Chinchilla Breeders Near You (Best Options + Tips)

Adopting a chinchilla is an exciting experience.

That’s for sure.

Finding a reputable, local, and trustworthy chinchilla breeder near you is one of the first tasks you will need to complete. And likely very soon if you are certain a chinchilla is a pet for you.

Don’t worry, it’s not all that difficult.

In addition to finding one of the best chinchilla breeders, you also have other important considerations and tasks you need to complete, before your first day arriving home with your new chinchillas.

Luckily, I break down both topics in-depth and get you squared away in this brief 2-minute post.

 

Best Chinchilla Breeders Near You

Regardless of where you are in the process and what information you need, I wanted to ensure I helped as many future chinchilla owners as possible.

We’ll begin with a list of a vast majority of the chinchilla breeders available near you based on the state where you live.

Can you have a pet chinchilla in every state? Yes, you can, although some do require you to get a permit.

I’ve provided the names of the chinchilla breeders for each state below.

Simply copy the name and state of the breeder into google, and you should easily be able to view them on google maps, view their website, or inquire based on the information provided.

 

I’ve also made a quick video for you detailing what is laid out in this post to some extent. I still highly recommend reading this post to get all of the full details but this video also has some helpful hints.

Again, the post has much more information directly below on this topic than the video discussing the best chinchilla breeders options near you, so let’s dive into those details now.

 

Chinchilla Breeders By State

I’ve heard form plenty of people who were surprised at the number of breeders in California, since they assumed you couldn’t own a chinchilla there. However, chinchillas are legal in California, just like anywhere else in the US.

Okay, now that you have all the information and options on where to purchase your chinchilla and which breeder may be best for you, let’s not forget to cover all the basics and essential items.

Reading my other recommendations will only further prepare you to ethically provide the best care for your chinchilla as well as understand what kind of behavior you can expect from your chinchilla when you arrive home.

Here are the details you need to know.

 

Choosing A Chinchilla Breeder Vs Using A Pet Store

A lot of people ask this question.

I see it in online communities all the time.

It’s tough to know if you should purchase your first chinchilla or any chinchilla for that matter from a pet store or from a breeder near you.

Here’s the deal.

Try for a chinchilla breeder near you first.

If you don’t have one locally, there is nothing wrong with going with a pet store.

Several different pet stores typically will be able to get a chinchilla for you or may already have one ready.

Typically, Pet Smart and Petco are the two major pet store chains that offer chinchillas for sale.

I’m sure you are also curious, why go for a chinchilla breeder near me first?

This is just my opinion and what most other chinchilla owners would likely recommend as well.

The reason being is simple.

The chinchilla breeder has raised your chinchilla since birth, and you can typically count on fewer chances of infection, illness, or injury.

Not to mention, a chinchilla from a breeder is going to be much more socialized than one from a pet store, due to being in a separate cage and not being around humans or other chinchillas very often.

Anytime you can land a chinchilla that’s already comfortable with humans, or other chinchillas is a win-win in my book.

Pet stores simply don’t have the time nor put in the effort to provide the best care possible to a young chinchilla.

Breeders are also going to be more knowledgeable on chinchillas in general.

You can ask plenty of questions on the day of the adoption, often get starter supplies and even find out crucial information such as bloodlines, behavior issues and meet the mother and father chinchilla.

Overall, if you want a more social, healthy, and ready to go chinchilla, always aim for choosing a local chinchilla breeder near you first. They are also more likely to have a Royal Persian Angora chinchilla, if you are looking for that specific type.

However, I do advocate for chinchillas so much that I still believe a pet store is perfectly fine if you don’t have any local breeders near you to work with.

Lastly, do some homework before adopting your chin.

 

The Story Of My Chinchilla Adoption From The Chinchilla Breeder Near Me

My chinchilla breeder was fantastic, and part of the reason I’m laying out the recommendations for you in this manner.

She allowed me to stay for over an hour inside of a small playpen type set up just to get comfortable holding and sitting with my 1-year old female chin.

She basically gave me a full rundown on everything I needed to know and asked me several questions about my plans moving forward, such as the following:

• What room I intend on keeping my chinchilla in
• Where I plan to purchase my chinchilla toys, accessories and even food
• If I have plans to add a second chinchilla
• Answering questions about baby chinchillas
• Breaking down what different chinchilla sounds and noises mean
• Explaining to me what different colors and mutations of chinchillas exist

Seriously, it was a pretty awesome experience working with the breeder local to me when I adopted my chinchilla 5 years ago.

I also got the chance to meet both parents and the other chinchillas that my chin was housed with.

