Linda ♥ | linn-hearts.blogspot.com

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Things to consider when getting a Chinchilla posted at 2:50 AM

Hi everyone!

So recently, my boyfriend got me 2 chinchillas!! I always wanted chinchillas but never got them because it was really expensive. I would always go to pet safari or house of chins to see chinchillas but know that i can never have one. So I was super overjoyed when he bought it for me especially since Moo Moo just died :'( I LOVE YOU DEAR (': I always feel so blessed by him!

HELLO! (: this is KIKI!

Hi! I'm ViVi :p

Anyway... I got to know how to care for chinchillas and thought that i might share that experience with you.

Please consider the following if you are getting a chinchilla!

1. Chinchillas need to be kept in a cool place (< 25 degree Celsius if possible)

So, having chinchillas in Singapore is not exactly the best idea because YES THEY NEED AIR-CON to cool down. Fans will not do because all it does is regulate the air in the room which means that the temperature is the same. So do think if you are willing to spend some money on air-con.

Personally, I don't on my air-con 24/7 but i do on it occasionally as my room temperature in my living room (i don't know why) is usually around 25 degrees. I will only switch on the air-con after playtime or when i know that they are feeling warm (look at their ears! if there is redness and veins popping up, usually they are feeling warm).

2. They get depressed easily!

Ok, I don't know how true this is because i never experience it with my 2 chins. But i do hear that if you only get 1 chin, it may happen unless you play with them.

We have each other to keep company! Aww....

3. Chinchillas DO NOT like to be cuddled.

Seriously, this is a major factor. You can't show them love the normal way of cuddling them because they have short attention span. I am always grateful if I am able to hold onto them for awhile.

SO YES, THEY ARE NOT GOOD PETS FOR KIDS.

4. THEY POOP A LOT!

They can like poop like up to around 200 each day. seriously! and the worst part is you can't potty train it. (You can potty train it's pee though) So every single day, i would just clean up it's poop in his cage so that it's clean.

And if you let it out, you have to clean it's poop which will drop EVERYWHERE because it just does!

5. They need a lot of space to run and jump!

In singapore, if you live in a HDB flat like me, you probably know that space is an issue. So my chins actually have a normal starter chin cage. But I compensate it by bringing it out every single day. That way they are happy.

Here's my starter chin cage. Ensure that your cage have platforms for it to jump!

6. Chinchillas can live up to 15-20 years!

So please be responsible for it's life!

7. They are considered exotic pets so you will be sure that the vet fees wont be cheap.

Do go and find a vet that helps chinchillas first though! Not all vets know how to take care of chinchillas.

8. Once you lose their trust, well... Good luck in getting it back!

They basically know the phrase "Forgive and NEVER Forget." So it will take some time for you to gain back its trust if you ever offend it.

9. They run super fast.

Well, if you let it out, make sure not to chase it or it will scar their tiny lives because they hate being chased. So if you want them to go back to their cages, I don't know how you are going to catch them. I made the mistake of letting them roam the living room and i tried to chase them back. It made it hate me on the very first day and slowly I'm regaining their trust back.

Best way is to gain their trust first and train them to come to you when you call before letting them out. Also, try training them in a small area (eg: toilet) first so that it's easier to handle.

10. THEY ARE DESTROYERS!

They like to bite on things. Well, this is because they think its fun and it can help to file their teeth. Just make sure you don't have wires or things that you don't want them to chew then it would be fine.

A word of caution though... My chins seem to like to wreak my house PAINT. yes, chew the paint! So... just be there to stop them.

I need to file my teeth!

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But of course... they have their benefits!

1. Their fur is SUPER SUPER SOFT.

"IT'S SO FLUFFY!" -Despicable Me

Like super duper soft. even more soft than any pet (rabbit, dog, guniea pig, hamster) i ever had. So it's super nice to touch! haha.

I mean look at it... IT FUR IS LIKE SO FLUFFY!

2. They are cute!

You get to see them hopping around and they might just love climbing on your shoulder which is my personal favourite.

3. They can be trained to do tricks (although this WILL take quite some time)

This itself is cute on so many different levels. Just know that they can't be trained like a dog. IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT.

4. (To me, this is an advantage) They are nocturnal animals.

Sleeping in the day...

They will sleep in the morning and wake up at night which is awesome because im more active at night as well. This gives me more time to bond with them

5. They are super clean!

I'll sand bathe it every few days and they love licking themselves clean.

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Ok, so disadvantages outweigh the advantages - the ratio being 2:1.

BUT even so, I love them... and that's all i need to take care for them. They have their cute side and i can spend hours just looking at them. LOL.

KIKI: "I'M GETTING OUT OF THIS JAIL #LIKEABOSS"

Oh btw... do try to adopt a chinchilla if you want to get one. There are many people abandoning chinchillas because it's quite difficult to take care of one.

In fact, the chins that daryl got for me, we adopted (ahem... when i mean adopted, i mean pay quite a lot) it from another owner WHO DID NOT know how to care for them. When i first got them, they were quite skinny and already had trust issues. But nevertheless, I still wanted them because they are cute and I was willing to go the extra mile to let it trust me. Now they are more healthy, and i feel like a proud mom who had just risen great kids. lol.

All in all, chinchillas are great pets as long you know how to treat it properly (:

Bye! - Vivi

If you wanna ask me any questions regarding chinchillas, feel free to do so by pressing "comments" below. I'll try my best to answer them (:

Labels: chinchilla as a pet, chinchillas, experience with chinchillas, how to care for chinchillas, pets, sg, singapore, temperature