Chinchillas have great appeal, like cuddly little "balls of fur". Their exceedingly soft, dense coat has more fur per square inch than any other known mammal!
Linda Clark - 2011-08-31 I raise and show chinchillas and, with attention, they do get along with other animals. I have one who sits on the back of my Seal-Point Himalayan cat and they watch TV. A cat and a rodent. Who would guess. I have one chinchilla, "Buddy" featured on YouTube "Buddy the Chinchilla Playing Dead" who is a certified therapy animal and goes to nursing homes, hospices, schools, etc. They can be wonderful pets with enough attention.
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Toby Jungle - 2011-08-31 Awesome
Rhonda Elliott - 2011-09-07 Hi Linda Clark,
It's me, Rhonda Elliott, the owner of the Peace Corps chinchilla, Zoey, that you are caring for. I tried emailing you at your cascadechins email address but it didn't go through. So hopefully, I can connect with you this way. It's been about a year since I was last in the Seattle area, I really miss Zoey. I'm sorry I haven't been able to email you until now. I hope she is doing fine and treating you and your other chinchillas well. If you have taken any recent photos of her I would love to see them. I really want to see how she is doing. I miss her soooo much! I hope you are also doing well and staying healthy there. I have a little over another year here in the Philippines. I keep myself pretty busy here with work. Anyways, look forward to hearing from you. Take care!
Linda Clark - 2012-04-05 Rhonda,
I don't even know how I found this. I've only been on this website once. I have looked high and low for your e-mail and could not find it. I don't know how to soften this, but Zoey passed away a few months ago. I'll look at my calendar and let you know the date. Okay, I can now almost see the tears in your eyes. She was everyone's favorite the way she would lay unside down on her wheel. I don't know what happened. She was always very healthy and loved in my care. She was fine one day and the next I noticed she didn't come for her treat. I picked her up and held her in my arms. She was lethargic. I think she may have had a stroke (not uncommon in chins). She did not die alone, she was in my arms and I told her that her Mom (you) loved her so much. She went quickly and peacefully. I am so sorry. She was a great chin. Please e-mail me at cascadechinchillas@msn.com. My heart hurts sending you this e-mail. I will find any pictures I have of her and keep them for you or attempt to send them to you. Let me know what your e-mail is. I am so sorry!!!!! She definitely loved you.
Betty - 2011-09-11 Hello I wanted to get a chinchilla for pet since a year ago. I'm living in a apartment with carpet floor. I'm not sure if the environment is suitable for having chinchillas. Also, is there any nice breeders in Vancouver Canada? Thank you:)
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Susan - 2012-05-17 Hi, I don't live in B.C., but I am sure if you searched on the internet or asked a Petstore you would find a breeder. I am answering you about their environment as we have two chinchillas 5 years old.. they are sisters...as you see they love company and get along famously. They are for my younger daughter and oldest now 17 and 25...(oldest not at home) my youngest has them in her large room..they are housed in a very large cage that is off the ground...and with a high large pen/gate that goes around the cage...the cage sits on a bare floor...Chinchillas are wonderful, but chewers. So they are kept safe..have wooden landings inside the wired cage to comfort their feet as well as allow them to chew, as this allows their teeth to be kept sharp but not grow too long...(teeth are not white, but yellow- sign of health) they have lots of room to run up and down cage and a metal flying saucer to exercise on at night, although do use it in the day light... and for hiding I have tubular forms to sleep in...also have cold marble to allow them to chill...they cannot be in a draft or bright light by window also cannot be too hot..I feed them Oxbow hay, two kinds and Oxbow food, and they get one or two small raisins a week..sometimes a slivered almond, but they love their daily hay...they get hours outside the cage to exercise which is important and have plenty of object, fruitwood.....to chew and go and hide under. also have their dust bath which they enjoy daily....when younger have watch they don't have too many in a week in fear of their fur drying out, but depends on where you live and the climate... they can be picked up....ours are kept in my daughters room, housed with 4 budgies as well which came to our home this year. Primarily they like lots of company, that is why I say two and lots of room on a bare floor...maybe you could put something down for them over the carpet, as they will go to the bathroom on floor, and get the dust bath all over..they are so cute, and are friendly, takes time to gain their trust...well worth the effort..their water should be in a glass bottle and changed every day, same with food. I use a metal dish that is attached to cage...life span can be 20 years if they are healthy and happy.... I hope this helps....sincerely, Susan...
