There’s so much love a chinchilla parent has for their fur baby but over time some things can be forgotten or a routine can have some issues. Or maybe something wasn’t considered in the first place!
So, whether you’re new to chinchilla parenthood or a veteran, there might be some improvements to be made or even some mistakes you didn’t know you were making.
Let’s run through some of the silly things chinchillas see their humans doing.
Putting Too Much Focus On Pellet Food And Neglecting Hay
When you’re in a hurry, do you ever just fill the food bowl? Some people make the mistake of believing their pellet food has all of the essentials their chinchilla needs.
If you give your chinchilla too much pellet food, they may overeat there and have less room for hay - which is where the focus really needs to be. Nutritionally hay has the essentials. Also, chewing that roughage every day keeps a chinchilla’s teeth worn down.
A chinchilla’s teeth are always growing and their oral health has a direct impact on the rest of their health. They need a healthy mouth in order to eat enough fiber to keep everything running!
Pellet food should be the side dish to hay. 1-2 TBSP of pellet food is all your chinchilla needs per day. The rest of their diet should be hay!
Using An Enclosure That Is Too Small
Chinchillas need as much space as you can give them! 2 X 2 X 3 feet is the absolute smallest you could use for a single chinchilla. Multiple chinchillas need additional space.
The bigger the better. The more space your chinchilla has the more movement they can get throughout the day and the more you can fit in their cage to keep them busy!
Remember that chinchillas need vertical space. They love ledges and jumping around their cage. When they don’t have enough space, their physical as well as mental health struggles.
Creating your chinchilla’s space should be a lot of fun for you. If you don’t find their enclosure fun and interesting, then neither will your chinchilla! Try out a hammock, exercise wheel, chew toys, a new hideout, or more platforms.
A chinchilla’s enclosure is their whole world. Make it a great place to live!
Not Providing Boredom Busters
When you have a large enclosure for your chinchilla, it’s easier to create a fun environment with plenty to explore. One mistake chinchilla parents often make is not providing new boredom busters regularly.
Toys and Chews are so important for a chinchilla's mental health. Wild chinchillas spend their day foraging and trying out new tastes and textures. This is what they do. Providing new logs and sticks can make for an exciting day.
Give their brain something to find, chew, taste, and throw off their ledge, you get the picture.
Forgetting The Dust Bath
Chinchillas have 60-70 hair follicles sprouting from just one hair follicle. Their fur is amazing! And with that, it needs to be taken care of.
Chinchillas should never have a bath in water, but what they do have is a bath in dust!
Wild chinchillas use dry volcanic ash as their dust baths. We try to mimic that with our domestic chinchillas. Make sure you only use dust or sand that is made and packaged specifically for chinchillas.
They need a dust bath two times a week to absorb excess moisture on their skin. The dust helps distribute the oil evenly on their skin as well.
Only add the dust bath to their space 2-4 times a week. You especially don’t want them to get used to it in their enclosure where they start using it as a litter box. The dust bath needs to stay clean and dry!
You can reuse a dust bath 2-3 times but after that it will start to look clumpy and the dust needs to be replaced.
Isolating Your Chinchilla
Chinchillas are very social animals. In the wild, chinchillas live in herds with up to 100 chinchillas altogether. These family groups are fun but they also help a chinchilla to feel safe. As prey animals, there’s safety in numbers. They can communicate with each other and warn of any danger that comes.
Domesticated chinchillas also feel safe when they aren’t alone! And there’s no better boredom buster than a friend. Chinchillas have a special language and a special bond. While your chinchilla does love you, you don’t take the place of a chinchilla friend.
We’re Always Learning More About Chinchillas
Chinchillas weren’t popular as pets until the 1950s. Rabbits have a much longer history as companions to humans than chinchillas do. For this reason, there’s still a lot to learn! The party's just getting started.
Every chinchilla is different and it’s important to take into account your specific situation. An exotic vet can give you advice if you have any concerns or if something seems off with your chinchilla.
Another mistake that many chinchilla parents make is trying to figure everything out on their own. You don’t need to wait until there’s something wrong to talk to a vet. In fact, you really shouldn’t!
Have a vet picked out long before there is an emergency situation. You don’t need to have a stressful situation get worse by delaying help or stressing about more decisions.
We know you’re a great chinchilla parent or else you wouldn’t be here!
Chinchilla research is continuously growing! If you have any doubts or concerns contact your exotic vet.
We are not veterinarians, and none of our information should be construed as veterinary advice.
