  The Cage is the Chin’s Castle (and if you’re not careful she’ll escape like Rapunzel!) Chinchillas need to be housed in a cage that they cannot escape from. They are extremely curious by nature and any escape could lead to their injury or possibly death. I recommend using a large chinchilla-specific cage (these can be found at most pet stores or online) because they provide enough room for the chin to run around, ledges for them to perch and bounce on, and they are escape proof as long as the cage door is properly secured. Make sure the cage has the least amount of plastic in it as possible (plastic ramps can be replaced with wooden ones) because they will eat the plastic. Chinchillas can't digest plastic so it sits in their stomach and can lead to an impaction which can be fatal. Homemade cages are another option but make sure that the chin cannot weasel its way out. They are extremely smart and if there is a way out they will find it! Before making a homemade cage be sure to research the complete needs of a chinchilla’s environment (min. height, width, perches, etc). The Princess and the Pea The bedding that you put in the cage is extremely important. Do NOT use cedar bedding because it will cause various health problems. Pine can be used but if you are planning on using it for other animals as well make sure you know if it’s safe for them! Since I have a variety of animals I use Aspen because it is safe for all animals. It also does not have an odor (unlike Pine) and absorbs odors and liquids very well! Make sure to change the bedding when it begins to look soiled.  Bath Time! Chinchillas originate from the rocky Andes Mountains where there is little water. In order to cleanse themselves in the wild they roll around in the sand and dust of the rocks. Even in captivity chinchillas continue this unique behavior. Unlike cats or rabbits chinchillas do not lick themselves to clean up. And unlike dogs chinchillas CANNOT be given a water bath. If water comes into contact with a chin’s fur it will ruin the fur and may cause a fungal infection. Their fur is so dense it is impossible to completely dry them off. The trapped moisture will then cause fungus to grow. This is another reason why chinchillas should not be kept in a humid environment. If you do notice that your chinchilla has fungus (losing patches of fur especially on the face) add a little tenactin powder (found in most drug stores to treat athletes foot) to their dust in their dust house. Make sure that no other chinchillas come in contact with the infected chiinchilla or the dust that chinchilla has used because fungus is contagious - even to humans so make sure you wash your hands well. You may also use the tenactin in the dust as a preventative measure during damp weather. Chinchillas need to be provided with a dust bath on a regular basis. It is recommended that they be given a dust bath at least once a week but your chinchilla will love – and sometimes insist – that you give it once a day. Chinchilla dust can be purchased at any pet store or online (there are a few different brands out there). Just make sure that it is dust that is specifically for chinchillas and not the dust on your bookshelf! I also recommend buying a bath house for the chinchilla. There are a few different kinds available, but if you prefer to keep as much dust in the bath house as possible, I recommend the plastic enclosed ones with a small opening for them to enter and exit. Even better is a glass dust house because they won't be able to eat it. I use a glass cookie jar with a large opening... about $5 at Target and Walmart. (Just be careful of where you put the glass so it won't fall and break) Allow the chinchilla to roll around in the dust bath for up to 20 minutes at a time. However, do not leave the bath house in the cage because they will chew (and eventually ruin) the plastic, and the dust will become soiled and need to be replaced. If at any time the dust is soiled replace it before giving another bath. The dust can last for multiple baths as long as it is still clean. Watching a chinchilla take a bath is one of the most entertaining ways to interact with your chinchilla (and trust me there are many entertaining things that they do!) They typically jump into the bath house, scratch at the sand, and immediately start doing summersaults in the sand. The clear bath houses provide onlookers a full view of this unique activity. Bath time will surely be a favorite activity for both the owner and the chinchilla… aside from feeding time of course!  Chewing is Like Breathing… And if you’ve ever known a chinchilla you know this is true! Chinchillas are natural chewers – they’ll chew on anything! So it is important that you provide them with appropriate things to chew on, and that you make sure they can’t get to anything you don’t want chewed (your furniture, electrical cords, your wall – yes mine chewed a huge hole in my wall! The cage has since been moved further from the wall.) Tip: They can reach their mouth through the cage bars so make sure things are kept away from their cage as well as their play area. You can provide chinchillas pieces of wood to play with and chew on but please make sure you know what kind of wood it is as some woods are toxic to chinchillas! To be on the safe side I purchase pieces of apple wood from the pet store. They are small pieces and can be hung around the cage if you wish. Mine don’t let me hang them – they grab the wood out of my hands before I get a chance, and start running around the cage with it. It’s a great toy and also allows them to practice their natural instinct to chew – without damaging your wall!   Feed me! Chinchillas need a quality pellet, hay, and treats (see Treats below). There are many different brands of chinchilla food sold at pet stores. Personally, I prefer to buy any brand that does not contain ethoxyquin. Ethoxyquin is a preservative and has been linked to cancer. I first learned of it when I was researching guinea pigs and was astonished to find it in rabbit and chinchilla food as well. It’s a personal preference so make the choice that’s right for you. If you are concerned, read the listed ingredients on the bag – it’ll be listed if it’s in the food. I’ve had to go from pet store to pet store to find brands that do not contain it. There are also sites that sell chinchilla food online if you cannot find a pellet that does not contain the preservative in your pet store. Another thing to keep in mind is that chinchillas have a very sensitive digestive system so if you switch the brand of food that you feed it, do it slowly. Feed a large amount of the old brand and gradually add in a little of the new brand each day so that by the 2nd week or so you are only using the new brand... this helps them to adjust to the change of food. If you are purchasing a new chinchilla, most breeders (I do it too) will give you a small amount of food so you can switch the chin gradually. Chinchillas should be given between 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of pellets per chinchilla a day. They prefer to be fed in the evening since they are nocturnal. Hay! That’s my hay! Make sure that the chins have plenty of hay available at all times. The hay should NOT be dusty, moldy, or contain any thorns or thistles. Alfalfa and Timothy hay can be found in most (if not all) pet stores. I feed mine Timothy hay and they love it. So do my rabbits and guinea pigs. I’m Not a Rabbit…A Hamster… Or a Guinea Pig. Most importantly, do not feed your chinchillas food that isn’t designed for chinchillas. While other animal food may look similar (rabbit, guinea pig, or hamster pellets) it is not similar and can actually make your chin sick.  