We've Now Arrived at the Chinchilla

We have explored the other popular small mammals as considerations for pets. Now, the chinchilla is left. If I ruled out all the other animals, you may think I chose the chinchilla because it's the easiest to care for and the least time consuming. You couldn't be more wrong. In fact, I probably choose the neediest one there is.

Pros - 

A chinchilla is an adorable, entertaining animal full of spunk, personality and energy. They have so much energy, in fact, that they can over exert themselves and have a hypoglycemic spell (low blood sugar). 

Chinchillas know their name and know their owners. Nimbus hates strangers, and for once, he'll run to his mommy (that's me) if there are strangers in the house until he grows used to their smell. Now, my friend Morgan...that's a different story and a different post. In time, chinchillas will learn to bond with their owners, but depending on the age, circumstances, treatment and personality of the chin, this can take longer that some owners have patience for. I, for one,  have had a very difficult time bonding with Nimbus because of his personality and his background. It's been an uphill battle, but I have seen positive improvement since February when I adopted him. 

Chinchillas are wonderfully clean animals. Their is no smell associated with them, not even their urine. They keep themselves well cleaned with dust baths and grooming using their saliva and agile little paws. 

After the start up costs, chinchillas are cheap. My regular purchases are bedding ($20 or less), Oxbow pellets (about $18) and Timothy hay ($12-16). Bedding lasts about 4 weeks. Hay lasts a little less than a month, and the pellets last ove a month and a half. Toys bought a pet stores (Make sure they're chinchilla friendly first. Just because it has a chinchilla on the package does not mean that the product is safe for them.) are usually between $2-10. And, they don't need replacement toys that often because it takes so long to chew them. Treats are in the same price range and should only be given sparingly, so they don't run out quickly either. 

Chinchillas don't need much personal attention. Now, attention is not the same thing as time. Chinchillas do need a lot of time spent watching them when they play and cleaning their cage. What I mean is that if you need to work and you're in the room providing supervision, your chinchilla can roam during their daily 2-3 hours of playtime without much interaction from you. Right now, I'm working on this post while Nimbus is scampering about the living room. Chinchillas don't want to play fetch. They don't want to chase a piece of string. The greatest gift you can give your chinchilla is his space to explore and play how he sees fit. Nimbus and I do interact on a daily basis during times of feeding/giving treats, giving chin rubs and playing with his bunny puppet. Otherwise, chinchillas are loners when it comes to their humans. However, they do prefer mates or buddies. Nimbus has stuffed animals made out of felt or that are played with under supervision. He doesn't enjoy the company of other chinchillas and based on my experiences with him, he would probably fight any new chinchilla I brought into the house. I'll talk more about chin mates in the cons. 

Nimbus and his chinny buddy

Quiet is the word with chinchillas. They don't require wheels, so there's no squeaking all night long. They play quietly so you're not disturbed at night. Typically, they don't make any chirps or yips themselves. If Nimbus is frightened and/or angry, you can bet he's going to let you know about it. If he's dreaming, he'll bark, but otherwise your chinchilla is a quieter than a mouse. 

Cons - 

Chinchillas are destructive!!! In the months that I've had him, Nimbus has chewed the spines of multiple books, eaten my baseboards, peeled wallpaper from the wall (still haven't figured out how he even managed that), took chunks out of the Wii remote jackets, fallen in the toilet, left droppings everywhere, chewed through a phone cord, chewed through an Internet cable, left holes in my iPad cover, has chewed the TV remote's buttons down the bone, etc. Those little teeth are razor sharp chisels, and they can cut/chew/knaw through anything. If you don't mind having some odd-looking household items and vacuuming droppings every day, then you'll be just fine with a chin. 

Speaking of messes, I cannot fully explain the horrors of the dust bath. Yes, watching them roll around in the dust like a fuzzball with a tail is the cutest experience in the world! There's no denying that. But, the overwhelming, lung-suffocating quality of the bath dust is deplorable. If you suffer from asthma, do not adopt a chinchilla!! You won't be able to handle the dust bath, which a chinchilla needs multiple times a week to stay clean and happy. The dust covers every surface, and it is difficult to wipe off. Falling off the chinchilla with every bounce, it can soon cover the whole house. It's indescribable. There's dust on the couch. There's dust coating my bookshelf, my DVD shelf, my countertops. If I don't put up the dishes, I can hear a grainy scratching noise when they rub together. The little grains of ground pumice can be difficult to vacuum and will smear when you sweep it up. The dust and the destruction are huge factors that you need to be aware of. I was not prepared for the dust! I find the dust worse than the damage, even thought I rent my home. I'd much rather repair the little places Nimbus has chewed than breathe in that dust! See below... adorable but crazy!

