Chinchillas are appreciated for their small size which hardly exceeds 25 cm in adulthood. Despite this, they need a large living space. Minimizing the space to allocate to your chinchilla is one of the many mistakes you can make when you are not used to this animal. If you really want to give him the best, here are all our tips to avoid the 10 mistakes beginners often make. This will avoid anxiety on one side, and suffering on the other.

Mistake #1: Not giving yourself time to tame your chinchilla

The chinchilla is an animal that does not appreciate hugs or excessive handling. Fearful animal of prey, it quickly takes fright. If he is frightened, he will seek at all costs to flee, to the point of putting himself in danger. It can slip away from the person holding it and fall, seriously injuring itself or dying.

Despite the fact that it is a small animal that seduces the youngest, it is nevertheless the last rodent to make cohabit with children. It is an unpredictable and temperamental animal, which appreciates its independence. A rat is much more affectionate and demonstrative. However, children, when they are confronted with an animal as cute as the chinchilla, aspire to develop interactions with it. They will have a hard time agreeing to keep their distance.

Chinchillas may need more time than other small rodents to get used to the environment you provide them and you. However, from the 2nd or 3rd day, get into the habit of passing your hand through its cage every day. Then, you can place a treat there that will end up attracting him over time, as he understands that he has nothing to fear from you. When he eats the treat in the palm of your hand, you can then consider carrying him.

There is a way to secure it. To carry it, place one hand under its chest and your thumb and forefinger around its neck. The other hand supports the hindquarters at the base of the tail. The chinchilla is really fragile and you can quickly hurt it if you squeeze it too hard. Never let him be manipulated by anyone other than you. If confronted by someone it does not know, the chinchilla will become frightened, which may even trigger the autotomy reflex , which involves detaching its tail.

Mistake #2: Wanting to wash your chinchilla

In nature, the chinchilla maintains its fur alone, thanks to soil baths. Never consider cleaning its fur with water as it is not suitable for contact with this liquid. You risk causing skin diseases and yeast infections if you do! Earth baths are used in particular to eliminate excess sebum, but this ritual also allows him to de-stress.

The quality of the bathing soil you provide is important. Eliminate soils that are fragrant as they can cause irritation of the eyes and the first respiratory tract. The container used for bathing should be spacious enough for the animal to perform all the necessary movements. High walls limit projections and thus waste. It must be heavy enough to be stable because you will find that the chinchilla moves without containing itself.

Mistake #3: Overlooking a chinchilla’s need for quiet

Chinchillas need to be kept in a dry, cool place, away from drafts. It also tolerates heat stroke very badly. It is advisable to choose the location of your cage carefully and then stick to it. Do not plan to take him with you on vacation either, because he does not like changes in his place of life and habitat. It must be understood that with each move, the animal must adapt, which causes stress. Stability is the key to its well-being.

The chinchilla is a rodent that needs calm and serenity. The room in which it is located should not be too busy. But on the other hand, don’t think your bedroom is the perfect place. Admittedly the chinchilla does not give off an odor if one is attentive to the hygiene of the cage. The problem comes rather from its level of activity: when it jumps and plays, it tends to propel litter and possible droppings through the bars, dirtying the environment of the cage. This requires regular sweeping.

Moreover, it is a crepuscular animal: its activity begins with nightfall and lasts until sunrise. He can therefore be very noisy at night and disturb your sleep, in the same way that you can disturb his by a too noisy activity during the day.

Mistake #4: Not giving it enough space

The chinchilla needs space because it is an animal that moves in three dimensions. The height is even at the preferred dimension: it needs 1 meter minimum. Forget cages for rabbits and guinea pigs which are therefore not suitable. Regarding the length and width, count 70 and 50 cm.

But, as it is a gregarious animal that really needs the company of its fellows, to the point that if you only welcome one, you are at the limit of animal abuse, these dimensions must be increased in depending on the number of animals. Allow at least 20 cm more in length and 10 in width. These are minimums that can be greatly exceeded depending on the space you have: the larger the cage, the more your chinchillas will thrive. If you have a studio, the chinchilla is definitely not the right pet for you.

