Common name - Chinchilla
Latin name - Chinchilla lanigera
Country of Origin - South America
Sex - Females & males available
Adult size - 25cm 400-600g
Average Lifespan - 15-20yrs
Care level - Beginner/Intermediate
Description - Chinchillas are clean, odourless and attractive rodents with a soft dense fur coat. Chinchillas have large ears and therefore have sensitive hearing. They have strong back legs and a long tail. Chinchillas are most active at night and tend to sleep during the day. They are quite athletic so require as large a cage as possible.They are social animals and like to live in colonies. Chinchillas teeth grow constantly so need plenty of roughage to keep their teeth down. They are best suited to a metal barred cage as they will chew wood. A dust bath with chinchilla sand should be placed in the cage daily to help keep their fur in good condition.
Cleaning - Clean out cage at least once a week and disinfect. Sieve out sand bath daily.
Shopping list - Cage, Bedding, Food, Timothy hay, Food bowl, Water bottle/bowl, House/hide, Chinchilla bath, Chinchilla sand, Disinfectant
Chinchillas
Burgess Excel Chinchilla nuggets or simular Timothy hay. Low in sugar and low in fat diet. Small amounts of dried fruit and root veg can be given as a treat.