Should I Get A Chinchilla? (11 Reasons To Say Yes!)

I love my chinchilla!

I was nervous about getting one at first, because I didn’t know what to expect.

Now I can’t get enough of her and truly believe they are one of the best pets to own.

But I also know they are not for everyone.

To help you figure out if you should get a chinchilla, I have gathered my top 11 reasons for getting one.

Read through them and by the end, you should know for sure if this is the right pet for you. And if it is, you’re in for a wonderful experience!

 

Should I Get A Chinchilla?

Yes, you should get a chinchilla. They are wonderful family pets that cost less money and are easier to care for than most other common household pets.

Chinchillas are very clean animals and quite straightforward to care for. Their main requirements are a safe environment and a loving home.

That is a basic and straightforward answer, but I wanted to have more fun with this post today and break down this question in much more depth.

To that end, we’re going to cover the top 11 reasons that you should purchase a chinchilla.

Ultimately, by the end of the post, you should be able to make an informed decision about getting a chinchilla. And I’m pretty sure I know which direction you will eventually decide to go!

 

11 Reasons You Should Get A Chinchilla

I have to say, it was challenging to narrow this down to just 11 reasons you should get a chinchilla. But I did manage to get it done.

I literally busted out an old legal pad and pen and wrote down my favorite things about owning a chinchilla. Then I narrowed it down to the top 11. They are in no order of importance.

 

#1: Chinchillas Are Extremely Friendly And Loving Pets

This may seem somewhat obvious, and like a typical response a current chinchilla owner would offer up to potentially interested future owners, but it’s 100% true.

But not at first. When you first adopt them, chinchillas are generally not the most loving or cuddly pets. Of course, this is the case with many common household pets.

Luckily, chinchillas can adapt to their new environment very quickly. Once this happens the bond only grows stronger between you and your chinchilla.

Once your chinchilla is fully warmed up to you, it doesn’t take much time at all for it to begin showing love and affection towards you.

This alone is a sure-fire reason why you should get a chinchilla, if you are currently on the fence. Who wants a pet that shows no love, affection, or any unique personality traits?

Certainly not I. And I doubt that’s what you are looking for. The good news is that purchasing a chinchilla will not result in anything short of a unique, entertaining, and loving pet.

 

#2: Chinchillas Are Very Cheap To Own

I’m already aware that someone will give me some pushback on this statement in the comments below. Let me 100% clear and transparent.

Chinchillas are extremely cheap too own after the initial purchase. Chinchillas are only expensive during the first few weeks, because of all the original items needed. But even the initial cost is still lower than most other pets.

You basically just need an adequately sized cage, bedding, and some cage accessories, like a hiding spot, some ramps and ledges, a water bottle or two, food bowl, and some chew toys. Once you have those things, your costs will drop significantly.

When I first purchased my chinchilla, I went through the exact same process.

I shelled out most of the money in the first few weeks. Since then, my costs have been minimal. It’s really just food that I need to buy regularly and that is costing me less than $20 a month, including treats.

I was honestly surprised at how cheap owning a chinchilla really is. It is certainly much cheaper than my 100 pound yellow lab. If you don’t believe it, just wait until you have your chinchilla.

 

#3: Chinchillas Are One Of The Cleanest Pets To Own

This may be my favorite reason on this entire list. And I don’t think this is an area where I will get any pushback.

Chinchillas are extremely clean animals. In fact, they are also allergy-friendly. They produce minimal dander, and unless they are scared or have other illnesses, they also don’t shed.

I have a full post on this as well, breaking down everything you need to know about chinchilla fur.

Pro tip: if you want to make life even easier and really have a clean chinchilla, invest in some fleece liners for your trays inside of your chinchilla cage.

If you are on the fence about the safety of fleece liners, you can read this post that details everything you need to know about chinchillas and fleece.

Bottom line: it’s 100% safe, and it eliminates ever again needing to purchase bedding or shavings for your chinchilla cage. You just need to wash them a few times a week in cold water. Less, if you potty train your chin. I use this exact set of fleece liners.

The only downfall I can think of is that you can currently only find them custom designed for a limited number of cage models. Luckily, one of those cages is the Critter Nation 2, which is the cage I use.