Chinchillas need space. They require large cages, and they require lots of room to play. Most owners allow their chinchillas to play in the bathroom because there are no objects like the bookshelves and remotes that Nimbus has destroyed. However, I own a small bathroom with only one cabinet and a few shelves. My toilet paper, paper towels and extra outdoor extension cords sit on the floor. Also, Sparta's litterbox is located in the bathroom. Nimbus thinks that the litterbox is a giant dust bath with harder dust. Yes, folks, he's rolling in cat pee and feces. No, Nimbus, it's definitely not a dust bath! 

Like I stated before, chinchillas come in pairs. They can become very lonely, even to the point where it affects their health. If you cannot afford or don't have the time for two chins, you should look at other pets or find a chinchilla that doesn't enjoy the company of his own kind. Keep in mind, a loner chinchilla could equal a grumpy chinchilla. I've encountered a few adoption agencies that will not allow you to adopt one of their chinchillas unless you adopt two. At the rescue I used, Nimbus was on his own. The other chinchillas came in pairs, and it was essential to adopt not only two chinchillas but the two that were already bonded together. I cannot imagine caring for two chinchillas. Nimbus can be frustrating and a lot of hard work at times, so I know with full certainty I could not handle another chin. That would require double the food, double the treats, double the time and double the cage size. Here's what happens when you put together two chinchillas that don't get along or compete with each other for attention:

These Chilean rodents are mischievous and intelligent. For the first few months, Nimbus would hide behind the couch and chew on the ethernet cord. And for the first few months, I tried every way I could think of to keep him from behind the couch - putting pillows against the back and the wall, stuffing pillows between the couch back and the wall on the side, using cardboard boxes, putting the 40 lb. cat litter container between the couch and the wall. After three nights, Nimbus would find a way around each of my blockades. In his curiosity, he learned how to get under the oven from multiple entrances, by pushing aside tennis shoes crammed under the gap between the pan drawer and the floor. He taught himself to squeeze his furry body under the washing machine. His determination to succeed can rival a hospital intern hoping to make the cut of research assistant for the leading surgeon. This little animal has no fear and knows no boundaries. And, on occasion, this can lead to trouble and frustration for the poor owner! 

Finally, these bundles of joy are delicate. It is easy for a chinchilla to get hurt or sick, and they require medical attention from a specialized vet. You need to make sure there's one in the area and that you're willing to pay the higher vet bills for seeing a specialist. You need to educate yourself on chinchilla health and medicine. Are your other pets cable of hurting the chinchilla? Are your children old enough to understand how delicate their bones are? Can you make sure that they can't poison themselves, etc? 

It's a lot to consider, and some days I wonder if Nimbus is worth it. But, then he swipes his nose with a little paw or pulls his whiskers to clean them or sits on my lap for a few minutes and watches TV with me. And, I know that he's worth every penny and I couldn't imagine life without him anymore.

"Whisker Cleaning Time"

Chinchillas vs. Hedgehogs and Ferrets

Now, I've always wanted a ferret, but there are two major problems with ferrets: 1) the smell and 2) the destruction. My boyfriend at the time put his foot down when it came to a ferret. He did not want to deal with the smell, which is a musky odor like a weasel. In order to keep that smell under control, cleaning the cage is multiple-times-a-week chore... not something we had time for - him with a full-time job and me with a full load of college courses and a part-time job.

I was concerned about point two, which is the destruction a ferret can wreak, especially in our rental home. Ferret curiosity is like no other. Cats are less curious than these little creatures. And because of their curiosity, limber body types and little claws, ferrets are sure to cause some damage. If I had to guess, looking around my house right now, I'd say that I'd have fewer snow globes, constantly dismantled shelves of books, stolen items from the key/wallet/iPod/miscellaneous, and a broken-into candy jar. They steal, they sneak, and they know they're good at it. As entertaining as a ferret would be - and I do plan to own one in the future - right now was not a good time to adopt "Pippin" and "Merry."

Furthermore, the time needed for a ferret to be happy and healthy requires multiple hours outside of his cage. They can be expensive because they need multiple toys to keep them entertained, though if they're anything like Nimbus, it doesn't matter how many toys you buy. They'll still end up playing with objects they shouldn't. Finally, I've held a ferret before, and they are wonderful critters. However, if you're not a fan of snakes, I wouldn't suggest a ferret. They're agile bodies slip and slide, which reminded me of the green snake I owned growing up.

