Hey guys! Now we are going to talk about basic chinchilla care!
Chinchillas should always be bought from a breeder. This is because you need to know about you pet's genetic background. Pet store chinchillas can have lots of genetic flaws some can be fatal. If you consider breeding your chinchilla make sure not to breed pet store chinchillas. Make sure to ask your chinchilla's breeder about breeding just in case of any issues with the mother's genetic history.
Food:
Chinchillas should be fed on a daily basis. Chinchillas eat alfalfa and timothy hay and chinchilla food pellets. You could also buy chinchilla mix food at a pet store, but this food is not the healthiest! Chinchillas must NOT drink tap water. They can only have filtered or cleaned water. Chinchillas should only have treats once or twice a week. Most owners give their chinchillas too many treats and they die earlier. So it is VERY important NOT to give your chinchilla too many treats! Some good treats to give your chinchilla are regular cheerios, plain shredded wheat cereals, a half teaspoon of berry flavored yogurt, a raisin, even chewable vitamin c tablets but only one every few days. Some others are pear, apple, broccoli, and maybe vegetables but these treats should not be fed often and when fed only use small portions. Banana chips, and treats from the pet store aren't the best because they are loaded with sugar so MAYBE feed them once a month. If you follow these instructions you should have a healthy chinchilla!
Shelter:
Chinchillas should have a plenty large cage this is because they like to jump and play. At a minimum there should be two or three levels. Chinchillas should have soft bedding such as carefresh ultra. Do NOT ever use cedar or pine wood chips, they are toxic to chinchillas. Make sure you use a wire cage instead of plastic because they can swallow the parts of the cage and even die! The water bottle should be on the outside of the cage so the chinchillas don't chew through and puncture the plastic. Chinchillas should also have a shelter to hide such as an igloo or a chinchilla hammok. There should also be room for a large exercise wheel but not plastic! Some other things neccesary for a cage are chew toys and wood blocks, even a pumice stone! These toys are neccesary because chinchillas need to wear down their teeth so they grow correctly. If you follow these instructions your chinchilla should live a happy life in its cage!
Playing with your pet:
Chinchillas should be let out of their cage once a day. You should allow them to roam freely in a room with no wires for them to chew on. If your are in a bathroom make sure to close the toilet chinchillas are known to drown. Chinchillas can jump up to a height of 4 feet or more so make sure you don't have anything on the counter. You can also buy lots of cute accesories at the pet store!
Other care:
Chinchillas cannot be bathed in water they can get hypothermia very easily. You must buy them a dust bath. A dust bath can be purchased at any pet store, you must also buy special chinchilla dust! Chinchillas love rolling around in their dust bath. They must take a dust bath twice a week if they don't, their fur can become matted and dirty. When you have friends over they should pet the chinchilla with the back of their hand, because the oils on your palm can mix with the chinchillas' and give them a skin irritation or make them very nervous. As a defense mechanism chinchillas shoot out tufts of fur. They naturally do this because wild chinchillas use this to choke predators. So after your chinchilla gets used to you make sure when your friends who aren't normally around it know to be gentle. This is all chinchilla care for now... you can watch a video of a chinchilla in a dust bath on my home page!
