Establishing a good working relationship with a veterinarian can be a challenge for any pet owner, but is a special challenge for the exotic pet owner. The exotic pet owner must find a vet who is willing to see their pet, knows something about their pet, and has the facilities, equipment and materials to treat [...]

When you want to discipline your chinchilla, you have to be mindful of how you do it.  Please note that they are not responsive when you verbally berate, hit, or smack them in anger.  The physical actions can result in wounds and abscessing.  The physical actions don’t serve a purpose because your pet already has [...]

Chinchillas are available for purchase from breeders or pet stores.  When you purchase one from either place, you’re probably getting a reputable one.  Beware of those who are amateur breeders.  They try to sell their chinchillas also, but it’s usually in classified advertisements.  Personal preferences decide on whether or not they should buy the pets [...]

If you want a chinchilla as a pet, you can keep a domestic chinchilla.  They are known to have nervous tendencies and are night owls.  They like to stay up at night and be active.  They also don’t care for someone holding them.  However, they can be friendly animals, but it will take a while [...]

There are ways you can prevent your pet chinchilla from experiencing environmental stress.  You as the owner should make sure all their needs are satisfied.  You should also make sure that you are reliable enough to take care of their needs.  Your pet depends on you to take care of them physically and emotionally.
Make sure [...]

Re-homing your chinchilla is not necessarily a delight to accomplish.  However, if you are in a situation where you can no longer properly care for your chinchilla, the best thing to do is to seek out someone who can give it the love and care that they need.  It will break your heart to let [...]

If your chinchilla is not tamed, it may take them a while to get used to you.  Just like with human relationships, you will have to earn their trust before they allow you to form a close bond with them.  You will have to provide your pet with a lot of love and care.  Don’t [...]

As with humans, prevention is the key for your chinchilla to staying healthy and not getting sick.  Even though precautions are taken, sometimes steps are still missed.  It is crucial that your pet’s cage have fresh food and water daily.  Their cage should always be kept clean and their food should not contain fungus or [...]

Chinchillas are capable of emitting proteins that cause allergies.  This can happen through the presence of saliva or urine.  They are also known to shed their fur every few months.  The hay and dust that come from chinchillas seem to be the biggest factor in people that have allergies.  It is not advisable to have [...]

This exotic animal was named after the Chincha people of the Andes region.  The Andes Mountains in South America.  Chinchilla actually means “little Chincha”.  Back around the close of the 19th century, the animals were known for their thick and soft fur.
There are two types of chinchillas.  The chinchilla brevicaudata, which is also known as [...]

The maintenance of exotic pets is different than say, a dog or a cat.  With a dog or a cat, you don’t have to spend a lot of time caring for them as you would a chinchilla.  In addition to spending more time with a chinchilla, you will have to spend more money.  This is [...]

Before you put your pet chinchilla in their cage, it must be cleaned thoroughly.  Once they’ve made it their home, you should clean it at least once a week.  To keep the cage smelling fresh, you can use baby cornstarch powder or baking soda (preferably the Arm & Hammer brand).  It should be sprinkled in [...]

With a cage for your chinchilla, they should also be some chew toys, a television and a wheel for exercise.  This way they’ll have plenty of things to do while they’re in the cage.  In order for the wheel to fit in properly, you should measure the door of the cage.  Even though your pet [...]

Let’s say your child wants a pet.  Ok, you think, “I can deal with a small puppy or a kitten”.  Hmm……so you think.  What if your child told you they wanted a chinchilla for a pet?  A chinchilla?  Yes, your child says again, a chinchilla.  You think, they probably don’t know how to spell it, [...]

Chinchillas raised on a ranch get treated differently than those that are raised by breeders and pet owners.  Breeders and pet owners raised and treat their chinchillas like pets; ranchers treat their chinchillas like livestock.  To the ranchers, this is a business and they could care less about the animals getting adequate exercise or any [...]

When chinchillas are out in the wild, their fur is their protector from the elements.  When they are captured and turned into pets, adjustments have to be made in order for them to be comfortable and survive.
If you plan to keep a pet chinchilla in your house, the animal needs to be somewhere where the [...]

Heat and high humidity are not kind to chinchillas.  Their bodies cannot survive grueling heat and high temperatures.  Their thickness of their fur is higher than other animals.  In fact, they have the highest thickness of fur than any land animal worldwide.  It is the thickness of their fur that causes them to be resistant [...]