You simply are not going to get this 1 on 1 time going to a pet store.

The chances of a pet store employee, knowing much of anything about a chinchilla and how to care for them is slim to none.

Trust me, I used to go to the pet store for accessories and realized I couldn’t get much help and just started ordering all my own stuff off Amazon after doing my diligent research.

In fact, it’s why Planet Chinchilla was born.

I knew that if I had such issues finding reliable information that surely others are in the same boat.

I’m not an expert on the population of chinchilla owners out there, but I’m assuming there are quite a few considering they are sold at typical pet stores.

The number of people breeding chinchillas to make money across the country is also larger than you probably think.

So, hopefully, this helps someone at some point understand how to get started with the adoption process.

Below, will be much more detailed information on some steps you can take to ensure you are getting the best information and best chinchilla possible.

Here’s what you need to do and what you need to know.

 

Ensuring You Have Found The Best Chinchilla Breeder Near You

Obviously, this is going to be a bit easier said than done.

Most of you aren’t going to have 15 different options for a reputable chinchilla breeder within a driving distance.

However, this doesn’t mean you won’t have 2-3 options in your state and that you shouldn’t do a bit of homework ahead of time.

Ask your chinchilla breeders questions.

• How long have they been breeding chinchillas?
• What further information can they provide you with your chinchilla?
• How does their online presence look?

I’m not talking about having a flashy and fancy website, but are they at least capable of being found online?

All these things are relatively important.

Chinchillas live for a long time.

15-20 years with proper care and love.

Why get into a situation with a chinchilla that may be questionable if all it took to avoid the issue was an extra 5 minutes of work on your end?

I’m not saying that a chinchilla breeder will ever result in disaster, but what it could potentially come down to is a chinchilla that may be anti-social, previously abused, or just a headache all the way around.

Take 5 minutes and do a bit of digging before the adoption day.

That’s all I’m saying.

 

How Many And What Colors Of Chinchillas Do They Offer?

Now is when the fun begins.

A breeder who doesn’t offer specific colors of chinchilla doesn’t make them any better or any worse.

However, you may want to adopt a black or ebony chinchilla and realize that one chinchilla breeder near you offers black and ebony chinchillas and another breeder does not.

However, it’s nice to inquire beforehand so that you know your options.

• What colors and different options do you have before you arrive?
• How many males and females do they have?
• What are the current ages of the chinchillas?

In my opinion, the younger, the better in most circumstances.

This gives you the opportunity to train them to be socialized from a young age.

This is also always best and allows you to explore other methods such as potty training your chinchilla to urinate in a litter pan if you begin at a young enough age.

If you need further information about the best litter pans to purchase, you can see my post here.

Additionally, you can view my post about the best chinchilla litter here in case that’s something you plan to try after the adoption.

 

Were The Chinchilla Cages Well Maintained And Clean?

This should be easy enough for you to recognize relatively quickly.

• What’s the environment like at the breeder you are adopting from?
• Do the cages seem as if they are cleaned correctly and frequently enough?
• Do the chinchillas seem well taken care of?

These are also significant indicators of who you are working with.

Take the time to walk around and get an idea of the environment your potential chinchilla has been raised in up to this point.

Once you get home, be sure to follow the same best practices.

If you need the information to get you started, start with my post about how often to clean a chinchilla cage here.

 

Any Signs Of Illness Or Injury?

This may be the most essential item on the checklist to double-check.

• Are any of the chins showing any signs of illness or injury?
• Are any overly lethargic?
• Do any have a large amount of fur missing from their coats?

Now, don’t get me wrong, in some situations, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for visually seeing something like this.

For instance, if you do notice a chin missing any fur, this doesn’t mean you are working with a bad or non-reliable chinchilla breeder.

Many chinchilla breeders house multiple chinchillas in the same cage.

This isn’t always a friendship meant to last forever.

In many circumstances, 2 chinchillas who got along great for months can suddenly start playing rougher with another and potentially fight.

A more significant red flag is if you notice a chin with fur missing still sharing a cage with the chinchilla who caused it.

Typically, a responsible chinchilla breeder will be sure to separate the two chinchillas once any harm has been caused to one another.

If the story adds up or makes sense to you, then just exercise your best judgment.

Missing fur can also be self-inflicted. Chinchillas will bite and scratch their own fur, if they are suffering from an itchy parasite. Can chinchillas get lice or fleas? You bet! Luckily, their thick fur does make it rare.

 

Considerations Before The Chinchilla Adoption

Ok, let’s assume you have found the chinchilla breeder near you, that you want to work with or chosen a chinchilla at the pet store, and everything is good to go.

