Thinking of getting a chinchilla...any advice appreciated!

TangledMemories_2

Hi All

This is probably going to sound really childish but I've wanted a chinchilla since I was a kid. My dad was going to buy me one once but when we went back with the cash, it had been sold.

However...PetsAtHome have 2 gorgeous dark grey ones for £60 and I've fallen in love with the chunkiest one!

How difficult are they to look after?
Do they cost alot for maintenance etc?

Thanks!

pboae

They need a good quality large cage (the small ones they sell in most pet shops are usually inadequate, they need lots of space to run and jump about). I have a 3 storey version of this http://www.chillaquip.freeuk.com/chillavilla.html but the 2 storey is OK as long as they get time out of it.

They need good quality pellets, the stuff they sell in pet shops is usually junk food (e.g. Charlie Chinchilla, which is full of all raisins and all sorts of things they shouldn't be eating regularly). I feed Duggins pellets.

They need things to chew and sand to bathe in.

They need fresh water everyday.

They need fresh good quality hay everyday.

They need a treat now and again (1 raisin, or a bit of nut perhaps).

They need to be let out of their cage for a good run every day (or as near as damn it). They will chew and poo everywhere while they are out. You need to chinchilla proof the room where they run, don't let them get to cables or wiring or chew anything that could hurt them. Don't leave them to run unattended.

They need company, preferably another chinchilla, but failing that lots of human attention. If you get 2 chinchillas then 2 males or a neutered male and a female are a safer bet than 2 females. (Females are more likely to fight). Having said that, if they don't come as a pair, you need to be careful about the introduction and take things very slowly. They can be very territorial.

They are prone to teeth problems (especially if not given enough interesting toys to chew on) and eye problems. Constipation can kill them, which is why a good diet is so important.

They can live 20 years or more, (my eldest is 16 years) so they are a major commitment.

Because they live so long there are always lots of chinchillas in rodent rescues. People buy them for kids that get bored of them after a couple of years, or young adults buy them without thinking through the implications. For example, are you likely to want to live in rented accomodation over the next couple of decades? Finding a landlord that will allow pets is always difficult, it's nearly impossible to find one that will allow pets that need to run and will chew skirtings and doors given half a chance.

Once you have their basic kit (the cage, etc) they are pretty cheap to keep, and fairly easy too, but they are a huge time commitment, both short term (needing their food at regular times, fresh water and food daily, and supervised running time daily) and long term (they need the above everyday for many years).

If all of the above hasn't put you of, please please consider a rescue chinchilla. Buying from pet shops just encourages them to stock more, and there are already far more chinchillas around than there are good homes for them.

I'm sure there will be a rodent rescue in Manchester, but I don't know where it is off hand

http://www.chinchillas4life.co.uk/ are not so far away in Bradford, and they are usually full to bursting.

http://pet-rescue.org.uk/ Are in the North East but they re-home all over the country and will arrange transport if they can.

kr15snw

Awww I used to love my chinchillas

Basically everything pboae said, def dont feed charlie chinchilla or junk like that.

I dont think you mentioned dust baths though which is somthing youll want to research. Very messy but very important!

For letting them out I would reccomend a hallway as mine used to love running up and down the stairs. It does involve you siting there for at least an hour a day just watching them. Which is normally entertaining though

flybynight

they are great pets, I was told dolly and wilf (I was not responsible for the naming) would never get on as they were 2 females (wilf was already named that by the preson "he" was rescued from). They had 2 halves of a cage (it was built into the wall so was in fact the end of my bedroom) about 12'x 5' x 2' and they insisetd on sitting on each side of the dividing wire on the middel shelf snuggled up against each other. so i started letting them out for playtime at the same time. apart from the odd arguement about who was sitting on which shoulder they got on like a house on fire. over about 3 or 4 weeks i eventually removed the cage divider so they could play together. I'm pretty sure wilf originally came from a pet shop, and had to have two minor ops to sort teeth out, and dolly had coat problems when i got her due to having had crap sand to bath in. I would be a bit dubious of buying the ones you see in pets at home as they nearly always have no bath in with them and they are very poorly socialised ( they will nip when little if not used to you). I'd suggest either getting in touch with a breeder, or looking at rescues ( i've had 4 and none of tehm have ever been bought...... they jsut sort of migrate towards me from people :rolleyes:. they are relatively cheap to keep.

TangledMemories_2

eeeeeeeek!
I think the barrage of information has just fried my brain!!

Shambler

Just to add to it then, they can be very noisy at night time!:D

fabwitch_2

I used to have chinchillas, they are beautiful creatures. As said above they can make great pets. Buy good quality pellets not charlie chinchilla food and hay. fresh water and sand for bathing. You have to be very careful in the hot weather as their fur is very thikand they over heat very quickly. You have to make sure they are kept cool as they can deteriate very quickly and die if they get too hot. Some chinchillas can become very friendly and enjoy be picked up although most will not. I loved my chinchillas but my last chinchila sadly died two years ago. All my chinchillas werevrescued chinchillas. As previous post said they can live up to 20 years if looked after propally.

pinkzebra

I was just wondering, with regards to going on holiday, do you have family/friends look after your chinchilla? Or are there places similar to catteries that will look after them?

flybynight

i tended to get a mate to move in with em for while i was away.

i can second the noise, although i never noticed it. apparantly they could be heard jumping and bouncing off the sides in other rooms.

cluuuuur

They're wonderful little creatures, but they need a lot of space to run around in properly, and they can be VERY noisy at night - when I used to live in shared accomodation my housemate had a couple. My room was upstairs from hers and I could always tell when they were having a run around!

I'd definitely look into rescue rather than buying from PAH. By going to a rescue you'll be able to get an idea of temperament, etc, as well as ensuring that you're giving a home to a critter who may not otherwise get one, and you could find one better socialised to humans in a rescue. You're also more likely to be guaranteed a bill of health - I know of people who've bought pet store animals to have to go to the vet almost straight away because of respiritory infections, etc.

emmy05

awwwww i wish you luck in finding one, i loved mine, he was so friendly and loved his cuddles, make sure they have alot of treats around the cage, they love them, and fresh fruit is a must too, xxx