Cj Carolyn Hitt - 2012-04-25 i dont know a breeder but chinchillas can wear dipers... they love the dippy
Rosie - 2012-04-14 Hey, I've 2 chinchillas which I've had for about 5months now. I have not got them out the cage as of yet as one of the chins is very scared still while the other one is not and loves being stroked and nibbling on my hand, is there anything you can suggest to make the smaller one more relaxed? They have a large cage which is about 6ft by 3ft and loads of boredom breakers but he would rather hide in his house 90% of the time. thankyou xD
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Charlie Roche - 2012-04-14 Take them both out and place on neutral area such as bed or kitchen any area not so big you can't catch them. Bribe them with cracker and honey. I would think the nervous one would learn from the cuddly one.
Charlie Roche - 2012-04-14 Take them both out and place on neutral area such as bed or kitchen any area not so big you can't catch them. Bribe them with cracker and honey. I would think the nervous one would learn from the cuddly one.
Anonymous - 2012-04-15 Okay thank you so much will try it.
Nadia - 2011-07-30 So I have been looking at different information the last couple of days... and one website stated that chinchillas are illegal in the US can someone please give me some correct information?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-30 Chinchillas are legal inthe United States Per USDA (united States department of Agriculture)a Chinchilla is an "agricultural animal raised for the purpose of fur production" and not considered an exotic. I have no idea what site said they were illegal
Nadia - 2011-07-30 thanks... I forget the website but i just wanna be 100% sure before I buy one.
mmtakn - 2011-04-11 I bought a Chinchilla two days ago. The first night at about 11 PM, I move him out for a walk inside my room. After a while he suddenly started shaking. It seemed like he couldn't breath. Then I saw some water coming from his mouth. It was like a gel. He puked little bit. Closed his eyes slowly. Then frozen for 2-3 min. long. I thought he died. After 3 min he started jumping like nothing happened. Next day, on the same hour he repeated it again. Same events one by one. Is there anyone knows the reason, or had the same situation?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-04-12 Weird. Is there possibly something in your room that he quickly injests and then throws up? Animals can be allergic (very toxic) to some things us humans don't pay any attention to. Scented candles, Febreeze, aerosoles, perfumes etc. Big list and a chinchilla isn't a big fella.
Deidra Lashan Gunn-Knight - 2011-07-07 I know this is pretty old, but sounds like your chin had a seizure. Some have them pretty often, but any chin can have them if they hit their heads or something. If he still does that, take him to a vet--if that's not possible, let him chill out in his cage, with only hay for a few days. No play time.
Anonymous - 2011-08-02 What is a good size cage, if i want to adopt 2 to 3 chinchillas?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-08-04 You need a huge cage. Sorry it took me so long to write you back but had to do some homework and some thinking. Recommended size for 2 chinchillas, that I could find was 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet. They move around quite a bit. Obviously for three, you should go larger. Then I got to think about double decker bird cages without the divider used as they are usualy 3 feet by 4 feet by 6 feet. Then I thought about making one. Probably making one is your best solution for this large a size. You can buy wire and clips (Morton Jones has both) and just make one. You can use the legs that Morton Jones provides as well as a base pan. I think that would be the most economical way to go and get as large as you need.
