Chinchillas are available in most large pet shops and although they are not as popular as hamsters or guinea pigs they make great pets.
They are alert, friendly and funny animals to watch.

My chinchillas are very nervous but have been previously miss treated, they wont bite unless startled, but as time has gone on they have become less frightened and more hand tame.

Chinchillas fur is very fine and fragile this will easily fall out if handled by you too much, i find picking my chinchillas up by sliding my hand under neith them then cuddling them to my body using my arms as opposed to my hands helps to stop them loosing there fur.

Chinchillas can tolerate a wide range of temperatures from 5 to 25'c so can be kept out side during the warmer months just like a rabbit can but i keep mine in my shed which has never been used as a shed just a pet room with lots of vivs so it never drops below 15'c at night.

My chinchillas have a cage which is 6 foot tall by 3 foot wide and 3 foot deep, you could get away with a smaller cage but if you are going to take on the responsibility of a pet then i think you should give it the best you possibly can. It is made of metal, has branches for them to climb and i use wood chip in the bottom as a base.

We have a hide box in with our chinchillas, similar to a birds nesting box just a bit bigger where they like to sleep and also hoard food.

Chinchillas have to have a dust bath daily, this involves me putting a bowl of silver sand in each day for a couple of hours which they roll in and also kick everywhere making a terrible mess which is why they are now in the reptile room and not my livingroom. You need to do this to keep there coats clean.

poo and uneaten food should be taken out of there cage daily and the cage thoroughly cleaned once a week.

My chinchillas have a pellet food especially designed for chinchillas, lettuce, carrot, apple and hay.

I tried a water bowl in with my chinchillas but spent most of my time cleaning up the spills as they were very clumbsey with it so now i have resorted to a rabbit bottle which they have taken to very well.

Pet shops recomend keeping chinchillas on thee own as they are aparently agressive to each other.

They are supposed to breed realy easily, from about 6 months old but i have a male and female pair that have never had a crossed word in the 3 years we have had them and have never mated either, dont know why, maybee they are past it now any way they are about 5 years old.

The life expectancy for a chinchilla is 5 to 6 years.

These make brilliant pets and although pet shops recomen them for children i wouldnt recomend them for young children as mine are quite timid of loud noises or sudden movements but definatley good fun and company for an adult.