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BASIC CHINCHILLA CARE
WHAT NOW?
You have read that chinchillas are not for everyone. You know what to buy for the furball. Are we going to talk about buying the chinchilla now? I am going to say, not quite yet. Before you choose your companion, let’s talk about the basics of taking care of him or her.
First let’s learn about cage setup. Do not put the cage in a draft or near a window that has the sun blazing out on it. Many people say that you must put a chin in a room where other animals cannot get at it because they are very nervous animals. I agree with that in part. You must make sure that your other animals will not bother your chin, but I have mine in the family room where we spend most of our time. Our bird, cats and dogs are there and our chins couldn’t care less. Just make sure that your chin is not bothered when sleeping. They are nocturnal and come out in the day only now and then. Respect the animal and there should not be a problem. If you have an aggressive dog cat or particularly noisy bird, then it may be a good idea to put your chin in another room and spend some time with him there. Make sure that your chin gets some light, not direct sunlight, but do not keep him a dark cellar.
The cage should have the hay rack, food dish, bedding and littler pan set up. It is better to have the hay rack outside if possible and the water bottle should be outside.
Daily- Put the pellets in the food dish according to the directions given by the manufacturers. Remember that young chins will overeat and make themselves sick, so don’t overfeed the pellets. Give fresh Timothy Hay or one of the other hays that I mentioned daily. Clean out the old or it may get soiled and harbor bacteria. Clean out the water bottle daily and give fresh water. Clean up the soiled bedding and litter and replace with fresh. Remember, even if your chin is litter pan trained, she will only urinate in it, she will defecate anywhere she can. Also give some fresh veggies sparingly about three times a week daily if your chin will take some. Do not force the chin to eat veggies.
When your chin has gotten used to you, take your chin and put him in a chin-proofed room for exercise. Chin-proofed means that there are no electrical wires or outlets that your chin can get into. Do not leave the room even if you think that it is chin-proofed. Your chin can still chew on treated wood, the walls, the woodwork etc. A chin is like a tiny baby. It must always be watched. Your chin should have at least a half hour of out time daily or an hour four times a week. I always let my chins take their dust baths when they are out. If you leave the dust bath in the chin’s cage all of the time, then the chin will make a mess, defecate in it and dry out her coat due to too much bathing. A couple of minutes daily is enough for bathing or five minutes four times a week.
WEEKLY-Take all bedding out and clean the cage entirely with vinegar or steam clean. Make sure the chin is out of the cage. All toys should be cleaned as well as the wheel and anything else that the chin uses. Make sure that your cage is dry before returning the chin. If a chin gets wet, he or she can become very ill. Your chin bath should also be cleaned and the chinchilla dust should be replaced. Everything else should be dry before placing it back into the chin’s cage. Brush and or comb your chin’s coat. Make sure that your chin has fresh uncolored untreated wood to chew. Give the water bottle an extra good rinsing to prevent bacteria growing inside.
BASIC CHINCHILLA CARE
TAMING AND HOLDING
Remember that a chinchilla is a prey animal and it knows that it will make tasty morsel for many other animals. Therefore, you can expect it to be nervous, jumpy and maybe even terrified of you. Even if the chin came from a breeder, it does not mean that the chin will jump into your arms and you will live happily ever after. Some chins will never let you snuggle and hold them for long. That is just a fact and you must accept that. Most of the time, you can get a chin to jump on your arm when you come to take it out of your cage and to come when you call his name. That does not always happen either. Whatever the chin’s personality is like, we must never chase, him handle him roughly, hit him, or raise your voice to him. If you do you may lose his respect and confidence forever.
When you first take your chin home, put her in the cage and let her be by herself for a few days with you only doing the basic daily chores. For the next five days or so, sit for a while each day and just softly talk to your chin. Continue to do your daily chores. Then, for the next week, just put your hands near and then in the cage while talking softly to the chin. When you think that you have gained his confidence then see if the chin will jump onto your arm to be taken out. If not, then keep trying until she does.
Never pick up a chin by the tail. Experts may do it, but it is not a good idea because you may damage the tail. Don’t hold on to the chin too hard because she will slip or lose some hair to get away from you. Do not pick up a chin by the ears or you can cause severe damage.
When you get used to your chin and she to you, you may look into a chin’s mouth to see the color. A chin should have yellow teeth. Baby chins may take a time to develop this. If a chin does not have yellow teeth, then consult an exotics’ veterenarian for help. Also make sure that the ears smell okay. If not, also consult a vet. There might be an infection.
The correct way to hold a chin is to put one hand behind it, put your hands under the feet so that you can hold the entire chin and lift it up. Be very careful about squeezing a chin because you can break the bones. A chinchilla is a very delicate animal when it comes to holding and that’s why children are not to do it without adult supervision.
Chins do not ususally bite hard, but if you accidentally hurt it, a chin can give one very good painful bite. Never grab a chin’s neck or head. A woman once did that and broke the chin’s neck and killed it.
BASIC CHINCHILLA CARE
HEALTH, BREEDING AND ACQUIRING A CHINCHILLA
Athough a chinchilla is basically a healthy animal, there are times when he or she may become ill.
There are many illnesses to discuss, but it is not the scope of this article to go into great detail. The main thing to understand is that if your chinchilla does not look well, take it to an exotics’ vet immediately. If you cannot find an exotics’ vet right away, then take it to a regular vet until you do. Any vet is better than no vet. Do not try to cure your chin yourself. Even vets sometimes have trouble diagnosing. Keep your chin away from wild or sick animals or yourself if you are ill. I have been told by my exotics’ vet that my chin may have caught a cold from me. Make sure you keep your chin’s home and utensils clean and always quarantine new animals before you bring them into your home. Make sure that your chin gets a checkup before you bring him home and let your chin have a well chin checkup yearly by an exotics vet.
Some signs of illness are: diarrhea, soft stools constipation, seizures, weakness, lack of eating or different eating habits, difference in the chin’s personality, leaning the head to one side or any difference or possible sign of illness. Please take your chin to a vet. Do not try to treat the chin yourself. If no vets are open, then take it to an emergency clinic, whether or not they specialize in chins. All vets know basic animal care.
ABOUT BREEDING- Don’t do it!!! Leave breeding to the people who study the genetics of chins and breed for the betterment of chins. Please don’t try it. You can accidentally breed a genetic problem from one chin to her offspring. Leave it to the professionals. If your chin accidentally gets pregnant, take her to an exotics vet immediately.
Now that you have learned the basics of caring for a chinchilla, you want to get one. They cost anywhere from fifty dollars to hundreds of dollars. There are the basic gray colors, white, dark black, brown and other beautiful shades.
If you make sure that you have everything you need for a chinchilla and have the name of a good exotics vet, then you can search for your special friends. You can get two if they come from the same litter or are used to each other. If you are getting a male and female, get an exotics vet to neuter THE MALE. Needles to say, you cannot house chinchillas with any other animals but chinchillas. Do not put two unfamiliar chins together or there will be fur flying. Never put a new chin in a cage where another chin has been living.
Try shelters and chin rescue groups. The web has those as well as breeders that specialize in chins. Look at chin groups. Sometimes people must give up their chins.
Please, try not to get a chin younger than four months old. The younger ones are harder to keep. I think that the older chins are prettier too! Male or female, it does not matter. Good luck. I wish you and your new friend many years of happiness and love.
Join our Chinchilla Chat Group:
http://smartgroups.com/group/group.cfm?GID=869410
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