Tanzy's Chinchilla Rescue NZ.

Welcome to the fascinating world of chinchilla’s. I hope this information will provide you with a general understanding on what a chinchilla is as well as what is needed in order to make your wee pet a healthy and happy wee creature.

Chinchilla’s do not require much maintenance, but do require more than most pets. Regular cage cleaning (at least once a week), play-time and feeding times are important and (believe it or not) chinchilla’s know when it’s time to come out and play, have their cage cleaned and when they get their treats - they adapt to the routine’s pretty quickly. It is important that any potential chinchilla owner have the time to devote to the chin as they are such sensitive wee creatures and do require regular routine’s and time with their owner.

A chinchilla is not a pet for a young child. While they look cute and cuddly, they do require more patience (and maintenance) than most children are capable of doing on a regular daily basis. If you are thinking of getting a chinchilla for a child as pet, it is important that an adult understand the intricacies involved and will be able to provide the chinchilla with the requirements needed for the ongoing care that the chinchilla needs in order to be healthy, with the general understanding in what a chinchilla is, as well as what is needed to ensure it remains not only healthy - but also happy.

Chinchilla’s are cute, no doubts about that, but when you see your chin beg for a treat, an adult, or child, will most likely succumb and give them one, but too many treats can cause digestive problems. Chin’s also require play times out of the cage and you will learn (quickly) that most chin’s would rather run around the floor, all over and under the furniture (and they are fast wee creatures) and be talked too, rather then being held and cuddled. But then there are the exceptions who just love cuddling in. However, with a responsible parent/caregiver on hand for following the care and maintenance through, under close supervision, the chin can make a great pet for a child and adult alike.

What Is A Chinchilla?

A chinchilla is classed as an exotic animal and commonly referred to as part of the "rodentia family", which is correct. They are native to South America, living high in the mountainous regions of the Andes.

If you are wanting a pet to interact with during the day, then a chinchilla is not the pet for you, simply because they are nocturnal. They will sleep during the day, occasionally waking for a snack, stretch, drink of water and perhaps a wee play, before going back to sleep again. Generally, they are awake mid evening, but that can vary from chin to chin. Needless to say, evenings are the best time to interact with the wee chin. Chinchilla’s have often been described as something similar to a squirrel, simply because of the similarities with their long, curly tails, although a chins tail is not as bushy as the squirrel.

Their hind legs are larger than the front, as being rockhoppers by nature, it enables them to jump, and for such a small creature, they are extremely agile and quick. They have been known (and seen) to jump a metre high without any problems.

Chinchilla's are clean animals - you will notice them ‘grooming’ themselves and it’s cute to watch. Please refer to "Chinchilla Care" to read about their general care.

If you are attempting to catch your chinchilla and it feels frightened or threatened, you may notice a faint scorched almond odour. This is a natural instinct that occurs when chins feel this way and will not harm your chin, and apart from this - they are virtually odourless if their cage is kept clean.

Some simple facts about chinchilla's include:-

Life Expectancy 8 - 15 years, although in captivity they have been known to live up to 20 years of age.

Birth Weight 30 - 60 grams (smaller if there are more kits born)

Adult Weight 400 - 600 grams, although males tend to be smaller than the females.

Gestation Period 111 days

Number of Kits 1 - 4 (usually 2)

Wean At 8 weeks (based on all going well with the mum and kits)

Sexually Mature 8 months

Body Length 22 - 38 cms long

Tail Length 7 - 15 cms long

Chinchilla’s have the most amazing fur. It is very dense and so very soft, I don’t think it could even be compared to how silk feels. Parasites are not common in a chinchilla’s fur due to the density.

Prices you would expect to pay vary on the colour, along with the age and condition, of the chinchilla, as well as any health concerns. Should everything be ‘ok’ with the chin the prices would be approximately:- (these are the most common colours in NZ)

Standard Grey $130.00 - $170.00

Beige $240.00 - $280.00

Black Velvet $300.00 - $350.00

Brown Velvet $400.00 - $450.00

Incredible quality of a black velvet

Price’s do vary from breeder to breeder and pet shops. Also, take into account the ‘quality’ of the chins fur.

Overseas they have Mosaic, White, Violet, Black, Brown, Silver, Charcoal, Sapphire, and now to get really complicated - there are different forms of white, such as White White, Pink White and Wilson Whites.

Chinchilla’s are like any rodent, they have two incisors at the top of their jaw and two on the bottom of the jaw. A chin must have safe things to chew on to keep the incisors trimmed. They are continuously growing and need safe chew toys to help keep them filed down. If you do not provide ample chew’s, the results can be very dangerous and could (most likely would) affect the well-being of your wee pet.