Do Chinchillas Make Good Pets?
December 7, 2022
You can’t help but fall in love with the pet Chinchillas you see online in those cute shorts and videos. But do they make good pets? The short answer is yes, but they are a pet for adults or older children. Let’s take a look at the reasons why.
Before you decide on bringing any pet home to live with you, checking out what your furry friends need to keep them happy and healthy will help you make the right decision.
Chinchillas Keep Strange Hours
Chinchillas are crepuscular animals and are most lively at dawn and dusk, though some like to rummage and play all through the night. Being crepuscular animals means they sleep all day, so younger children would tire quickly of this seemingly inactive pet. For working adults, however, keeping a pet that is content to sleep during the day could quite easily be the perfect choice of furry friend.
Chinchillas Are The Softest Rodent Ever!
Chinchillas have the most glorious coats of soft, luxurious fur, which is probably why they are considered an endangered species in the wild. Thankfully, pet breeders are keeping this creature alive and well, so Chinchillas will survive (at least in our homes).
A Chinchilla's coat is quite remarkable in a lot of ways, which makes it unique among the family of furry rodents. What makes their coat so soft is the fact that up to 50 hairs can grow out of each follicle. This makes for a rich and dense coat that offers the Chinchilla protection against the elements but also from predators.
In an act of defence when caught by a predator, such as a wolf or a fox, a Chinchilla will engage in a biological mechanism known as fur slip. This phenomenon allows the Chinchilla to lose a chunk of fur to give their predator the slip. This incredible device is another reason Chinchillas need a more mature pet owner. If tugged or pulled or grabbed, a Chinchilla will release their ‘fur slip’ safety mechanism. This can cause the animal great distress and result in a patchy bald fur baby.
Chinchillas Don’t Like Water
So how exactly do you keep a Chinchilla looking lush and lovely? Not by bathing in water, that’s for sure. In fact, using water and soap can damage your Chinchilla’s fur and strip their coat of its natural protective oils.
What a Chinchilla needs to keep clean is some dirt - all natural, organic pumice stone dust to be exact. Twice weekly is the recommended bathing schedule. You can buy Chinchilla dust from many pet retailers and you don’t need much. Just a few tablespoons in a container and your Chinchilla will gladly roll about, cleaning and conditioning his coat. Special bathing houses can also be purchased from pet shops, but you could easily fashion one out of a tupperware container.
Chinchillas Like Cage-Free Exercise
Chinchillas have strong back legs and can jump up to six feet in the air (perfect for dodging out of the way of snakes). They like to run, jump and climb, so you’ll need to set up an area in your home where they can get their daily exercise.
Exercise time is the perfect time to bond with your Chinchilla and perhaps teach them not to poop in the house. Though they don’t like to be held (most prey species don’t), they are very sociable animals and love spending time with their pet parents.
If, after reading this, you decide a Chinchilla is the right pet for you, consider getting two. In the wild, Chinchillas live in large groups of up to 100 and could feel lonely if housed alone.