Chinchillas as Pets

by

Jack SterlingYou might be thinking about buying a chinchilla.

If not for yourself, then maybe for a significant other or for your little ones. When you bring in a brand new pet to your house however, it really is of vital importance that you have a look at chinchilla advice as well as learn about exactly what there is to know about the animal.

A chinchilla can live to be about 15, give or take a couple of years. Some chinchillas simply live 12 years, whilst others live a longer life; up until the age of 20. It is easily doable to get a tame chinchilla, providing you provide them with the attention and caring they crave when they\’re young.

Note

: Just in case you\’re thinking of getting a chinchilla for a child: Show the child the right way to correctly handle the chinchilla. Although it may look all warm and cuddly, the chinchilla knows how to

bite

when it feels threatened. If the child unintentionally squeezes the rodent a tad too hard, it may panic and bite. Sit down together with the child and show him/her the best way to hold and pet the chinchilla. If taken care of early on, you won\’t have any bite marks from your chinchilla.

But what about the odor?

You are in luck! Chinchillas don\’t share the \”unique\” odor that some other rodents have. Having a chinchilla will not turn your house into a mini zoo when it comes to odors. If you happen to clean up your chinchilla\’s cage once per week, you should have a pretty much odor free zone. In most cases, strong odors from the chinchilla may indicate that it\’s got some kind of parasite (in the event you haven\’t cleaned it in a while, then it is most likely just it\’s cage)

What does it eat?

Mainly pellets designed for the animal. You could possibly supplement the pellets with a little green spinach or hay, but note that the majority of the chinchilla\’s daily intake have to come from the pellets. That doesn\’t mean that the chinchilla is picky when it comes to food. Perhaps it will dine on a leftover hamburger, some french fries, chips along with other salty food, so make sure you do not have left over food next to it\’s cage whenever you let it out to play. (blank) In case the teeth grow too long, it may hinder it\’s ability to eat, so buying something for it to munch on is very important. In addition, keep a vitamin or sodium block in the cage for vitamins.

Can I train it?

Yep, you most definitely can. As with most other animals, the technique to train a chinchilla is by means of food treats. You may bait it with a little piece of fruits. Place piece of fruit onto your shoulder/arm/hand and wait for the animal to leap on to you. Remember to pet it extensively afterwards!

Buying a chinchilla

I will now look at a couple of things that you ought to keep in mind at the pet store/breeder should you decide to get a chinchilla. The best time to purchase a chinchilla is when they\’re 10 weeks old, should you get them at an earlier age, they may not have had the sufficient contact required from it\’s mother and father or siblings. If you\’re able, ask to check out it\’s mother and father before buying it. Check for patches of fur missing, watery eyes and drooling (drooling generally indicates tooth problems). Some really good features to search for in a new chinchilla are: curiosity, healthy looking eyes and fur, along with a good temperament.

I really hope I have helped clarify the most important elements for you.

Having chinchillas as pets is a wonderful thing.

Jack Sterling writes for www.allchinchillafacts.com.You can find everything chinchilla-related there, including more

chinchilla facts

and information on what

chinchillas as pets

are like.

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