What should I know about taking care of a chinchilla?
When you’re in the store, you should pay careful attention to the chinchilla’s personality. Always handle them before adopting. A calm chinchilla should be content to sit in your hands. This personality type will probably be happy on your shoulder or in your pocket like I mentioned earlier.
How long should I Leave my Chinchilla in the dust bath house?
Be sure to only leave the dust bath house in their cage for as long as it takes them to both take a good bath. If you leave it in longer than 10 or 15 minutes, they may start to use it as a pee box. If, after their baths, there is still fine dust and no pee or poo you may be able to reuse it once more.
How long can a chinchilla live as a pet?
Chin’s are a long commitment they are not like a hamster or gerbil. They can live 15+ years, so if you are thinking rescue you have to consider going away to school or relocation that might not be pet friendly. This would be unfair to the rescue chin that may find himself in a rescue situation again.
What kind of nuts do chinchillas like the most?
My chinchillas’ absolute favorites are dried cranberries and raisins. They go crazy for them! They also love sunflower seeds and almonds. Just make sure that these things are pure natural, unsalted and unsweetened. This is very important. Giving them the nuts with the shells on or half cracked also gives them something fun to chew and destroy.
Why do chinchillas lose their fur in the wild?
Most commonly, chinchillas lose their fur due to stress, anxiety or being held incorrectly. Often a chinchilla will lose their fur when trying to escape. A chinchilla sheds fur in the wild to escape predators. That’s the short answer.
Is it possible to tell the sex of a chinchilla?
Like many other small mammals, it can be difficult to determine the sex of a chinchilla because the external reproductive anatomy of males and females looks quite similar. If you only have one chinchilla, whether it’s male or female may not matter much. However, if you want a second chinchilla, you’ll need to know the sex of them both.
Why do I have bald spots on my Chinchilla?
Other common causes of hair loss or bald spots with chinchillas can include the following: Above, you can see that besides a fur-slip, plenty of other factors could cause hair loss, fur slips, or bald spots with your chinchilla. I want to begin breaking down some of the most common reasons for this hair loss next.
What to do if a chinchilla starts to chew at its tail?
If there wasn’t displacement, you can use an Elizabethan collar to prevent the chinchilla from chewing at its tail. Avoid handling them for about four weeks. Frozen tail: The tail will typically fall off without any unfavorable results. If the chinchilla starts to chew at the tail, use an Elizabethan collar.
