We’ve had her for somewhere around a month, so we only take her out when she wants to go out, but thats only at 3 am. Right now (its 3 am for me) she is sitting at the edge of her cage and clawing at the lining stuff we have. I obviously cant have her out now, as i normally have family help me and i just dont want anything to go wrong. I just feel so bad that i cant let her out, and i know shes just being a drama queen, but still.. any tips? Now shes chewing the bars, great…

hello! I'm getting a chinchilla in a few weeks, and was wondering what would be best for their baths? Would using science selective sand baths be okay temporarily? One of my parents bought two bags and I don't have the money currently to buy the preferred dust :( I will be hopefully buying the correct type of dust before he arrives, but just incase I can't get it in time or if it doesn't arrive in time, would it be okay to use the sand? If not then ill try find a better alternative before he comes, thank you!

Hi, I'm making this post because I need unbiased opinions of people who don't know me. Sorry If this is written kind of weird. This happened just a few hours ago, I'm still pretty shaken and just trying to makes this coherent and English isn't my native language.

So what happened?

Today during playtime I stepped out of the room for a second to grab something. I closed the door behind me so my chins wouldn't escape, that's when I heard a horrible crack. The leg paw of my chin got caught under the door. Thankfully it was not broken, but he did lose pads on 2 of his fingers and a part of bone on 1. Everything is okay now. I took him to the vet immediately, he got professional care, stitches and some meds prescribed. He's recovering and resting now.

Because of everything that happened I can't remember if I checked whether he's behind me, which makes this worse. I feel like I must have. The whole point of closing the door was, so he wouldn't get out, so I probably did check and just didn't see him but I'm not sure. My family tells me I couldn't have known but I still feel like it's my fault. I'm not sure if trust myself enough to take care of him properly in the future. I don't want to part with him but I can't stop thinking that giving him up to someone more qualified would be better for him. The thought of something like this happening again in the future terrifies me and I feel like it might if he stays with me. What should I do?

We adopted our little Snickers from a chinchilla rescue earlier this year. It's been so rewarding trying to figure him out since he's already full grown. We just want him to be happy and feel loved. His favorite things are his cat tower and his new chin pal. Every morning I open the cage and he hops around eating treats on the tower. He dragged his little chin pal into his hide and just wants to snuggle with it all the time. Best investment ever that little chin pal. We love Snickers so much, so happy he is in our family ❤️

Hey guys!

The vendor we get from on Etsy isn’t there anymore :( looking for a high quality no drip glass chin water bottle. Would appreciate any recs. I seem to not be having any luck. We have a not so great one holding us over in the meantime but hoping to upgrade asap. Would appreciate any tips. Thanks so much!

Hi everyone, could you tell me the gender of my chinchilla? It’s about 4 months old, and I’m wondering if there’s a possibility that it’s a pregnant female.

Hey! I adopted this little guy today and would love to hear ideas for Enrichment. I know I've not got enough stuff! Please be nice!

Churro: “Daddy does the typing. I do the looking adorable. We both have demanding jobs.” 🐭😌👑💻
#churrochatter #chinchilla #cutepets #petprincess #flooflogic

so I've not got either yet, but do you guys reckon it would be possible to keep both a chinchilla and a cat in the same home? if , say, i had chinchillas and got a young kitten, and he was raised with the chinchillas vaguely around, would the cat still see them as prey? or would they just see them as family? i know cats can transfer parasites to chinchillas but i am personally against outdoor cats which makes the risk smaller...i just really love both, its so hard to choose..

Everything needs more context and a discussion but these are a few graphics we share with prospective homes looking to adopt chinchillas.

We try to emphasize safe enclosures. Bigger is great IF you can afford to purchase a big safe cage and all the accessories you need to fill it out, otherwise a smaller cage with all the right fixings can still be entirely appropriate. A smaller cage does not mean the polar opposite of a huge empty cage : a shoebox with a stick inside. Just means a cage within your budget, that you can still provide the animal with floor space, platforms, ledges and enrichment. Example : a single ferret nation all fixed up and cleaned weekly compared to a triple ferret nation that is seldom cleaned and empty.

Look for a metal cage, with mostly metal components. The walls, the connectors, the platforms. If they have plastic platforms, cover with fleece or replace them with wood.

Investing in a quality cage, metal or nice wood ledges, and metal wheel is worth it because these items can outlast your pet. We have cages and wheels that are over 10 years old, in almost perfect condition. ( Loyal to Ferret / Critter Nation and Quality Cage wheels ( discontinued ) or Pandamonium pets wheels. )

Bedding options really depend on you.

What will you keep up with?

Covers should be changed every couple of days, liners should be changed every few days. Cages with shavings should be spot cleaned as needed and fully cleaned out weekly.

Aspen or Kiln Dried Pine Shavings are great.

Fleece covers to hide pans, or fleece liners to act as an absorbent bedding can be great.

1/2" wire floors are suitable, but just like any other surface should be cleaned along with the rest of the cage. Pets should have other surfaces to rest on, like perches, ledges, platforms, pads, beds, and houses. Chins don't spend 24/7 on the floor, and 1/2" grids are not a risk for broken limbs or foot infections when maintained. ( We use them for medical cages in the rescue ).

No paper bedding, though. That's an impaction risk.

Really chinchillas are not a hard pet to care for once you understand how to care for them. A safe environment, air conditioning, routine for cleanliness, a basic diet, a well designed cage and accessories that last... And you'll be set for decades.