Cera Farringer - 2011-07-12 I am highly considering getting a Chinchilla, but I already have a million pets. So I have a few questions, Are they really high maintenance? Do they pee everywhere? How big do they get? Hahha.. Well reply.. PLEASE! Thank you, Cera [:
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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-13 The Animal World article will tell you about their living requirements, food, cage etc. They are primarily kept in an enclosure with aborbin substrate. You take them out for play and cuddle and excercise but mostly in an enclosure with absorbent bedding. So you don't worry about whether they "pee a lot" as they are doing it in the pen. The chinchillas' body is 8 3/4 - 15 in long. The tail is 3 - 6 in long. They can weigh anywhere from 18 to 35 ounces. High maintenance, you need to keep the Chinchinlas pen clean and it would need to be quite sizable. Excercise and play outside the pen.
Anonymous - 2010-01-08 So cute! I want a chinchilla so bad, but I can't decide between a chinchilla or a bunny.
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Anonymous - 2010-02-26 Take the chinchilla. Bunnies are a pain!
emma - 2010-03-04 Bunnys are good pets and are almost the same as a chinchilla, except chinchillas are way softer. I have had experience from both and if I had to chose I would pick the bunny. They like to cuddle and sleep in your arms and chinchillas don't. but it is your choice.
Cooper - 2010-04-06 Get A Chinchilla. They Are A lot Cuter And They Love To Play. Don't Let Them Near Dogs Though. They Like To Get Out Of Their Cage Every Night To Play And Bounce Around (make sure all doors are closed before letting it out or it could be a struggle to find it)
Also only let it in the living room (lounge) Chinchillas Like To Go Under The Sofa And Hop Up Onto The Sofa. Keep the cage door open so it is free to go into the cage at anytime it wants. (only keep it open when it is allowed out) :) hope i've persuaded you to get a CHINCHILLA! They are better than bunnies.
shan - 2010-07-11 Get a chin... rabbits stink bad...but beware when letting him run around they chew everything,, furniture and mostly wires! Fire hazards...like tv cords! Keep a close eye on him specially if he is hiding.
Anonymous - 2010-12-05 Get a chinchilla they are adorable!
Ramona - 2011-02-06 Get a chinchilla. They are clean and do not smell like bunnies do. They also do not procreate as bunnies do. I have had both. You can litter train bunnies and let them run through your house. But hands down I would have my chinchilla Chuppa any day:)
chris - 2008-06-19 My girlfriend has had a chunchilla for two almost three years and he (his name is Boe) has recently developed a habit of barking at me whenever I get near his cage. When my girlfriend and I first started seeing each other he was fine with my presense. I built him a much larger cage than what he had and we take care of him as we always have. It has only been in the past three weeks he has developed this aggression! He doesn't try to bite or atack me, but he does bark and lundge at me as though I were a predator. I wonder what could be the cause of this attitude change. Could it be that he is in rutt, like a buck coming into his own or does he simply not like me anymore, and if so what might I do to bond with him. It's not like I can throw the football with him! One more thing, he won't even accept food from me any longer! Please, anyone that has had a similar experience,... Thanks so much! Chris
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Brit - 2010-05-28 I have a chinchilla who has bonded with me pretty well. And was ok when I first introduced my boyfriend to him. But now he barks at him, cries whenever he's around, and scrambles out of his arms with a near-death urgency if he takes him up? lol...
emma - 2010-06-06 Dear chris, Any animals aggression could be like peoples, they simply just get mad because maybe you did something he didn't like or gave him something he didn't like or something like that. Maybe you can try something like giving him a treat you know he likes and giving it to him as I always say the best way to a pets soft spot is by food well I hope that helps. sincerely, emma
Dick Yielder - 2010-12-08 Just give him a nice treat to chew on like .....anything sweet.
