Chinchillas are nocturnal, sleeping mainly during the day and being most active at night (not a good idea to house them in a bedroom). Although sleeping during the day is the norm my chinchillas do pop out of their nesting boxes during the day to have a quick look around. Chinchillas are fairly low maintenance in that you do not need to bath them, clip nails and dip them. Although some people do bath their chinchillas I don’t recommend this at all. I find the best is to allow them a dust bath  for 10 min per day (this is their natural form of bathing) and one can also brush their coat out once a week with a soft brush. Chinchilla dust is available for sale in South Africa but if you are battling to find it you can use playpen sand. I put the sand in the microwave for 2 min and allow to cool before I put the bowl in the cage.  It is really a treat to watch them take a bath, they first scratch at the sand and then proceed to roll over and over in the sand.  They do tend to make quite a mess, I’ve tried shallow dishes and even fish bowls and still they manage to throw out half the sand.

As is the case with all pets it is important to have good husbandry. The cage needs to be cleaned at least once a week; fresh food, grass and water need to be given daily. More about this topic can be found under housing and feeding.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING BREEDING CHINCHILLAS?

Think twice if you think there’s loads of money in it. Your main reasons should be to improve the breed standard, learn about the breed and educate others. I breed because of my love of animals and the interest I have to learn more about them – not for the money! Firstly the chinchilla’s gestation period is pretty long for such a small animal, a very long 112 days and possibly even up to 128 days! They also reach sexual maturity much later than most rodents. Although puberty may start at 5 months it is more likely to be at 8 months of age. Chinchillas don’t reproduce, as prolifically as some rodents are known to. They can have litters ranging from 1 to 6 kits, most average 2 kits in a litter. They will also not produce more than 2 litters per year; this means 2 to 4 kits per year (not a lot of money in that). The female has 6 nipples; making it easy for the kits to lie on their backs and suckle.

Male and female reproductive organs look very similar and many a chinchilla has been incorrectly sold as the wrong sex. The males tend to be slightly smaller than the females. The female almost looks as if she also has a penis but on closer inspection you will notice that the female reproductive organ is closer to the anus than the males. The male’s penis is clearly further away from the anus area. When deciding to breed with your female she should be at least 8 months old and weigh at least 600g.  It is also advisable to breed her before the age of 2. With time I will add more about breeding and reproduction.

The babies are born precocious (meaning they are fully developed), with fur and eyes open. They weigh about 50 to 60g at birth but it is possible for them to weigh slightly less.  I find that if there is only one kit it tends to weigh more than a litter of 2 or 3 will weigh. The kits can stay with their parents for a longer time than rabbits or guinea pigs can. They should stay with their mother for at least 8 weeks and ideally should not be sold before 10-12 weeks. Sometimes if the baby is very large I will allow it to go at 9 weeks but smaller kits should not leave before 12 weeks. The female kits do not stand the risk of being mated by their fathers as they only reach sexual maturity around 5 months but in most cases only at 8 months. 

FEEDING

It is important to feed your chinchilla a correct nutritional and balanced diet. PLEASE DO NOT FEED CHINCHILLAS RABBIT PELLETS!!!!!!! Firstly they are not rabbits and secondly it is bad for their liver. I’m sure in South Africa more than half, if not 90% of the chinchillas are feed rabbit pellets. There are reputable brands of proper chinchilla food sold in some pet stores.Please do not be fooled into feeding all the treats that are being sold for chinchillas. As the saying goes "more is less" chinchillas in their natural habitat have a very basic diet which consists of maily scrubs and grasses. Feeding too many treats is bad for your chinchilla don't kill it with what you consider kindness. I have been researching the diet of chinchillas and have come to the realisation that we are feeding our chinchillas the incorrect diet. Some sites are even promoting feeding bread! as a treat!! Heaven help the poor chinchillas with the sugar and yeast content. I think because the chinchillas don't drop down dead immediately people think it is okay to feed raisins, bread, sunflower seeds etc as treats. The damage tends to catch up with the chinchilla later on and often when it's too late to reverse the damage. We are now doing research and will have news regarding a new product shortly that will be more in keeping with the basic diet that a chinchilla needs. Please don't be brain washed by lovely packagings of chinchilla treats.

