Chinchilla Information

Chinchilla Information

Chinchilla Behavior and
Communication

This section offers a general starting point for
understanding chinchilla behavior, but it's vital to
bear in mind that chinchilla personalities are
distinctly individual, as much so as people's. So take
time to understand and appreciate your chin for the
wonderfully unique individual that he is, no two are
alike!

Don't expect a high level of control over your chin's
behavior, their ability to perceive and reason is more
sophisticated than most people anticipate and blind
obedience to human will is not a realistic expectation.
They're extremely intelligent, complex, inquisitive
animals, and if you want a positive relationship with
your chin you'll need to dedicate time to
understanding him and developing a rapport.

Chins don't like to be petted in strokes the way we
would with a dog or a cat. Instead, rub the tummy,
under the chin, behind the ears or on the forehead in
a circular, massaging motion

Chinchillas don't reach adult size until they're a year
old, with males it can take longer. Until then, you have
chinchilla children on your hands, so be patient,
protective and doting. Young chinchillas are typically
hyperactive with a short attentions span; in general
chinchillas are quite independent, not the docile lap
pet most people expect. However, they do relax some
as they become accustomed to you and they will
mellow with age, eventually becoming more receptive
to sitting still for holding and petting.

They sometimes inherit traits, quirks of attitude or
habit, from their parents.

Chins are very clean animals, they will draw back
their whiskers if they are eating something messy or
taking medicine, they lift their tail to urinate and
many set aside one particular place, like a cage
corner, to do that (and sometimes they use more than
one corner).

Chinchillas are social animals, in the wild they travel
in groups, or "herds." They prefer companionship, the
company of their own kind. We advise same-sex pairs,
it's the easiest way to meet their need for social
contact without involving reproduction.

Chins will often snatch food away from each other,
right out of the other's mouth as they're chewing, in
fact. This is either tolerated because the chin with
the tidbit wasn't that interested in it to begin with,
or, if it's something really delectable, they'll take the
treat and run to a corner or other spot where they
can eat in peace. There is usually no real strife that
arises when food is snatched, this is because as kits
chinchillas learn to sample adult food by smelling,
tasting and often taking what their parents are
eating. Hogging the food dish by blocking another's
access to it is another matter, however, and that can
result in urine-spraying or dominance mounting.

Routines

In our experience, the only routines that should be
observed with strict regularity are those of exercise
and sleep. Aside from those, other routines will
develop based on what you've led them to expect.
Pellets, hay, chew toys and fresh filtered water
should always be available, they are among The
Essentials. If you check their supply and replenish it
in the morning before you go to work, they'll come to
expect it then, if you do it in the evening after work,
then that's what they'll come to expect. You may
notice, too, that if you're around more in the daytime
during the weekends that they may stay up later into
the day or wake up earlier in the evening.

If you introduce a routine, chinchillas do have an
internal sense of timing and they will anticipate
whatever it is they've come to expect at that certain
time. If your routine changes, it may take them a
while to adjust, but they eventually will. Some
stability and predictability in their environment is
good for chins, so it's best to choose a routine and be
consistent. For instance, when our chin kids wake up
in the evening, if the TV is still on the music station
instead of a show, they'll bark to let us know they're
up and ready to watch something interesting. Some
people give their chinchillas a treat like an
unsweetened mini Shredded Wheat biscuit after
exercise time to "bribe" them back into their cage, if
you do so even once, they will look for it the next
time in hopes that you're establishing a routine!

Routines: Exercise
Out-of-cage exercise time, even if they have a wheel,
is important to chinchilla health and disposition. This
will be something they look forward to, establishing a
routine for that is also important to maintaining a
bond with you.

Routines: Sleep
Chinchillas are chiefly nocturnal and they require a
dark, quiet, private and secure (away from marauding
pets and household traffic) area for daytime sleeping
so that they can get sufficient rest; a hideaway (tube,
hammock, house- no plastic- and one hideaway for
each cohabitating chin is strongly advised) inside the
cage helps provide that but the cage itself should be
in an area conducive to daytime sleeping. It is very
important to their health both mentally and physically
that they feel safe, most especially when they need to
sleep.

General Characteristics of
Communication

If all possible avoid breathing or blowing directly
into your chin's face. According to our veterinarian,
chinchillas CAN catch a virus from people, such as
cold or flu. Cold sores can also be a danger if they're
scratched before handling the chin or the chin comes
into direct contact with them. Also, from handling
them we've learned that by instinct a chinchilla
reacts to human breath as if they're being
bombarded by another animal's natural defenses.
That is, they think that we use our breath in the same
way another chin sprays urine, the way a porcupine
uses its quills or a squid shoots ink; human breath is
overwhelming, repulsive and even threatening,
especially if they're not accustomed to interaction
with people.

