Chinchilla care and feeding?

chrispaine · #1 (**permalink**) 12-19-2003, 04:48 AM

Do anyone know anything about Chinchilla care and feeding.

chrispaine · #2 (**permalink**) 12-19-2003, 04:49 AM

.........................?

savannah_babe · #3 (**permalink**) 12-19-2003, 04:53 AM

well, what type of info are you looking for, feeding, cage requirements?

chrispaine · #4 (**permalink**) 12-19-2003, 05:10 AM

feeding mostly.... but yeah cage requirements..... too.thanks.

savannah_babe · #5 (**permalink**) 12-19-2003, 05:17 AM

well, they like to run, im not quite sure on exact measurements at the moment, but id recommend a 2 story, to be sure. as for feeding, they make a chinchilla diet. they need a constant supply of that. you should be able to find it from your local petstore, if not, im sure they can order it for you at no extra cost. make sure you have a watter bottle in there for him at all times. and they do like to hide, it makes them feel "safe" so, if you plan on keeping the same hide box, might want sure to make it somthing he cant chew..cause they like to chew, so some toys are also a good idea. im not an expert, ive only kept them short periods of time, "i used to have a petstore." im sure if you surfed the web you could find some caresheets to refer to, that would probably be more helpful than i am..lol..but, good luck with your search.

chrispaine · #6 (**permalink**) 12-19-2003, 10:53 PM

yeah ... well i forgot to put the ? in so i did.. sorry buddy.

Ravnos · #7 (**permalink**) 12-19-2003, 10:58 PM

Theres no end of care sheets and forums out there on them, search on Google... but anyway, avoid any mesh bottom to the cage. I have seen far too many chins with broken legs because of that. They should not be kept above around 75 degrees, as they are unable to sweat and will go into heat stroke and die. There are numerous commercial pelleted diets out there specificially formulated for chinchillas, any good pet store should carry them or be able to get them for you. They are rodents, they need to be able to chew on something to wear their teeth down. They love to run in exercise wheels, but need a solid one so their feet don't go through it. They are pretty high activity, so a good sized cage is not a bad idea, 4' square or more. With shelves, hiding boxes and other things to keep them amused. In general, they make pretty good pets. Not too prone to defensive biting or anything, but they are fragile and definitely don't particularly make a good pet for small children.

Rav

Spirit · #8 (**permalink**) 12-24-2003, 04:15 PM

I used to have chinchillas, but it has been a while. I have a website for you to check out... http://www.lonestarchinchilla.com/
They are this really helpful couple who sell chinchillas supplies. They have wonderful products and they have great service.
Make sure you get alfalfa/timothy hay, and apple branches. They also like rosehips.
You should also monitor their sugar level, they love sweets, but you should not give them a lot of dried fruit, it can cause diarreah (SP?).

Keep in mind that they are rodents & their incisors are always growing, so they need a lot of items to chew on. Another good item to have is a wooden house, they will snuggle up in it and also use it to gnaw on!

I hope this helps!!

StevenLeeAugust · #9 (**permalink**) 12-24-2003, 08:10 PM

Don’t forget an Exercise running wheel but not the kind that look like ladders bent in a circle but the solid kind that resemble more of a circular flat surface.
We use such wheels for all our rodents.
The old standard “Ladder” style tend to lead to broken legs. Yes there are very cheap in comparison but safety for the animals is part of pet ownership regardless of cost.

I have never purchased from this store but this is a link to a photo to help you understand exactly what I am referring to. http://www.ferretstore.com/exercisewheels1.html#

Get the largest wheel for chinchillas.

Your chin will love it.

We place a very dim nightlight near the cage and as soon as the lights go out he heads for the wheel and runs for hours.

Steve
(Oh boy! My first post!)

chrispaine · #10 (**permalink**) 12-25-2003, 12:05 AM

thanks......... Good stuff to know.. thanks.

Diablo · #11 (**permalink**) 12-25-2003, 01:27 AM

They also like a bowl of fine sand, to roll around in, Sounds odd, i know. im not an expert on them, but i think it helps there skin or their fur or something, anyone else back me up here? Otherwise the others are right, they love to run around thats for sure.

chrispaine · #12 (**permalink**) 12-27-2003, 05:41 AM

thanks again, does anyone know how sensitive their hearing is, would it be ok to put a radio near by? also what about their growth rate, how fast will they grow? and to how big?..

LdyDrgn · #13 (**permalink**) 12-30-2003, 01:58 AM

As Diablo mentioned, providing them with their "dust bath" is very important for their health and well being. Click on the link Steve provided, then click on "Chinchilla Dust and Baths" so you get an idea of what you need.

With those big ears, you can bet that their hearing is very good. I would not put a radio near them or put them in a room that will have any loud music. They stress out fairly easily.

As far as growth, they get big pretty quick. They will get close to 2 pounds if I remember correctly, about like a small rabbit.

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