Meet the chinchillas!
We have two chinchillas named Rocky and Aspen.
We adopted Rocky in 2018. He’s a sweet and curious little guy with a big personality.
Aspen came to us on May 3, 2020 when her owner left home and headed to college. We were told she was around four years old when we adopted her. Aspen is very independent and doesn’t like a lot of physical contact. She’s much happier interacting with us through the wires of her enclosure.
Temperature
Chinchillas do best in cooler temperatures and are very prone to heatstroke. They need their environment to be between sixty-five and seventy degrees. Rocky and Aspen live in Feisty Ferret enclosures in the basement because the temperature in the basement stays at a constant seventy degrees. To make sure they stay cool, we freeze granite stones and give them a new frozen stone every morning and night. When we change out the stones in the morning and evening, we ask them if they want their “cold”. Rocky gets so excited and runs over to it, scratches it, and rolls around on it.
Food
Like with rabbits and guinea pigs, chinchillas need a lot of fiber in their diet not only to keep their digestive tract healthy but also to wear down their constantly growing teeth. Rocky and Aspen are fed grass hay which provides lots of fiber. We also supplement their diet with Oxbow pelleted chinchilla food. For treats, they get dried dandelion greens, rose hips, and rose petals for treats.
Playing
Chinchillas love to jump and explore. Aspen’s favorite toy is her running wheel. Cardboard boxes stuffed with hay are Rocky’s favorite toys. Both chinchillas spend hours upon hours hiding in their boxes, chewing on them, and throwing them around their enclosures. We use fleece blankets in both chinchilla enclosures instead of wood shavings. Aspen and Rocky love to burrow in their blankets.
Dust Bath
Chinchillas can’t get wet. Since their fur is so thick and doesn’t dry out well, even a little water can cause fungal infections on their skin. Instead of bathing with water, they need dust baths. Rocky and Aspen get their dust baths for fifteen minutes every day. They would love to have their baths longer, but too much exposure to the dust can harm their respiratory systems. We also limit their bath time because chinchillas are known to use their dust baths as a litter box if they have access to them longer than fifteen minutes at a time.
Companions
Chinchillas prefer to live in groups. They can live in male/female groups and in groups of the same gender. Aspen and Rocky don’t live in the same enclosure. Their enclosures are separated by a couple of inches. Like with the rats, if the enclosures are too close together, Rocky could get Aspen pregnant through the bars. Although little chinchilla babies bouncing around would be super adorable, we don’t want babies. Their enclosures are close enough for them to see and interact with each other, but far enough apart to prevent chinchilla babies in our future.