Mistake #5: Not organizing free outings

A daily walk outside the cage will nevertheless be necessary, even if you offer a cage with a good volume to your animals. Before letting them out, they must be tamed and you can be sure that they can come back to you if you show them a treat, otherwise it will be difficult to recover the animals.

It is also recommended to keep a close eye on them throughout the outings because, good rodents that they are, they will attack anything they find; plastic-sheathed electrical cables are usually very attractive to them.

Keep in mind that the chinchilla’s body is such that it can’t stop itself from doing its business depending on where it is. Also, don’t be surprised if he poops during his outings.

Mistake #6: Neglecting time to spend with your chinchilla

As we have said, the chinchilla needs the company of its fellow creatures to stay mentally healthy and not become a depressed little animal. Nevertheless, the pleasure of adopting pets is to interact with them, especially if you persist in adopting only one, despite our advice. Remember that a healthy chinchilla can live up to 20 years. Those who are not well die earlier because a depressed animal is a more fragile animal and more prone to developing illnesses.

Apart from daily outings, times to tame them and play with them are necessary. Count a minimum of 1h30 or even 2h per day to take care of your chinchillas. It’s not just playtime because it also includes:

• The preparation and distribution of food,
• Daily cleaning of the cage and surroundings,
• Exits under surveillance.

Chinchillas should not be woken up to clean the cage. The ideal time is therefore in the early evening, when the chinchillas begin their period of activity. Every day you should change dirty hay and wet bedding.

The cleaning of the bottle, the bowl and the sand tub is only done once a week. Sieving the bath soil to remove excrement and anything that may have fallen into it can be done every day or every other day. The bath clay is changed approximately every 10 days. The complete cleaning of the cage with hot water and the disinfection of the sand tub is done once a month.

Mistake #7: Considering that the chinchilla is a very robust animal whose care needs are limited

The chinchilla is an animal considered to be robust. However, you must remain attentive to your animals to detect health problems as early as possible. Here are some signs you shouldn’t overlook.

Patchy hair loss is usually not a good sign and may signal a feeding problem. This is different from reduced hair loss due to stress. Some yeast infections can be transmitted to humans. Also, you should particularly spot hair loss around the muzzle, eyes, behind the ears, at the end of the front legs and around the genitals.

The chinchilla can gnaw part of its fur: it is a behavioral disorder whose causes can be multiple: nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, stress, change of habits, humidity or poor hygiene.

The chinchilla is agile but sometimes hurts itself by wanting to perform acrobatics. It is often prone to fractures . Digestive problems are also frequent: diarrhoea, constipation, infectious enteritis… It is difficult not to miss them; this requires rapid treatment, otherwise the chinchilla may die.

Mistake #8: Neglecting your chinchilla’s diet

The chinchilla’s natural diet in its arid highlands consists of a few dry plants and grasses, roots and a few dried berries. It is therefore important not to enrich your diet excessively. His body is accustomed to processing a diet that is certainly rich in vegetable cellulose but low in protein. Greenery and fruit are only supported in small amounts. As for treats, they can be completely avoided except to tame the animal and coax it at the end of the walk, when it is necessary to return to the cage.

Even if the chinchilla feeds mainly in the evening, it must be able to have hay throughout the day. The gnawing material such as branches is essential for the rodent to maintain its teeth.

Mistake #9: Neglecting water quality

The quality of the water to be given to the chinchilla must be controlled. It must be acidic , that is to say with a pH of less than 7 (pharmacies sell test strips for the measurement). A pH above 7 promotes the proliferation of bacteria in the intestines and therefore digestive disorders. Tap water is too rich in chlorine and nitrates for chinchillas. Spring water is the most suitable but you must pay attention to the pH indication on the bottle, and choose it with a low mineral content. The bottle is the most suitable accessory for the distribution of water because in a cup, it is soiled too quickly. The water should be changed every day and several times during hot weather.

Mistake #10: Neglecting the amount of litter

The selection criteria for a litter suitable for chinchillas are: absence of chemicals and dust formation, and absorption capacity. The use of unscented wood shavings for bedding is ideal. However, it is necessary at all costs to avoid resinous shavings which contain phenol, a natural substance that is highly irritating to the respiratory tract of chinchillas. If you do not know what wood the shavings are made from, fall back on vegetable litter (hemp, flax or corn) which is also suitable.