New to chinchillas? Get answers to your most important care questions!

Hello! Great questions you have about your chinchilla! Thanks for asking! As for food, you should provide both pellets and hay. There are many different commercial pellets available for chinchillas that you can buy at most pet stores. The pellets are designed so your pet can easily eat them and include the correct amounts of protein, fat, and roughage. About 2 tablespoons of food a day is recommended. Of course, some eat more or less than others. My favorite brand of food for chinchillas is made by Mazuri. http://www.mazuri.com/MazuriChinchillaDiet.aspx Hay provides the roughage your chinchilla needs and is a very important part of his daily diet. It also helps keep their teeth healthy. Hay should be available at all times. Timothy hay is a good choice. I would avoid alfalfa hay as a daily part of the diet but you can use it sparingly for a treat. I like Oxbow brand hay: http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1530 Your chinchilla should always have a source of fresh water. A stoppered water bottle is a great way to supply water as it prevents water from being spilled and helps keep the bedding dry. Chinchillas generally drink between 15 and 30ml of water per day. Bottled water or distilled water is recommended. Regarding dust baths, I recommend you place the dusting powder in a bin separate from the cage and let your chinchilla take a dust bath in there at least twice a week. I hope I answered all your questions. I wish you all the best with your new friend!

Be patient. Allow him to acclimate to you gradually. Start by simply sitting next to his cage for ever increasing periods of time. Move slowly and talk softly around him. Progress to placing your hand in the cage, again for ever increasing periods of time, until he gets used to you. Wash your hands thoroughly before to remove all scents of food or treats. End each session with a small treat or reward. Do not attempt to hold him or force him to do anything. If he is curious about your hand in the cage, let him smell you and crawl on you. If he nips or bites, take your hand away and try again after he settles down. He will soon begin to realize you are the one providing food, water, toys and treats and then will begin to respond to your presence.

If you would like to get one, I strongly recommend you research their needs and care first so you know what you are getting into. They can also live up to 15-20 years, so you need to be prepared to take care of one that entire time. Finally, they can never get wet.

I am sorry to hear that things are not going ideally with Dikta. Chinchillas can be a bit standoffish, and some of them are not very cuddly. However, let’s see what we can do so you don’t get bitten it peed on as much (if at all). If she likes treats, you may just need to keep making all of your interactions positive through the use if them use caution with treats, however, as many of them have dairy, fruit, or sugar in them and are not healthy for chinchillas. To avoid getting bitten, you can also feed her with feeding tongs, and this will put you further from her which may make it less intimidating. As far as training with her, keep it positive. She sounds like she may be nervous around you, and intimidated, so just keep giving her pieces of food (can even be her pellets if she likes those) whenever you are near her. Don’t try to touch her yet, just the treats until she is coming up to you anytime that you go by. Then begin to approach her by small amounts, and if she doesn’t move away, give her a piece. Then you can continue moving closer and closer over time. Remember to be patient, as this can take a while. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Chinchillas can be entertaining pets but if they are not handled when young they can be flighty/jumpy and difficult to catch, so keep that in mind, in particular with children of younger age (also, some young children may injure a chinchilla by grabbing roughly). Because of this, younger children should always be monitored closely around a small pet like this. Some chinchillas can be potty trained if started at a young age, but usually only for urine, not for bowel movements. Most chinchillas will choose a corner of their cage to use the bathroom and you can place a litterpan in this area along with some soiled litter to encourage use of the litterbox.

Thanks for reaching out about Charlie. Stop by slow, calm motions to decrease fright. Offer treats by hand, if you are able to approach him. If not, leave where he can gather them. If he warms up to you, allow him to jump over you, pet him gently, and don't try to force the relationship. Give it time. Good luck.

A small amount of moisture is not too big of a deal as it is likely to dry on its own with reasonable quickness. If the area becomes soiled or dirty WITHOUT mats, RoRo will be able to clean the area herself. Should mats form, you will have to deal with these manually either by brushing or a sanitary clipping.