Are Chinchillas Hard To Take Care Of? (No, And Here is Why)

Are you planning and research the journey of adopting a chinchilla?

Then you are probably wondering if chinchillas are hard to take care of.

I was in your shoes not too long ago. It’s intimidating in the beginning, to say the least.

The internet can make owning a chinchilla seem scary.

But don’t worry. It’s not as bad as you may think. In fact, it’s incredible owning a chinchilla.

But this one sentence is unlikely to eliminate all the fear you may have.

So keep reading for a deep dive into chinchilla care and everything that is involved.

 

Are Chinchillas Hard To Take Care Of?

This is perhaps the most common question I’m asked relating to caring for your chinchilla.

After owning a chinchilla, going through the process, and becoming more educated on the topic, here is what I can tell you.

No, chinchillas are not hard to take care of. Chinchillas are easy to care for.

They require a clean cage, food that consists of chinchilla pellets and hay, and a room that’s kept at the correct temperatures. Additionally, chinchillas need social interaction at least once per day.

These tasks are not complicated and owning a chinchilla is not difficult compared to other common pets. It is comparable to owning other easy-to-care-for rodents like the degu.

There are key differences between degus and chinchillas, that likely make one of them the better pet for you, but the other the better pet for someone else. But neither is difficult to care for.

That said, if you are anything like me, this likely doesn’t relax you or remove all anxiety about your upcoming adoption.

I’m going to be entirely straightforward with you in this post.

My intentions are to give you 11 reasons why owning a chinchilla is very easy and a few reasons why some will tell you that owning a chinchilla is difficult.

Ultimately, I’ll let you be the judge and make the decision based on the facts.

Keep in mind that everything I detail in this post is coming from myself–an actual chinchilla owner–who understands a chinchillas temperament and common behavior.

I have a video just a few paragraphs below as well that will break down if owning a chinchilla is difficult for you as well.

Just make sure to continue reading the post following the video.

I lay out more tips and caveats that are important to understand, that aren’t necessarily included in my video on this topic.

Alright, let’s dive into the details.

 

How Hard Are Chinchillas To Take Care Of?

Again, coming from me, who has now owned my first chinchilla for 5 years, I would say not hard at all.

Owning a chinchilla is extremely easy.

I have a yellow lab as well, and in comparison, my 2-year old female chinchilla is far easier to care for.

Chinchillas are much more straightforward than many give them credit for. They don’t require much except for love and the everyday items all pets need to survive.

If you don’t believe me, let me prove it. Let’s move into the 11 reasons why chinchillas are incredibly simple to take care of.

 

11 Reasons Why Chinchillas Are Not Hard To Take Care Of

 

#1) Chinchillas Are Cheap And Easy To Feed

Chinchilla food cost next to nothing.

I offer my chinchilla fresh timothy hay and pellets formulated for chinchillas. I purchase my pellets from the breeder from whom I adopted my chinchilla.

This isn’t necessary. You can purchase the correct pellets from Amazon and in most local pet stores as well.

Here’s a quick post to ensure you always use the correct pellets for your chinchilla.

It cost roughly 15 dollars and last me 3 to 6 months depending on how many bags I purchase.

As far as the timothy hay, you merely place it in a hay feeder on the side of your chinchilla cage, and they do the rest.

You can purchase this on Amazon and it is extraordinarily cheap. 2 bags of timothy hay last me roughly 2 to 3 months. Here is the hay I always order for my chinchilla:

The 2 to 3 months includes the fact that I remove hay that’s more than 2 days old from the feeder and place a few handfuls of fresh hay in the feeder.

Super easy and super cheap to care for chinchillas from this angle.

While we are on the topic of cheap overall care, I wanted to provide you with this quick video I made with my chinchilla breaking down how easy chinchillas are to care for.

You can see that video here 👇

 

#2) Chinchillas Stay Clean And Odorless, And Shed Less Than Other Common Pets

Chinchillas are incredibly unique in this aspect. Chinchillas do not smell.

Completely odorless.

If your chinchilla is emitting an odor, it’s likely due to an illness.

If you provide it a dust bath 2 to 3 times per week, your chinchilla will be as clean as a whistle.

You can read my post about ensuring you purchase the correct dust for your chinchilla here.

Seriously, it’s spectacular.

Not to mention watching a chinchilla take a dust bath is loads of fun. Especially if you have never seen it before.

Additionally, compared to a dog or cat, you won’t even notice any shedding taking place.

My chinchilla is kept in an unfinished area of my basement.

After a few months, I can see dander on the boards in the ceiling above her cage and around the cage near the base.