Meg - 2009-04-20 I got a Chinchilla just yesterday. I decided to name him Romeo for his boyish yet cute personality. He is very cute, and he is already starting to get used to my scent. He likes to run when its play time at 8:00, he jumps over pillows and climbs stairs all for fun! Last night he kept climbing up me and putting his nose right on my lips as if he were kissing me! Sometimes I just can't resist to take him out durring the day. Sometimes he is tired and just lets you hold him, or sometimes he wakes up and gets going! I think Chinchillas are great animals, although they require lots of attention and care, I would suggest them to a family that is mature and responsible enough to research them, and take good care of them.
Xoxo, Meg :)
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Syd - 2010-11-01 Yeah it's amazing how excitable the little guys are They're sooo soft too and it's really fun to play with them.
Chinchillas have great appeal, like cuddly little "balls of fur". Their exceedingly soft, dense coat has more fur per square inch than any other known mammal!
I raise and show chinchillas and, with attention, they do get along with other animals. I have one who sits on the back of my Seal-Point Himalayan cat and they watch TV. A cat and a rodent. Who would guess. I have one chinchilla, "Buddy" featured on YouTube "Buddy the Chinchilla Playing Dead" who is a certified therapy animal and goes to nursing homes, hospices, schools, etc. They can be wonderful pets with enough attention.
Awesome
Hi Linda Clark,
It's me, Rhonda Elliott, the owner of the Peace Corps chinchilla, Zoey, that you are caring for. I tried emailing you at your cascadechins email address but it didn't go through. So hopefully, I can connect with you this way. It's been about a year since I was last in the Seattle area, I really miss Zoey. I'm sorry I haven't been able to email you until now. I hope she is doing fine and treating you and your other chinchillas well. If you have taken any recent photos of her I would love to see them. I really want to see how she is doing. I miss her soooo much! I hope you are also doing well and staying healthy there. I have a little over another year here in the Philippines. I keep myself pretty busy here with work. Anyways, look forward to hearing from you. Take care!
Rhonda,
I don't even know how I found this. I've only been on this website once. I have looked high and low for your e-mail and could not find it. I don't know how to soften this, but Zoey passed away a few months ago. I'll look at my calendar and let you know the date. Okay, I can now almost see the tears in your eyes. She was everyone's favorite the way she would lay unside down on her wheel. I don't know what happened. She was always very healthy and loved in my care. She was fine one day and the next I noticed she didn't come for her treat. I picked her up and held her in my arms. She was lethargic. I think she may have had a stroke (not uncommon in chins). She did not die alone, she was in my arms and I told her that her Mom (you) loved her so much. She went quickly and peacefully. I am so sorry. She was a great chin. Please e-mail me at cascadechinchillas@msn.com. My heart hurts sending you this e-mail. I will find any pictures I have of her and keep them for you or attempt to send them to you. Let me know what your e-mail is.
I am so sorry!!!!! She definitely loved you.
Linda
i love chinchillas
Hello I wanted to get a chinchilla for pet since a year ago. I'm living in a apartment with carpet floor. I'm not sure if the environment is suitable for having chinchillas. Also, is there any nice breeders in Vancouver Canada? Thank you:)
Hi, I don't live in B.C., but I am sure if you searched on the internet or asked a Petstore you would find a breeder. I am answering you about their environment as we have two chinchillas 5 years old.. they are sisters...as you see they love company and get along famously. They are for my younger daughter and oldest now 17 and 25...(oldest not at home) my youngest has them in her large room..they are housed in a very large cage that is off the ground...and with a high large pen/gate that goes around the cage...the cage sits on a bare floor...Chinchillas are wonderful, but chewers. So they are kept safe..have wooden landings inside the wired cage to comfort their feet as well as allow them to chew, as this allows their teeth to be kept sharp but not grow too long...(teeth are not white, but yellow- sign of health) they have lots of room to run up and down cage and a metal flying saucer to exercise on at night, although do use it in the day light... and for hiding I have tubular forms to sleep in...also have cold marble to allow them to chill...they cannot be in a draft or bright light by window also cannot be too hot..I feed them Oxbow hay, two kinds and Oxbow food, and they get one or two small raisins a week..sometimes a slivered almond, but they love their daily hay...they get hours outside the cage to exercise which is important and have plenty of object, fruitwood.....to chew and go and hide under. also have their dust bath which they enjoy daily....when younger have watch they don't have too many in a week in fear of their fur drying out, but depends on where you live and the climate... they can be picked up....ours are kept in my daughters room, housed with 4 budgies as well which came to our home this year. Primarily they like lots of company, that is why I say two and lots of room on a bare floor...maybe you could put something down for them over the carpet, as they will go to the bathroom on floor, and get the dust bath all over..they are so cute, and are friendly, takes time to gain their trust...well worth the effort..their water should be in a glass bottle and changed every day, same with food. I use a metal dish that is attached to cage...life span can be 20 years if they are healthy and happy.... I hope this helps....sincerely, Susan...
