Furrylovables

As most of you know, I breed and rescue chinchillas. I have been breeding for 8 years and rescuing for 2 1/2 years. I appreciate everyone who calls me regarding chinchillas, ones that you purchased from me and those of you who bought elsewhere. Please do not ever do the following:

Breeding

 Do not breed chinchillas under 12 months of age: chinchillas need to be at least 12 months of age to be mature enough to have a safe and healthy babies. If you breed to soon, you will kill the mother and her kits. Or you can pay over $1000.00 for an emergency C-section. Never introduce a young male and female together. Females can get pregnant at 3 months and males can get females pregnant at 3 months. That's why you wean the babies between 6-8 weeks of age, the kits need to be 200+ grams before being removed from their mother.

 Do not breed females old enough but not quite large enough. A female needs to be at least 600 grams or more to breed. Also you want to know the background of your males and females. You want to make sure your not breeding a chin with any health issues, poor fur quality or a chin that has temperment issues.

 Do not breed a chinchilla from a pet store or a chinchilla you don't have pedigrees on: you don't know what problems could be hiding in their background.

Diet

 Do not feed your chinchilla any type of food with seeds, corn, carrots or any other type of mix. All they need in their diet is dehydrated alfalfa or timothy pellets. Only pellets. You can feed them treats on the side on occasion. Never fresh or frozen vegetables or fruits. Dried papaya and raisens are ok once in awhile. Carrots and corn are too hard for them to digest.

 Do not ever get you chin any treats like the edible logs. One of the ingredients is honey, and honey is not good for them. Please check the ingredients in any chews or toys that you buy for them. Honey, corn and carrots are especially bad for them and will kill them.

Cages and Misc.

When buying a cage for you chin please do not buy a cage with the wire ramps and ledges. Their feet can get stuck and they could break their leg. If you happen to buy a cage with the wire ramps and ledges remove them and replace them with pine shelves. You can buy the pine shelving at Menards, Home Depot or Lowes, any home improvement store carries pine shelvng. Do not paint or stain these. To affix them to the side of the cage, you can buy the hanger bolts along with the washers and wing nuts. Or you can buy washers and use drywall screws to attach them to the side. For an extra $15.00 you can protect your chin, or leave the wire ramps and ledges in the cage and spend $800.00 for an amputation.

If you happen to have a cage where you can't remove these wire ramps and ledges, put a piece of pine shelving on top or use fleece to protect their little feet. If you live close by me, call me and I will be more than happy to fix your cage for you.

Pine or Aspen shavings are the best for you chins.  Cedar is toxic and when they urinate on the cedar, the cedar will produce a toxic gas that is fatal.

Temperature: Required temperature is 55-70 degrees. Anything over 75 degrees can overheat and kill them.

If you ever have a question about your chinchilla, even if you think its dumb or silly, please give me a call. If I can't answer it, I will do whatever I can to help out. Chinchillas are an exotic animal, and their needs are specific. They are not hard or expensive to take care of, as long as you are taking care of them correctly. If you ever need to get rid of your chinchilla for any reason, please make sure you find a person who understands the basic need of chinchillas.

If you buy a chinchilla from a breeder or off the internet, you want to make sure the seller provides you with all information they can about the chinchilla. If its a baby, then the breeder should be able to provide papers or pedigrees on that particular kit. They should have a general idea on the parents background. If they don't know the parents background,  then you should never pay over $50.00 for a baby or adult, no matter the color or sex.

Also the hobby breeder should give you a care pack for the baby or adult, supplies that are needed would include: their food, dust, toys, information about the chinchilla. They should always provide you with a sample of the chinchilla food. Chinchillas digestive system is delicate, and their food should never be changed overnight.

I have heard some very sad stories over the years that could have been avoided. I'm putting this information on my site to help educate new potential chinchilla owners. The books are maybe 25% correct. When educationing yourself on chinchillas, please refer to the internet under Chinchilla Breeders. Alot of Chinchilla Breeders have websites, with basic needs of these exotic animals. You can always go to www.chinchillabreeders.org to find a list of Breeders in your area.