- A 501(c)(3) exotic rescue, Specifically working with chinchillas for over 20 years, with dozens in our care daily, multiplied by the animals in and out yearly. 🩷

Ela começou a soltar muito liquido branco, é meio translúcido, nunca aconteceu isso antes, eu to tremendo e muito preocupada

I have a ferret nation cage (the one that only has one door per story) and every fleece liner ive bought was too big for it. I would love recommendations. Im open to using some kind of bedding instead of fleece although it seems like it would be more expensive.

Lacey’s weekly oxbow cookie! her video is a little more aesthetic….my other chin dropped hers and I had to guide her back over 😭

Kong and Godzilla have been lovely companions, they are both around 2-3 yrs old and I’ve had them for the better part of a year, no real issue have arisen since I adopted them, but I’m possibly going to have to leave the state and I don’t think I’ll be able to bring them with me, I want to find them a loving home and would be more than willing to give their cage, toys food the whole shebang.I want to ensure they go to somebody safe and capable. If you have further questions let me know.

I accidentally broke my chinchilla's wood toy, its still good so I dont want to throw it out. What is the best pet safe glue to fix it? The parts I have to glue aren't the areas where he'd bite anyway.

Ontem minha chinchila fez 9 anos, ela sempre foi muito carinhosa, e quando eu a soltava para passear, ela ficava comigo no sofá e brincando. A gente sempre solta ela lá pelas 17:30 / 18h
Entretanto, nesse sábado passado (10/10), meu pai a soltou às 10h, já que íamos sair para a casa da minha avó, e então, parece que tudo mudou. No dia eu pensava que não era nada demais, mas enfim. Chegamos na segunda (12/10), e a soltamos às 15h, e parece que ela nem me reconhece. Só quer saber de roer, quando alguém chega perto, ela fica chiando e atacando, ela não quer mais ficar comigo nem ter carinhos, apenas roer roer e roer, ela nunca fez isso, e parece agressiva. Ontem (13/10), soltamos ela e foi a mesma história, a primeira vez soltei as 16h, já que era seu aniversário, e prendi as 18h, depois que meu pai chegou, soltei mais uma hora, e nada mudou. Hoje, estou escrevendo enquanto ela está solta, nada mudou, estou preocupada, não a reconheço, alguém pode me ajudar, por favor.
Ps. Quando ela está na gaiola, de manhã ou de noite, ela continua normal, aceitando carinho, deixando pegar no colo e etc. Esse comportamento só acontece na hora de soltar ela.

Hello!
I am preparing to get a chinchilla but of course I’d like to prepare before hand. I used to have two chinchillas in high school but that was a bit ago. I found two cages on Amazon (linked below) that I am thinking about but want to make sure they are suitable for a chinchilla. Advice is greatly welcomed and appreciated!

Also some extra context: I know that two chinchillas is generally better and I usually would if possible. But there is a single chinchilla in my town’s pet store and the conditions he is in make me sad. There is plastic everywhere and it’s all chewed up so I would like to get him and give him a better life/cage.

Cage One
Cage Two

Okay guys I know that chinchillas are a loud braced on their personality but as of the last couple weeks my chinchilla has been very quiet the first couple days he was here he was a little chirpy but besides that he's been really quiet like obviously he still completely tears up his entire cage every night and loves coming out and playing and snuggling with me but he's super duper quiet all the time in fact yesterday morning was the first time I heard him make a sound in a hot minute I think I might take him to the vet just to be safe I'm just a little stressed out and worried about it cuz I recorded the sound from last night to see if he like barked or anything but no completely silent besides the chewing of his sticks and destroying of the cage I did notice he has stopped throwing his food bowl so no clue what's going on with that

hi everyone! this is my chinchilla, Bruno.
ever since i got him he’s had this rough looking fur on his back, sometimes with tufts sticking out? is there anything i can do to help with this? when i try to remove the tufts he instantly flees, he hates even the slight feel of a finger on his back.
my other chinchilla has never had this and has very soft, fluffy, silky fur.
Bruno seems otherwise healthy, jumps/runs around during free roam, eats and drinks normally and also interacts with me regularly.

I have a pretty big playpen, but it's a big hassle to clean it up. plus I have to buy new ones because sometimes it rips, and I've seen people make their house or room safe for their chinchilla to run around in.So I'm thinking is it better just to have a big playpen or should I try to chinchilla proof my room/house? If room/house proofing is the way to go, then what should I focus on to make sure it's the safest it can be?

For those who put tile or granite flooring in their critter nation cages, did you reinforce the levels any? And if so how? My neighbor gave me some chin safe flooring for cheap but I never thought about if the cage levels can safely handle the extra weight.😵‍💫 Im worried about waking up to squished floofs 😭 ( Gizmo and Taz pics for tax 😅 )

I couldn't find a place online that answered this question, but I'm looking for advice on safe drinking water. I use a PUR sink filter for my chinchillas water, noticed the light was red today and that I didn't have a replacement. I spent most of the evening looking for stores that sell the filters. I finally found one at ACE Hardware, got home and opened it up to see that the filter is dated 2021. They sold me a 5-6 year old water filter and from what I can find online, the shelf life is only 2 years. I'm stressed out and angry right now that this is my only option and they need water. I really need to know: is this safe to use?