i dont know a breeder but chinchillas can wear dipers... they love the dippy
Hey, I've 2 chinchillas which I've had for about 5months now. I have not got them out the cage as of yet as one of the chins is very scared still while the other one is not and loves being stroked and nibbling on my hand, is there anything you can suggest to make the smaller one more relaxed?
They have a large cage which is about 6ft by 3ft and loads of boredom breakers but he would rather hide in his house 90% of the time.
thankyou xD
Take them both out and place on neutral area such as bed or kitchen any area not so big you can't catch them. Bribe them with cracker and honey. I would think the nervous one would learn from the cuddly one.
Take them both out and place on neutral area such as bed or kitchen any area not so big you can't catch them. Bribe them with cracker and honey. I would think the nervous one would learn from the cuddly one.
Okay thank you so much will try it.
So I have been looking at different information the last couple of days... and one website stated that chinchillas are illegal in the US can someone please give me some correct information?
Chinchillas are legal inthe United States Per USDA (united States department of Agriculture)a Chinchilla is an "agricultural animal raised for the purpose of fur production" and not considered an exotic. I have no idea what site said they were illegal
thanks... I forget the website but i just wanna be 100% sure before I buy one.
I bought a Chinchilla two days ago. The first night at about 11 PM, I move him out for a walk inside my room. After a while he suddenly started shaking. It seemed like he couldn't breath. Then I saw some water coming from his mouth. It was like a gel. He puked little bit. Closed his eyes slowly. Then frozen for 2-3 min. long. I thought he died. After 3 min he started jumping like nothing happened. Next day, on the same hour he repeated it again. Same events one by one. Is there anyone knows the reason, or had the same situation?
Weird. Is there possibly something in your room that he quickly injests and then throws up? Animals can be allergic (very toxic) to some things us humans don't pay any attention to. Scented candles, Febreeze, aerosoles, perfumes etc. Big list and a chinchilla isn't a big fella.
I know this is pretty old, but sounds like your chin had a seizure. Some have them pretty often, but any chin can have them if they hit their heads or something. If he still does that, take him to a vet--if that's not possible, let him chill out in his cage, with only hay for a few days. No play time.
What is a good size cage, if i want to adopt 2 to 3 chinchillas?
You need a huge cage. Sorry it took me so long to write you back but had to do some homework and some thinking. Recommended size for 2 chinchillas, that I could find was 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet. They move around quite a bit. Obviously for three, you should go larger. Then I got to think about double decker bird cages without the divider used as they are usualy 3 feet by 4 feet by 6 feet. Then I thought about making one. Probably making one is your best solution for this large a size. You can buy wire and clips (Morton Jones has both) and just make one. You can use the legs that Morton Jones provides as well as a base pan. I think that would be the most economical way to go and get as large as you need.
Where did you want to put it?
