any tips on caring 4 a chinchilla?

Question

I have a chinchilla, and he doesnt seem to sleep much he is just a baby, about 9 months. is this bad?

he is awake during the day not night. i know they are nocturnal

Answer 1

I would consider 9 months old to be an adult chinchilla. Chinchillas are very active rodents. Remember that they are prey animals so they can hear you coming. Those large ears pick up just about every noise!
Some tips for you:
Feed your chinchilla a high quality diet (Tradition, Mazuri, Oxbow, APD, Kline) This eliminates the majority of foods that you can buy at the petstore. Some stores will carry Oxbow chin pellets and Petsmart will carry small bags of Mazuri. They don't really need treats and a lot of chin foods on the market are full of treats, nuts, seeds- your chin is going to eat this and not the pellet. Good, healthy treat alternatives are: a few cheerios, a unfrosted shredded mini wheat, rosehips, oats( not instant).
Feed your chinchilla a high quality grass hay like Oxbow, APD, Kleenmama's (www.kmshayloft.com). You can also feed brome, orchard and bluegrass. I also offer hay cubes a few times a week in addition to the loose hay.
Always make sure your chin has fresh water and appropriate wood chews. Untreated pine is the most cost effective. I go to my lumber store and buy scrap untreated pine for cheap. I also purchase toy parts from www.petproductsbynature.com A very great online site that sells safe wood products.

Make sure your chin is getting at minimum one 10-15 minute dust bath. Bump these up when it is more humid. Do not leave the bath in the cage. Of all the dust available at petstores, Sunseed is the probably the best quality. Avoid anything with an added scent. Chinchillas don't smell. Dust baths keep their fur looking good and will absorb the oils from our hands when we handle them.
Kiln dried pine or aspen shavings are the way to go for the most cost effective bedding. NO CEDAR! The cage should be cleaned once weekly. The cage can be cleaned with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water.
Chin cages need to be out of direct sunlight and drafts. I keep my room between 60-63F. They can overheat and will succomb to heatstroke quickly if they are in very warm temperatures
Chins enjoy out of cage time. A bathroom (with the toilet seat DOWN) is a good place. Remember that chins are rodents so they will chew everything that they pass. Don't chase the chin when you are ready to put him away. My loose chins cannot resist a fresh dust bath!

As always, find a vet that has chinchilla experience! You want to have one on hand before you actually need one

Answer 2

Go to www.cachins.org. It's the best chinchilla help site ever. Best bet is to make it a little house and put some warm hay in there to keep it warm.

Answer 3

have you got some chinchills sand in his home, they must have it or else they get ill if they cant dust bath. they will shred their fur when they are grabbed. Handle him as much as possible. give him some toys to chew. try a small box for him to feel safe and secure he may sleep more.

Answer 4

No.
Babies are dfferent in that they have different energy levels than the adults do.
Eventually, he will become more nocturnal, so enjoy him now.

Answer 5

they usually are up at nite, the most interesting thing about these guys are that they take dirt baths or sand baths they don't like to get wet, and their teeth continue to grow so they need alot to chew on.

Answer 6

chinchillas are sepose to be nocternal... sometimes they adjust to your schdule though... i don't think is anything bad...

Answer 7

keep him warm dont play alot with him he needs alot of sleep.