Some Considerations Before Getting Chinchillas As Pets

This could be the question which most of us would ask before adopting or buying any pet; this question is best answered when you get information about them. The same thing applies to chinchillas; these quick, perky and little animals that originated in the Andes Mountains of South America have the personality of park squirrels.

A few points worth considering before adopting a chinchilla:

• Chinchillas come in a variety of colors like silvery gray, sapphire, white, beige and ebony.

• Chinchillas have many characteristics like beautiful soft lush fur, an inquisitive and boisterous nature, no objectionable sounds and low maintenance that make them great pets, but they are not ideal for children as they are very small and fragile and could bite if squeezed very tightly.

• Chinchilla is a rodent that is preferred to other rodents due to their long life spans and lack of unpleasant smell. Chinchillas live 12 to 20 years; an exceptionally long life span for a rodent.

• It is significant to note the downside of chinchillas; these rodents are somewhat high strung and have shorter attention spans. Also they cannot tolerate high temperatures and humidity; chinchillas. cannot thrive above 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25.8C) or humidity above 40%.

• You can get a chinchilla either from a pet shop or a reputable breeder; pet shops are the worst place to purchase them as they are just after profits and it is best to go to a reputable breeder. This breeder must be a member of The Chinchilla Club; ask him for references and phone numbers of satisfied clients in your area. The ideal age to purchase your chinchilla is 10 weeks of age.

• Getting a chinchilla from a reputed breeder is always advisable; look out for problems in the parent and youngster before getting one. They should not have watery or pasty eyes, drooling (tooth alignment problems), wool pulling or missing areas of fur; these are problems that could exist in chinchillas at a pet store. Chinchillas in a pet store could have wool pulling due to boredom and stress and malocclusion due to improper diet and genetics. Chinchillas that have not been socialized at a young age could be aggressive. It is also necessary to note here that chinchillas need to be handled and petted frequently after they are born to avoid growing up skittish or aggressive.

• Chinchillas can be easily trained using food treats as raisins for encouragement; they could soon be trained to come to the scent of raisin and would trust you and hop into your outstretched hand and then onto your shoulder to be petted. These rodents are creature of habit with strong internal clocks; you could tell him what to expect by playing with him at the same time every day.   

• Chinchillas have an insatiable desire to gnaw as their teeth grow continuously throughout life; providing them chewing blocks of pieces of hard rock maple, non-resinous pine, fruit woods and beech as well as deer antler and bone would help to continuously wear down its teeth by gnawing.

Last but most important do not allow chinchillas to freely run in the house; they could chew indiscriminately on everything including household toxins. 

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