Tips/advice on how to care for a chinchilla?

Question

A guy I work with is moving to an apartment where he can't have pets so he is giving me his chinchilla. I've never had one before so I will appreciate and tips, advice, & info you guys can give me.

Does it have to be a water bowl, or can it use one of those water bottles with the little balls in the thing at the bottom?

Answer 1

I've answered this question a few times, so I'm just going to copy & paste my answer from a previous question. But first, to answer your question about the water - yes they can have water bottles, that's what mine use. A water bottle is better with all the jumping around they do - just make sure the water bottle works! Ok, now the other stuff:

Here's a break-down of their care routine by daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly:

-Daily: Fresh food, fresh water, fresh hay, at least one hour of outside-cage time (more if possible), and every other day (or about 3 times a week) I give them their dust bath (some people keep a dust bath in their chin's cage 24/7, but I believe that's too much and that much dust flying around in their cage could lead to health problems, 3 times a week for about 20 minutes is plenty). Fresh food should be given in the evening only, but they should have access to the food all day and night. And hay (make sure it's hay NOT straw) should be filled as often as needed - they should always have hay available. Oh, and I also scoop as much of the pee-soaked bedding out of their cage every day and wipe off their shelves.

-Weekly: Food and water dishes/bottles cleaned out real good with hot water and soap (just make sure you rinse away all the soap!) and cage gets cleaned really good - empty all the bedding and wash the pan with soap and hot water, wipe down shelves and sleep box with a damp paper towel, and fill sleep box and pan with all fresh bedding. (I use Kaytee Aspen bedding.)

-Monthly: Nothing comes to mind that's done only on a monthly basis.

-Yearly: I take them to the vets for a check-up. They don't require shots, some people don't even take them to the vets, but I think a yearly check-up is good to make sure they're healthy.

They're really not that hard to care for. The only bad thing about them - they chew on EVERYTHING! Mine have recently started chewing on the baseboard in the their room. I recommend a pet play pen (either closed up or just use as a long gate to block them from certain areas/things). And you'll want the tallest one available - they're really good jumpers! The one I have is 29" high and Jasper has jumped over it a few times, but it's still better than nothing.

Other info:

-Treats they like: They love papaya, raisins, and sunflower seeds. They like other things, too, but those seem to be favorites with mine. You should give them about 3 raisins every day (helps them poop), but go easy on the rest of the treats, they can become little junk food junkies if you let them. You should also provide them with lots of chew toys/treats.

-Foods I give mine (in other words, foods I consider to be good for chinchillas, but there are other brands available): Mazuri, Oxbow, and Sunseed Sunaturals Natural Chinchilla food. It's best to give them a variety in case one goes off the market or is sold out (plus I just like to give them a variety).

-Cage: Since you're getting the chin from someone, it probably already has a cage, but here's some cage info anyway: The bigger the better! Tall cages with lots of ledges are best, they need their climbing and jumping space. Stay away from plastic cages (this includes ones with plastic-coated bars)! They will chew on it and the plastic will eventually kill them (I don't know how much they have to eat or how long it takes, but it's not good for them at all). I don't care what anyone else says, no matter how many chew things they have in their cage, they will still chew on their cage. Here are some nice cages: http://www.chinchillas.com/estore/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=42
The only thing I don't like about those cages is the platforms are wire bottoms (their little toes could get stuck in them), so I would recommend some type of mat to put down, like the one found here: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=17293&N=2007+114127
The cage should also have a sleeping box (covered on all sides, except for one small opening) for them to sleep in.

Miscellaneous stuff: Chins are nocturnal. Some people say that their schedule can be adjusted to yours (so they'll sleep at night and be up during the day), but I think that's too stressful for them. Just let them stick to their natural schedule. Outside-cage time can be early morning (I'd shoot for no later than 7:00am) and/or in the evening, I'd say no earlier than 5:00pm. It's best if they have their own room - or at least a room or somewhere that's not active during the day (so they can rest) and a room that someone isn't sleeping in at night (so YOU can rest! - they can get noisy). And I usually cover their cage with a towel during the day to keep their cage a little darker. Oh, and temperature should be no higher than 80 degrees F. Any higher than that and they could suffer from heat stroke.

I think that's pretty much it. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. Hope this helped! :)

Answer 2

Ask its owener before you take it in. If you've never had one, I'd get a book on caring for them, but general tips include:

A secure cage with plenty of clean bedding. Needs to be fairly big, about the size of a rabbit hutch. Don't cram the poor thing into a hamster cage.

Some kind of little "house" inside the cage for it to go into.

Plenty of food and fresh water. Use a water bottle that hangs on the cage; it might tip over a water bowl and then be thirsty all day.

No extremes of hot or cold (if you're uncomfortable, it will be too).

If you have a cat or dog, put the chinchilla somewhere away from them. Both might attack it.

If you have it out of the cage, watch it. It might chew on phone cords, etc. and will also hide udner the sofa if it has a chance.

Many big pet stores (like PetCo or PetSmart) have free pamphlets on how to care for different animals.

Finally, there are lots of web sites with general tips. Just type chinchilla care into a search engine.

Answer 3

cage: minimum of 2'x2'x3' with a solid bottom and no plastic. should have places to jump and hide, as well as a place to put the food and a water bottle.

diet: fresh timothy or alphalfa hay each day, as well as clean water in the bottle. you can also give them seeds or pellets for some variety. use sunflowwer seeds or rasins as treats, but don't give them too many or they can have digestive issues.

play: they're noctournal, but will play with you during the day. let them run around in a closed space like a bedroom or bathroom, make sure they can't get stuck anywhere or chew on wires. you can also buy cat and bird toys like plactic balls and ledges/perches for them to keep them entertained

other: clean the cage about once a week. your chinchilla will need a dust bath every 2-3 days. some chinchillas don't like to be held very much, but they will jump on you and let you stroke their tummys or head if you gain their trust. do NOT let your chinchilla overheat or get wet - keep them cool and dry.

if you have any other specific questions, message me.

Answer 4

Fave chinchilla websites:

http://members.aol.com/sirchin/chininfo.htm

http://members.aol.com/sirchin/chininfo.htm

Answer 5

im getting two baby chinnys from a breeder and they not even awk old yet put aparently they can be weaned from there mum at 8wks but they cant leave her till they twelve weeks. boo