Chincillas As Pet

Also known as "chins" they have brilliant velvety fir, & they resemble a overweight squirrel with Mickey mouse type ears. They are nocturnal, although they do get up & play alot in the coursework of the day. Chins are clever & playful, & I am told can be trained. They are also neat,so their cage area doesn't tend to stink as lots of other types of caged animals can.

I got my first pair of chinchillas, as adults, a proven breeding pair. They were nice but they never did bond with us. They ended up having three litters total. They usually have 1-3 kids (also often called kits), & their pregnancy is 111 days (about four months), which is long gestation period for an animal that size.

The kids are born fully formed, "ready to go" you might say. Fully furred, eyes opened, walking around. They may even eat adult food  from day one, although they prefer to nurse.

Chinchillas eat prepared chinchilla food that comes in a pellet form. They also need one raisin a day (which they LOVE!). Every few days it is a nice suggestion to give them a dust bath. You can purchase"chinchilla dust" at a pet store. You put it in a bowl & they dive in, roll & kick up a fuss, & is pure delight to watch. Company always love to watch "Ittle bittle" take her bath.

Chins are more playful type pets, than a sit down lap type animal. I would recommend getting a child in case you choose to get a chinchilla. They usually run about $100. in the US for a pet, but that cost can vary a lot. Try to buy from a reputable breeder.

The actual joy for us came as they kept of the kids, they later sold mom & dad. They bonded well with us, they was handled a lot from birth on. They has been of the BEST pets I have ever had (of any kind of animal). They is playful, friendly, never bites, when they "barks" its a calm, cute kind of bark. A whole lot of character & character they is.

They have a life span of about 25-30 years. They do need to live inside, or climate type controlled setting. Chins come in a variety of

colors but the standard grey color is the most common, & the other, more rare colors will cost more usually. Because of their long life span, be definite you are prepared for that dedication before getting however.

Another nice quality about chins as pets, is they have no claws or fingernails. They have these little soft pads on the bottom of their feet, so you don't get scratched. I would not recommend them with little kids however, as young kids could basically hurt a chinchilla.