I am highly considering getting a Chinchilla, but I already have a million pets. So I have a few questions, Are they really high maintenance? Do they pee everywhere? How big do they get? Hahha.. Well reply.. PLEASE! Thank you, Cera [:
The Animal World article will tell you about their living requirements, food, cage etc. They are primarily kept in an enclosure with aborbin substrate. You take them out for play and cuddle and excercise but mostly in an enclosure with absorbent bedding. So you don't worry about whether they "pee a lot" as they are doing it in the pen. The chinchillas' body is 8 3/4 - 15 in long. The tail is 3 - 6 in long. They can weigh anywhere from 18 to 35 ounces.
High maintenance, you need to keep the Chinchinlas pen clean and it would need to be quite sizable. Excercise and play outside the pen.
So cute! I want a chinchilla so bad, but I can't decide between a chinchilla or a bunny.
Take the chinchilla. Bunnies are a pain!
Bunnys are good pets and are almost the same as a chinchilla, except chinchillas are way softer. I have had experience from both and if I had to chose I would pick the bunny. They like to cuddle and sleep in your arms and chinchillas don't. but it is your choice.
Get A Chinchilla. They Are A lot Cuter And They Love To Play. Don't Let Them Near Dogs Though. They Like To Get Out Of Their Cage Every Night To Play And Bounce Around
(make sure all doors are closed before letting it out or it could be a struggle to find it)
Also only let it in the living room (lounge) Chinchillas Like To Go Under The Sofa And Hop Up Onto The Sofa.
Keep the cage door open so it is free to go into the cage at anytime it wants. (only keep it open when it is allowed out) :) hope i've persuaded you to get a CHINCHILLA! They are better than bunnies.
Get a chin... rabbits stink bad...but beware when letting him run around they chew everything,, furniture and mostly wires! Fire hazards...like tv cords! Keep a close eye on him specially if he is hiding.
Get a chinchilla they are adorable!
Get a chinchilla. They are clean and do not smell like bunnies do. They also do not procreate as bunnies do. I have had both. You can litter train bunnies and let them run through your house. But hands down I would have my chinchilla Chuppa any day:)
My girlfriend has had a chunchilla for two almost three years and he (his name is Boe) has recently developed a habit of barking at me whenever I get near his cage. When my girlfriend and I first started seeing each other he was fine with my presense. I built him a much larger cage than what he had and we take care of him as we always have. It has only been in the past three weeks he has developed this aggression! He doesn't try to bite or atack me, but he does bark and lundge at me as though I were a predator. I wonder what could be the cause of this attitude change. Could it be that he is in rutt, like a buck coming into his own or does he simply not like me anymore, and if so what might I do to bond with him. It's not like I can throw the football with him! One more thing, he won't even accept food from me any longer! Please, anyone that has had a similar experience,... Thanks so much! Chris
I have a chinchilla who has bonded with me pretty well. And was ok when I first introduced my boyfriend to him. But now he barks at him, cries whenever he's around, and scrambles out of his arms with a near-death urgency if he takes him up? lol...
Dear chris,
Any animals aggression could be like peoples, they simply just get mad because maybe you did something he didn't like or gave him something he didn't like or something like that. Maybe you can try something like giving him a treat you know he likes and giving it to him as I always say the best way to a pets soft spot is by food well I hope that helps.
sincerely,
emma
Just give him a nice treat to chew on like .....anything sweet.
I got a Chinchilla just yesterday. I decided to name him Romeo for his boyish yet cute personality. He is very cute, and he is already starting to get used to my scent. He likes to run when its play time at 8:00, he jumps over pillows and climbs stairs all for fun! Last night he kept climbing up me and putting his nose right on my lips as if he were kissing me! Sometimes I just can't resist to take him out durring the day. Sometimes he is tired and just lets you hold him, or sometimes he wakes up and gets going! I think Chinchillas are great animals, although they require lots of attention and care, I would suggest them to a family that is mature and responsible enough to research them, and take good care of them.
Xoxo, Meg :)
Yeah it's amazing how excitable the little guys are They're sooo soft too and it's really fun to play with them.