How to keep a chinchilla? Is it better to keep one or a pair?

There are now so many breeds of chinchillas on the market that it really makes your eyes spin. Today I want to introduce a pet that many people actually want to keep, and that is the chinchilla. I believe most people first learned about chinchillas from the Japanese Hayao Miyazaki film "My Neighbor Totoro." So what should we pay attention to when keeping chinchillas? Is it better to keep one chinchilla or a pair?

How to keep a chinchilla

1. Basic feed

Feeding them is not difficult at all. You just need to give them about one large teaspoon of chinchilla food plus a small bunch of alfalfa hay every day at dusk, when they have just gotten up. Alfalfa hay is a kind of dried grass they like eating the most; do not casually pick wild grass from the roadside for them. There is also another kind of alfalfa hay cube pressed into squares, which not only saves more space but can also be used for them to gnaw on to wear down their teeth.

2. Drinking water

Of course, fresh water is indispensable. Just hang a plastic water bottle designed for small animals outside the cage. Because the quality of tap water in Hong Kong, China is really hard to praise, I still suggest you use filtered water or distilled water, which is safer. Remember to change the fresh water every day, and every week wash the water bottle clean with hot water.

3. Snacks

Many snacks, such as a few raisins, melon seeds, or even a small slice of apple, are also happily eaten by them. There are also some snacks specially made for them that can be bought on the market. Although they really like this kind of food, remember not to feed them too much. Because they will become picky eaters and it may also cause gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea and other symptoms, which is not good for their health.

4. Vitamins and minerals

Chinchilla food actually already contains enough vitamins, but if your chinchilla is relatively thin and weak, they gnaw to wear down their teeth and absorb minerals.

Whether to keep one chinchilla or a pair

Generally, keeping a pair is good. If your care schedule is not suitable, you can choose to keep one, because with two, in order to prevent excessive breeding from harming the chinchillas' bodies, basically after buying them, except during mating, they are mostly kept in separate cages. Male chinchillas have a more gentle and honest temperament, though it also varies from individual to individual, so it is best to choose one yourself.

Are chinchillas easy to keep

1. Chinchillas are easy to keep. Chinchillas have a very gentle and lively personality, like jumping around, are active, full of curiosity, and have no active aggressiveness at all. Chinchillas are highland animals and do not get sick easily. Chinchillas are very clean and have no parasites. Chinchillas can use bath sand to bathe themselves, and can get through the weekend on their own, so you do not need to worry about care issues.

2. Chinchillas are purely vegetarian animals, so their droppings are oval, dry, granular, and odorless, so there is no problem keeping them indoors. A chinchilla's fur is very soft, and it will not shed heavily like dogs and cats. Compared with other animals, chinchillas are very nervous animals. 3. They are also very sensitive to noise, unfamiliar places, and strangers. When they feel afraid, they will make calls. Chinchillas can be kept in groups, but they also have territoriality. If you want to keep multiple chinchillas, pay attention to whether the activity space is sufficient. They need time to adapt to their companions, and do not expect that they can definitely be successfully housed together, because it depends on the individual personality of each chinchilla. Overall, among the many rodents, chinchillas are relatively easy to keep.

Can chinchillas be kept free-range

1. Whether chinchillas can be kept free-range depends on whether the owner's home has places for them to hide, because chinchillas are very small and once they run out of the cage it is very hard to find them. Usually friends are advised to keep chinchillas in a cage, because they are too small in size, and once they run out it is easy not to find them. You can let them out for a fixed period each day for exercise, and that is enough. Check whether there are wires and furniture at home; if there are, they definitely cannot be kept free-range, because they will bite and damage these things, and they will also defecate and urinate on the floor, which is not very good.

2. If a chinchilla is let out often, it will no longer be willing to go back into the cage, so it is best to keep it in a cage. This is not only safer, but more importantly more hygienic, because there is no telling what kind of bacteria may be on the floor at home, and chinchillas can easily catch diseases. If a free-range chinchilla hides in some corner of the home, the owner will also find it very hard to find it, so it is better not to keep it free-range.

Above, we have also gained a clear understanding of chinchilla keeping. In fact, chinchillas are still relatively easy to keep, and their personality is also relatively gentle, and they are also very cute. If you keep a chinchilla at home, I also believe this little guy can bring a lot of fun to your life.