Cute Furry Balls of Fluff!! (Chinchilla)

Member Name: fluffchillin

Product:	Chinchilla
Date:	01/05/04 (705 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: intelligent, cute, soft

Disadvantages: none

After recently losing my first Chinchilla Cecil I realised how speacial these animals are and how once you have a Chinchilla they really do become apart of your life in a special way!

NATURAL CHINCHILLAS - SOUTH AMERICA
The Chinchillas' original home is the dry areas of the High Andes and Cordillera in South America where they live in caves and rock crevices. They have to hide from their worst enemies which include birds of prey, and they also like to protect themselves from very strong sunlight. They live as high up as the snowlines in the mountains as cold does not faze them because they have very thick fur which protects them from losing body heat.
Due to their habitat in South America and their surroundings chinchillas feed for most of their year out there on dry berries, roots, dry grasses and bark which they knaw from branches. They also bathed in the dry rocky dust, powdering themselves thoroughly and then shaking it off along with the greasy skin and fur debris which sticks to their coat.
When they were first discovered during the Spanish Conquest in South America they were hunted down for their pelts by very rich Spanish families who could afford to have their pelts as coats! I think that that is so cruel!

CHINCHILLAS AS PETS:

One of the first things I have learnt from my Chins is that they need peace and quiet during the day. Also you need to situate them where is it not too warm as they can tolerate cold and also in a dry climate.
Evenings are the times when these cute furry friends of ours crave activity and must be fed. They do appreciate as much attention from their owners as possible and I have learnt that the more time you spend talking to your Chin and calling it by its name and getting close to it the less shy he/she will become and the happier they will be. They will also definitely respon more when you are in the same room as them.

Breeding:
I have never bred, hopefully I will one day b
ut I have learnt a bit about it from books. Due to their origination of the high Andes and Cordilleras nature arranged their breeding cycles to accommodate these natural conditions. The winter is the best time for your chin to give birth to the little ones, so fertilization will occur in the late autumn and the beginning of winter. Gestation lasts on average 111 days plus or minus 3 days, so thats about 4 months! As it can still be quite cold at this time of year, the mother has only one or two babis which she can provide for and keep warm. The babies are born fully furred. when they are born the amniotic sac bursts and so they are soaking wet from fluid. If the mother doesn't help at once there is a danger that they could stiffen in the cold (in the wild). The babies keep in touch with their mother by emitting soft whistling sounds answered by their mothers own whistle. The grow quickly and by 8 weeks old they are able to feed themselves.The babies that are born are able to breed the next winter themselves, so the following generation can be born the following spring.

Feeding and Diet:
The diet consists of four components:
1) Drinking water: this should be at room temperature and provided fresh daily. Fruit vinegar (1 teaspoon per half pint water) has been used successfully as a supplement to drinking water. For deficiencies, you can add Carlsbad salts as well as vitamins to the water
2)Ready-made feed, pellet etc: a level tablespoon of feed is enough in the morning.
3)Hay: As Chins are creatures of the Andes they have had to eat parched plants and dry fruit remnants. For most of the year the dried-out plant life is especially important. That is why hay is necessary for our darling Chins because it is good for their digestive system.
4) Supplementary feed: This should only be given in small quatities. Chins like raisins best of all. I have heard that it is best to buy the blue ones without sulphur (i.e. no sulphur dioxide). Other d
ried foods are good too such as rose hips and dried thistle. Tree branches are also good for their teeth such as willow, hazlenut and fruit tree branches. Apples too are very much liked, but only a small slice daily. From personal experience I have found my chins love cashew nuts but I don't give them many as I don't feel it is good for their system.

My chin lives in a very large cage with 3 levels and lots of tubes and a nice wooden house that she can gnaw on. I feed Joey once everyday, normally at night time when she is just waking up so that she can be active at night! She also has a giant like hamster ball to run around in when I can't watch her on the loose which is very useful and she seems to love it!

My personal view on Chins is that they are the most amazing creatures you will ever find, and once you have one you have to have many more! They are very satisfying and rewarding cute furry friends who will make a big difference in your life as they are very special!!!

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