Chinchilla Care General Information Chinchillas can make wonderful pets but are not for everyone. First, I think it is important to know a bit about them. Chinchillas are a member of the rodent family and are originally from the Andes Mountains. I am by no means an expert but I am giving the knowledge I have based off of my experiences. Chinchillas are nocturnal animals and do a lot of playing in the late hours. So if you are a light sleeper or don't like to be disturbed in the night they may not be the pet for you. They require a large cage and a special dust for cleaning. Chinchillas do not have an odor like most other members of the rodent family. I have found that the hardest part of having chinchillas is getting started. Once you are past the initial set up things are easier. Don't misunderstand though... they are not always easy to keep. Chinchillas can have health complications that require a specialized veterinarian. Chinchilla's life span is generally 10-20 years if properly cared for. Chinchillas do not generally make good pets for small children. Chinchillas have very small and fragile bones. Since chinchillas are fragile animals it is important that everyone know how to handle them without harming them. As a rule, chinchillas prefer to be held close but not crushed. If you are looking for a pet that you can cuddle, I would not recommend a chinchilla to you. Housing Proper cage size is very important to a chinchilla's health. Most all breeders will tell you that a cage needs to be no smaller than 2x2x3. There are several different types of cages to choose from though. Some people have buy wire cages, some make their own cages, and some use breeding runs. If you are looking to build your own cages I would recommend purchasing the plans for cages from Spoiled Chins. These cages are very clean and sturdy and widely used. For those looking to purchase a wire cage I would recommend Martins Cages. Shelves to jump on are important to have in your chinchilla cage. It is also important that chins have chew toys to chew on in their cages. The chewing helps grind their teeth down naturally. I personally find it is important to take my chins out and play with them on a regular basis. There are a variety of wire sizes available for cages. Personally I prefer to use 1" x 1/2" or smaller. This way, if you have babies they cannot get out. I have seen and heard of other people using 1" x 1" wire with success but I would not recommend it. Chin babies are so small and could possibly squeeze out of that size wire. For wiring flooring use 1/2 X 1/2 or smaller so little feet can't slip through and get stuck. This will help avoid broken legs, but will not ensure it. My husband builds most of our cages. This however is just my preference. We also have some wire cages from Martins Cages. I feel it is important to add that if you purchase a cage in a store be careful what you buy. Some pet stores tend to sell cages made for rabbits or ferrets to people as chinchilla cages that may not be suitable for chinchillas. Care and Maintenance There are many details to the care of chinchillas that should be mentioned. Also, don't use just the information you find here as the sole source. There are so many wonderful experienced breeders out there that have information for you to look at. There are several great sites that are wonderful sources of information as well. Please visit my links page to find links to some of those sites. Chinchillas should be fed a proper diet of chinchilla pellets and fresh hay. There are several different kinds of feed to choose from, and all have breeders that would highly recommend them. The most commonly used pellets are Mazuri, Tradition, Kline, and APD. Some of those diets are only available via specific dealers. If you would like to know where to get a feed please feel free to email me and I'll help you locate that feed. I strongly discourage feeding any pellet you can purchase at a pet store. Often times those feeds are stale, as they have sat on a shelf to long. Each chin will eat about 1-2 tablespoons daily, but I choose to free feed my chins. Also, chinchillas need hay in their diets daily. You can use either loose hay or alfalfa cubes. I prefer the cubes since they are not as messy, but my chins definitely prefer the timothy hay. My chinchillas also get a supplement in their feed that is a 7-grain conditioner I purchase from Nutritional Research. Chinchillas do not get water baths. They have a special kind of dust that they roll in as a bath for them. This dust can be bought at most local pet stores, but better quality dust can be purchased via other breeders or online stores such as Chin World. Chinchillas should get a dust bath at least 2 times weekly, or more depending on your climate. Do not leave the dust in their cage longer than 30 minutes. They will urinate and defecate in the dust making it no longer sanitary for them. My dust bath containers get washed after each use. To help prevent the possible spread of fungus each cage has its own dust bath container. Treats are great for chins and they love to get them. However, to many treats can cause illness in your chinchilla. My chins love all kinds of different treats. You can give them raisins, craisins (dehydrated cranberries), dehydrated banana chips, dehydrated papaya, shredded wheat, and mango. Babies should not get treats until they are 4-6 months old. You can however give a younger chin a cheerio instead of a treat. You must always be careful not to give to many treats. Cages require a weekly cleaning