It is large, has multiple levels and is extremely well made. It is easily the best chinchilla cage on the market.

 

No Traditional Baths And Dry Poop Make Life Easy

Continuing with how clean chinchillas are, I also need to mention that they don’t require any baths in the traditional sense. They only need a few minutes rolling around inside a bowl of dust.

Additionally, chinchilla poop comes in the form of hard nuggets that are and easy to clean and can be vacuumed up in no time. The only complaint I see from other chinchilla owners is finding a way to keep the chinchilla poop in the cage.

If you take the time to clean your chinchilla cage regularly, allow your chinchilla a dust bath 2 to 3 times per week, and use the fleece liners I recommended, your chin will be just about the cleanest and easiest pet to care for that you could ever imagine.

Of course, if this isn’t your experience, be sure to drop a comment below, because I’d venture to say that something is off. I’ve never had any issues with my chinchilla producing any odors or showing any signs of being a dirty animal whatsoever.

 

#4: Chinchillas Are Easy To Care For

It’s probably already becoming very clear that chinchillas are easy to care for. The biggest things chinchillas need is a large chinchilla cage, and proper temperatures, in order to remain safe from potential overheating.

Overheating can lead to heatstroke which is one of the primary concerns to always keep in mind if you do adopt a chinchilla.

Additionally, it is important that you socialize and interact with your chinchilla as much as possible. It’s advised to make time to socialize at least once per day for 30 to 60 minutes.

You want to ensure that you have your playtime in a room that’s safe for chinchillas. Chinchilla proofing a room includes a few things. First, you want to make sure the room is blocked off, so your chinchilla doesn’t attempt to run away from you.

Second, it’s important that you protect all the wires inside of the room. If you need help with this, start with my guide about protecting all wires from your chinchilla chewing on them.

Finally, you also want to make sure the room has some safe space where your chinchilla can free roam and stretch out a bit. Chinchillas love nothing more than jumping as high as they can.

Chinchillas also get a large amount of joy out of climbing various items and showcasing their natural abilities.

While these may be secondary considerations and not necessarily vital on day 1, they are important and will go a long way toward ensuring your chinchilla remains happy, healthy, and enjoys playtime to the fullest.

When you consider how easy these things are to accomplish and the fact that chinchillas are a cheap animal to own, it becomes easy to understand that chinchillas are not hard to take care of in any fashion.

 

#5: Chinchillas Have Unique Personalities

I also love to discuss this reason when explaining why chinchillas are so wonderful as pets. They are incredibly entertaining to watch, play with, and interact with.

Sure, some things are off-limits. For instance, you can’t have your chinchilla playing with your dog in the same room.

Outside of this, if you haven’t watched a video of a chinchilla taking a dust bath or even jumping on its owner’s shoulders and head, then you are certainly missing out.

It’s even better when it’s your own chinchilla doing those things with you!

I also love that chinchillas make unique noises to communicate, such as barking or even a slight chirp. They have feisty personalities, and they love to let them shine. This makes each day a new adventure and that’s hard to complain about.

Don’t worry, if you do purchase a chinchilla, I don’t think it will be long before you begin posting videos or images of your own chinchilla’s fun and crazy behaviors.

 

#6: They Are The Softest Of Them All

I don’t want any backtalk for this reason and think it deserves a spot on this list. If you haven’t touched or pet a chinchilla, you are missing out big time.

I always knew, heard, and read how soft chinchillas are, but you must pet one or own a chinchilla to believe it. Talk about the best few minutes of cuddle time you can ask for. Their fur is in a league of its own.

Unfortunately, it is possible that your chinchilla isn’t a big fan of being held. Don’t worry about this. With time and patience, you can change that.

And no matter how unsocial an individual chin may be, chinchillas are not known to bite or cause harm to their owners. Bottom line: a few minutes petting and playing with a chinchilla and you will marvel at the softest animal you will ever touch.

 

#7: Your Friends And Family Will Think It’s Awesome

How many people own hamsters? It’s not a small number. Hamsters are an extremely common pet. I’m not even in the slightest claiming that hamsters aren’t great pets either, so don’t get me wrong.

What I’m saying is that owning a chinchilla is unique and exotic all by itself. I do understand that chinchillas are somewhat popular but not as popular as other rodents you can adopt as pets.