You still have plenty of other considerations that you need to be ready for.

This ranges from having the room picked out in your home to where the cage will be kept all the way to the actual cage itself.

For starters, find the room you intend on keeping your chinchilla cage in.

This needs to be a room at the proper temperatures to avoid overheating.

You can read my post here about the best temperatures and humidity levels needed to keep a chinchilla protected and safe.

This will help you to avoid issues such as heat stroke.

One thing you won’t have to worry about is getting vaccinations for your chinchilla. These pets don’t need any, which saves you money and hassle.

But they do need a cage. In fact, that is the most important thing to get right, since your chin will spend 23+ hours per day in its cage.

 

Purchase Your Chinchilla Cage in Advance

The actual chinchilla cage is the only item that costs a decent amount of your budget, but luckily, it only needs to be purchased once.

I highly advise against using the cages provided by some of the chinchilla breeders. From my own experience and what I’ve read elsewhere, it seems common to offer cheap wire bottom chinchilla cages that aren’t very big.

Sure, if you want to use this for a week or two, that’s perfectly fine, but I highly recommend just purchasing your cage in advance and getting it set up to your liking.

Chinchilla cages need to be large.

This helps promote jumping and climbing.

My #1 recommendation to this date is still the Critter Nation 2 Dual Level Cage. You can read my full review of the Critter Nation 2 Cage Here.

It’s huge, budget-friendly, and checks all the boxes needed for a chinchilla.

If that’s not the cage you desire, you can also check out other recommendations I have by reading my post on the best chinchilla cages you can purchase here.

Surely, one of those cages will get the job done for you.

 

Get Your Accessories, Food And Bedding In Order

Don’t go adopt your chinchilla and then arrive home empty-handed without the items you need. Get your bedding, accessories, toys, and even food in advance. And yes, these do add to the cost of getting a chinchilla.

You can also view my post about the best chinchilla food and pellets here. Perhaps, shoot an email to the chinchilla breeder to inquire about which brand of food they are currently using.

No matter what, you will need the following items in the beginning:

• Bedding (See my post about the best chinchilla bedding here)
• Water Bottle (learn more about the best chinchilla water bottle here)
• Food Bowl
• Fleece Liners (recommended)
• Chinchilla toys and chew sticks (view post on best chinchilla toys here)
• Hay/ Timothy Hay (see post on the best hay for chinchillas here)
• Hay Feeder
• Hammock (optional: see my post on the best chinchilla hammocks here)
• Accessories (see my post on the best chinchilla cage accessories here)

 

Mentally Prepare For Bringing Your Chinchilla Home

Now that you have all your cage and accessories lined up, it’s time to prepare mentally.

I only have a few recommendations on this topic.

First, be careful in the beginning not to get overly touchy and cuddly with your new chinchilla.

In the first weeks, chinchillas typically just need time to sit inside their cage and adjust to the environment.

They typically don’t like to be held during these first weeks.

Next, as mentioned previously, ensure the temperatures are good to go.

Lastly, plan out your playtime with your chinchilla.

Ensure that you are leaving a few minutes each day to get your chinchilla out of the cage to move around and interact with you.

This does require chinchilla proofing the room in advance, such as covering all wires.

I highly recommend for beginners to purchase the an animal pop-up playpen.

These are great for several reasons.

First, they are 100% safe, breathable, and comfortable for you and your chinchilla to interact in.

Secondly, they are much more enclosed, which forces your chinchilla to interact with you more, which ultimately builds a bond and friendship faster.

For a beginner, it’s just nice not fearing your chinchilla running off or getting hurt in a room that’s not safe.

Not to mention, if you have the chance to build the bond and gain your new chins trust early on, why wouldn’t you?

It seems like a no brainer to me personally.

 

Chinchilla Breeders Near You: Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, finding one of the best local chinchilla breeders near you won’t be that tough of a task.

Most of them are reputable and excellent at what they do.

If you don’t have a chinchilla breeder locally, there is no harm or shame in adopting a furry chinchilla from the pet store.

Just make sure you have your list of items and your other preparations in gear and ready to go.

Adopting a chinchilla is fantastic.

They make for great pets.

They are affectionate and entertaining.

I wish you the best of luck with your new chinchilla and hope you are able to have a great experience with your chinchilla breeder like I did.

Now let’s hear from you?

Where did you get your chin and how did the adoption process go overall?

Do you have any further recommendations you would like to share to help everyone have a more prepared and smooth adoption process?

Be sure to share your stories, thoughts, and concerns by dropping a comment below.

As always, Chili and I appreciate you stopping by and reading. Thanks again, and we will see you next time.