Chinchillas Q's

[stevinski]

So my house rabbit has passed away, not long ago, and i'm looking for another pet for my room.
I looked at chinchillas a while ago, so i just have a few questions
space isnt really a problem in my room so i could get a nice big cage,
also as with my rabbit, she would get a 1 hour +, free time in my room everyday while i do my homework.
so basically i know quite a few ppl on here have chinchillas
and i have just a few questions
could you give me just some general information on feeding, cage, etc
also i have heard they cant have a certain temperature, so i was wondering if anyone could tell me what temperature is too hot for them in degrees celcius plz!
thankss

 

[~Jessie~]

I used to have chinchillas

I'll PM you with a link to a good chinchilla forum that I used to post on.

Chinnies are very active, and need a good sized cage. I had 3 story cages for mine... they are big chewers, so make sure to get a cage made out of metal wire. I started with a plastic/wire cage, and my chinchilla named Sable chewed up all of the ramps and floors within the first week.

For food, I had mine on a diet called the Kline diet... however, it's only available in the US... Mazuri is pretty good if you can get it in the UK. We also had alfalfa hay available at all times. Stay away from cedar bedding, as it's poisonous to chinchillas.

You will want to make sure the temperature is always kept lower than 23 degrees celcius. Some people say to keep it even lower, but mine were fine as long as I kept it under 23 degrees.

Good luck They're cool little pets!

 

[Lilavati]

The tempature in US terms should be no more than 75 degrees, preferably 70, and definately, absolutely, no more than 80. You can get a little granite slab for your chin to rest on a cool off too . . . I had one and she loved it.

Definately a multilevel cage . . . 3 tiers is good, 4 is better if you can find one.

Get some treats . . . mine loved raisins and papaya . . .

They are very curious, so if they are out fhe cage, expect them to get into some dangerous things

If you have just one, it will bond with you . . . they can be very loving . . . they dont' always like to be picked up, but they are always glad to see you and get an ear scratch

Dust baths are a must . . never, ever, ever put a chin in water.

 

[stevinski]

thanks for the info guys!
its all been really helpful!!

 

[~Jessie~]

They're also not supposed to have more than 1-2 raisins a day.

Dust baths are fun to watch

 

[milos_mommy]

They're pretty easy, but can be very timid and shy. They do need a big cage, preferable three levels.

Temperature isn't a big deal, but they don't do well in heat. I'm not sure where you're from or if you have AC but if it's going to get up to more than about 75 degrees i'd think about moving the cage, getting an AC unit, or putting a fan near the cage.

 

[PWCorgi]

Temperature isn't a big deal, but they don't do well in heat. I'm not sure where you're from or if you have AC but if it's going to get up to more than about 75 degrees i'd think about moving the cage, getting an AC unit, or putting a fan near the cage.

Temperature is a pretty big deal. Chins can die if the temp gets above 80 or so. They also shouldn't be in the way of any drafts. I always have an AC unit for when it gets warmer, you can tell a big difference in their personalities when they're more comfortable.

Make sure before you decide on a sex that you know that females spray and males must be checked for hair-rings. I absolutely HATE checking for hair-rings, I feel like I'm violating poor Balou...eww.

 

[PWCorgi]

They're also not supposed to have more than 1-2 raisins a day.

On the forum I'm on, not sure if it's the same one you were on or not, recommends no more than 1 or 2 raisins a week because they can cause liver damage. Balou goes nuts over shredded wheat!

 

[milos_mommy]

Temperature is a pretty big deal. Chins can die if the temp gets above 80 or so. They also shouldn't be in the way of any drafts. I always have an AC unit for when it gets warmer, you can tell a big difference in their personalities when they're more comfortable.

I probably should have specified...

SPECIFIC temperature isn't a big deal. It's not like a reptile where it needs to be between 105-110 and in one end and 85-90 in most of it with a cooler area of 70...

but they definately can't get too hot. It's not like you need to perfect and monitor their temp down to the degree, but if you live somewhere warm or your house gets too warm, you don't want a chin without AC.

 

[noludoru]

.... I hate to ask. But what are hair rings?

 

[PWCorgi]

Male chinchillas can get hair rings. A hair ring is when the male has fur stuck around his penis and he cannot get it the fur off. This is very serious and if it is not taken care of, it can cut off circulation. This can lead to many severe health problems. If you have a male chinchilla, you need to perform a hair ring check on him at least once a month.

To do a hair ring check, you first need to flip the male onto his back. You may need someone to help you hold the chinchilla throughout this process. Next, you push on the male’s sheath until you can see his penis. You must then pull the penis out to it’s entire length; this is about 2 inches long. If there is no hair around the penis, then you are done; make sure no hair gets stuck to the penis when it retracts. If there is hair around the penis, then gently remove it with your fingers or tweezers. Once the hair ring is removed the penis should retract; once again make sure no fur gets stuck when the penis retracts. If it does not retract, then you need to keep it lubricated until it does. To do this, put KY jelly on it at least three times daily.

You asked.

 

[PWCorgi]

You're speechless, aren't you?

 

[Laurelin]

PWCorgi, could you PM me the link to that forum? Pleeease?

yep, chins need to be in cooler places- 70-75 is what we keep ours at. If it gets up to 75, we move her downstairs.

Mine has two cages. One is a small cage downstairs and the other is three stories upstairs. Like they said, dust baths are important. Supposedly most chins enjoy a varied amount of treats, but mine is picky. She loves hay though. No more htan a couple raisins a week.

For bedding, I'd reccommend not using pine though I'd not use pine on practically any kind of small animal.

My chin now is so cuddly. She loves being held and petted but my male that passed away hated it. He was very skittish.

Chins aren't too hard but were a bit of jump coming from hamsters.

Also, be aware that they shed....

 

[Bob4eva]

I have chinchilla's now.
They gotta have 2 hours outside time, and if you have dogs KEEP THEM AWAY.
And they love shreddies at least mine do.Rodney will steal del's.
They love to escape too.Keep yer eyes on em else they'll be out the door.Keep the window closed too,its been known 4 chinchillas for jump out the window...not nice.

And they look so cute in dusty baths.