Friday, November 11, 2011

Are chinchillas good pets and should i get one?

I dont have much time to look after pets but i love how cute Chinchillas are and i would try really hard are they really good pets and fun would you recomend getting one?|||If you don't have a lot of time I wouldn't suggest getting a chinchilla. They are cute, but require a lot (Dirt baths, then you gotta change the dirt, feeding, etc.). I would suggest you get a guinea pig. They're just as cute and all they really need is food, timothy hay, and pepper each day. So it's feed and go.





With any pet you're going to need to play with it on a regular basis, and if you don't have a lot of time then just play with it as much as you can.





But if you really don't have enough time to play with a pet (especially a small animal) at least 3 times a week, I wouldn't suggest getting one at all.|||Chinchillas are very exotic animals, not just your average hamster/gerbil. They require a TON of attention, and a big cage. If you don't have the time/space for one even if you try really hard, they will be miserable. Look up what kinds of foods they need, what kind of cage, grooming care, what kind of toys are safe, etc.! They require a lot of care and aren't like most rodents/exotic animals.





Good luck :]|||No, if you don't have much time, you shouldn't get a Chin.


They need a few hours a day of attention and at least an hour out of the cage to run around a day. They are hard pets to keep.





There aren't many small pets that you can get that don't need attention.


I believe rabbits (not dwarf rabbits though) are pretty low-maintenance. Dwarf rabbits are very high energy however.








Either that or a Syrian hamster.. Perhaps...











Definitely not a Chinchilla though. They're a handful to take care of.|||They are cute but take time and understanding. Like a lot of other small pets, they need a social life. If you only want one then you will need to spend lots of time with it.





Also they have special needs. They can't get wet but need a daily dust bath. Also you need to keep their environment under 80*f. For most small pets you can cool them down by bath but since Chins can't get wet they are a bit harder to cool.





That plus other rodent needs such as cage cleaning and handling which can be time consuming. My chin cage took quite a while to clean...mostly because he had plastic in the cage which meant more work for me (my rat cage is about the same size but is metal).





If you don't have time a mouse or hamster might be better for you or fish|||they are really awesome pets to own, i love mine there very entertaining and energetic and very amusing, but if you think you might not have the time for them dont get one, because they do require a lot of attention, and like two or three hours of floor time everyday.|||they are good pets and you should really get a guinea pig better cause they're cuter.|||I spend 2-3 hours a day caring for my chinchillas which is extremely demanding. They a couple of hours playtime which MUST BE SUPERVISED! and as they are nocturnal this time has to be in the evening/night, I am woken up every night at about 4am because they make so much noise jumping around in the cage. I love my chins they are so much fun, but sometimes the amount of time it takes to care for them makes it very hard. They also live for 15 - 20 years so if you are 13 now do you think you will be able to continue caring for them until you are 33 years old!





I have copied one of my answers to another chinchilla question which will give you some more info on caring for them :





have 2 chinchillas but they are very expensive!





Ideally you should get 2 chinchillas as they will get lonely and depressed on their own.


They cost between 拢80 to 拢150 each





You will need a LARGE cage with lots of shelfs and height is more important than width. As chinchillas like to run and jump they need the room to do so. The cages cost about 拢80.





You will also need to buy the following:


Dust bath - 拢10


Dust 拢3 (which will last about 3 weeks)


House - 拢10


Litter - 拢9 (a large bag will last 2 months)


Wood to knaw on or they will develop teeth problems that can kill them


Toys to occupy them. that will be destroyed and need replacing on a monthly basis.


Hay


Water bottles.


Treats





Daily care:


feed them once daily, fresh water daily, keep their cage tidy (they constantly pooh).


Let them out to play for at least an hour a day.


Daily dust bath.





Chinchillas like to jump and do not like being handled. You must supervise them constantly and they are not like hamsters you can not put them in a plastic ball.





You will need to clean their cage on a weekly basis. If you dont they can get a fungal disease.





Chinchillas are wonderful pets, but they will not show you affection and cuddle up to you.. They are hard work to look after they will get into places they shouldn't, chew your wires and walls.





They are also nocturnal, I dont get to bed until midnight normally because they need playtime late in the evening. And I always get woken up at 4am because of the noise they are making. You need to consider how this will effect your life with regards to school or work, especially as chinchillas live for 20 years!!!!





Another thing you should look into is wether or not your local vet knows about chinchillas. Chinchillas are considered exotic pets so not all vets will be able to care for them.





Plus do you already have any pets? Chins will get very stressed around a dog. However I have a house rabbit which they dont seem bothered about.





I am glad that you have looked into it before buying one as too many people dont think about it..





Mine are called Lenny and Carl, I love them dearly but I can not stress enough how much hard work it is to keep them!





Websites I used for research were:





www.cheekychinchillas.co.uk


www.chinchillaworld.com





if you just google there are so many websites set up by breeders you get plenty of info!


ALSO IT MIGHT BE WORTH LOOKING UP CHINCHILLA BREEDERS IN YOUR AREA RATHER THAN BUYING FROM A PET SHOP.





Here is a link for photos of my chins and my rabbit Jessica, they are wonderful little characters and so much fun to watch!





http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?ai鈥?/a>





http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?ai鈥?/a>

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