We believe that people should make an informed decision before taking on the responsibility of caring for a chinchilla. Here are reasons to NOT get a chinchilla as a pet.
- Chinchillas are nocturnal which means they may not be awake when you are and they may make noise while you are trying to sleep.
- Chinchillas need attention, but they don't like to be picked up. This makes them less than ideal for young children.
- Chinchillas need to have their cage cleaned frequently for their own health and to keep it from smelling.
- Chinchillas will chew on everything including baseboards, doors, furniture, and wires. If you can't chinchilla-proof a room, you're going to be in for a lot of maintenance.
- Chinchillas can live up to 20 years which means a long-term commitment.
- You can't leave your chinchillas unattended for days while you travel.
- Chinchillas don't travel well. Their skittish nature means that travel will cause them stress.
- Chinchillas can overheat and die under conditions that you would find tolerable.
And in case you think we're anti-chinchilla (not true), check out our list of reasons to own a pet chinchilla.
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January 12th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Jamie,
They can bite, but they are unlikely to do so. Their first choice when scared is to run away and hide. However, if your fingers, for example, smell of raisins they'll take a nibble. Even in such situations our chinchillas have never broken the skin.
January 12th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Do chinchillas bite?
January 7th, 2007 at 1:11 am
Alex,
I would keep cats away from chinchillas. Cats are predators by nature and will likely harm a chinchilla.
January 6th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Would a chin be scared and terrified of cats and do you know if the cats would hurt it? What kinds of foods could I get it?
January 3rd, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Katie,
We do two things. Home Depot carries this plastic stuff that we cover the baseboards with. We believe they are originally designed to cover eavestroughs, it's white, has holes in it like a fence, and is about 8 inches tall and 3 feet wide. We think it is intended to keep eavestroughs clear from leaves and other material. We also use pine molding to protect doors and other areas as needed.