It cannot get dry easily if they get wet or begin to sweat, so they need a constant cool temperature for their environment. Wet or damp fur can lead to bacteria and infections. If you live in a hot area, you will need to fit an air conditioner in their room. Chinchillas live for around years. This means that once your child grows up and heads off to college, you will still have to take care of them.
Moving them to a new environment can also be difficult regarding space and indoor climate. Chinchillas need to sleep during the day, so they need a quiet spot where they will not be disturbed.
This also makes them unsuitable pets for young children who may not be able to resist tapping on the cage to wake them up. Unless you have a spare room to house them in, it can be extremely difficult to find a place for them where they will not disturb you at night and where they can be left alone during the day. As chinchillas cannot get wet, they require regular dust baths at least twice per week. If you use plastic, encasing it or creating a barrier to it with wire mesh should reduce the risk of damage you can also get commercial chew guards.
For feeders, hopper style feeders that attach to the outside of the cage are nice because they can't be tipped over and the chinchilla won't be able to urinate in their food. If a food bowl is used it should be a heavy ceramic bowl to reduce tipping, and it must be cleaned daily.
Toys can also be provided too - blocks of wood and tree branches free of pesticides are good chew toys. Some of the wooden parrot toys make good toys as well, as do the willow balls and rings that you can find for rabbits.
It is important to provide toys that do not have small or plastic parts that could be ingested. Wheels can provide excellent exercise, although you may find that unless the chinchilla is introduced to the idea at a fairly young age it may not take to running on a wheel. Try to use a inch wheel anything smaller will be too small for most adult chinchillas , with a solid running surface and an open side with no cross supports wire wheels are dangerous to feet and tails.
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Visit www. Chinchillas Are Fun and Friendly! Reading time: 6 minutes. Can I have a pet chinchilla? Temperament With gentle handling from a very young age, most chinchillas will become quite tame and bond closely with their owners, although sometimes they do not like to be held or cuddled.
Habits Chinchillas are largely nocturnal so will be most active at night. Nutrition Chinchillas require a lot of roughage, and the diet should mainly be made up of a good quality grass hay along with pellets made for chinchillas.
Cages Chinchillas are a small rodent native to South America, found in rocky, arid areas in the mountains. You can supplement that with coarse alfalfa and timothy hay, endive, escarole and spinach. Some alfalfa is entirely too rich in protein for chinchillas or rabbits. Do not feed your chinchilla beans, corn, sweet potato apples and carrots. Carbohydrates , including sugars, poison the normal intestinal flora bacteria yeasts and molds of the chinchilla. Those bacteria are necessary for intestinal health.
Raisins, bits of fruit and fruit roll-ups should be reserved as occasional treats and training aids or — better still -not given at all. I have never read that chinchillas needed a source vitamin C. Guinea Pigs do require a source of vitamin C. Many chinchilla owners feed rose hips to their chinchillas. These should be OK in minute quantities no more than 10 iu ascorbic acid per day. Chinchillas are relatively easy to train.
The secret is in using food treats as encouragement. They should quickly learn to come to the scent of a raisin. Next, use a cupped hand as a cradle for the animal while coaxing him with a raisin in the other hand. Chinchillas are creatures of habit with strong internal clocks. Play with the pet at the same time each day and let him know what to expect. You may still need to trim them every months with a human toenail clipper.
I have never encountered ear mites in chinchillas but your veterinarian will examine its ear canals — a good practice. After that veterinary examinations are optional and usually only performed for cause. Generally, chinchillas with soiled posteriors are chinchillas that are eating too rich a diet. Any change in consistency of their droppings is a cause for concern and a consult with a chinchilla breeder. Because chinchilla teeth grow up to 10 inches a year, tooth apposition problems are relatively common.
Both factors probably play a part in this condition. I mentioned tooth problems earlier and gave this link as well. It is very important that your chinchillas enclosure contain suitable, non-toxic items to gnaw on. Charms, trinkets and galvanized wire commonly contain zinc. Ingestion of zinc is associated with anemia. I occasionally see Chinchillas with ringworm. Another form of ringworm is also common in large chinchilla farms — particularly those supplying the fur trade.
It is caused by a similar fungus, T. Chinchillas with this problem loose their hair and develop and scabby red spots on their nose, feet, and around their eyes. All oral medication options for ringworm run a small risk of liver injury. This is caused by feeding the wrong diet, crowding or poor sanitation. Pet shop stress can also be a factor.
Treats of nuts, seeds and fruit should be given sparingly, as they will cause digestive upset, including diarrhea or diabetes. Sticking to this routine will avoid common diet problems such as bloating and torsion of the stomach, as well as digestive upset that occurs when too much protein or fat is ingested, both of which can lead to sever illness or even death.
Fresh water should be supplied daily; to round out a well-balanced diet, you can provide supplements , such as a salt block as a mineral supplement and vitamin C easily added to a water bottle. The long lifespan of Chinchillas and their general frailness makes wellness care very important. Most health problems can be avoided by providing a healthy diet and a clean habitat. Providing a healthy diet of hay and safe chew toys are the most effective ways to ensure dental health.
Ear Infections A common occurrence in chinchillas, ear infections must be treated by a veterinarian; symptoms include head tilt, loss of balance and rubbing the ears. Heatstroke Chinchillas quickly overheat in hot weather, which can quickly create a life-threatening situation.
It is therefore very important to keep your pet chinchilla in temperatures that do not exceed 80 degrees.
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