and white tri colored.
2007-02-15 07:45:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ther will be no playing with the chinchilla they only have one thing they like to do besides eat sleep and hide, jump in their dust bowl sounds like you need to investigate owning a ferret
2007-02-08 13:28:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Instead of a chinchilla buy a carefree hamster
hamster dont need much attention - but chinchillas sure do.
2007-02-08 08:18:36 · answer #5 · answered by MissNOYB! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is someone else at home while you aren't? If so you should be able to have one. My cousin had one for a couple years and he had to keep him in a whole room just for him so think about making a room for yours to stay in.
2007-02-08 08:04:52 · answer #6 · answered by tjsams13 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nope, i don't think so because there're used to the wild.
2007-02-08 08:02:45 · answer #7 · answered by agent_starfire 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
THEY ARE GREAT! GET ONE
2007-02-14 10:12:51 · answer #8 · answered by Beth 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
sure.
2007-02-14 12:30:25 · answer #9 · answered by dalisay29 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