Chinchilla Kingdom

This is an image of a multi-level cage, a suitable place to keep a pet chinchilla. Single level cages can be used but should be very spacey, and i know from experience these cages can make chinchillas antsy.

Chinchillas like to eat chinchilla pellets, sold at most pet stores. For treats, chinchillas can have apples and raisins sparingly. Chinchillas are particularly delighted if you give them a raisin.

Chinchillas are rodents, and therefore their teeth are constantly growing. Because of this, they should have a gnawing block (sold at pet stores) in their cage. This will wear down their teeth to perfect height. Lava bites are a great chew brick, and they can attach to a treat pole. Chinchillas have very dense fur, so they can not get mites or parasites in their skin. Do not wash chinchillas in water, this can hurt them. You can groom a chinchilla by using a safe brush and softly  grooming their fur. Chinchillas keep their fur clean by rolling in a type of ash called chinchilla dust bath (sold in most pet stores). Put about a cup of dust bath in a tray or dust bath container in your chinchillas cage. After a while, he will roll around in it like a cat in catnip. Clean the dust bath regularly. Below is a video of a chinchilla taking a dust bath. 

Chinchillas can be taken to a vet in an emergency. Some signs of an illness are diarrhea, patches of bitten fur, and dullness of the eyes. Chinchillas live in cool mountain climates in the wild, and therefore should be kept cool at all times.

Chinchillas usually give birth to 2 or 3 babies, and the babies should be kept in a safe cage, away from the father. The website at left also can provide further information on raising chinchillas.

Here is a great website with instructions on breeding chinchillas.