Cute animals belonging to the class of mammals, the order of rodents, are chinchillas. Under natural conditions, they inhabit the foothills and mountains of Peru, Chile, Mexico, and some parts of South America. They live in packs of up to thirty-five individuals. Pronounced matriarchy. Typically, a flock is run by a single female who has several successors. The lowest position in the "collective" is occupied by males. In case of lack of food or in difficult climatic conditions, females can expel them from the pack or kill.
In nature, chinchilla has a thick and long coat. It is because of this fur that over time the hunt for these rodents has turned into their barbaric destruction. Today, in many countries of South America, the capture of these animals is considered poaching.
External signs
Chinchilla resembles a protein in body shape. It has a curved spine, the forelimbs are short, and the hind legs are well developed, and this determines the movement of the animal by jumping. The head of the animal has a triangular shape, set low, the neck is almost absent. Well-defined auricles uncovered with wool. Usually the eyes are black, but individuals with red eyes are found.
The animal has twenty teeth (four incisors and sixteen chewing), which continue to grow throughout the life of the animal and require constant grinding. With a lack of roughage, this process occurs very slowly. Regrowths (“hooks”) are formed on the teeth, which injure the tongue and cheeks of the chinchilla. In nature, such individuals die quickly, and domesticated animals have to be treated for a long time by a specialist.
Home Content
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, a person began to start a pet in the house of the original at that time . Chinchilla, the maintenance and care of which is not very complicated, has become especially popular in the last century. If you want to purchase these rodents for keeping in an apartment, then you need to know what they love and what they absolutely do not accept.
You will need a spacious cage, which must be installed away from drafts and heating appliances. These small animals are equally contraindicated in both overheating and hypothermia. Draft can cause respiratory infections, and overheating can lead to the death of the animal.
These animals are especially active at night, therefore it is not recommended to put a cage in the bedroom, as rodents will move a lot, make various sounds and interfere with the owner’s calm rest. The conditions for keeping chinchillas should be as close to natural as possible. It is necessary to create many moves and shelves so that they can safely move and jump as much as they want. In addition, it is necessary to organize a feeder, a drinking bowl and several feeders. Despite the fact that under natural conditions, chinchillas like to hide in minks, it is not necessary to make special houses and shelters in the cages. However, if they are present, then your pets will definitely settle in them.
What else is needed to keep chinchillas? At the bottom of the cage, it is necessary to pour dry filler and put the tray.
When the males are kept together, they should be planted into the cage very carefully. There are many cases when females mutilated and even killed them. First, rodents should be placed in individual cages and put them side by side. Observe animal behavior. If they behave calmly, then they can be settled in one cell.
Chinchilla: care, maintenance, breeding, feeding
The diet of these rodents consists of dry food. 50% of it is made up of hay and dry herbs, and the first should always be present in the animal. It should not be scattered throughout the cell. It must be kept in the Senopoder. This is due to the fact that the dust that is present in any hay can cause allergies in animals. You can use various herbs - most often it is a dandelion, clover, plantain, nettle. Most importantly, they should not be poisonous.
The remaining 50% is special food and dried fruits. They can be used any, but they must be well dried. In addition, rodents will not refuse to feast on the bark of any fruit trees.
This is a very interesting animal - chinchilla. Maintenance and care require thorough cleaning of their long and thick coat. Water procedures are strictly forbidden to them, therefore they should regularly “take baths” in fine sand. The filler in the cage and tray should be changed as it becomes dirty. Food in the feeder and drinking water must be changed daily.
Walks
Chinchilla, the maintenance and care of which is quite simple, requires regular walks around the apartment. These are very mobile animals, and their constant presence in the cage is extremely undesirable. But you can’t let them out of the cage unattended, because they like to bite the wires and furniture, which can lead to injuries. It is best to carry out such walks in special walking balls. In them, animals are easily oriented in space and develop good speed. It is important to choose the most transparent ball coating.
When to see a doctor
If your pet is a chinchilla, keeping her at home will require you to pay close attention to her health. Excessive salivation, lack of mobility, refusal to feed, characteristic moaning, pressing ears to the head are serious reasons for contacting a veterinarian.
Chinchilla: content temperature
The content of these rodents at home will require the owners to comply with the temperature regime. This is achieved by turning the air conditioner on and off, regulating ventilation and heating. Chinchillas feel most comfortable at air temperatures from ten to twenty-five degrees. Relative humidity should not be higher than 60%. It must be remembered that the microclimate is influenced by the density of chinchillas in the cell. Due to their crowding, air humidity and temperature increase, and the oxygen content decreases significantly. The main sign of animal discomfort is refusal to feed.
Light mode
The physical development of rodents, their viability, reproduction, growth is strongly influenced by both sunlight and artificial light. Since their activity occurs at dusk, they don’t need a too powerful lamp, small enough that creates “twilight” lighting. You should be aware that animals cannot be left without sunbathing at all. Chinchillas really need sunlight, so on a cool summer evening, cages with animals should be exposed to the sun.
How to water rodents
For chinchillas, water is very important. Their body contains 60% moisture. Having lost 5% of water, the chinchilla experiences unbearable thirst. If the animal loses 10% moisture, its metabolism is completely impaired. Changes in the internal organs and tissues that lead to the death of animals occur with 15-20% moisture loss. Therefore, regular drinking is a necessary condition for the normal functioning of the chinchilla. The optimum temperature of drinking water is 8-15 degrees.
How to choose a healthy animal
In recent years, the South American guest chinchilla has added to the list of traditional pets. The maintenance and care of it is not complicated. These are very cute animals of small sizes. The length of the adult is not more than 35 centimeters, the length of the tail is about 15 centimeters, and the weight is 400-700 grams. At home, the animal lives about 20 years. The coat of a healthy animal should be tight-fitting, smooth. The pet should be muscular and well-fed. Do not buy skinny and lethargic animals, as well as too well-fed and inactive. A sign of infection may be discharge from the eyes and nose. It is also better to refuse such an animal.
As you know, in nature this flock (family) animal - chinchilla. Care and maintenance (owner reviews indicate this) for animals will be much easier if you get two heterosexual individuals. Alone, the animal can be bored.
Today you met with the basic rules for caring for a cute little chinchilla. Now you just have to make friends with your pet. Chinchillas are not very fond of being forcibly taken out of their cages, caught in the apartment. But when the pet gets used to you, he will begin to climb into your arms, allow him to stroke and play with him. This is a very cute and funny animal that can become your good friend.