Chinchilla Care

You may have heard that chinchillas are expensive pets. You may have also heard that they are cheap pets. In fact, you may have read the latter on this site. Chinchillas are actually quite inexpensive when compared to many common pets. But for some reason, they have a reputation among some for being expensive. Maybe it's their endangered status. Or maybe it it … [Read more...] about How Much Are Chinchilla Cages? (Plus The Costs Of Accessories)

Are you planning to leave town for a few days and to leave your chinchilla home alone? If so, it is important to know how long chinchillas can go without food. We'll get into that in a minute. Suffice to say: it's a very short time. Even if you only leave for a weekend, you will need to make absolutely certain you leave your pet sufficient food. And if you leave … [Read more...] about How Long Can Chinchillas Go Without Food? (Not Long At All)

Have you read any other articles on my site? If so, you may know that I always have two water bottles attached to my chinchilla's cage. That must mean that my pet drinks a ton of water. She doesn't. Chinchillas drink surprisingly little. And they can go a long time without water. But they can also easily become dehydrated. That's why I like to play it safe and … [Read more...] about How Long Can A Chinchilla Go Without Water? (Shockingly Long!)

You may have noticed that your breeder will not sell any chinchillas below a certain age. At least not if they are a reputable breeder. That's because baby chinchillas need to spend a certain amount of time with their mothers. During this time, they learn from their mom and mimic her behaviors. This is important for their development. So how long do baby … [Read more...] about How Long Do Baby Chinchillas Stay With Their Mother?

It's true. Chinchillas bathe in dust. Never in water. If you're curious why, we'll get into that below. Suffice it to say that as a chinchilla owner, you need to provide your pet with plenty of dust baths. But not too many. Overdoing it can cause skin issues. So how often do chinchillas need dust baths, and how frequent is too frequent? Keep reading to learn … [Read more...] about How Often Do Chinchillas Need Dust Baths? (Don’t Overdo It!)

Chinchillas are famously skittish. But that's not surprising. Their life in the wild is fraught with dangers. Countless other animals would love nothing more than to snack on a chinchilla. Chinchillas in captivity retain this skittishness. They do not like being held. That makes holding a chinchilla tricky. It takes time for them to trust you enough to let you … [Read more...] about How To Hold A Chinchilla (Without Harming Or Scaring It)

Chinchillas are small and delicate. It is all too easy to accidentally injure them. Especially if you pick them up incorrectly. This is further complicated by their skittishness. They do not enjoy being picked up and held. At least not at first. If you try to pick your chinchilla up before it fully trusts you, it will do its best to escape, increasing the risk of … [Read more...] about How To Pick Up A Chinchilla (4 Safe Methods To Prevent Injury)

It's actually quite simple. Chinchillas only need two foods: Timothy hay and pellets. If you feed your chinchilla nothing else, it will live a happy and healthy life. Of course, we all love spoiling our pets with the occasional treat. That's where things can get murkier. There are a lot of great treats for chinchillas, but there are also a lot of foods we … [Read more...] about What To Feed A Chinchilla (And What To Never Feed)

Getting a new pet can be a difficult time. Anything that seems out of the ordinary can send you into a panic. You can't help wonder if something is seriously wrong with your newest, furriest family member. With chinchillas, a common scare for new owners is red pee. But most of the time, it is nothing to worry about. On the other hand, it could also indicate a … [Read more...] about Why Is My Chinchilla’s Pee Red? (And What To Do About It)