Critters Collection: Chinchilla



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Critters Home Page: Critter Collection: Chinchilla

Chinchilla Care

Like most pets, chinchillas require regular bathing--but not a traditional wet bath. A wet bath will wash away natural oils, inhibiting the animal's ability to keep warm, maintain a healthy coat and protect against skin disease. Chinchillas need dry dust baths to keep their beautiful fur soft and shiny. Twice each week, provide your chinchilla with a bath of chinchilla dust, which is readily available in pet or feed stores. Put the dust in any container that is large and deep enough for the chinchilla to get down and roll around in. Watching a chinchilla take a dust bath is quite amusing--the flips and rolls it performs are hilariously funny. Be sure to remove the dust when the bath is done.

If you decide to add another chinchilla to your household, introduce the animals gradually. You may want to keep them in separate side-by-side cages for a week so they can get used to each other. When you place them in the same cage, observe them closely to make sure they're getting along.

Caution should also be used when introducing a chinchilla to other animals, such as cats and dogs. Some owners have great success keeping these animals together, while others end up with disastrous results. Keep in mind that ferrets and snakes are natural enemies of this gentle animal.

If you decide the chinchilla is the pet you've been waiting for, try to set up all the equipment you'll need before you bring home your new pet. Your chinchilla will appreciate coming home to a cage that already houses all the supplies it will need.

Author(s): Fredericka Wagner

Critters Home Page: Critter Collection: Chinchilla

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