Anyone have a chinchilla

[ilovemysphynx]

Our daughter is going to be 12 next week and she so bad just wants a pet of her own for her room. She wanted something different from the norm, (hmm woder where she gets that from)
Thought about a sugar glider but after visiting friends she figured having it bark and want to eat and play at 3am was not her thing. I am proud of her for that and to admit it would be to hard for her and not fair to me or the animal. So she now wants a chinchilla. My dear husband, admin was against it but has finally given in :Laugh: so I ordered one from our local pet store he gets them from a breeder and only babies, I trust him 100%. we are getting a boy.
She is going to be so surprised!
Anyway any advice or any info about then you guys could share would be great.

 

[TanyaT]

No experience here but congrats! Cant wait to hear how surprised she is!!

 

[ElGatoLoco]

I remember chinchilla's from when I was a kid. Man those things are so soft. Like a little blob of super soft creature hopping around. I wonder how Leo and Athena will react?

 

[ilovemysphynx]

I think they will be ok the cage is big and strudy so they can not knock it over. That was my main worry,

 

[Gadzukz]

We babysat a friends 2 chins for a week once, does that count? My kids loved them for about mmmmmm 2 days then lost interest, lol. I was glad to see them go as I hate cleaning cages! but as far as small caged critters go they were pretty neat, they have to have these dust baths, and it is funny as heck to see them roll around in it! they were very soft and easy to handle, they didnt bite.and smelled better than the rats we had. Btw Rats make pretty cool pets too!

That's all I have I hope it helps. Can't wait to see pics of the new baby!

 

[kerrie78]

Hope this helps a bit;

Away from dampness

Not too close to a heat source

Not near drafty areas

Out of direct sunlight

Plenty of air circulation without blowing directly on them

Temperatures not exceeding 80 degrees in the summer and not dropping below 50 degrees in the winter. They may need to be kept warmer than the minimum in the winter if you are on wire bottomed cages and babies are expected, and colder in the summer if the humidity is high.

chinchillas are rodents, their teeth are continually growing. They need something to gnaw on to prevent their teeth from growing too long. A pine board, wooden toys, or a pumice stone should be kept in their cage for this purpose.

Chinchillas need fresh water daily. DO NOT USE distilled water on your animals. The nutrients which have been removed

Supplementing takes the place of feeding “treats†which may be potentially harmful. Raisins, which chinchillas love, are high in sugar content and may cause teeth and intestinal problems or they may become overweight if fed in too large a quantity. Chinchillas should be given no more than one raisin a day. A better treat would be to feed them something like a Wheat Chex or Shredded Wheat (no frosting) that is lower in sugar and a grain-based product.

Pellets and hay are the only foods that are necessary for your chinchillas. These animals thrive on a simple, consistent diet. Feeding your chinchillas a lot of treats can cause many health problems.

they prefer dust baths. This bath is referred to as “dusting†or “sandingâ€. The animal's extremely fine, dense fur can get very greasy from a natural oil called lanolin whose purpose is to keep it from matting. Dampness can accentuate this oil and cause the animals to look wet on very humid days. Sweat from your hands can also bring these oils to the surface of the fur and make it look greasy. Dusting cleans and fluffs the fur making the animal much more comfortable as well as nicer to look at.

Dust baths may be offered anywhere from once or twice a week to once a day. No set time is required although if left in the cage, they may think it is a bathroom! You will notice that generally when the bath is offered to them, they will immediately jump in to clean themselves. Within a few minutes they will be thoroughly clean and after that it is just used to play in. Your schedule will dictate the time allotted, but make sure the animal's fur is dry and looks smooth when it is finished. Try to establish a set time for their bath, as chinchillas like consistency.

chinchilla is a quick little animal that is easily frightened. If he has been startled before you open his cage, he may dart from corner to corner. Slowly reach into the cage with one hand and follow the animal around until you can firmly grasp the tail near the base. a chinchilla may bite. He is not normally a mean animal but, if frightened or overly excited, he may try to bite. Sometimes, their nibbles of curiosity may become a little harder than you care for. If a chinchilla's bite breaks the skin, it is not cause for alarm. Rinse it and care for it in the same manner you would normally care for a scrape.

 

[ckutkuhn7]

Great info kerri!

 

[Mews2much]

Great advice Kerrie.
My sister had one but she died last may.
They can live 15 years years.
I agree they get scared easy.
If they get to hot they will overheat and can die.

 

[Shauntay]

They are great pets imo. There are some rules with them tho. They do not cope with stress very well and can actually die is stressed too much. They also often develop heart murmurs. When handling them, most ppl would be more prone to gently grabbing them around their bodies, but that might induce their defense mechanism and leave you with a handful or fur and a balding chinchilla Best way to handle them is grasp them gently by the thich base of their tails then support their feet in your palm. Your daughter is going to be thrilled, they are gorgeous animals.

 

[Gadzukz]

Best way to handle them is grasp them gently by the thich base of their tails then support their feet in your palm.

I would never have thought to pick them up like that!I have drilled my kids as to NOT grab anything's tail, live and learn, lol, very interesting info!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Thank everyone and thanks Kerrie!
Well we are giving her a contract of things that need to be done with it and when because I do not want to take care of this I am not a caged animal person .
I will post pics of them when the big day comes.