All of the aspects I just mentioned sound like ferrets are horrible pets. Not the case. It just wasn't the right choice for me. Ferrets have vibrant personalities, are individualistic, will provide much entertainment, recognize their owners and have a lot of fun all-around. Just make sure you have the time to care for them.

If you'd like to see what I'm talking about with a ferret's sneakiness, check out this video below. I particularly love the polecat featured in the clip running off with a fish and the ferret who found his owner's bra!

 
Hedgehogs:
Pros -
Keep the cage clean, and hedgehogs will smell less than ferrets, although they do have an aroma. They, too, have distinct personalities, which means that your pet is your pet. Their love for swimming is entertaining and provides a different aspect to other types of small mammals. They live for seven years, which was the length of lifespan I was longing for.

Hedgehogs do not need buddies or mates, which is a plus when you're bringing in an animal you've never cared for previously. Nothing is worse than losing two animals instead of one if something goes wrong... or having to find homes for two animals because your inability to care for them is harming the animals.

During the evening/night, you'll find a very active pet on your hands. They won't sit on your lap, but they will provide entertainment and interaction, according to Pet Info Packets.

Cons -
I wanted a new friend that I could hold without being injured. Obviously, a hedgehog does not accommodate that desire. Yes, they're prickly little critters, and that is something to be aware of, especially if you have children. Those spikes also posed a danger to my cats. They'd learn the lesson, but at what cost? Their safety was more important.

Due to their type of excrement, an everyday chore is cleaning their large exercise wheel. Along with the cage, this can add up to a lot of time not spent with the animal but with chores. Yes, all pets come with chores. My cat Sparta needs a clean litter box, fresh water and food. What he also needs it playtime and a snugly lap. He doesn't need baths, walks in the rain, trips to a specially trained vet or a cleaned cage. You need to research what is the ratio between chores to playtime, if that fits into your schedule and if that's time you're willing to give up in order to own a hedgehog, ferret, rabbit, etc.

Finally, while my home is able to accommodate a hedgehog's desired temperatures during the spring, summer and early fall, I am not able to keep the house between 74-76 degrees F. I just graduated from college and have yet to find a job, which means no income for me. Aside from rent, my heating bill is the top expense in my household. However, unlike rent and the Internet payments, I can control what my heating bill amounts to. This means that on average my house is between 52-59 degrees each day during December, January, February, March and into April as I live in the Appalachian Mountains. This is the PERFECT temperature for a chinchilla as they are native to the Andes Mountains in South America. According to Pet Info Packets, a hedgehog would freeze to death. Meanwhile, my roommate and I bunker down with lots of coats. If it's a sunny day, our home is in the perfect location to bask in the sunlight. On cloudy days, we huddle together under blankets.

From lovedogbook.com

A Chinchilla Christmas

Christmas is all wrapped up for us. The only thing left to do is take the garbage and recycling to the SRC and dump the tree out in the backyard. The poor tree! You can just about snap its branches because it's that dry. We watered it and everything, but it's had a hard life of cats and chinchillas running through it.

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve as I was traveling to see family yesterday. I was overly excited to share my first Christmas with Nimbus! Which means that I was not above taking Christmas pictures with him! The photo below was taken with him sitting inside a Santa hat. The mini hat was placed on his head via Photoshop. The cuteness kills me!

Christmas Nimbus

To Sparta the cat, it was just another day, which happened to include a bunch of paper on the floor. To Nimbus, it truly was Christmas!

As presents, Nimbus received a dietary health supplement and some treats, both created by Oxbow, a company I've trusted for years. As soon as the wrapping was off, I handed him one of the dietary supplement biscuits, and he took off with it to a place of safety, nibbling furiously. After finishing his treat, Nimbus was all over the place - playing with my gifts, dashing through the wrapping paper, chewing on Sparta's new scratching post. He was allowed to roam freely and participate like the family member that he is in our celebrations on Christmas Eve morning. Talk about mental and physical stimulation. He thoroughly enjoyed scrabbling in the crinkled wrapping paper and jumping in the boxes. I think my boyfriend was a little put off by the fact that I wasn't paying attention to the gift unwrapping because I was took enthralled in the hilarious antics of Nimbus. It almost makes me want to go to the store, buy more presents, wrap them and start all over again with a second Christmas Eve morning to watch Nimbus play.