at a minimum. Some cages require cleaning more often. I would not recommend someone wait longer than 1 week between cleanings. Recommended bedding for the cages include aspen, carefresh, and kiln dried pine. I use kiln dried pine shavings. Pine shavings are inexpensive and can be purchased at your local feed store. Be sure the shavings are Kiln Dried. Natural pine bedding, which has phenol oils in it, can be toxic to your chin. Do Not use cedar shavings, as they can be toxic to your chin as well. Fresh water should be available always. I recommend changing the water daily. Some people change the water every 2-3 days without a problem. If you use plastic water bottles they should hang from the outside of the cage or your chin will chew through them causing a big mess. A lot of breeders prefer glass water bottles to the plastic ones. Chinchillas should not be kept at temperatures higher than 75 degrees F. Being exposed to temperatures higher than that can cause your chin to have heat stroke, and subsequently die. I keep my chinchillas in temperatures between 68-70 degrees. Grooming your chinchilla is important. There are several different combs that can be used. These combs can be purchased via chin world. Their link is on my links page. Grooming your chin helps rid the chin of the dead hair, which helps keep them looking their best, and their healthiest. PLEASE NOTE: It is important to find a vet in your area who is familiar with chinchillas prior to purchasing one. Exotic veterinarians can be hard to locate so call around and ask. Chins do have health issues that could require a vet familiar with chinchillas. These issues could include things like complications in pregnancy, eye infections, giardia or other parasitic infections, malocclusion, and many others. Breeding Before you ever consider breeding you need to research thoroughly. Know why you want to breed your chins. If you want to breed to make money, don't because you won't. If you want to breed just to breed... don't. Be sure you know what you are getting into. Breeding comes with many ups and downs, so if you are not ready, don't do it. Pregnant chins can have complications requiring an emergency c-section, or you could end up having to supplement, rotate, or hand feed the kits. Complications can lead to the loss of the mother and/or the kits. Chinchilla gestation is approximately 111 days (about 3 1/2 months) from proof of mating. Witnessing a mating is a good indication, but not always accurate as she may not have ovulated. There is the mating plug, which generally can be found in the cage the day after. It is small and waxy looking. I have found only one plug since it is difficult to locate in the shavings. Another good sign is when the male hiccups after the mating to indicate he was successful. Of course, I don't feel any of these are sure signs. Each chin will be different. It is important to remember that female chins should not be bred earlier than 6 months of age and about 600g. Males can be bred as soon as they are ready, but I like to wait until they are 600g also. Some breeders recommend waiting until the mother is 8 months to a year to place her into breeding. I personally prefer my females to be at least 8-9 months of age and 600-650g. If a female is 9 months old and not at least 600g then I will wait to place her in breeding until she is at an acceptable weight. Most of my females don't have their first litter until after they are a year old. Usually about 2 weeks prior to delivery you can generally feel the babies move inside mom. This will of course be different in each chin. I have a female in which I felt babies 4 weeks out. You can feel them by gently placing your hand under mom and feeling. DO NOT press or try to palpitate mom's belly as this can cause harm to the babies. Often times you can also see the babies roll around just by watching the mom. It is quite a site to see. Generally, before my moms give birth they get some cranberry juice or pure apple juice in their water. It is said to help lactation. This can be especially helpful for the first time mom. Babies are born with all their hair, eyes open, and running around. They will usually go underneath mom for the first hour or so for warmth. My babies are handled from the day of birth. Chin moms generally don't mind and won't harm their offspring. Of course, there are exceptions to that as well. Know your chin first! Mom will go back into heat right after babies are born. To prevent a breedback it is important to remove the dad. Generally, my dad chins are removed about 2 weeks prior to delivery. If dad is still in with mom during delivery he will help her and won't harm the babies. If you have surprise babies and dad is still in the cage remove him as soon as possible to prevent a breedback if it has not already happened. Dad can go back in with mom and babies after about 10 days or more. Watch them carefully to ensure that mom will accept dad and not harm him, and to ensure he does not harm the kits. It is best to not give mom a dust bath for 10-14 days after delivery. This will help prevent her from getting infection in her uterus. As the babies grow, they will learn to take their dust baths by watching mom and dad. Babies should be weaned at about 8 weeks of age. By this time they have stopped nursing from mom and are eating on their own. I prefer my kits be 8 weeks old and at least 200g before weaning. My babies will stay with me for an addition week to two weeks after weaning to ensure they are still eating and are gaining weight.