Besides that, you don’t have chinchilla fur floating all around the house like with other pets.

The only time you should even notice much if any chinchilla fur would be during playtime, and if you mishandle a chinchilla.

This may cause a fur-slip which is where a chinchilla will release a clump of their fur out of fear and as a defense mechanism.

 

#3) They Are Friendly And Loving Small Pets

This may not be an exact reason that raising chinchillas is an easy task, but it sure goes a long way in my book.

My chinchilla is a sweetheart.

She took a week or so to warm up after adoption, but she’s quickly adapting and becoming more social and loving than I anticipated.

She climbs all over me, sits on my head, and even nibbles my ear from time to time. Why does my chinchilla nibble me? There are three main reasons for nibbling: to communicate, to show affection, and grooming.

Chinchillas are extremely friendly and loving if you adopt them from the correct places.

To learn more about where you can find the best local chinchilla breeders, you can view my post here.

In most circumstances, I recommend not adopting a chinchilla from a pet store such as Petco or Pet Smart, if you have a breeder within driving distance.

However, this doesn’t mean a chinchilla from these establishments will make your job any more difficult.

Sometimes you can get a great, social chinchilla from a pet store.

I just prefer a chinchilla that’s been socialized and well broke in to being around people and other chinchillas.

This is one part that’s easy about owning a chinchilla in addition to being extremely rewarding.

 

#4) They Can Be Left Alone In A Separate Room

Don’t take this to an extreme. You shouldn’t necessarily be leaving your chinchilla for days or weeks at a time.

However, chinchillas are awake at odd times and sleep most of the daylight hours.

This means it’s usually best to keep them in a separate room from you.

If you don’t, they can wake you up bouncing around and jumping or even making some familiar chinchilla noises such as barking.

I see this as an advantage and not a disadvantage.

I also work next to my chinchilla every day. One side of her cage is about 12 inches away from one side of my work desk in my basement.

I like the idea that they aren’t jumping on, or barking at, visitors.

They are very easy to control in this fashion, and if you spend time with them each day, they are somewhat out of sight and out of mind.

I’m not encouraging locking your chinchilla away in a closet. And you also should not cover your chinchilla’s cage.

However, compared to other animals, I see this as something positive and something that makes owning a chinchilla as easy as 1,2,3.

 

#5) Chinchillas Are Very Cheap To Care For

If this isn’t a huge positive of owning a chinchilla, I’m not sure what is.

Chinchillas are extremely cheap to care for.

I’m sure you have a budget in mind when opting to purchase a pet.

A chinchilla is going to be the most expensive on day 1 due to the cage you purchase and purchasing the actual chinchilla that you choose.

If you want to know which cages are the best for chinchillas, make sure to quickly take a look at my post here.

It will break down several budget-friendly options you should be considering when purchasing your first chinchilla cage.

I always recommend the Critter Nation 2 Dual Level Cage.

I have been recommending this same cage for the past 4 years and no other cage has proven to be a better option in my opinion up to this point, for tons of reasons that are detailed in the post linked to above.

Outside of the cage, you are looking at maybe 10 to 20 dollars per month.

My numbers may be slightly above this, but overall, it shouldn’t be much more than this. I go a little crazy trying new chinchilla toys and new things to do to interact with my chinchilla.

Part of this is because I enjoy making YouTube videos for all my readers and subscribers, so I need to mix it up from time to time.

If it weren’t for this, I’d be in that $10 to $20 range as well. Timothy hay, pellets, and other essential chinchilla care items cost next to nothing.

This is where chinchillas have a considerable advantage compared to owning other animals.

 

#6) Chinchillas Don’t Typically Need Regular Visits From A Vet

I have not experienced a vet visit yet outside of the initial checkup.

This wasn’t very expensive either.

Chinchillas can get sick. It’s possible.

In most cases, it’s going to be an issue with your chinchillas’ teeth or something such as a respiratory infection.

However, this shouldn’t happen often.

Not dragging an animal into a vet or paying vet bills regularly is a big advantage and a welcome break compared to other pets like my dog.

My dog has cost me more money than I can count in the past 6 years.

Even better, chinchillas do not need vaccinations, unlike many other pets. Read “Do Chinchillas Need Shots?” for more.

Another point in the chinchilla win column as one of the easiest pets to own.

 

#7) Chinchillas Sleep A Majority Of The Day

I’m going to admit that this can be a considerable advantage but can also be considered a downfall.

It’s not necessarily the time of the day that they sleep that I can dislike at times.

It’s the fact that during a lunch break or random weekend days, I’ll be in the mood to get her out to run around.

While I know for a fact she will come out on command, I typically let her rest.

