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Old 01-09-2019, 11:44 AM  
Newborn Pup
winterespets's Avatar
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Missouri, USA
Posts: 6
Default Re: Newbie just joined in

Personally, as someone who was thinking about a chinchilla and decided against, you'll have to do a ton of research to decide if they're for you.

They live 15-20 years. The cage minimum for them is 5 foot in height, 3 feet in length and 2 feet in width (size of a double critter-nation, which can be expensive). You must have 2 unless it is stated that one doesn't get along with other chinchillas!

They need specific temperature and humidity requirements. Temperature cannot go over 70 degrees F (inside) and humidity can't exceed 50% inside.

Food is fairly simple, oxbow pellets for chinchillas and 24/7 timothy hay. No fruits or vegetables as they are very sensitive to sugar. Treats can be given 1-2 times weekly. They love rose hips!

I've heard varying amounts on out of cage time. Some recommend no more than 30 minutes because they are prone to overheating, but I've heard some owners say 3-4 hours a night as long as they have places to cool down, like granite tiles. They will eat baseboards, drywall, and cords, so you must keep the chinchilla away from those. They also jump and are very fast, so a tall playpen is needed. If they are under 6 months, they cannot have any out of cage playtime, since they need every calorie for growing. It's also not recommended to have wooden shelves super high up for young ones either, since they are still figuring out how to jump and balance.

Grooming requires dust (not sand, dust), so if you have breathing issues I would not recommend. They cannot get wet. At all.

They also need wheels, 15 inches to 16 inches, anything less will bend their back. It must be metal. The best wheel on the market is the Chin spinner, and on exoticnutrition . com they are $100 USD.

They also need wood jumping shelves in their cage, as they need to jump from panel to panel. These are on etsy for fairly cheap. They need fleece bedding, paper bedding can be eaten and leads to blockages. Any loose bedding isn't recommended. On the bright side, if you buy a double critternation many people on etsy sell liners for those. They cannot have any plastic in their cage! No plastic huts, no plastic toys. It must be wood, or if it's plastic shelves the shelves can be covered by fleece.

They also don't do well with loud noises or a changing enviroment. I would also recommend owning your house, not renting, because their damage level is way up there. They have also been known to hold a grudge, some for literal months on end!

I cannot give advice on the care of rats/gerbils/ other rodents, I just happened to do some research on chinchillas! I would recommend hamsters as a shorter, less difficult commitment if you're new to rodents in general!

Welcome to the forum!
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