Chinchillas are popular pets. Especially because of their cuddly fur and their joy of playing. Before you get a chinchilla yourself, you should carefully inform yourself. Because the cute furballs from South America are sophisticated animals. Here you will learn everything about the nature of the chinchilla and its species-appropriate attitude.
Chinchilla: Their Origin and Appearance
The chinchilla belongs to the rodent family and originally comes from Chile in South America. There are two top species: the short-tail and the long-tail chinchilla. Both have button eyes and elongated ears. The twilight and nocturnal animals have thick, fluffy fur, which originally had different shades of gray. Today there are a total of seven selectively bred colors, from black to beige to white. However, their underside is always light. They are very social animals and live together in groups of up to 100 animals. Therefore, the chinchilla must not be kept alone, but always at least two, at best three or four.
Attitude and Equipment
The active animals need a lot of space to run around and play in. For two chinchillas, the cage should be at least 150 cm x 80 cm x 150 cm in size. Basically, the larger the cage, the better the animals are. A large volière, which is divided into several floors, is ideal. Poles and branches of fruit and nut trees can complement the stable and offer rodents a lot of climbing fun. Plastic should be avoided in the entire equipment. Especially the bowls and the floor pan shouldn’t be made of plastic, because chinchillas love to nibble on things.
When setting up a chinchilla cage, make sure there are houses and other hiding and play options, a hayrack, and a water trough. A bowl of sand is particularly important in the cage. Chinchillas love to bathe in the sand – they keep their fur clean.
Tip: Choose a cage that is closed in the lower area. Otherwise all the sand will be scattered around the room.
Feeding Chinchillas
Chinchillas are rather demanding in terms of their diet. The special sole and supplement-tary feeds cover the needs of the chinchilla. Hay is also on their menu. It is important that the chinchilla does not get too many snacks and treats in between since it has a very sensitive digestion and it increases rapidly. From time to time they can be offered apples, bananas, or snack bars as a treat. In order to be able to grind their teeth, branches of fruit trees are suitable. Make sure that the branches only come from unsprayed trees.
Are they suitable pets?
Chinchillas are great animals that are very interesting to watch and sometimes can be quite tame. Nevertheless, they are very demanding to keep and feed and are by no means cuddly toys. Although they look particularly cozy, they don’t like to be hugged and hugged themselves. Therefore, they are also unsuitable for children as pets. In addition, the animals are nocturnal and need their rest during the day. The children’s room would be a very unsuitable location for the chinchilla cage. However, they are quite suitable for working people. The chinchillas can sleep undisturbed during the day and wake up punctually after work and become active.
With good care, a chinchilla will be over 20 years old and therefore older than many dogs. So you should think carefully about whether you want to buy chinchillas. However, if you are looking for a loyal companion for a long time that you can watch rather than hug, the chinchilla is just right for you.