If they want something replenished or adjusted inside
their cage, if they want a treat, are eager to greet
you or would like to get out for a run, they'll get your
attention by standing up on their hind legs and
behaving like they're searching for something or
"begging." When they want something changed outside
of their cage environment (TV volume or channel
changed, room temperature adjusted, if dishwasher or
something is too loud...), they may chirp, but this is
rare.

There is a head shake, a trembling that chins show
when they're frightened or don't know what to
expect. It's not the same as a seizure or a convulsion,
it's a reaction that's situation-specific and should be
soothed away by speaking softly and reassuringly
while holding the chin close, cuddling. We've noticed
that the black velvet mutations seem more prone to
this than others and can continue using the head shake
even after they know there's nothing to worry about.

When a chin is familiar with you but still new enough
not to be totally confident yet, he may make a kind of
high-pitched whimpering sound if he thinks he's in
trouble for some perceived misdeed. It sounds just
like the pleading noise they make to their parents as
kits.

Chins do smile and wink, and as often as we've seen it
done, it's not inadvertent or blinking, it's really part
of the way they communicate to people. It can be
done to show contentment, to acknowledge our
communication efforts, or to say, "please be gentle
and love me, I'm little and scared."

If a chin is getting into something (while outside of
his cage) that he shouldn't, clap your hands once and
speak his name to divert his attention. Use this
sparingly or its effect will diminish.

They will learn routines or sounds associated with
what affects them: bags crinkling, footsteps coming
down the stairs, a food dish being screwed on, etc.

Chins will often try to catch their chin parent's
attention by climbing up to the human's eye-level,
sometimes scaling their cage wall to do so. Likewise, if
you drop a treat in through the cage bars while trying
to hand it to your chin, stoop to where you're at eye-
level with the treat on the cage floor, perhaps gesture
toward it as well, and the chin will find it more
quickly when he can better deduce where,
specifically, you're looking.

Chinchilla Care

Chinchilla Cages
Do not choose a cage with a wire bottom. A chinchilla
can get a foot caught in the mesh. In its distress, a
chinchilla can chew off its foot, break a leg or the leg
trauma may necessitate amputation. Do not use cedar
shavings as they can be toxic to chinchillas, and pine
shavings aren't always healthy for them because if
they aren't kiln dried it can produce resin that could
be toxic to their systems. Aspen bedding is healthiest
for your little one. House your chinchilla in a wire
cage inside your home. Chinchillas love to jump and
climb so be sure to choose that cage that offers
shelves. Ferret cages are an ideal choice. Chinchillas
are native to a cool climate and have very dense fur
to protect them from the cold. This fur will cause
them to overheat quickly. Aquariums do not offer
enough ventilation and can cause overheating even if
kept in a cool room. Chinchillas need to be kept at
temperatures below 75 degrees. They are nocturnal
meaning they are most active at night. If you are a
light sleeper you may choose not to place the cage in
your bedroom.

Chinchilla Toys
Many chinchillas enjoy hanging toys with bells on the
bottom and wood blocks (usually pine or fir) stacked
on the chain. They delight in chewing off the blocks
and like the sound of the bell. It is important that
chinchillas have adequate items to chew as their teeth
continually grow. We often supply wood blocks,
hanging toys, pumice blocks, booda bones, etc. If you
use any wood in the cage, be sure to change it often as
wood can harbor fungus and bacteria.

Chinchilla Wheels.
When choosing a wheel, do not select a wire mesh
wheel or hamster wheel. Many chinchillas have had
legs amputated and been killed when caught in these
wheels. Choose a wheel that is solid all the way around.

