Need A Chinchilla As A Pet? Here's Where To Start

By Jessica Owens


If you want chinchillas as pets, you can keep a domestic chinchilla. They're known to have nervous inclinations and are night owls. They like to stay up at night and be active. They also don't care for somebody holding them. But they can be agreeable animals, nonetheless it will take a while for them to get used to their owner. They are not simply forced into getting close to people. The owner has to earn their trust, just like a human relationship.

Chinchillas that become captive have a life span from 15 to 20 years. They can be loud, making sounds in the form of chirping, barking and squeaking. They use these noises to communicate and demonstrate their feelings. If you are not an early riser, you will have to deal with them making noise in the small hours of the morning. If you're sensitive to noise as you sleep, a chinchilla may not be for you.

It's ok to have more than one chinchilla of the same gender, as long as their personalities don't clash. If they interact when they're still young, they have got a better likelihood of enduring each other. If they're older, it could take a little longer for them to form a bonding. If you have a female and male in the same domain, they are going to have to be sterilised so to prevent procreation of young. The chinchillas are so energetic, that it's mandatory for them to have masses of space for them to wander.

If you have got a house, you should set aside a room simply for them. You may also house them in a cage, as long as it's huge enough with things that they can play with. They also need wooden toys (birch, willow apple tree or manzanita is satisfactory) and gnaw toys to amuse them. Please keep in mind that chinchillas shouldn't have chewable plastic toys because the plastic can inflict damage on the intestinal area. The cage itself must have masses of air movement because they do not sweat much.

Getting too sweaty can make them have a heat stroke. Don't keep the animals in the cage the whole time. It's good if they get some outside exposure (at least around 30 minutes a day, under the watchful eye of the owner). They need exercise and get a feel of their outside surroundings.

For their eating regime, chinchillas can't consume fatty foods. They can only eat most green plants. The best nutritional plan for them is loose hay. They can also have a raisin or other kinds of dried fruit, but only in moderation. Do not give them fresh plants as their stomach can expand and lead to a lethal reaction. When they eat, they do so in small portions and they also drink water in small sips.

They can drink water from a water bottle and the water must be fresh at all times. Because they can not ingest a lot of fat in their system, nuts are going to need to be avoided.




About the Author: