Chinchillas are lovely and gentle animals and need some loving care. If they are tamed from birth they will be meek and docile. They make great pets but are very delicate and should be handled with care.
Steps
Step 1. Get a suitable cage
Chinchillas should be kept in a cage. Since they are extremely active, the larger the cage, the better.
- Chinchillas love to jump, so a tiered cage is recommended.
- Make sure the cage has a solid bottom, as chinchillas can get their feet stuck in the net, and get really hurt trying to free themselves.
- Make sure the cage bars are tight enough for the chinchilla to not get its head stuck in the middle. If the head enters the bars, the whole body can pass through them and the chinchilla could escape. It may seem too big, but don't be fooled. It's all fur.
- If you choose a wire cage, make sure there are no bits of iron sticking out that the chinchilla could get hurt with.
Step 2. Prepare a healthy bed
Never use pine or cedar sawdust for bedding, phenol can be very strong and cause serious respiratory, skin, coat and liver problems. It is also poisonous to the chinchilla should it try to eat it. Try using special sawdust.
If you wish, make a box for your chinchilla's bed. This should be approximately 10cm x 20cm large. The cot should be placed on the floor, not on the shelves, as the chinchilla may throw it down
Step 3. Lift the chinchilla correctly
Raise him as if he were a kitten. Slide your hand under the chinchilla's stomach and the other hand over the chinchilla. With your hand underneath, hold the legs and butt still so that he feels safe. Don't hold the chinchilla too tightly, but remember that they move a lot, so you need to hold them tightly. It is very important not to squeeze them, especially on the upper torso, as they have what is called a "rib cage with floating ribs" and could cause serious internal damage.
Step 4. Get some suitable food
- Your chinchilla should "always" have a good amount of clean straw (you can also feed it small amounts of alpha-alpha, but don't overdo it as it could cause mouth foam). Keep the straw in the straw grate or in a metal basket hanging from the cage to keep it clean.
- If you give your chinchilla treats, don't buy the one with treats inside.
- Feed your dog treats infrequently, as they can cause digestive problems. Never give him fruits and vegetables (both dried and fresh). Don't give him nuts or other treats that aren't safe. Safe treats include: Sugar-free cheerios (~ 3 per week), sugar-free bran cereal (just a pinch), rose berries (~ 3 per week), wooden chew sticks.
Step 5. Replace your drinking water daily
Remember to sterilize the water bottle when you change the water. The algae growing in the water could cause liver problems, diarrhea, or even kill them. Use bottled or filtered water - never use tap water. Chinchillas cannot tolerate bacteria that naturally exist in water (e.g. giardia) such as humans, dogs, cats, etc. which could cause fatal diseases.
Step 6. Remove dirty straw daily
Step 7. Wash the cage with boiling water
It is recommended that you avoid using soap and other chemicals, but if you mix a small amount of bleach in hot water and pass it over the plastic part of the cage and then rinse it thoroughly with hot water and let it dry in the open air, it's a great way to kill bacteria that may be harmful to your chinchilla.
Step 8. Give your chinchilla a dust bath for 10-15 minutes a day or at least twice a week
Doing it too frequently could cause your skin to dry out, but doing it too infrequently could cause a buildup of oils in the fur which could lead to the formation of very harmful or even fatal fungi.
Step 9. Get him to exercise
Chinchillas are very active animals and should be given the opportunity to exercise daily.
- Get him a wheel. The wheel must have a solid surface, and not be made of mesh as it could hurt the paws. Never use one of those hamster balls (deadly balls) that try to sell you in pet stores.
- If you take your chinchilla out of the cage to play free under surveillance, you should do so in a small, chinchilla-proof room. Chinchillas can jump very high, and they can slip into very small spaces. They also tend to chew on electrical wires, furniture, and whatever else gets under their teeth.
Step 10. Give him something to chew daily for healthy teeth
Chinchilla teeth can grow up to 30cm per day. Purchase a block of wood or pumice stone for your chinchilla to chew on.
Get branches that your chinchilla can climb and chew on. Make sure they are not from trees that have been contaminated with chemicals or are poisonous when chewed, such as yew, laburnum, and fresh pine. The best trees are the plane tree and the manzanita, which have a smooth trunk that is resistant to the pointed teeth of chinchillas. Apple tree branches are also a good alternative and can be found easily
Step 11. Keep them cool
Chinchillas heat up easily. They cannot survive temperatures above 23 ° C or below 10 ° C. Keep their cage in a cool room with lots of air circulation. Make sure the cage is not exposed to direct sun, as they can overheat. Do not leave them in a room with a lot of humidity.
Step 12. Give your chinchilla some dust
Water could damage their fur. Instead, give him a bath in the dust. The "dust" bath is made with dust that comes from volcanic ash and clay. Dust baths help chinchillas get rid of excess fat on their fur. Dust should feel like dust, not sand. The sand baths they sell in some stores are too abrasive on their fur. Look for chinchilla powders.
Advice
- Make sure you don't use plastic! As you might know chinchillas chew on everything, and plastic is very toxic to chinchillas, never use plastic unless you can avoid it.
- Make sure your chinchilla doesn't start barking, when they do they want you to walk away.
- Do not hold and do not get too close to the chinchilla as soon as you pick it up as they are shy animals and it may be stressful for them to be in an unfamiliar place.
- You can purchase ice cubes to put in your chinchilla's cage to cool down.
- Chinchillas are usually very friendly, but you shouldn't handle them too much.
- If you are using a cot box, place it on the floor, not raised, as the chinchilla may drop it.
- Make sure you don't give him too many greedy things.
- Always buy your chinchilla from a trusted dealer. Many shopkeepers allow you to return the pet if you realize you are unable to care for it.
Warnings
- You can train your chinchilla, but you may stress it out if you try to teach it a trick too quickly.
- Do not get the chinchilla wet. Their fur doesn't dry out like that of a normal animal, but it gets moldy.
- Keep the plastic away from the chinchilla cage; ingesting plastic could make him sick and / or die.
- Chinchillas have defenses such as shedding, biting, and spraying urine. Make sure you are gentle with your chinchilla to not scare him.
- Never feed chinchillas human food.
- If you plan to build your own cage, plan out every detail, or you could risk doing your chinchilla a lot of harm.
- Chinchillas can be trained, and should have fewer than two treats a day. They can be trained, but be very gentle.
- Chinchillas are silent and nocturnal.
- Chinchillas are not good for babies, due to their reserved disposition and delicate body.
- Chinchillas need little care!