We have a structured routine that we prefer to stick too.

However, for people looking for a pet that’s easy to care for in this sense, chinchillas are perfect.

A chinchilla will not need anything from you during the hours from about 9 to 5. They sleep the majority of the day and are most active in the early morning and in the late evening.

For my chinchilla, this is usually from 5 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 9 pm. This has allowed me to pick one or the other each day for playtime.

I’m an early riser and usually up around 4 am.

The ability to pick and choose and have an easy calendar makes owning a chinchilla very easy in my book.

But don’t be disappointed if your chinchilla is sometimes in the mood to sleep at the same time you want to play with it or show it off to your friends.

It happens.

 

#8) It Is Possible To Potty Train A Chinchilla

I’d like to tell you this is super easy, but I don’t want to lie to you.

Well, technically I suppose the process itself is straightforward, but it does require patience.

Chinchillas can be potty trained to urinate in a litter box inside of their cage.

Considering a chinchilla’s poop requires less than 3 minutes total to clean up, and you can potty train your chinchilla to urinate in a litter box, this places them into an elite level of animals that are easy to take care of.

For information on the best litter pans to use for chinchillas, you can view my post here.

I’m currently underway with this process.

I must simply continue having a small amount of urine-soaked shavings in the litter box, so she picks up the scents.

It was rough in the beginning maintaining belief that it would work, but it’s slowly starting to take.

Not all small animals can be trained in this fashion.

Considering a chinchilla can be potty trained without a ton of additional effort, I’d say makes them one of the easiest animals to take care of.

 

#9) Chinchilla Poop Has No Odor And Cleans Incredibly Easily

You have to love when an animal can poop more than 250 times in one day without one ounce of odor being emitted.

Chinchilla poop does not smell.

Let me repeat this.

Chinchilla poop DOES NOT smell.

It’s hard little nuggets that can be swept up, vacuumed, or grabbed/wiped away with a paper towel.

It’s incredibly easy to clean and one of the most significant benefits of owning a chinchilla.

I have a post dedicated to helping you keep the chinchilla poop nuggets inside of the cage that you can see here.

Do I enjoy that they poop about every step they take?

I suppose not, and fewer poop nuggets may be ideal.

However, at the end of the day, the fact she can spend her entire day pooping and I smell nothing, and I clean it up in about 2 minutes, makes for a strong case as to why chinchillas are extremely easy to care for.

 

#10) Chinchillas Don’t Require Much Space In Your Home

Chinchillas require hardly any space in your home.

A chinchilla cage should be about 3 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet. This takes up roughly the amount of space a medium size dresser would.

Chinchillas also need about an hour a day out of the cage.

Unless you are like me finding smart things to do for this blog or for my YouTube channel. Then they get more time.

Chinchillas also don’t have 500 items to store away. And setting up a chinchilla cage is easy.

Most chinchilla cages, like the Critter Nation 2 Level I use, come with an undercarriage for storing your bedding, additional food, and other chinchilla cage items.

I have a full review of the Critter Nation 2 Cage if you’d like more information on it.

The fact that I can own a loving and desirable pet with it taking up about 6 square feet in my home makes this a big positive in my book.

It’s also a reason I believe caring for chinchillas is not hard at all. They are out of sight and out mind unless you choose to be near them or have them out for playtime.

In a chinchilla proofed safe room of course.

 

#11) Chinchillas Don’t Need To Potty Outside

I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes the new pet owner feeling begins to wear off after 5 plus years.

I couldn’t wait to adopt my lab when he was a puppy. I drove over 3 hours to purchase him.

I did the same with my chinchilla.

Nothing seemed like a chore or task at the beginning with my dog.

Nowadays, with a 2-year-old kid, me being 6 years older, simple things such as letting the dog out to roam in the 20-below-zero winter days can be frustrating.

I’m not advocating being lazy or unethical with your pets. I’m merely stating the obvious.

You don’t have to walk a chinchilla or take them outside to use the restroom.

In fact, while we are on the topic, let’s point out never to allow your chinchilla outside if you want it to live and stay around.

Chinchillas will run away and are likely to be killed relatively quickly if they get away.

Anyways, the fact that they don’t require a walk around the neighborhood, being let outside in cold temps, or bark in my ear at 5:00 am for a full food bowl makes them a great pet to care for in my book.

Some of you who don’t own other pets may be thrown off by this reason making my top 11 reasons, but it’s a big one to me.

I’m sure the dog owners or pet owners will understand that the fact that chinchillas don’t need these things makes them an easy to pet to own.