Make sure that you provide plenty of clean water and change it daily. I use bottled water to further ensure that the chinchillas won’t ingest any harmful chemicals, molds, or fungus. It is important to keep the water in a water bottle that is hung on the cage and not in a dish since it will most likely be spilled and/or soiled. Also, make sure that the water bottle does not leak water since water will ruin the chinchilla’s beautiful fur coat. They’re creative... so you have to be one step ahead of them! My chin Bounce is good about using the water bottle for water and not as a play toy. However, Dustie and Star are very mischievous and constantly have me on my toes. In the beginning they enjoyed ripping off the metal wire that hooks the bottle to the cage. The bottle would fall on the floor outside of the cage and I was left playing tug-of-war with 2 chinchillas trying to get the wire back. After a week of that they got bored with the wire and decided that it would be fun to bite the water bottle (The bottle was on the outside of the cage with the spout on the inside through the wire cage – another example of them biting at something outside of the cage). The small hole that they pierced in the water bottle was enough to ruin the vacuum seal in the water bottle and soak the cage. After having to replace three water bottles in three days we had to be smarter than the rodent. We bought a metal water bottle protector. The first day it didn’t work because the chinchillas found the one place on the bottle that was available for chewing and once again soaked the cage. The next day we strategically placed the water bottle so that they could not reach the spot available for chewing. So far they haven’t come up with a new way to make me get more creative than they are.  Chinchillas are like children. They love treats! So it’s up to us to make sure that they don’t get too spoiled. Chinchillas can have up to three (3) small treats per week with only one being a dried fruit since dried fruit contains an abundance of sugar (hey, they already bounce off the walls!). Mine love banana chips, pieces of apple (make sure there’s no seeds because they’ll choke on them), pieces of carrots, sunflower seeds, raisins, and an occasional Wheat Thin cracker (they steal ‘em from me!). Note: I’ve read recommendations of only one small treat per week so start out with one and see how it goes from there.   Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Chinchillas have a thick coat (and let’s hope it isn’t hanging in your coat closet!) so they have a tendency to overheat. To prevent this from happening make sure that the room in which they are housed does not exceed a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Likewise, temperatures should not dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Tip: Chinchillas do not like humidity so keep that in mind when deciding where to put the cage. SHHH! The baby’s sleeping… Chinchillas are nocturnal animals. They sleep all day and play all night. In order for humans and chins to peacefully co-exist while getting their beauty sleep it’s important to keep the conflicting sleeping schedules in mind. I don’t recommend putting a chinchilla cage in your bedroom – unless you can sleep through the sound of a train coming through your bedroom! Okay, maybe they’re not THAT loud, but they are pretty loud. At night is their time for hopping and bouncing from perch to perch not to mention their little barks and laughs that they like to make. A chinchilla in your room will keep you awake all night long and thus make you a grumpy chinchilla owner. And don’t forget Fluffy: If you have additional pets be considerate to them too. Don’t house your nocturnal animals near your diurnal animals (you know, the ones that have the normal sleeping habits! Diurnal = daytime creatures). It is also important not to put your chinchilla’s cage in a noisy spot in your home unless you’re a night owl like your little furry friend. Just as your chinchilla will keep you up at night, you will keep it up during the day if it’s in the middle of everything. And don’t think that you’re going to keep it awake during the day so that it will learn to sleep at night – you’ll just make your chinchilla grumpy. And no one likes a grump.  I’m Not Running From You... Most chinchillas do not like to be held or petted. Then what’s the point right? Don’t get me wrong, they love attention - it’s just different than that of a dog or a cat. They love using your arms as branches to leap from and ours love perching on everyone and anyone’s shoulders. I affectionately call them my little monkeys. They love to climb and bounce so if you’re worried or disappointed that they won’t sit still in your lap as you read a book… welcome to the world of owning a chinchilla! All of mine don’t mind being held and petted… so I guess it just really depends on their individual personalities as well as how they were raised, but they really love to play! If you are bringing a new chinchilla into your home you shouldn't handle it for at least two weeks. It has so many new things to get adjusted to - new room, new smells, new lighting, new sounds... let alone a new human that wants to play with it a lot. Give it a chance to adjust. You can softly talk to it and put your hand in the cage occassionally... offer a piece of chin food or hay to show that you're its new best friend... just don't smother it. Give it some time by itself for a little while. It’s a Tail, Not a Rope Chinchillas will drop their fur (excessively and spontaneously shed) if they get scared. It’s a defense mechanism that they use to escape from predators. To make sure your chin doesn’t lose its beautiful coat don’t spook it and do not pull on its tail. (It is normal for a chin to get nervous even when someone isn’t intentionally trying to scare it and drop some of its hair, don’t worry it will grow back). If you absolutely have to make sure your chin doesn't jump from you it is okay to hold it at the base of the tail (not the fluffy part). Holding the base of the tail prevents the chin from being able to run or jump from you. I prefer not to hold my chins by the base of their tail unless it is really necessary but have seen others do it on a consistent basis and their chins are fine. Considering getting a chin? Click here for a few things to think about first Looking for more information? Here's some handy links. Here's a site that has a lot of cool facts.Wikipedia search results for "Chinchillas" Info about building cages and what woods are safe for chinchillas. 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