Water Bottles and food dishes
We only give our chinchillas bottled electrolyte
water. We highly recommend this, at least bottled
water. Chlorine is not good for chinchillas, (or
humans!) Many good water bottles are available.
Heavy glass water bottles are nice because they can
be sterilized in the dishwasher, but be sure the
drinking tubes are very heavy glass so the chinchilla
does not bite through them. There are also many
varieties of plastic water bottles from Lixit and
Nivek which also work well. Be sure the bottles do not
leak, especially if the chinchillas sit on litter. Damp
litter is very unhealthy for the chinchilla. If using
plastic water bottles, it is important to put a sheet
metal guard between the water bottle and the cage.
Chinchillas will chew through a plastic water bottle at
every opportunity. We cut a piece of sheet metal
large enough to shield the water bottle and make a
hole for the water nozzle. This has worked very well.
Also, be sure the water bottle is securely fastened to
the cage as the chinchillas enjoy unhooking the wires
that hold it to the cage. Change the water daily as a
constant supply of fresh water is vital to a
chinchilla's health. Do not use plastic food dishes or
crocks. Use glass or ceramic.
Food. A good diet is so important to chinchilla health.
We recommend feeding your chinchilla twice per day
(morning and evening). Chinchillas enjoy a routine and
look forward to being fed at the same time each day.
We use 1 to 2 heaping tablespoons of Mazuri pellets
per chinchilla per day. Our chinchillas have
maintained excellent health on this diet. You can’t give
a chinchilla too much fresh hay. Always be sure that
any food, timothy hay or alfalfa you use is fresh, free
of mold, mildew and toxic weeds. If your chinchilla
eats "bad" hay, diarrhea often results. This can
sometimes lead to intestinal problems which, if
untreated, can lead to an untimely death to your pet.
They should be eating more hay than pellets. We give
our chinchillas bermuda hay which we also sell. 5 lb
box - $4.00 We also sell Mazuri pellet food. 5.5lb
bag- $5.00

Lifespan
Chinchillas can live 10- 20 years.

Treats
We all love to spoil our little ones, but please do not
give your chinchilla too many treats. Chinchillas can
have a raisin, a craisin, a dried banana chip, a tiny
piece of dried guava, an unsalted sunflower seed.. Too
many treats, especially raisins can cause diarrhea.
Some chinchillas can tolerate a raisin per day just
fine, but others cannot and it is reflected in their
droppings. Be careful in giving a chinchilla nuts. They
have an inability to digest large amounts of oil and
this can lead to an untimely death. Some chinchillas
do not do well on fruit or nut treats at all and in
cases like this, wheat toast makes a nice treat.
DO NOT give baby chinchillas calf manna or nuts.
DO NOT give baby chinchillas treats until after they
are 4 months old. And even then, do it gradually.
Their digestive systems are not developed well enough
and the treats can cause diarrhea.
Dust Bathing: We offer our chinchillas a dust bath
daily or every other day as time permits. They love to
bathe and their coats look wonderful. We put 1/8 to
¼ cup of dust in a container and put it in the chinchilla’
s cage and then watch as they frolic. You can use
many types of containers from Pyrex bakers to
Tupperware. Our favorites are the chinchilla bath
houses because they contains the dust well. The best
type of dust to use is "Blue Cloud" as this does not
damage the coat or irritate the eyes as some of the
others do. Another good dust is Kaytee, but only the
type in the clear plastic bottle. We remove the dust
bath after 3 or 4 minutes otherwise the chinchilla will
soil the dust with droppings or urine.

Heat: Chinchillas generally will not survive
temperatures over 80 degrees for extended periods.
They can become very stressed even at 70 degrees if
humidity is high. If kept over 80 degrees, chinchillas
can suffer heat stroke and die. Please be aware of
this in the summer months. Keep your chinchilla in a
cool place, being careful to avoid drafts. It is
important to have good exchange of air in the room.
Exercise: It is important for chinchillas to have
exercise. A Chinchilla is very social and needs to
interact with you every day but will be scared when
you first bring him home. The first day leave him
alone to get used to his new home. On the second day
talk to him softly and place your arm inside the cage.
Don't try to hold your new pet or take him out until
he has begun to trust you. Use treats to get him to
come to your hand. It may take a few days but with
patience your chinchilla will soon be meeting you at
the cage door. Once he has learned to trust you its
OK to take him out to play. Remember your chinchilla
will chew on anything so keep him away from
electrical wires, plastics, and your favorite furniture.
If you play with your chinchilla in the bathroom be
sure to close the toilet. He can easily jump that high
and many chinchillas have gotten a surprise swim that
way! They also love playing in animal playpens. A
safely constructed wheel (not wire) in your chinchilla’
s cage provides both entertainment and exercise. A
wheel (if your chinchilla enjoys using it) also helps to
keep your chinchilla from becoming overweight and
lethargic.

Cleaning
Never, ever clean the cage with bleach!!! We
recommend Vanodine. This is the best thing we have
found and it is safe for all animals. Visit our
Vanodine page for more information.

Have fun with your new chinchilla!!