Chinchillas are small sized crepuscular rodents belonging to the Chinchillidae family. They are almost the size of a rabbit. They originated in the Andes Mountains of South America. There are two different species of Chinchilla, Chinchilla Lanigera and Chinchilla Brevicaudata. Although they look almost similar, the tail and ears of Chinchilla Brevicaudata are shorter, its shoulders and neck are broader and it is found in the wild. The Chinchilla Lanigera species can be kept as pets. Their standard colour is grey and they can also be found in ebony, beige and other colours.
Wild Chinchillas are an endangered species. Chinchillas can be kept as domestic pets, but are very shy animals and are not good with small children. Because of their fragile bone structure, they should be handled with care and that might be the reason why Chinchillas don’t like it when people hold them in their hands.
The life span of Chinchillas is about fifteen years, when kept in captivity, although some live for twenty or more years. Chinchillas are nocturnal animals and they are quite noisy. They make squeaks, barks and chirps. They make these noises to express their moods. They use a sweet chirping sound to attract another Chinchilla for mating. They bark loudly when they get aggressive or scared. Chinchillas are social animals and can be kept together. When keeping Chinchillas of the opposite sex, they should be neutered. A group of same sex Chinchillas will do well if they are introduced to each other when young. Older Chinchillas can be added to the group, but it has to be done very slowly or there is a chance of them fighting.
Chinchillas are very playful animals. If they cannot have a room of their own, then their cage should be very large and should contain an arrangement of shelves, which they will jump and play on. Toys like large wheels measuring more than eight inches in radius, hanging wooden toys, and paper towel cylinders can also be placed in the cage. Care should be taken that none of the objects they are given should be of mesh construction as there is a possibility of Chinchillas getting their feet or toes stuck in the mesh. When they are given wooden toys or wooden chew sticks the material shouldn’t be conifer wood because it contains resins which are poisonous to Chinchillas. Plastic should never be placed in their cage because their sharp teeth will quickly shred it and the plastic pieces or shavings could block their intestines if swallowed. The cage should be very airy and the bedding shouldn’t be cedar wood. Birch, apple tree, willow, and Manzanita are good options for wooden toys, chew sticks and bedding.
Temperatures should be maintained below seventy-seven degrees Fahrenheit, because Chinchillas don’t have sweat glands. When the temperatures get too high, they get overheated and get heat stroke. Since the animals are hyper active, they should be made to spend at least half an hour outside their cage to exercise, with supervision. They clean their fur many times a week by taking dust baths. A container filled with special Chinchilla dust, made from sand and fine pumice, should be kept in their cage for bathing purposes. Chinchillas shouldn’t be given wet baths because their fur has the ability to retain moisture and this could result in a fungal growth. If, in an emergency, it is necessary to give a chinchilla a wet bath, they should be dried very fast with the help of a blow dryer on a LOW setting. (Remember their susceptibility to heat strokes.)
Chinchillas shouldn’t be given a sweet or fatty diet, like nuts and fruits, as their digestive system is very delicate. Their main diet should be a hay-based pellet and loose hay. On very rare occasions, they can be given small pieces of papaya or raisins. If they are fed sugar or other sweet products, they have a tendency to develop either diabetes or diarrhoea, both of which could be fatal. Even fresh vegetables could block their digestive system which would be very dangerous.
The original cause of the extinction of some types of Chinchillas and the near decimation of others is that they were killed in huge numbers for their superb soft feeling fur. Although the nearly extinct wild species are no longer hunted for fur, the domestic species are especially bred for this purpose. There are many fur farms where Chinchillas are bred in large numbers. Some of these fur farms keep their Chinchillas in terrible conditions and do not humanely kill them. This has resulted in confrontations with the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Over that past few years, Chinchillas have become very popular as pets, so quite a few pet stores have one or more on hand. If you are interested in getting one, make sure that you do proper research and talk to knowledgeable pet store staff.
Until next time,
Teia
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