American Chinchilla

Chinchilla's are vegetarian animals that are known to be very wonderful pets. They are very gentle, quite and are not capable of carrying lice, flies, or ticks due to the thick and denseness of their fur. Chinchillas do not have dander so people who are allergic to dogs, or cats won't be allergic to chinchillas see as how they do not smell or have any kind of odor. They only odor is their urine but if cage is kept clean no odor will occur. They also do not eat a lot so they are cost efficient.

Before purchasing a Chinchilla think twice before making up your mind. Chinchillas need a few things in order to keep it live and happy. They need attention; they need to be interacted with since they are social animals. If they do not get the proper attention they will become withdrawn and become cranky. Their condition will become worse, lonely and depressed due to no attention, unless you have two chinchillas. If you want to breed them its best to have a male and female as breeding pairs, in the same cage. Chinchillas have a very long life span, way longer then normal rodents; they can live up to 25-30 years. When caring for a chinchilla it needs proper care, love, and dedication.

When purchasing or building a cage its best to uses wires and have a sturdy and secure cage with good latches. Chinchillas are masterminds of escaping, chinchillas are best when they have at least 12 square feet of space. Chinchillas like to be bedded on a flat solid surface, they don't like to be wet so they like to be clean. They keep clean by rolling around in dust, such as Blue Cloud or sand. The dust bath can take up to 20 minutes daily, wood can be harmful to chinchillas. Chinchillas enjoy have tunnels, tree branches, wheels, chew toys, terra cotta chimneys and other items to be used for great results.

Chinchillas are easy to feed, seeing as how they are vegetarians they can eat grass, and weeds. They require a specific amount of fiber, carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Clean hay and water is needed to keep your chinchilla happy and healthy. Vitamin C is good for chinchillas and there are many ways to do this, but human pellets are proven to be harmful to the chinchilla and should not be done. Chinchillas love treats, raisins, banana chips, dried apples, and dried cranberries. Overfeeding can cause fat so its best to limit your treats.

Chinchillas can get sick occasionally, it is best to learn about the sickness and try to treat it. You can also bring your pet to a vet for diagnosis and treatment. Some symptoms can include weepy eyes, diarrhea, and constipation. Major symptoms are fungus, impaction, enteritis, pseudomonas, giardia, listeriosis, malocclusion, pneumonia, and heat stroke. If you chinchilla is sick contact a vet and cure that sickness.

Thus Chinchillas are rather wonderful pets and have not a lot to worry about only illnesses. They are clean, odor free, and do not eat a lot so you can keep them on a healthy diet to maintain the healthiness of the chinchilla and try to keep it living for up for 30 years of age.