Then, Nimbus grew naughty! As I was taking items out of my "stocking," really a paper bag, I heard a  strange rustling sound from the kitchen. Now, it's not unusual to hear a strange rustling noise when owning a chinchilla, particularly Nimbus. He is a naughty little critter with no bounds to how far he'll go with his mischief. When the rustling continued, I walked to the kitchen and immediately whispered to Chris to bring the camera.

Nimbus had burrowed into an open kitchen drawer and was in the process of exploring every utensil and measuring cup he saw. Rattling, banging and scratching erupted from this drawer as the chinchilla made his way through a maze of chewable plastic. After a photo was snapped, I began to pull the drawer out. Nimbus saw this as an invitation to crawl deeper into the drawer until everything but his tail disappeared into the darkness.
"Um, is there a way for him to get down back there? Like can he jump over the edge?" Chris asked.
I nodded. "Mm, yep. He could."
Thankfully, Nimbus found the height too much and came forward. As I reached for him, he bounced away and out of the drawer, landing on the linoleum kitchen floor with a plop and skittered into his cage. Chris moved to close the cage door while I stared down at the drawer of dishes.
"What's the matter?" Chris asked.
I continued to stare and shivered. All I could see were utensils tainted with chinchilla footprints. "We're going to have to wash all of these," I said. "Every single one!"

We're going to need to wash some dishes!

Chinchillas vs. Rabbits & Guinea Pigs

First off, let me say Merry Christmas Eve! I'm particularly excited this year because it's my first Christmas with Nimbus! We've had a very interesting few weeks, me changing him around the Christmas tree and him nibbling on presents and ornaments. Since I'll be traveling tomorrow, we're present-opening today, and I cannot wait to see Nimbus's reaction to the new treats I picked out for him. Ho, ho, ho!

A chinchilla ornament from cafepress.com

Last time, we were discussing why a chinchilla. As I was exploring my options for a new pet, I decided another hamster wasn't the way to go. Now, let's look at rabbits and guinea pigs.

Rabbits:
I always felt I had a special connection with rabbits. As a very young child, I loved to read. Even as a toddler, I sat and looked at books. One of those little books had large pictures of different rabbit breeds. I forced my mom through whines and mumbles in my inability to form words yet to read and reread the bunny book. And one day, I looked at a page, pointed my chubby finger at a rabbit and loudly said, "DUTCH!" And sure enough, I was pointing to the black and white Dutch rabbit.
Pros -
Rabbits come in all shapes, sizes, colors and temperaments. You can adopt a breed, color or size that fits your lifestyle and your personality. According to rabbitbreeds.org, "the most low maintenance rabbit breeds which weighing no more than 6 1/2 pounds fully grown, are: Mini Rex, Holland Lop, Dutch, Dwarf Hotot, Mini Lop, Mini Satin, Netherlands Dwarf, and Polish." When I was young, my mother kept bunnies. She loved their soft ears and fluffy tails. And, she's right. Bunnies are extremely adorable! I enjoy their hefty size, as I prefer larger animals. At the end of the day, a hamster is too easily squish-able.
Rabbits can also be very entertaining. There are a variety of toys available for them that they can toss, nibble and burrow in for their enjoyment. They can become quite bored in their cages so it's important to stimulate them with activity, like with hamsters, and make sure they have plenty of time out of the cage. To some, this may be a con. If you're someone with little time on your hands due to a hectic schedule, a rabbit isn't for you. Because small mammals live in cages, people with little time, particularly in the evenings, shouldn't own these animals. Cats and dogs need time with their masters, of course, but cats can easily fend for themselves and dogs can be let out to play if there's a fenced backyard on extremely busy days. Rabbits, chinchillas, hamsters and so forth must wait and watch in their cages where they've been boxed in all day to see if their owner will have time for them or not. I make sure to have the time. If I walk in the door after 9:30 p.m. after my long day of college classes, you can bet I'm going to stay up for an hour or even two to make sure Nimbus gets attention and play time and let Sparta know he's loved.
According to exoticpets.about, rabbits can live for over five years. This is definitely a plus for me since I wanted a small pet with a longer life expectancy. If I had adopted a rabbit, Mr. Bunny and I would have had several years of happiness together.
Rabbits, like hamsters, can also be clicker trained. This is important for mental stimulation and for the owner's enjoyment with their pet. It creates a bond, in a way.
Cons -
Rabbits are messy. Now, let me set the record straight... chinchillas are messy!!! If I'm not vigilant, my house can become an utter wreck due to Nimbus's droppings, hay and toys. However, there is one amazing aspect of why a chinchilla trumps a rabbit: no smell. The smell of rabbit urine is an overpowering aroma of stench! As explained by critters360, it's also difficult to clean. While your bunny can be trained to use a litter box, those measures only go so far. My cat Sparta uses his litter box diligently, but that doesn't mean that if I don't clean it on a regular basis that it won't stink up the whole house. And, if Sparta's having a stomach problem, as soon as he walks out of the box, you'd think the lions from the zoo just waltzed out of there. Plus, rabbits will chew, tear up carpet and could potentially do some significant damage to your home. That's a huge factor if you're home is a rental...!
There are some diseases that rabbits can transfer to other pets, and my number 1 thought process always rests on the safety of my other pets. At the time, it was Binx and Sparta. Now, it's just Sparta, so I always think of what is best for him. Currently, a little female stray cat is staying in my home during the cold nights and intermittently throughout the day. However, she wasn't allowed near Sparta or to drink/eat before or after him until she was tested for feline leukemia and given a rabies vaccination. If you go in blindsided when picking out a new pet, the pets you already own may experience just as much pain as you do when adjusting to your new playmate. You have to look at all three sides of the issue. How will I adjust to my new pet? How will my current pets react to a new animal in the house? How will the new pet reaction to me and my pets? If one of those questions raises a red flag during your research, you need to reconsider how important it is for a new pet... or look at other options to keep everybody separated and happy. In addition, when looking at rabbits, you may have to adopt two because they love company and can become very lonely without a partner in crime.
My biggest problem with rabbits - and this is going to seem silly - is that they never recognize their owner as their owner. They don't learn their name. They think that any human being is just a human being. Now, looking through the first page of a Google search, there seems to be a discussion of whether or not that's true. For me, I didn't want to take the chance, and with all the other factors, a rabbit and I just aren't cut out for each other - at least, not in this time of my life.