It is important not to chop and change your chinchillas diet; they have a sensitive gastrointestinal tract and you don’t want to upset this by changing its diet all the time.You can prevent health problems by correctly feeding your chinchilla. If you must change its diet do it gradually mixing the 2 foods together until it’s accustomed to the new food. A sudden change in diet can stress your chinchilla and cause severe gastrointestinal problems. Adding protexin to the water will also help with any imbalance in their gut.  It is also very important to feed your chinchilla fresh hay (teff in South Africa) for roughage. Please make sure that it is fresh and not mouldy. A hayrack works well so that the chinchilla does not soil the grass.

 Change food and water daily I tend not to fill the food bowl with too much food as they tend to soil the food and it needs to be thrown out once soiled. Chinchillas tend to eat around 2 tablespoons (30ml) of dry pellets per day. I have found that new and stressed chinchillas eat very little in the beginning but as they settle down their food intake increases. This is a good indicator that your chinchilla is settling in and no longer stressed.  Being nocturnal I feed and give water at night when they are active and wanting to eat then I know their food and water is fresh. 

HOUSING

As this site is intended for the hobbyist breeder the cages I recommend are larger than the cages used by the large breeders. Even though I have a rodent quarantine station my cages as you will see are larger than most cages used in quarantine stations. There are many different types of cages available but one needs to take certain things into consideration when purchasing a cage. Wire cages are more hygienic but one needs to consider the small feet of the chinchilla on the wire all day. There needs to be a solid section and the wire used in the other section should have small gaps so as not to hurt the chinchillas feet. As chinchillas love to perform acrobatic tricks and leap around there cages the bigger the cage the better. Placing pine shelves at various heights makes the cage more interesting for the chinchilla. Having said this one needs to take into consideration if the female has kits that high shelves be removed so that the babies cannot fall from high heights. Place nesting boxes on the bottom of the cage to prevent any unwanted accidents or death of kits.  

 Remember if using pine wooden nesting boxes and shelves they are going to get nibbled away. This doesn’t bother me, as it is good for them to gnaw on the wood to keep their teeth short. When they are ready to fall apart I replace them with new boxes and shelves. One can also use PVC pipes for them to play and hide in but if they start to chew at them remove them. If using an all steel cage you will need to add blocks of pine (not fresh pine) for them to chew on.

You can get quite creative and hang different shapes on a chain for them to chew at. Chinchillas need to exercise so a small cage is very limiting. If your cage is on the small side it is a good idea to allow them a run around a chinchilla proof room!  What is a chinchilla proof room? A room that is free from electrical cords, cleaning agents and poisons, very high shelves and cupboards. The safest option is not to leave your chinchilla alone when it is out of its cage. There are also exercise wheels available for chinchillas, which can be attached to the cage. Unfortunately I have not seen them available in South Africa as yet. I am going to look into trying to have one made watch this space.

Chinchillas should be kept indoors where the temperature can be controlled and monitored. Besides outside they will not receive the same interaction and regular attention that they will indoors. Who is going to waltz outside every night to interact with their chinchillas? I know in South Africa the norm is to house chinchillas outside but then the average lifespan of a chinchilla here is 3-5 years old and not the expected 15-20 years. Chinchillas do well at temperatures of between 18 and 25ºc and should never be housed at temperatures of 30ºc and higher. They are prone to heatstroke and can die. Although they do better in cooler temperatures they do not tolerate freezing temperatures very well. They should also not be housed where there is a draft or the possibility of raining wet. This could mean their unnecessary and untimely death. They can develop lung problems and this can then develop into pneumonia. The bedding can be quite a headache as many standard bedding products are not good for chinchillas oven dried pine shavings are safe but becareful of other wood shavings. The oils in the wood can cause health problems. I normally line the cage with paper (don’t use glossy paper or heavily inked paper) and put hay (teff) in the nesting boxes I add a small amount of pine shavings which helps absorb urine. One could also use recycled shredded paper to line the cage. Use water bottles (more hygienic than bowls) attached to the sides of the cage and stainless steel bowls also attach to the cage or they will tip the bowl and soil the food.