I might be getting a chinchilla for my 15th birthday, can a chinchilla owner help me plz?
I have researched them quite abit and i like them alot, i love animals and chinchillas are just great, i love how they curl up and how soft they are, i plan on getting two as i recken they need a friend and a play mate! However leaflets and books only tell you so much i was wondering if a chinchilla owner could help me out. What are chinchillas like? Are they playful? Can they be aggresive? Are they easy to handle? Will they be frightened by my dog, rabbit or fish? Do they need alot of attention. I’m 15 so i’m mature enough and i don’t want a hyper gurbil i want a chinchilla.
Thanks you’ve all been so helpful, i understand about the ‘some like being handles and some don’t thing’, i guess they’re a bit like humans, some are shy, when i go to the pets store, and see them, one of them usually goes up to me and sniffs the cage where i am, and i usually attempt to stroke it which i can see it enjoys yet the other usually hangs back at the back of the cage in his bed, still awake just sitting their. Wow have i stressed enough how awesome u guys have been i mean you’ve been so much help. thank you you all deserve a round of applause, this ‘best answer’ buisness is gonna be pretty darn tricky. Again can i say Thank you!
Tagged with: animals • applause • buisness • chinchillas • fish • leaflets • pets store • play mate • rabbit
Filed under: Chinchilla Persian Kittens
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Well, I’ve got a chinchilla and three gerbils, so I’ll attempt to answer your questions. :]
My little boy (the chin) is a little over a year old now- I got him when he was 7 weeks. They are nocturnal, so they sleep during the day and are awake during the night (although they usually adapt themselves to your schedule).
Depends what you mean by ‘playful’. When I open the cage door, he’ll hop onto my hand for his chin-scritches. They LOVE being scratched under their chin. However, when I bring him into the bathroom (my chin-proof room) for some free time, he just bounds around the room, not really paying attention to me. He’ll hop on my legs and my hands, but just as a step-up.
They can bite, but normally aren’t aggressive. If you get a young one, be sure to handle them frequently. If you just leave him in his cage and don’t play with them, they’ll often become bitey.
In my experience, they actually aren’t that easy to handle. Chinchillas don’t really like to be held, so they’re more of a pet-them-on-the-floor-and-watch pet. Of course, at the same time, I’ve known some owners whose chins don’t mind being picked up- I guess it just depends on the individual. The more you handle them, the more they’ll be use to it and not mind it.
I’ve also got a dog and two cats and my chin doesn’t really mind any of them. They’re never let into the bathroom, however, when he’s out. Although, when he’s in his cage, my cat often jumps up onto the wings of the cage for a sniff and instead of hopping away in freight, he’ll come down to her level to share in a sniff. You must be careful, though, that your dog doesn’t swipe his claws into the cage- that could definitely harm the chinchilla. I wouldn’t suggest having them out at the same time, either. One quick bite and that could be it for your chin. Rabbits and chins don’t mix either, keep them seperate.
Attention. They should be let out of their cage for atleast an hour everyday. They tend to have a lot of energy (especially during the evening hours) and a bathroom-run usually alleviates that energy.
Gerbils are actually a lot easier to care for, in my opinion, than a chinchilla. If you’re only looking to get a chin because they seem more ‘cuddly’, they aren’t. My gerbils are more happy to be held than my chin. He’d rather be off hopping around in the bathroom.
They also require a big cage, so that will run you higher than a cage for a gerbil. Just do a bit more research and good luck with your decision. Hope I could help.
Chinchillas are quite fast little guys, they will need to come out of their cage at least once a day to run around. They do poop quite a lot while they are out so you should think of getting a play pen to put them in or even a closed off room. Chinchillas are very delicate when it comes to sugar. Most of the chinchilla foods sold today could technically kill your chinchilla. Make sure you are feeding it a straight pellet diet. There shouldn’t be any kind of fruit, seeds, nuts etc in their food. Kaytee forti diet for chinchillas is one of the best foods you can buy for you chin. I owned a rescue chinchilla, she spent half her life in her cage as a class room pet. She had never been handled or let out of her cage. I really was never able to hold her because of this. But she was SOOO unbelievably affectionate. She would come up to me and let me rub her chin and behind her ears. She was allowed one raisin a day and would look forward to it. I know that they can be handled and make excellent pets. They are pretty sensitive to temperature so make sure you keep them in a room that doesn’t go over 71 degrees. They aren’t aggressive and my little girl would play with my kittens. I don’t think this is normal though and I wouldn’t even leave your chin with other pets unattended.
They are great. Don’t get a male & female. Get the same-sex. They are nocturnal. They are great pets, but not good for children. You have to be super careful with them. They are playful & very fast runners. You will have to ‘chinchilla’ proof a room for them. They can be aggressive, usually when you get them as adults. They are hard to handle, because they squirm & have a ‘floating’ backbone. They will be frightened by animals bigger than them. They need at least 45 minutes out of their cage a day. Good luck!
Previous posters gave great advice! I would just add that chins are VERY inquisitive and will check out anything new in their chinny safe room, or anything you put in the cage.
They don’t like to be out in the open, so if the cage is in the middle of the room, you should cover it at least part of the time, or offer them a place to hide (a tube, a bowl, a cardboard "house").
As far as handling, chins are all different. Some don’t mind, and will cuddle up and go to sleep. Others will just squirm and glare at you until you put them back. My daughters used to stuff them in their shirts with heads peeking out the top. They LOVED it, but yours might not.
As far as getting two chins, it’s a great idea for company as they are burrow creatures and will snuggle, but MAKE SURE the pet store or the person you get yours from properly identifies their gender. We were assured we had two males and ended up with a baby!
Enjoy your chins. I think they’re the greatest!