A Black Dutch
From dutch-rabbit.co.uk

Guinea pigs:
I owned a guinea pig when I was young. His name was Nibbles, and he had soft shades of brown fur and an adorable squeak. However, it was a tragic experience when 8 days after bringing him home, he died in my arms for some unexplainable reason. I was devastated.
At the time of picking out the new addition to the family, my former boyfriend's opinion was still at play. We had bought Nutmeg together, and we would buy this new pet together. So, when he said he didn't want a guinea pig, I went along with it. While these adorable critters are fun to watch, they're also extremely skittish. They can be quite noisy, and it's important to own more than one because they, too, get lonely. One new pet was all we could handle at the time.
 The two videos below show two different opinions on guinea pig care along with their pros and cons. The second video sounds like a teenage girl is narrating, however, she sounds like she's more informed about guinea pig care. The first video shows a woman handling a guinea pig on her lap, which is a rarity. She clearly has the time in order to work with her animals as her occupation is interacting with the animals on her farm. She gives a more fantastical reality of guinea pig ownership.

A different view about guinea pigs and how they interact with their people from the younger girl. She specifically points out their dietary and habitat needs. The video also shows a more fitting home for the little pets instead of the startled herd careening around a very sparse cage in the first flick.

Why a chincilla?

Why indeed?

In February, I lost my hamster Nutmeg. I'd had her for a year and a half since she was about 6-months-old. In hamster years, she was 75 when she died. It was a quick process, as are most rodent deaths. One minute, she was completely normal, and the next I was feeding her water every few hours through an eye dropper for three days, sleeping on the floor beside her cage at night. On a Tuesday morning, I pulled up her plastic igloo house for a water feeding to find her gone to a better place. My former boyfriend and I buried her out by the fence in the backyard. I put one of her chew toys in the shoe box with her.

Baby Nutmeg - the day we brought her home

The ache of losing a pet is a difficult one to process. You can't express your goodbyes in a way they understand. Nutmeg probably thought being roused from her exhausted sleep throughout the day for water was torture. So, what can you do? For a hamster, you hope that he or she isn't suffering or in pain and watch them fade away. For dogs and cats, you are usually left staring at them, going back and forth in your mind about how much longer you'll wait before taking them to the vet and saying good bye. This past week, I watched my current boyfriend struggle with that decision when he learned the horrible news: his sweet yellow Labrador Honey at 7-years-old had pancreatic cancer, and there was nothing the vet could do.

