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

CiciBaltimore

a lot of people dont know they are nocturnal and get disappointed when they are asleep all the day. they will sleep all day, or at least you should let them. you shouldnt have two males together who are not brothers because of fighting. big problem for chinchillas is people who get cages that are too small. as a natural jumper they like to jump 5feet or more from one place to another so need enough room to do this in comfort.
they dont get overheat until more than 80degrees so freezing blocks are not needed if you have cool room.

Rachel83

CiciBaltimore wrote: »

they dont get overheat until more than 80degrees so freezing blocks are not needed if you have cool room.

Admittedly I know nothing of chinchillas I was just browsing in curiosity but the quote above bamboozles me... Why would they get above 80 degrees and what have freezing blocks and cold rooms got to do with anything.... Just wondering do they need to be kept hot or something?

There again I guess they wouldn't need to be kept hot if they needed freezing blocks and cold rooms.... hummm does that mean they like cold?

pboae

I'm sorry to hear that dontone :-(

My chinchillas show signs of discomfort at about 25C, I give them freezing blocks if it reaches 23C to ensure they don't reach that stage. In the summer it can easily get higher than that indoors, and that's in an North facing room in an old stone built house with flagstone floor. In a modern well insulated house I should think it could easily reach 30C indoors in summer.

Aggressiveness and territorial behaviour varies massively between individuals, but as a generalisation females are usually more territorial than males. Males will usually only fight over breeding rights, and mutiple males can generally live together without females, as long as they are introduced correctly. Females can turn on one another over just about anything, and a female is likely to attack a male if it is put in her cage without being introduced first. Mixed bonded groups are also possible, but potentially more problematic.

Regardless of sex, once they are bonded, as a pair or a group, serious fighting is rare, but if a chinchilla is badly injured by another, they need to be seperated thereafter. There is a high risk that further injuries will follow.

pboae

Rachel83 wrote: »

Admittedly I know nothing of chinchillas I was just browsing in curiosity but the quote above bamboozles me... Why would they get above 80 degrees and what have freezing blocks and cold rooms got to do with anything.... Just wondering do they need to be kept hot or something?

There again I guess they wouldn't need to be kept hot if they needed freezing blocks and cold rooms.... hummm does that mean they like cold?

I presume by their username that CiCi is American, so they will be talking about 80F, which is about 26.5C

Chinchillas need to be kept cool, overheating can kill them.

clairemck12

Hi i have a bit of an update on my two chinnies, I started this thread in November when I got what I thought were two male chins. Turned out one was actually a female! The breeder had sexed her wrong and we didn't think to check before taking her home, after a couple of days we started to see some differences:rolleyes: so had her sexed properly at the vet and they confirmed that she is female. We had the option of returning her to the breeder but she was already settling really well and part of the family so we decided to keep her and get our male neutered so he'll have his vet visit soon, sometime this month as I think he is old enough now. They are split up so we have the task of introducing them at a later date. We let them run around and play together though and just keep a close eye on them and they are getting on fine a couple of grumbles now and again but on the whole very well.

clairemck12

dontone wrote: »

Hiya

Thanks but I'm afraid he passed away on the 8th, still very cut up about it but at least he isn't suffering any more.
Thanks for the message though :A

Just wanted to say sorry for your loss, we all get really attached to our pets and they are very much part of the family so it's very upsetting when this happens. Anyway hugs for you.

clairemck12

bluedog wrote: »

Clairemck12 - Charnwoods pellets only seems to be stocked in stores in northern areas of the country. It is highly recommended by breeders so I've been looking into getting it myself. A chinchilla eats about 1kg of pellets a month so a 20 kg sack of pellets will feed my lot for about 6 months. I currently feed mine science selective which has been going up and up in price over the last few months and the last one I got was £7 for a 2kg bag. I've figured that so long as mine will eat it, it's a no-brainer from a money-saving aspect (and will hopefully keep my chins in good health too) as including delivery, a 20kg sack is around £17. Do you know anyone else with chinnies that you could possibly split a bag with?

I bought these Charnwood pellets and they have gone down well so i don't mind paying the delivery if they are actually eating them. I don't know anyone that has chinchillas so the whole bag is just for them!