Does anyone own a chinchilla on here?

[Pekin duck mom]

There has to be a story behind this post....

I agree! Share please!

 

[Pekin duck mom]

OMG CHINCHILLAS ARE THE CUTEST.

You MUST post pics when you get it.

I will!

 

[EverythingDucks]

I know very little about chinchillas but this goes for all small pets- pet stores do not know best. All they care about is the money, so keep in mind that they are just trying to get you to spend as much money as possible on your pets, even if that means it makes them sick so you have to take them to their vet. And most (if not all) of the cages they sell and way to small.

@Nabiki
You have chinchillas right?

 

[Nabiki]

I know very little about chinchillas but this goes for all small pets- pet stores do not know best. All they care about is the money, so keep in mind that they are just trying to get you to spend as much money as possible on your pets, even if that means it makes them sick so you have to take them to their vet. And most (if not all) of the cages they sell and way to small.

@Nabiki
You have chinchillas right?

Yes. My oldest is 13 now.

DO YOUR RESEARCH. Chinchillas are delicate. Do not go overboard on treats, that can kill them. I give mine one raisin a day, and the rest is timothy hay or alfalfa pellets.

They chew. If you don't have a metal cage, they will chew through it. Give them apple branches or something similar to chew on.

They are nocturnal. They will run and be active all night, and so you want to play with them in the very early morning or at night. Let them sleep during the day.

 

[Goatlover223]

1. High-quality chinchilla pellets and limited amounts of vegetables and fruits.
2. Provide Timothy hay at all times.
3. Clean, fresh, filtered, chlorine-free water, changed daily.
4. Do not feed chocolate, caffeine or alcohol as these can cause serious medical conditions. Avoid sugar and high fat treats.

 

[Nabiki]

1. High-quality chinchilla pellets and limited amounts of vegetables and fruits.
2. Provide Timothy hay at all times.
3. Clean, fresh, filtered, chlorine-free water, changed daily.
4. Do not feed chocolate, caffeine or alcohol as these can cause serious medical conditions. Avoid sugar and high fat treats.

I feed mine Mazuri chinchilla diet. If you feel the need to change their diet, do it gradually. Don't think that their diet looks boring and get them something with a lot of stuff in it. As I mentioned before, they're delicate. Don't be alarmed when they eat their own poop. That's normal, and they get some nutrition out of it that they didn't get the first time through their digestive tract.

Don't let their environment get above 80 degrees, they can die.

Have a vet in mind that knows chinchillas.

 

[Pekin duck mom]

1. High-quality chinchilla pellets and limited amounts of vegetables and fruits.
2. Provide Timothy hay at all times.
3. Clean, fresh, filtered, chlorine-free water, changed daily.
4. Do not feed chocolate, caffeine or alcohol as these can cause serious medical conditions. Avoid sugar and high fat treats.

Ok so I'm getting mazuri pellets and hay from my breeder.
The chocolate, sugars, etc I know not to feed.
I have a plastic water bottle but planning to get glass.
I'm only planning to feed oats for treats. Is that ok?

Ok, now i have a few more questions:
1.What age were yours when you got yours?
2.What age should you bring them home at the least. I'm getting mine at 2 months. Is that too early?
3.Are they pretty hardy animals?
4.Common sicknesses and treatment?
5.Questions I should ask my breeder?

 

[NatJ]

5.Questions I should ask my breeder?

Ask about how to pick them up and hold them.

I have a friend with chinchillas, and she insists that they must never be grabbed around the chest the way I would normally grab a cat or rabbit. She picks them up by the tail instead, and tells me that is correct for chinchillas (even though it is wrong for something like a cat.)

I don't know enough about chinchillas to tell how correct my friend is, which is why I say to ask the breeder.

 

[Nabiki]

Ok so I'm getting mazuri pellets and hay from my breeder.
The chocolate, sugars, etc I know not to feed.
I have a plastic water bottle but planning to get glass.
I'm only planning to feed oats for treats. Is that ok?

Ok, now i have a few more questions:
1.What age were yours when you got yours?
2.What age should you bring them home at the least. I'm getting mine at 2 months. Is that too early?
3.Are they pretty hardy animals?
4.Common sicknesses and treatment?
5.Questions I should ask my breeder?

I got mine at 8 weeks. They are not hardy animals. You need to be very careful of what you feed them and their environment.

Common illness is impacted intestines. They can die very easily if they get a blockage in their digestive tract.

 

[EverythingDucks]

@Nabiki what does your setup look like?