anyone have a chinchila???

[BALLISTIC BOAS]

i am thinking about getting one. any one have one. i think i might get one tommrow. would love some input.

[cassandra]

Try searching the forums. There have been several threads in the past few months about chinchilas.

[rjks325]

I used to have one, but had to give to one of my friends when I was pregnant.

I had complications and was unable to give it the attention it needed. Let me just say that they are AWESOME creatures. I named mine Cheeto. They have hind legs like a rabbit/kangaroo & they use these to hop madly around...almost like a cartoon character!! They've got short front legs, but their front paws are like little hands that can grasp tiny objects. Chinchillas don't take regular baths; they "bathe" in sand because their fur is so thick and fine. Like ball pythons, they're nocturnal. They have limitless amounts of energy; so you'll need a fairly large cage and a big wheel to let him/her run it out. There are running wheels that are specially made for chinchillas...they have to be solid all the way around so they don't hurt themselves. (Keep this in mind when figuring out where to place the cage...Cheeto would run on her wheel noisily until the wee hours of the morning!) Chinchillas are extremely affectionate. Mine loved to be scratched behind the ear & enjoyed snuggling against my neck on my shoulder.
NEVER, and I mean never house two female chinchillas together unless they are from the same litter or are mother and daughter. They will kill eachother. Also, they poop everywhere all time. Invest in a good dust buster. I've read that they can be potty trained, but Cheeto just wasn't interested...
Chinchillas have to eat a fairly strict diet. I fed mine Mazuri pellets. You have to limit treats to 1 - 2 raisins/dried papaya per day. Too much fruit or any other foreign food will cause severe sickness and in most cases, death.
Oh, one last thing, chinchillas thrive in cold weather; but not so much in the heat. Try not to put the cage in front of a window or direct sunlight.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions!

[BALLISTIC BOAS]

thank you so much for the help. do you have any pics. how big do they get full grown. the one i want is at pet smart. it has been there for a whial so it is relly tame the girl who works there says he has a great personality. i got hold him and he just ran and sat on my shoulder and looked me over. from that moment he was going to be mine. i have allready decided to name him baxter. i noticed you used mazuri food. do they make a special chin food.

[rjks325]

My pleasure! I've got some pics on a cd somewhere, but nothing handy right now. Cheeto was about as big as a grapefruit when I gave her away. Their size varies when fully grown. I've seen a couple that were the size of a small rabbit. They're sooo cute! And yes, there are Mazuri Chinchilla pellets. Good luck with Baxter!

[sweety314]

Matt,


My former roommate has a show-grade silver male. Their fur is VERY soft, and
thick, and like rjks said, they don't tolerate heat well, b/c of their heavy fur.

Rodents. Native to Brazil

Nocturnal, droppings EVERYWHERE. Need to have a little home/ hide to stay in. A bigger cage, but need some of it to be solid flooring or their paws get injured. Dust baths once a week, and he does it by rolling in it, like a breadmaker kneads dough. LOL

Stitch holds his food and eats it just like a rat does. Treats (raisins, dried papaya, mango bits) only occas, or his droppings are no longer firm and he got a bellyache.

Mazuri chin pellets and some of the rat mix but he seemed to scatter it instead of eat it.

Loves getting his chin scratched and will chitter. A couple of times he's gotten loose, and they're VERY fast for having such stubby little legs. If I thought our cats wouldn't bully one, I'd get one from our local PetCo, but theirs wasn't the quality that Stitch is.

Have fun, and good luck.

RuLyn

[rjks325]

Oh yes, I forgot. You also have to supplement their diet with hay. I used Timothy. Most pet stores sell them in conveniently small sized bags. A big handful in the corner oughta do the trick. Don't forget to post some pics of the little cutie when you get him!

[Ginevive]

My best friend has one; she rescued it from people who basically had it in a small rabbit cage with no room to run; they made it a cool custom enclosure. I think it is one of the cutest little things I've ever seen. I always give her hay for it when she comes out; if I had one, I would never buy the hay sold in bags at pet stores; it is obsceneny expensive! Go out and buy some nice second cutting from a local farmer; a few bales would go a long way for one chin. I know that some farmers treat their hay w/ anti-mold chemicals though; I would definately ask about that. Talk to some big-money horse breeders/owners and find out their hay source, would be my advice.

[frankykeno]

Since chin's are a fairly popular pet there is literally a ton of good sites online from breeders with excellent caresheets. Google is our friend.


This is the breeder we will eventually purchase our chin from here in Ohio. Great site for chin info and lovely pictures of the various colors they come in.

http://www.sewardbreeders.com/

[4theSNAKElady]

I have one. Have had several in the past. Great,low odor pets for adults and older children. My beige male named Chai.