 

5 Caveats That Can Make Raising A Chinchilla More Complex And Difficult

As promised, I didn’t want this blog post to seem one-sided. I’ve advocated up to this point how easy chinchillas can be to care for.

I’m sticking to my story 100% and believe they are not difficult at all to take care of.

However, I’m not going to lie and say a few things are not challenging or need to be disclaimed to someone potentially considering adopting a chinchilla in the next few days.

Let’s cover 5 negatives that could make current chinchilla owners argue against me that chinchillas could be challenging to take care of.

This will ensure you have all the information needed to cover this topic in-depth and provide the answer you came for.

 

#1) Chinchillas Require Time Out Of Their Cage

Although chinchillas are very easy to care for, they do require time out of their cage.

It should be daily.

If you miss a day every now and then, everything will be fine.

However, you should not plan on adopting a chinchilla without the intention of getting it out daily for 30 to 60 minutes.

This is a crucial time for your chinchilla to run around, play, and take much-needed dust baths that allow its fur to remain healthy.

If this is something you are not looking for, you could argue that a chinchilla is more challenging to handle.

Overall, I don’t see this as a burden and enjoy every day interacting with my chinchilla. It’s an excellent form of stress relief for me and a good laugh most days.

 

#2) Chinchillas Require Lower Home Temperatures

Chinchillas require a different temperature to survive than other animals.

Chinchillas cannot sweat and have the densest fur of any land animal in the world.

This alone can throw people for a loop.

This isn’t difficult, but if you don’t have a home with A/C, you may struggle to care for your chinchilla adequately, and could even potentially kill your chinchilla.

A chinchilla needs to be in a room that’s 60° to 74° F (16° to 23° C) with low humidity levels.

 

#3) Chinchillas Have Small, Fragile Bodies

This could be another reason why some might state that chinchillas are hard to care for in some situations. But I disagree.

I still believe chinchillas are extremely easy to care for.

However, you need to be careful. Especially if you have small children.

Chinchillas have ribs about the size of toothpicks. And their other bones are tiny too.

You shouldn’t be roughhousing with a chinchilla or allowing a small child to mishandle it. You also need to be careful not to accidentally step on them.

This is not a tough task, but it’s something you need to know before adopting a chinchilla.

Their small size also makes certain medical procedures, like spaying or neutering a chinchilla, much more risky. Finally, you should also avoid wire bottom cages when possible, since they pose a danger to the delicate bones.

 

#4) Chinchillas Can Run, Climb And Fit In Small Spaces

Chinchillas need a safe room to play in.

You can even purchase a tent-like structure from Amazon to have a safe chinchilla room in which to interact with your chinchilla.

I currently use this Pop-Up Animal Play Tent (Link to Amazon).

When you are in a bind or in a room that may not be safe for your chinchilla, this is a lifesaver in every fashion.

Especially for the price.

Chinchillas in a room with plenty of hiding spots may find a way to hide or run away.

It can take time to find your chinchilla in this situation, because they don’t just come right out of hiding, unless they are trained to respond to their names.

Sometimes a noise such as tapping on their dust bath can bring them out of hiding as well.

You can also use safe chinchilla treats to lure them back out.

Again, this isn’t difficult, but could be considered annoying and is definitely something you should know before adopting a chinchilla.

 

#5) Chinchillas Live For 15+ Years

This should make you happy, not upset. Chinchillas live for a very long time.

Especially under great care from you as the owner.

However, 15 years or more is a big commitment. Some could argue this makes caring for a chinchilla a more significant responsibility than one may believe.

I see this as additional time to bond and have my chinchilla as part of my family, but I think you get the point.

If you are thinking of purchasing a chinchilla, you need to know that they live for this long.

Ensure you are going to remain interested in providing the best care possible for your chinchilla during this time-span.

Commit to the long haul or don’t get a chinchilla in the first place.

 

Chinchillas Are Easy To Care For: Final Thoughts

So, let’s recap. Are chinchillas hard to take care of?

Absolutely not!

They are one of the easiest pets to own.

In addition to being easy to care for, chinchillas are cheap to own, have no odor and cause little to no mess or fuss.

In my opinion, if you are looking for the perfect pet for you and the family, a chinchilla is 100% the way to go.

You can’t go wrong, and they are loving and social creatures. Give them a chance, and I highly doubt you will ever regret it.

Do you believe chinchillas are hard to take care of?

As always, Chili and I appreciate you stopping by and reading, and want your feedback as well.

What’s your take on owning chinchillas?

Do you believe chinchillas are hard to take care of? If you do, why do you think this?

If you think chinchillas are easy to care for, or if you disagree with me, please leave a comment below. Thanks again and we will see you next time.