 

[GioThermal]

I had a chinchilla when I was in Highschool. They LOVE their dust baths and they hate being wet. I was told once not to handle them too much because of the oils in our skin but I handled "Fuzznutz" all the time and he didn't have any issues. One thing to note tho... they are SUPER FAST. They make some weird noises... and their rib cages are extremely fragile. I always took Fuzz outside to bathe... or in the garage. It's awesome how they flip around really fast in the sand... they flick the stuff everywhere. You can also use a shoebox and cut a hole into the upper side of it so it doesn't create a huge dust storm in your home. I donated mine to the highschool after I graduated. It was time to party.
Your daughter is smart to not want a sugar glider. Although they are cute they require a very special diet and they are very clingy... they don't like light and prefer to be carried around in "pouches". They are noisy too. BUT THEY ARE SO FREAKIN ADORABLE!
You know what I suggest for her???..... A SPHYNX!

 

[gizmo6370]

You know what I suggest for her???..... A SPHYNX!

Rofl

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Oh beleive me we tried a sphynx but all she said was haha you guys are funny

 

[Marnasobsession]

It sounds like you have it all handled. Congrats on raising a child with resposnsibility and so concientious.

 

[Bella07]

Your daughter is going to be so thrilled! Good Luck and can't wait to hear how it goes!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

It sounds like you have it all handled. Congrats on raising a child with resposnsibility and so concientious.

Thank you We do try our hardest, in this day and age it is not the easiest but we are doing our best and so far so good

 

[ilovemysphynx]

I never posted how happy she was and introduced Lilly!!! Here she is.

 

[marlene]

The second pic looks like he's trying to decide between "food" or "toy" lol.

Very cute pics, your daughter looks ecstatic.

 

[Bella07]

I'm glad to hear how happy your daughter is with her new pet! Hope she has tons of fun with her for years to come

 

[heather]

I love the pics- so adorable! I looked into getting one once - they are fascinating. Keep us posted on the chin's adventures!

 

[ckutkuhn7]

awww so cute! She looks so happy. AND,,she is gorgeous! Cute kid you got there!!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Lilly the chinchilla is actually very cool. She loves to come out of her cage, she will stand up by her door like hey I want to play. We open the door and she will just hang out and go all around Shannon's room, or just hang out in your lap. She is a bit messy so thank god for the little hand vac.

 

[MissMySphynxBoys]

Shannon and Lilly look very cute together. I'm not going to show the pictures to my 12 year old though. We got her a guinea pig when she turned 7 (we now have 3) and when she turned 10 she begged for a parakeet. Thank goodness she takes care of them herself....mostly.

 

[Luvmysphynx]

I haven't taken the time to read the responses yet - But congratulations! Anyway, to answer your question, I don't own any right now, but I have owned Chinchillas in the past. BIGGEST piece of advise - PICK THEM UP BY THEIR TAIL! Ya, you heard me right! Unline most animals, they have very flexible rib cages, if they are grabbed to tight (and it's not difficult!) around their middle or chest, you can puncture their lungs with their ribs! For dust bathes, do yourself a favor, get a bath house with a lid, and use them in the bathtub! Also, to be totally honest I wouldn't recommend one, I'd recommend 2 or 3 LOL They love company! I've had several chinchillas, while one can be happy for a while, they tend to be happier in couples or small groups. Another word of warning - Their little legs can be VERY fragile, so be careful when they're out exercising, one wrong step can result in a badly broken leg that can be very hard to get to heal due to their small size. They can be amazingly affectionate little animals, my Chewie use to wait for me to open their cage to feed them, and then would jump onto my shoulder every time, sadly, that's also what cost him his life - He went to do that the last time, and I wasn't ready, and couldn't grab him in time, resulting in him falling 4' to the tile floor, and despite rushing him to the emergency vet I lost him. So while letting them jump out of their cage is cute and sweet, I DO NOT encourage it! It breaks my heart that I lost my little Chewie in such a crazy way, he was the sweetest little Chin!

Another piece of advice I'm betting you've already been given - BIGGER IS BETTER, you can't have to big of a cage! The cage I used for my Chins was nearly 5' tall X 4' wide X 2 1/2 - 3' deep, but I had 4 of them, but even for just one, get a tall cage, put in plenty of branches, ramps, and shelves for them to chew, rest, and play on.

Now like many small rodents, Chinchillas are more active in the evening hours, they aren't very active during the day. Not as bad as the sugar gliders, but play with them in the early morning and evening hours. Also watch the heat! They do not tolerate heat, either warm or cool, well at all.

For food - I have always used and highly recommend Mazuri brand chinchilla pellets, most top chin breeders to! For bath salts, use Blue Cloud, even if you have to order it, Hartz and the lower quality brands can cause rough, patchy coats, and are sometimes perfumed, which can actually make them sick (why they do it, I do not know, makes no sense to me to add a scent to a bath sand when it can make them sick or cause respitory problems!). They're alot cleaner then most small pets, unlike rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small rodents, they're similar to a big gerbil in that they don't drink alot of water, and don't excrete alot of urine. Even with 4 of them, I only had to change the bedding every 10 - 14 days, and the cage stayed really nice cleaning it that often! I'd do spot cleaning throughout that time, but not a full cage change.

Good luck, I think your daughter will really enjoy her new pet!