Welcome to DJ's Chinchillas where a little TLC goes along way.

 CHINCHILLA INFO.

A chinchilla is a small animal prized for its soft thick fur and they make excellent pets. They grow half as big as rabbits but have bushy tails like squirrels. Chinchillas are native to the snow-capped Andes. The chinchilla is a clean and odorless rodent that eats roots, grasses, and pellets of oat, alfalfa, and Timothy hay.

Chinchillas begin breeding at about 8-9 months old, and the females can have 2 litters a year. The average litter has 2 babies, but could have as many as 7. The babies weigh approximately 35 grams (or 1 ¼ ounce) and are born with their eyes open and full furred with all of their 20 teeth. The babies can be weaned from their mother at about 2 months old.

The Chincha and Inca Indians ate chinchillas and used their fur for clothing. Spaniards who came to South American in the 1500’s named the animal after the Chinchas. They introduced the fur into Europe and the demand became so great that the chinchilla was almost wiped out. In 1923, an American mining engineer, M. F. Chapman, trapped 11 chinchillas in Chile and took them to California.

Scientific classification – chinchillas belong to the chinchilla family, chinchilladae. Three domesticated kinds are C. Berevicaudata, C. Costina, and C. Langigera.

Chinchillas (or "chins") are extremely quick and adept at jumping. This is good, because having no claws; a chinchilla’s chief means of escaping danger is its agility and speed. 

Chinchillas are nocturnal, so they generally become active around dusk and stay up during the night. This is something to think about before you place your pet’s cage in your bedroom.

Chinchilla temperaments vary greatly; many are very timid and shy, while others are more outgoing and curious. The temperaments of chinchilla parents may determine the personalities of their offspring. As a new chin adjusts to a new home and owner, it may be more withdrawn than usual. Chins prefer to race about your home, ricocheting off walls, jumping over obstacles and delighting you with their energetic antics.

Before you buy a chinchilla, you should consider whether you could make the following typical tasks a part of your life:

• Check your animal several times a day - at least once in the morning and once in the evening.
• Monitor temperature and humidity to prevent heat stroke.
• Examine its food and water containers daily, and add to the supply when necessary, and clean the containers when they are soiled.
• Clean the cage daily, or at the least once a week, depending on the size of the cage, the type of bedding used, and the number of animals in the cage. A nice thing about keeping chinchillas is the lack of cage odor. Chinchillas are very clean and tidy animals, and odor is generally an indication of illness or poor sanitation.
• Provide a dust bath for the chinchilla at least twice a week, and preferably three times a week. You should also brush and/or comb its coat regularly to improve its condition.