Chinchilla Husbandry

Pet chinchillas can be housed in many different sized cages as long as the cage isn’t too tall. Chinchillas are rock hoppers by nature and can easily break bones when falling further than 18” so if you have a tall cage, make sure there’s a mesh level at every 18”. A cage wider than it is tall is a better home for them.

Chinchilla cages are usually made from ¾” mesh with wooden or metal trays underneath in which to place newspaper or wood shavings (and these should be changed every 3 days or so to reduce odour). Plastic bottomed cages aren’t suitable as your chinchilla will soon chew through the plastic and could escape.

1” mesh cages are only suitable if there is no chance of a baby being born, as young chinchillas up to 3 weeks of age can get through that size mesh. They can also get through bars of cages such as parrot cages.

Always make sure that there are no sharp edges, protruding nails, or gaps where a chinchilla could catch itself or trap its feet. Never leave a cage in direct sunlight, beside a radiator, or in a draught as these environments are all detrimental to the health and wellbeing of your chinchilla.

Shelves should not be made of mesh (as chinchillas can catch their legs when jumping on or off and be left hanging till rescued), and should preferably be made from wood which should be regularly cleaned and replaced when it becomes difficult for the chinchilla to perch on (chinchillas love to re-design the shelves, and it also helps to keep their teeth worn down!).

Additions to the cage such as nest boxes, log hides, and cloth hammocks provide additional sleeping places, and also retreats if a pair of chinchillas fall out – even chinchillas that have been together for many years can suddenly fall out (especially boys if a female in the same room comes into season).

Polygamous cages (cages joined together with a pophole that can be opened or shut on demand) are useful for introductions or for separating the male when babies arrive (although pet chinchillas should only be bred from if a full five year genetic and health history is available). They also provide another breeding method which attempts to mimic that of the wild chinchilla, where one male has more than one female but the females are kept apart so that they don't attack one another.

Large cages can be used for colony breeding systems as long as there's only one male to several females. Two males housed together may fight when a female in the vicinity comes into season and they exhibit dominance behaviour. Females often help to look after another female's babies but before attempting this type of environment you need to know the nature of all the females being kept together just in case they are likely to become aggressive.

Chinchillas should be provided with a daily supply of proprietary chinchilla pellets rather than a mix which has to be given in strict amounts (as chinchillas are selective feeders and will choose the bits they prefer rather than eating the entire amount), and a regular supply of a form of hay (meadow hay, readigrass, timothy hay, oxbow hay) to aid digestion and to provide gnawing and chewing motions in order to keep the teeth short. Ordinary meadow hay can be fed daily but alfalfa/lucerne types should only be fed a couple of times a week. If the hay smells musty rather than sweet throw it away and buy in a fresh supply as it could affect their intestines if they consume it, or may even harbour fur fungus spores if it is damp and mouldy.

Water should always be available and changed daily, with the water commonly supplied via a bottle with a steel drinking nipple. Some chinchillas chew the sides of their plastic bottles and so these bottles should be encased in a mesh cage or with another piece of ¾” mesh offset so that the chinchilla can’t get its teeth through the mesh.

They should also be provided with a regular supply of a gnaw block, again to keep their teeth short. These blocks can be thermalite building blocks (which are cheap and very effective, and are available from most builder's merchants or DIY stores), or commercial chinchilla gnaw blocks (available from pet shops and online pet stores). (Heather conducted a gnaw block study using several of the Albatross Chinchillas animals as part of her HND in Animal Management, comparing several different commercial blocks with thermalite blocks - a copy of this 50 page study can be purchased on CD for £6.50 including postage and packing, with the proceeds going into the rescue funds).

Chinchillas can be given various toys for enrichment, as well as making sure that hay is tightly wrapped so that it proves a task to unravel and eat.

