Alice White
Today the chinchilla is a fairly popular pet. When choosing a pet, many thought about how to get this cute rodent. What is needed to keep a chinchilla? What does a chinchilla eat? What behavior is inherent in it? What do you need to teach a chinchilla? We will reveal all this in our article.
Chinchilla, like other rodents living at home, is kept in a cage. Only a chinchilla cage is much more spacious than a hamster cage. This is due to the size of the chinchilla and its activity. This cute little animal with big eyes often wants to run and jump. What should be in this spacious cage? Of course, any cage must have a feeder and a drinking bowl, install several shelves at different heights, 10-15 cm wide. It is also desirable that there are ladders and tunnels in the cage, a house for the animal. All equipment inside must be firmly installed, otherwise, your pet, having front gripping fingers, can easily turn the necessary equipment into rattle toys. It is necessary to pour hay or filler for rodents (cats) into the bottom of the cage. The advantage of a chinchilla over other rodents is not only in appearance but also in the absence of a specific smell inherent in other rodents. Very important – chinchillas do not bathe in water! To maintain the cleanliness of chinchillas, because their thick and dense fur, if not properly cared for, risks introducing parasites, purchase a bathing suit and a special mixture of sand and zeolite dust.
In the diet of chinchilla, you should adhere to the schedule. Feed your pet at about the same time every day. Chinchillas feed on grain mixtures (wheat, barley, oats, corn, etc., preferably in crushed form), they also do not need a lot of hay. In the summer, in addition to food, they give dandelion, sprouts of legumes and cereals, and in winter – carrots. Of course, you can pamper your pet with treats, just don’t overdo it. Among the delicacies, we note almonds, raisins. In natural conditions, chinchillas gnaw the branches of trees and shrubs of soft breeds, maybe your rodent will like it. Watch for fresh water in the drinkers and change feed every day. Please note that for the prevention of obesity, adult chinchillas are given 7-10 grams of grain mixtures per day. These restrictions do not apply to males and females during the breeding season.
Chinchillas are very friendly and affectionate. They are smart and quickly get used to the owner, become tame. They rarely bite or scratch if treated well. Your pet will be tame and affectionate, loyal to you. Having no small intellect, a chinchilla can learn to go to the toilet and walk freely around the room. Note that chinchillas are more active at night. In the dark, your pet can play and run quite noisily, but you should not get annoyed, since irritability is not acceptable in raising these cute creatures. Do not forget to close the cage and do not leave your pet to walk in the room unattended, as the chinchilla is very curious and then you will have to look for it for a long time.
If you decide to buy a pair of chinchillas, male and female, it will be interesting to watch them.
Among chinchillas, couples are created that are distinguished by the manifestation of tenderness, these cute ones even sleep side by side, often play together, it happens that they quarrel amusingly. The offspring in chinchillas is not frequent, the pregnancy of females lasts 111 days, cubs are born from 1 to 6. Females are caring for their babies, even males help them. The average life expectancy for chinchillas is 18-20 years. They rarely get sick. Moreover, their number is not large, chinchillas are listed in the international Red Book.
