How to imitate the chinchilla habitat so that your pet feels at home

Chinchillas are very unique creatures only found in the Andes Mountains (originally). Due to the unique environment for which they were created, they require special care to ensure they have a long and healthy life. It’s true that the cage you buy probably won’t be exactly like the Andes Mountains where your chin is originally from, but with a little planning and foresight, you can bring it as close as possible. Here are some steps to make your chin feel at home by mimicking the chinchilla’s natural habitat.

The first thing you need to worry about matching is the landscape. The mountainside they come from is steep and rocky, giving them plenty to jump and climb. To mimic this, you should look for a cage that is pretty and tall with ramps and shelves that your chin can climb. An exercise wheel is another thing that is almost essential to keep your chin well exercised. One rule of thumb for buying a cage is that the bigger the better.

Along with a large cage, chinchillas need a lot of exercise. The tall cage will definitely help with this, but even better is to let them out of their cage at least once a day to run around a closed room that is “cold proof”. Keep an eye on him at all times when he’s running around the room and don’t let him get hold of any wires or other dangerous things. Chins tend to chew on things, so be sure to keep an eye on it around your furniture!

Another very important aspect of its natural habitat is temperature. They are made with thick fur coats to keep you warm in the cold mountains. So when you take them and place them at home in a warm room, they can easily overheat because they have no way to cool down (that is, they don’t sweat). Therefore, it is very important that you have at least one room in your home that is ALWAYS kept at 70 degrees F or below. Too long at 75 degrees F can cause them to overheat, and anything above 80 can give your little one heatstroke.

Back in the Andes, the chinchillas will roll up in piles of volcanic rock dust or ash to keep themselves clean. I know this may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true! Fine dust gets into their thick fur and absorbs excess moisture, oils, and dirt to keep them clean and healthy (albeit a bit dusty). To mimic this, you will need to purchase specially made chinchilla powder that you can roll in. Find a container that won’t tip over, put in some dust, then put your chinchilla in and he’ll have fun rolling around and cleaning himself up.

Since his chin will not have the opportunity to roam and chew various things to keep his teeth filed (as it would in the wild), it is important to provide him with blocks to chew. Never put anything plastic in their cage, because they will chew or ingest it, which can make them sick or even kill them.

One area where you don’t want to match the chinchilla’s natural habitat is in its diet. Wild barbels can eat plants, fruits, seeds, and insects, but a diet like that will irritate the digestive system of domestic chinchillas. Instead, you should feed it mostly special chinchilla pellets, with a little hay mixed in there for fiber. Treats are fine from time to time too.

If you take all of these into account when setting up your chinchilla habitat, you are sure to have a happy and healthy chinchilla for many years to come!