Treats should be fed sparingly as chinchillas have a delicate stomach and cannot tolerate large amounts of greens or fluid heavy treats such as fresh fruit. Ideal treats are raisins, small pieces of apple, or pear, grape, shredded wheat, wheat bran,a small piece of lettuce leaf, green piece of carrot top, or any of the herb or fruit mixes produced especially for chinchillas. If your chinchilla becomes constipated then an increase in these should redress the balance but be careful or it could swing the other way and your chinchilla may have diarrhoea. If your chinchilla develops diarrhoea from too many treats or a rapid change of main pellet diet, then give a blackberry leaf or charcoal biscuit, or even a small piece of very burnt toast.

However in all cases where an immediate return to normaility isn't apparent then you should take your chinchilla to a vet.

Chinchillas need a bath containing chinchilla dust in order to remove dirt, dust and grease from their fur, mostly due to being handled. This should not be placed permanently in the cage as skin irritation can arise. Either bathe your chinchilla for 10 minutes every other day, or leave the sandbath in overnight a couple of times a week, sieveing the droppings from the dust each time, and changing the dust when it becomes dirty or damp. Human allergies are often attributed to the dust, so baths can be placed in the shower or bath for your chin to have a good time, then the surplus washed away, or placed in a large cardboard box which can be used outside on dry but not sunny days, or in another room or shed in order to keep the dust in the house at a minimum.

Pet chinchillas do not have to be regularly groomed, but older chinchillas benefit from tufts or matted fur being gently removed as they are disinclined to groom themselves.

If the chinchilla lives in a cage in a shed outdoors you will need an air conditioning unit and fans during the summer, as chinchillas hate the heat (imagine yourself sunbathing in a full fur coat!), and heatstroke is the most common killer of chinchillas during the summer months. The most critical time of day is around 5pm as the temperature starts to drop but the chinchillas' thermostat starts to work overtime and they overheat. Fans alone just circulate the current air and do not reduce the temperature so are not effective, but in addition to an aircon they will help keep the entire room/shed cool. Air coolers are better than fans but still do not chill the air enough on hot days, and also have the added problem of increasing humidity in the environment as they work. It is usually the combination of high temperature (over 25C) and humidity (over 60%) that causes the most deaths.

Show chinchillas

Show quality chinchillas which are likely to be shown should be kept differently. They need a constant temperature in order to prime (grow out their fur) in the correct manner, and so may need air conditioning units even if kept indoors. If they do live indoors, then central heating should not be put on in the room they are kept in. Damp clothing shoudl not be aired int he same room, and windows should not be left open if it's raining. They may need a dehumidifier to remove the damp from the air which can cause the fur to “break” and so lose points on the show table.

They should be handled infrequently, so if you love to cuddle your pets then showing probably isn’t for you, as the grease from your hands and the constant ruffling of the fur will soon reduce the show quality of the coat.

They should be kept during their showing periods in smaller cages so that bouncing around the cage does not damage their fur, and should also be housed alone from partners or siblings as cuddling up together or nibbling and grooming each other could also damage the fur.

Show chinchillas should be bathed regularly, with the addition of pansil/sepiolite 100 (fur enhancer) added to the bath two parts ordinary dust to one part fine dust, during the show season. Baths should be removed 4 days before a show in order to allow the dust to fall out from the coat as it will dull the fur if it is still there on show day, and they will be marked down for this coat appearance. If you are using the fine dust indoors, make sure the room is well ventilated as it gets everywhere and may affect asthmatics. They should always be moved so that other chinchillas cannot urinate on show ones as this will stain their fur and be difficult to remove even with dust bathing, and will affect the show results.

They should be groomed from a young age, then once selected for a show they should be groomed weekly until the week before then two or three times during that week including the day before the show. Leaving it until show day will mean loads of dead fur to try and remove and lots of it on the floor of the grooming room at the show which will not be well received!

Show chinchillas should not be kept in direct sunlight as this will oxidise their fur and show a gingery tinge, esecially to beiges, brown velvets and violets.

Smoking in the same room as show quality chinchillas will also affect their fur as the nicotine and tar from the smoke will cling to their fur.

(Show details can be obtained from the National Chinchilla Society website on the contacts & links page).