Top 5 things you need when owning a chinchilla
Chinchillas take serious effort and special equipment. Unlike hamsters and other small rodents, chinchillas are very particular about everything- their diets, toys, routine, even bathing. As I like to say, chinchillas are not merely pets but a lifestyle choice. You can say goodbye to spontaneous overnight trips or long vacations. You can expect your belongings to be covered in a fine coating of silvery dust. You can be sure to show off chewed books, remote buttons, and baseboards to visiting friends and family. There are definitely rewards out of owning chins, but you need to be prepared for what's in store.
That being said, here is a list of the top five things you should have on hand as a chinchilla owner (although there's certainly more):
1. Time
Chinchillas require at least an hour of playtime a night (typically after 6:30-7:30 p.m. when they wake up). That's every night. If you don't have the schedule for that or you like to turn in before the sun goes down, then perhaps a chinchilla is not right for you. Their floor time (activity outside of a cage) is extremely important because they are active, adventurous critters. Sitting for days on end in a cage is not good for their physical or their mental health, so make sure you have the time to give. A chin with a fancy cage is not meant to be the decoration for a room.
2. Hay
Timothy hay is a major necessity for chinchillas. It is pretty much all they eat. Feeding colorful fruits and veggies is for hamsters, rabbits, and Guinea pigs because chinchillas are just hay eaters. They need fresh hay every day as well as hay-based pellets for a well-balanced diet.
3. Dust
Chinchillas can't get wet. Not in a Gremlins-type of way, but pretty close to it. Chinchillas have fine, luxurious fur, so fine that it becomes ruined if you get it wet. Not to worry, though, you won't have a stinking chinchilla. That's what the dust is for! Typical chinchilla dust is finely ground pumice stone that looks almost like soft, gray sand. Chinchillas will roll in the dust, which runs against their fur and cleans it kind of like strawberry seeds are nature's toothbrush and clean your teeth while you eat (that's a serious fact!). Chinchillas need a dust bath at least once a week, usually twice a week. You will have a better behaved chinchilla on your hands if you make sure he or she gets a regular dust bath. They crave it, and they look awesome afterwards! The trouble with dust is... well, it gets everywhere! In your phone. In your throat. In your eyes. In the hay. In the carpet. In between the cracks of your wood floors. If anyone finds out a way to minimize the coating of dust on everything but the chinchilla, let me know! I'd like to use that method in my house!
4. A safe cage
This sounds like a no-brainer, but with all the poor cages on the market and in the pet stores, you have to be extra careful in making sure to get one that is actually safe. Just because there is a chinchilla on the box doesn't mean a chinchilla should live there. There are a few things you want to look for especially in a cage.
5. Things to do and chew
Spend a few minutes with a chinchilla, and you'll quickly realize how intelligent they are. I'm talking velociraptor intelligent. So imagine sitting around doing nothing in a cage with that level of smarts. It would suck. That's why it's important to provide activities, mazes, puzzles, and fun toys to your chin. Like most rodents, chinchillas have teeth that never stop growing. It is important to provide hard chewing materials, such as safe wood chews with no dyes, to keep those teeth trimmed back. In addition, chinchillas need stimulus to keep those minds busy. Create a maze. Teach them tricks. Make an obstacle course. Your chinchilla will thank you for the fun.
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| Look at that naughty face |
That being said, here is a list of the top five things you should have on hand as a chinchilla owner (although there's certainly more):
1. Time
Chinchillas require at least an hour of playtime a night (typically after 6:30-7:30 p.m. when they wake up). That's every night. If you don't have the schedule for that or you like to turn in before the sun goes down, then perhaps a chinchilla is not right for you. Their floor time (activity outside of a cage) is extremely important because they are active, adventurous critters. Sitting for days on end in a cage is not good for their physical or their mental health, so make sure you have the time to give. A chin with a fancy cage is not meant to be the decoration for a room.
2. Hay
Timothy hay is a major necessity for chinchillas. It is pretty much all they eat. Feeding colorful fruits and veggies is for hamsters, rabbits, and Guinea pigs because chinchillas are just hay eaters. They need fresh hay every day as well as hay-based pellets for a well-balanced diet.
 |
| A hay ball in the rabbit hutch |
3. Dust
Chinchillas can't get wet. Not in a Gremlins-type of way, but pretty close to it. Chinchillas have fine, luxurious fur, so fine that it becomes ruined if you get it wet. Not to worry, though, you won't have a stinking chinchilla. That's what the dust is for! Typical chinchilla dust is finely ground pumice stone that looks almost like soft, gray sand. Chinchillas will roll in the dust, which runs against their fur and cleans it kind of like strawberry seeds are nature's toothbrush and clean your teeth while you eat (that's a serious fact!). Chinchillas need a dust bath at least once a week, usually twice a week. You will have a better behaved chinchilla on your hands if you make sure he or she gets a regular dust bath. They crave it, and they look awesome afterwards! The trouble with dust is... well, it gets everywhere! In your phone. In your throat. In your eyes. In the hay. In the carpet. In between the cracks of your wood floors. If anyone finds out a way to minimize the coating of dust on everything but the chinchilla, let me know! I'd like to use that method in my house!
4. A safe cage
This sounds like a no-brainer, but with all the poor cages on the market and in the pet stores, you have to be extra careful in making sure to get one that is actually safe. Just because there is a chinchilla on the box doesn't mean a chinchilla should live there. There are a few things you want to look for especially in a cage.
- Lots of room to play and jump. That means it should be a multi-level cage. In the wild, chinchillas dwell in the Andes Mountains, which means they love to climb and bound up and down different levels.
- No plastic whatsoever!
- Small dimensions between the cage bars. Again, chinchillas love to jump, bounce, and "wall surf." Those little narrow feet may use the cage wall as a way to do a 180 and flip around. If the foot can fit through the cage bars, you could have a serious injury on your hands.
5. Things to do and chew
Spend a few minutes with a chinchilla, and you'll quickly realize how intelligent they are. I'm talking velociraptor intelligent. So imagine sitting around doing nothing in a cage with that level of smarts. It would suck. That's why it's important to provide activities, mazes, puzzles, and fun toys to your chin. Like most rodents, chinchillas have teeth that never stop growing. It is important to provide hard chewing materials, such as safe wood chews with no dyes, to keep those teeth trimmed back. In addition, chinchillas need stimulus to keep those minds busy. Create a maze. Teach them tricks. Make an obstacle course. Your chinchilla will thank you for the fun.
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