I even took the time to do a 1 on 1 battle between another common pet and the chinchilla. It’s all about which is the better pet between rabbits and chinchillas.

I think that owning a chinchilla is unique all on its own and another excellent reason to pull the trigger and adopt one as soon as possible, if you are currently on the fence.

All my friends and family thought I was crazy for about the first day. But they quickly realized how awesome chinchillas really are and began to understand my pure love and enthusiasm towards chinchillas in general.

Trust me, any naysayers that surface during the initial days will change their tune quickly.

 

#8: Chinchillas Can Surprise You Every day

This reason ties directly back into my previous reason about chinchillas being unique animals. Well, on top of having a crazy and interactive personality, they also find ways to surprise you each day, which I love.

It’s never in a bad way.

It’s typically a new sound they make, a new way to show love or something else that brings a smile to your face. It’s been rare that my chinchilla has ever surprised me in a bad way.

An animal with this level of energy, love, and enthusiasm for social interaction just continues to do things that can turn a bad day into a good day quickly.

This is also a reason you will have to take my word for, but I assure you, it will happen for you too.

 

#9: Chinchillas Are More Personal Than You Believe

I also love how personal a chinchilla is. You will quickly notice which family members your chinchilla likes best. For example, when I enter the room, she is front and center with her front paws on the cage door ready to come out and play.

However, when my two-year-old son enters the room, she goes straight back into her hiding box.

I get it. My son is loud and probably scares her.

I was truly amazed at how much they learn your voice, visual appearance, and show their attitude and love towards you.

At the beginning during the adaption phase, this will be very hard to notice. But after a few short weeks with enough time out to play, you will begin seeing just how personal a chinchilla can really be.

 

#10: Chinchillas Don’t Need To Be Walked Or Let Outside

Maybe this reason isn’t important to you, but I have a dog, so it definitely matters to me. I get that you still must clean the cage and yes, chinchillas do pee like any other animal.

But they don’t need to go outside for it. And if you take my advice from before and purchase several sets of fleece liners that you can easily change out, clean-up becomes easy.

It’s more like changing the sheets on the bed once a week.

You don’t have to walk outside in the winter or take long walks in the 100-degree heat of summer. Again, maybe none of you have owned a dog and think this reason is stupid, but for those of you that have, I’m sure you can appreciate that chinchillas are low maintenance in this respect.

In fact, as another bonus, you can read my post about potentially potty training your chinchilla. That will take things to a new level in terms of limiting your clean-up duties.

 

#11: Chinchillas Love You And Recognize You

Last on this list is the pure fact that your chinchilla does love you and 100% recognizes you as the owner.

I knew this immediately by the difference in attitude my 1-year old female chinchilla displays when she sees me, as opposed to when she sees my son or even my wife.

It’s clear that she figured out who’s in charge and who takes care of her daily. My chinchilla loves my son and wife too and will allow them to pet her and she remains calm, but overall, I think it’s outstanding how she recognizes me and how she shows love in unique ways.

 

You Should Get A Chinchilla: Final Thoughts

I honestly could have dragged this list on for another 20 reasons but didn’t find it necessary.

If you aren’t convinced by now that chinchillas are fantastic pets to own, it’s probably not the right pet for you. And that’s fine.

But if the things you’ve just read appeal to you, go ahead and get a chinchilla. I can’t imagine a situation where you would regret it.

I’m a creature of habit and have OCD, so adopting a new pet I’ve never owned scared the hell out of me. But it only took a day or two for my fears to begin disappearing.

I imagine it will be the same for you. Chinchillas are loving, and great pets and they deserve a great home.

If you can provide the large cage, love, and time to interact and are still on the fence, I say you put this blog post down, get in the car and go adopt your chinchilla.

It only gets better as time passes and the best news is that you have 15-20 years to enjoy your chinchilla, with proper care. Chili and I wish you the best of luck with your new chinchilla if you do decide to adopt.

Now let’s hear from you!

I’d love to hear your top reasons for owning a chinchilla as well, if you are currently a chinchilla owner.

And if you are not a chinchilla owner, are you going to get one?

If you aren’t a chinchilla owner, be sure to share the top concerns and fears you have about chin ownership. Perhaps we can help allay some of those concerns and fears.

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

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