It's late one evening, you've had a long day, but alas your nocturnal furry friend is at the cage door, begging for his nightly rounds to stretch his legs outside of his cramped quarters.  You unlatch the door and the little guy makes a break for the living room.  It's okay though because you've chinchilla-proofed the area, meticulously blocking off any hole where he could escape, removing or securing electrical cords that he could chew, and vacuuming the carpet of any debris he might try to eat.  You yawn and track him down the hall toward the living room where the nightly news drones on the TV.  You locate your pet darting under the couch, and emerging again only to find darkness under the coffee table, so you reach behind you for the newspaper and sit down in your La-Z-Boy, intending to keep an eye to the floor in supervision.  Unbeknownst to you, your sweet little furball has become intrigued by the metal jungle gym underneath your recliner.  You kick up the foot rest and hear a terrifying squeal, but it is too late . . .

Ah, the recliner - the domestic chinchilla's nemesis.  An unlikely suspect next to the obvious dangers of live electrical wires and open areas of water, the reclining chair is a lesser known culprit that severely injures and claims lives of many pet chinchillas every year.  While it may just be a comfy retreat to you, the inside is, of course, filled with metal levers and gears which are easily accessed by your chinchilla slipping under the side panel.  Despite how quickly your chinchilla is able to get into these situations, they don't always have the same luck when trying to get out.  It only takes a second for them to become trapped and suddenly they're in severe danger.

While this scenario is not to depress you, it is to make you aware of a legitimate household threat to your pet so you can take the necessary precautions for their protection.  If the living room is an accessible area to your chinchilla, and assuming you have taken steps to remove all other dangerous objects there, add this one to your list.  Make a rule that no person is to sit in the reclining chair (or reclining couch, for that matter) while your chin is roaming to avoid this heartbreaking situation.  As we owners well know, these little creatures are inherently curious and it is our responsibility as their human companion to protect them when they cannot protect themselves.  This precaution may seem obvious, but it can be easy to forget especially when you have multiple chinchillas playing in that area, and multiple humans in the house.  You might know exactly where the little guys are at all times, but your spouse, hoping to catch the ball game on TV, might not!  Take necessary measures to ensure the safety of your chinchilla so that he may have a long and healthy life.  Happy trails!

Amanda