Learning the Basics, Part 2

What are some more basics I should know?

Chinchillas are complex animals

Chinchillas are not as dull as your everyday dog or cat who can love on you all day, chinchillas are a little more reticent than most animals. Whenever you first get a chinchilla, they will not immediately try to cuddle with you; because they are VERY scared of new things and strangers. Give the chinchilla some time to get used to his/her new home, and occasionally try feeding him/her treats with your hands to gain his/her trust. Just be careful to not immediately grasp at them or touch them, as they think they are being attacked and will either bite you or spray you (urine). Take your time getting used to the little one, and he'll/she'll take some time getting used to you. Besides first impressions, chinchillas are very routine-like animals. They love routines and can act a little strange when a routine is broken or something out of the ordinary happens (ie: relocating their home, changing their feeding schedule, etc.). Chinchillas also tend to get attached to one person, and can act very shy or defensive around new people; so do not let your friends grab at them all they wish.

Chinchilla roommates

WARNING: Breeding chinchillas requires a license of breeding before doing so and is much more difficult than just pairing up a couple of permanent residents. This is for people that just want to have two chinchillas for the fun of it, so make sure the two chinchillas are of the same sex to ensure safer and proper dual residency.

Chinchillas can get a little lonely, so getting a friend for them can help them stay happier. However, there are some complications with that. First thing is the younger they are when you partner them up, the better the outcome, however; putting two adult chinchillas in the same home together when one was already there for time can cause some problems. Before you room another chinchilla into your current one's home, try to wipe out any smell left behind. Second, to introduce the new chinchilla to the home (if you did not get the two at the same time), find another place for him/her to stay for a bit. You want to slowly introduce to the new guy buy letting the two be separated from each other by the guy-wire of the cage but so they can see and smell each other.
First initial reaction from the original resident is to start hissing or spraying, however; more and more careful introductions will eventually get the two used to each other (and make sure the home is suited for two chinchillas). When the two are acquainted, let the new guy settle into the new home with the original and the two can live on. There are multiple ways that you can try introducing a new chinchilla to the original one, just do something along the strategy of them slowly getting used to being around one another, and eventually (most likely less than a day), the two should not violently attack each other. For a couple weeks the two will cute fights or play, so not too much to panic about. Just make sure they are not spraying each other or severely hurting each other (in that case break it up). Just keep a close eye on them and be ready to intervene with toys and treats.

Cage Maintenance

Last thing you should know is that chinchillas poop... a lot. Chinchillas will be constantly pooping all day, however do not be alarmed; the poops are small and do not smell until after a few days. The poop is relatively easy to clean up, just vacuum them up or just pick them up and throw them away with a paper towel. That means that cage/habitat maintenance is going to be a daily task for you. Also, chinchillas are sensitive to heat as well. Just keep the thermostat in the house somewhere below 70 or 72 and they should be comfortable. 

Poli, Mirella. "TIP OF THE MONTH !" Introducing Chinchillas. Mirella Poli, 2008. Web. 26 Feb.              2016. http://www.chinchillachronicles.com/introducing_chinchillas.html

Learning the Basics, Part 1

What are some things I should know before getting a chinchilla?

Tip #1:

For one thing, the biggest thing that people miss when owning a chinchilla is the fact that you should NEVER, bathe them in water. Chinchilla coats are very soft, but also very dense; so treat them like Gremlins and do not get them wet. Chinchillas bathe in a fine powder (volcanic ash) instead of bathing in water (which you can get this powder from common pet stores, eg: Petco, Petsmart, etc.); the brand of powder that you want to look for is Blue Cloud dust. To bathe your chinchillas in this, just simply take a container or tub and put 2 scoops of powder per chinchilla in the tub; then let the chinchillas wonder towards the powder and they will toss & turn in it, getting the powder all in their fur. The way the powder works is it gets deep in their fur near the skin, then as the chinchilla rolls; the powder pushes out of the fur and all the impurities along with it because of how fine it is.

Tip #2:

The next piece of advice is kind of based off of the last tip, which is: DO NOT GET YOUR CHINCHILLA WET! Chinchillas coats are so dense; if it gets wet, it cannot properly dry on its own. What wet coats lead to is clumping of the fur and a messy looking coat, and those clumps become damp and allow unpleasant visitors such as deadly fungus to grow in the fur. In the case of your chinchilla getting wet or getting a little water on the coat; do not panic, just simply take to a towel and dry and scrub the life out your chinchilla's coat (not literally) and your pet should be fine. The second way to dry the coat is by taking a blow-drier (have it set on the lowest setting, chinchillas are sensitive to excessive heat) and blow dry the area that is wet. If you do notice a sign of already clumpy fur or fungus, take your chinchilla to the veterinarian (specifically exotic vets) immediately.

Tip #3:

Suggested Hay

The last tip for this week is one of the most vital health problems for a chinchilla: their oral health. Chinchilla teeth grow expeditiously & continuously, even to the point of growing so much a chinchilla can suffocate or starve to death because of overgrown teeth. In order to prevent this, you must give your chinchillas plenty of hay in their diet (specifically Western Timothy Hay, and no Alfalfa!); because when chinchillas eat, they grind their teeth together, but giving them mainly pellets; however, makes them chew like us instead of grinding. Another way to keep the teeth in check is by buying chew toys for them, such as pumice stones and wooden toys; just make sure you keep anything plastic from them. If you notice that a chinchilla is eating or drinking anything, that is the most significant sign of disease or grown-out teeth, so take him/her to the veterinarian immediately. The last thing is keep all cables and wires from chinchillas, because their teeth are like bolt cutters; so one bite, and your chinchilla will get electrocuted or your wires just get permanently damaged.

Thank you all for reading, so join me next time when next week I blog about some more basics on chinchilla care. Good luck with your puffy pet!







Sources:
Millburn, Naomi. "What Happens If a Chinchilla Gets Wet a Little Bit on Its Body?" What Happens            If a Chinchilla Gets Wet a Little Bit on Its Body? Demand Media, 2016. Web. 19 Feb.                          2016. http://animals.mom.me/happens-chinchilla-gets-wet-little-bit-body-1833.html

Poli, Mirella. "TIP OF THE MONTH !" Chinchilla Teeth. Mirella Poli, 2008. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
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Introduction!

Welcome to the beginner's guide on how to take care of your chinchilla!

What is this Blog?

This blog is a quick guide purposefully aimed to guide you in the right direction of how to take care of your chinchilla! This blog is designed to help those who just got one of these little guys or for those thinking about getting a chinchilla of their own. My posts will be organized into different topics of proper chinchilla care with tips and instructions from professional exotic veterinarians, the internet, and from personal experience as I own two myself. 

Why am I making this Blog?

This is a chinchilla

Besides the fact that I am doing this as a project for my grade, I also decided to do this blog above all else because chinchillas are quite unique pets and are surprising to first-time owners, and so to prevent any accidents or misconceptions with your pet; I am making this blog to clear up a proper path to having a happy chinchilla!

What is the Final Goal of this Blog?

My final goal for this blog is once it is completed, you will no longer be a stranger to how to exquisitely care for your pet chinchilla. I will take any questions in the comments if there is something that you all are pondering over (and do not be afraid to ask! It could be important!).