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.
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
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
What is the brand of of cage you prefer?
ReplyDeleteAre there a lot of different types of cages?
Good work here, Will.
ReplyDeleteThe kind of cage your want, there really are no main "brands", but ideally you want one with dimensions a bit larger than 1.5 feet long and wide, with about 2 or 3 floors going up. This will be covered soon on a later blog.
ReplyDelete