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Care Information

Chinchillas

What is a

CHINCHILLA?

Chinchillas, classed as exotic pets, are beautiful creatures known for their amazing super soft fur and big, saucer ears.

Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents native to South America. They’re found high up in the mountains, making them more hardy animals than some people may think.

Chinchillas can live up to 20 years and can become very tame if socialised well. They are more active at dusk and dawn so their activity patterns may not suit all families. They’re adventurous and often mischievous but they can also be shy. Not all chinchillas will tolerate handling. Chinchillas fur is delicate and they can ‘slip fur’ when mishandled, so they must be handled carefully.

Chinchillas like company should always be kept in pairs or trios. They’re approximately 28 – 49cm in size and come in a variety of colours, but most often white, black or grey. 

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Further information

Chinchilla Care

Diet & Nutrition

Forage

Dried herbs, leaves and flowers should be on the menu every day in unlimited quantities. We recommend introducing anything new to your chinchillas slowly. Dry herbs, leaves and blossoms as a mixture with as many different components as possible should be offered in various scattered places across their home.

Our Recommendations

Hard Feed

Chinchillas are herbivores so need a chinchilla specific hard feed; for example Science Selective or JR Grainless Complete Chinchilla. There unfortunately aren't many suitable "hard feeds" for chinchillas that make up enough of their daily needs for it to be suitable to feed them just a hard feed. We recommend scatter feeding as well as feeding out of a bowl.
Hard feeds should be fed along side unlimited hay quality hay and unlimited forage.
Always provide access to fresh water in a bowl or water bottle.

Hay

Hay must always be freely available to your chinchillas. Fluff up and refresh their hay on a daily basis to encourage them to forage through the hay piles. We don't recommend hay racks as chinchillas won't eat as much hay as they would when compared to it being freely available in big piles.You may feel like hay is being wasted, however it's totally normal for even up to 50% of the hay you're providing to not be eaten.
Hay from the first cut is recommended, ideally harvested from June. The first cut is usually coarser and contains more fibre and nutrients than the second cut. A mix of second and first cut is also beneficial.
We recommend a mix of meadow hay and the occasional bit of alfalfa.

Treats, Seeds & Veg

Chinchillas can have treats as long as they're natural. We do not recommend buying any "ready done" artificial treats. Healthy treats include; leaves, twigs, roots, and stems. They usually love dandelion root and apple twigs.
Some of the pellets you're feeding can be replaced with seeds. This would be healthier and correspond more to a chinchilla's natural diet. They primarily ingest fats and proteins through seeds. A mixture of 40% grass seed and 60% herb/flour and oil seed is suitable for chinchillas. Be sure to accustom the animals very, very carefully and slowly from the pellets to the seed mixture.
Chinchillas do not tolerate large amounts of sugar, so they should be given mainly leafy greens. Large amounts should not be given but once introduced slowly should easily become part of their diet.

Accommodation & Environment

Cages

The minimum recommended cage size for a chinchilla is 2 metres high, one metre wide and one metre deep. Some people adapt an entire room for their chinchillas as this is a much more appropriate sized space for them. Chinchillas must be kept indoors - they are very sensitive to temperature. Chinchillas are sociable animals so must be kept in pairs or trios. ​Chinchillas need a large cage to live in with multiple levels made of metal or kiln dried pine. They are avid chewers so cannot be housed in a plastic or wooden cage or they will quickly eat their way out. Chinchillas are very temperature sensitive so need to avoid hot rooms, drafts and being near a window or they might develop heat stroke. A marble slab in the cage is a good way to keep them cool. Glass bottles and ceramic bowls are recommended to prevent the chinchilla's from chewing.

Keeping Clean

Chinchillas themselves don't smell at all, but the toilet area in the cage can have an odour if not regularly changed. They need daily access to a sandbath to help to keep their fur clean. IMPORTANT: Chinchillas cannot get wet or be washed as it can make them become very unwell. Please do not ever get your chinchilla wet. Their bedding can be spot cleaned, and a deep clean can be done but not everything should be cleaned as not being able to smell their own scent can cause fights between chinchillas as they have to reestablish the hierarchy between the group.

Our Recommendations

Enrichment

Chinchillas should have access to a solid surface exercise wheel, for example a metal TicTac wheel (min. 16 inches). Provide two wheels for larger groups. Most chinchillas love wheels, it's important to make sure that not only are they the right size, but also deep enough. Chinchillas need hides, huts and hammocks for sleeping, they will enjoy natural enrichment toys like apple branches, wooden toys, sisal balls, snuffle mats and so on. You can also add natural branches for chinchillas to walk along, jump on and generally explore.

Bedding

The most popular ‘bedding’ for chinchillas are non-pill fleece covers that cover the bases/levels of the cage, but you can use loose substrates such as hemp, bedkind, and cardboard bedding. We prefer hemp as an option as we have witnessed sore hocks often on fleece, even if kept very clean.

OUT-OF CAGE TIME

Handling

Chinchillas enjoy time out of their cage but it must be supervised to prevent any accidents such as chewing cables. Chinchillas sometimes make little chirping noises when happy but are generally silent. Making a room chinchilla-safe for playtimes is recommended.

Watching them explore and be entertained is one of the best ways to bond with your pet. It is important to remember that chinchillas are prey species and are generally not fond of cuddles; that does not mean they don’t appreciate your presence however. 

They will happily run over you, they also enjoy climbing up and jumping off of things, so make sure that they cannot jump off anything too high.

Medical

Neutering & Medical Needs

It’s not recommended to neuter chinchillas as they are much easier to bond with their own sex compared to other small animals.

Check your chinchillas are eating daily, passing plenty of dry healthy shaped droppings. Monitor the amount/types of food they eat, and how much they drink. If eating/drinking habits change or quantity of droppings reduce/stop, consult your vet immediately – as they could be seriously ill.  

Because chinchillas sleep during the day you may not easily notice if they’re unwell. Changes in normal behaviour can be early signs they’re ill or in pain. If chinchillas aren’t eating/are quieter than usual they’re highly likely to be ill/in pain.  

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