How to Care for a Pet Chinchilla

Originally from the Andes Mountains in South America, chinchillas have been domesticated and can now be purchased as family pets. Since chinchillas are about the size of a rabbit and can be housed inside a cage, many people think they are ideal pets, especially when living in close quarters. If you have considered one of these active, inquisitive critters for your next pet, make sure you understand what their care involves. Be sure that you can commit to the necessary level of care before you bring a chinchilla into your home.

Things You'll Need

• Cage
• Natural pine shavings
• Water bottle
• Food dish
• Chinchilla food
• Chinchilla bathing dust
• Chinchilla house
• Timothy hay or alfalfa
• Chinchilla wood toys

Instructions

1. Choose an appropriate habitat for your chinchilla. These pets need a lot of room to run, so choose as large a habitat as possible, preferably with more than one level. The cage should not be more than 24 by 24 by 18 inches for a single chinchilla.

2. Use natural pine shavings that have no tar or oil, and change these once a week. If you use a cage with a mesh bottom, make sure the mesh in the wire is small enough to keep the chinchilla from getting its foot caught in the holes. Add a chinchilla wheel and small house to the habitat.

3. Provide the chinchilla with fresh water in a bottle. If any part of the water bottle is plastic, make sure it is guarded from the chinchilla with a metal guard, as the animals will chew the plastic. Change the water daily. Purified water is better than tap water.

4. Feed your chinchilla two times per day with a prepared chinchilla food in a dish that they can't chew. An adult chinchilla will eat between 1 to 2 tablespoons of food each day. Chinchillas also need fresh hay in their diets. Provide fresh hay in unlimited amounts, but make sure that it stays dry as it can mildew easily, and this will make the animals sick.

5. Provide your chinchilla dust to bathe in regularly. Put a quarter of a cup of dust into a plastic container or chinchilla bath house and leave it in the habitat for about 5 minutes. Chinchilla dust can be purchased at most pet shops.

6. Keep the chinchilla cool as the animals can't tolerate temperatures above 75 degrees.

7. Provide your chinchilla with toys. One popular option is a hanging block with bells at the bottom. Chinchillas need safe wood blocks to chew on because their teeth never stop growing.

8. Allow your chinchilla to exercise under supervision in an enclosed room, like the bathroom, at least every other day. These little animals will run wild, exploring every corner. Make sure to "chinchilla proof" the room so that the chinchilla does not get into something dangerous.

Tips & Warnings

• If the air is particularly humid, you will need to keep the temperature in the chinchilla's room closer to 70 degrees.

• Expect your chinchilla to be active and noisy at night, since they are nocturnal animals.

• Be prepared to have your pet for a long time, as chinchillas can live to 20 years of age.

• Only use chinchilla wheels in a chinchilla habitat. Hamster wheels have spaces that could catch the animal's leg, causing serious damage.

• Chinchillas are not good pets for small children, because their bones are very fragile and will break with rough handling.

• Do not keep a chinchilla in a glass habitat, as they do not provide enough air circulation.

• Never use treated woods with your chinchilla.

Resources

• Chinchilla Care
• Caring for Your Chinchilla