The Top 10 Things to Have BEFORE You Get a Chinchilla
Posted by Jennifer Snyder on Mon, Mar 23, 2009 @ 09:35 AM
1.Cage- Your new chin will need a cage.
We recommend the Martin's Chinchilla Highrise
2.Water Bottle- Your chin (and all living creatures and plants) need water. Chins have a tendency to chew through water bottles that are plastic, which is bad for the chin and your wallet. We recommend purchasing a glass water bottle. It is easier to clean and keep sanitary, will last a lifetime and you don’t risk your chin chewing plastic which can be harmful.
Here is a Lixit glass water bottle, but most pet stores have them available
3.Hidey home- A house is important for chinchillas. It gives them a place to feel secure while they rest. Make sure your chinchillas home is made from non-toxic wood.
We recommend Simply Chintastic chinchilla homes but most petstores will care hidey homes for your chin, just make sure that it is made out of chinchilla safe wood
4.Food bowl- A non-plastic food bowl is key. There are heavy ceremaic food crocks that help prevent spillage. Or you can always buy a cheap ceramic cat food bowl .
5.Chinchilla Food- We recommend: Mazuri Chinchilla Diet Oxbow is also a healthy choice for chinchilla food
6.Chew Sticks- Your chinchilla will need chew sticks to prevent malocclusio. Non treated apple sticks are a good choice, but we have a list of appropriate chinchilla woods
7.Chinchilla Treats treats are helpful in training and bonding with your chinchilla. We have a list of recommended treats in our products section Chinchilla Treats
8.Timothy hay( loose or condensed) and alfalfa blocks. Oxbow makes a good chinchilla hay
9.Bedding-Chinchilla littler is a must to keep things clean. Both cedar and pine bedding are toxic to chinchillas and other small pets. They contain phenols, used to make them smell pleasant. These compounds cause constant irritation to the nasal passages, throat, and lungs of small animals giving bacteria an easy opening, thus commonly causing pneumonia. Phenols also affect organs such as the liver and kidneys, because these organs are responsible for filtering toxins out of the body. When presented with a large amount of toxins over time, they are unable to filter it all out and begin to fail. There are several safe reccomendations in our chinchilla bedding article
10.Dust and Dust house- We recommend Blue Cloud Chinchilla Dust and I have had good luck with a cheap glass aquarium as a dust house. Remember not to leave the dust house in the chinchillas cage for long periods of time as the dust WILL become soiled. We recommend having a chinchilla safe room ( no cords, eliminate harmful things to chew on) for your chinchilla to play and dust.
*Keep in mind that Chinchillas are EXTREMELY heat sensitive. If you do not have central air, you should invest in a window air conditioner in the chinchillas room, fans, and a marble chilling stone--rotating not pointing directly on the cage.