Personally, I have a connection with animals shown through a deep respect and love for them. I grew up in a household where Steve Irwin was a hero because of his conservation efforts. Now, his methods were a bit extreme, although entertaining, but his message was clear: Animals are worth protecting. Since I was little, I surrounded myself with wildlife and pets. My mother raised monarch butterflies and saved baby bunnies from the outdoor neighborhood cats. She was my personal Steve Irwin, teaching me about ecology and biology. The family dogs and cats were rescues. Piddy Paws and Remington came from kill shelters. Sanibel needed a home because the neighbors couldn't care for him. Sparta was found under a car at a gas station in the rain. Candy was adopted from a humane society. Only Luca was taken from a pet store after my mother lost her beloved Sanibel to feline leukemia. She always had a soft spot for long-haired cats, and an adorable black and white, long-haired kitten sat in a cage at the pet store where we purchased turtle food. In reality, he, too, was a rescue. The pet store did not purchase puppies and kittens, but sold those brought to them because their owners couldn't care for them.

Like my mother and Luca, I, too, have an urge to fill the hole left by the death of the previous pet. At the time of Nutmeg's passing, my former boyfriend and I owned two cats - Binx, who was abandoned and walked up to our porch one day, and Sparta, who I mentioned earlier. I wanted another pet to add to the family, but my landlord hates dogs and  I couldn't handle a third cat. I began researching other small mammals like Nutmeg the hamster. We'll start with just the hamster for this post.


Hamsters:
Pros - The joys of having a hamster, for me, fell on the vast variety of food Nutmeg could enjoy. She, of course, had her normal blended hamster diet from the store, but I enjoyed feeding her all the extra goodies she was allowed as well. Carrots. Willow branches. Apple slices. Kiwi. Cucumber. Sweet peppers. Broccoli (her favorite). Corn-on-the-cob. It was a plethora of fun to watch her stuff her cheeks and enjoy her different snacks.
It was also simple to own a hamster with cats. That may sound like a ridiculous notion, but by using a hamster ball, Sparta and Binx took little notice of the giant plastic rolling ball after about a week. In an aquarium tank, Binx and Sparta couldn't get their claws through any holes. Now, I do not suggest putting a hamster in an aquarium unless absolutely necessary (like owning cats with no safe place to keep the cage out of their reach). This is because hamsters need air flow. To fix this problem, I bought a high rise, also known as a "habitat expander." This incredible contraption sits on top of a standard aquarium with two clamps. Press in the clamps, and the high rise (which adds two climbing levels for your little hamster) provides air flow and more play space. The cats learned through the power of the water bottle that Nutmeg should not be touched when in her high rise. During the day when I wasn't home, I took out the ladder that connected the tank to the high rise. This way, Nutmeg couldn't leave the safety of the glass, and I didn't have to remove the high rise and replace the tank lid every day
Finally, hamster care is easy to learn.  The hardest part about owning a hamster is cleaning the cage.This takes time to do, and if you use a tank, it means heavy lifting. It needs to be cleaned at least once a week, if not more depending on the cage type. Hamsters love, love, love being clean, and their cage is part of that. And, it must be done in a way that doesn't shock them when they return to a clean cage with all their belongings rearranged. The first task Nutmeg would perform after her cage was cleaned was put her snacks back in their preferred corners and tidy up her igloo. She was very meticulous that way! Otherwise, care is simple. Since hamsters never recognize their owners as playmates, although they can be clicker trained to do simple tricks, there is no need to spend hours interacting with your hamster. In most cases, they don't want to be handled in the first place. Instead, make sure they have a safe place to roll around in their exercise ball, provide them with fun toys and snacks and buy a hamster wheel. A hamster is set to go. Every so often, I'd provide additional exercise and mental stimulation buy building mazes and obstacle courses for Nutmeg out of toilet paper rolls, books, cardboard boxes, her wooden log toys and other safe objects to keep her entertained. Cage boredom is a horrible thing to suffer from. Think of when you were a child stuck inside the house for three days of straight rain. By the time the sun came out, you're ready to run like Forrest Gump. In the same way, sitting in a cage all day and night is not an enjoyable experience, so make sure to stimulate a hamster with both physical and mental activity. Hide their food. Let them crawl across your shoulders. Decorate the high rise with dangling chew toys and fluffy bedding.

Cons - Hamsters live for a short amount of time. I knew that beforehand, but when looking for a new pet, I knew I couldn't handle the trauma of falling in love with a new hamster and losing it after only a year. To me, that's the only con.
If you have children, however, that's a different story. When I was a child, I went through three different hamsters before my mother decided that children weren't meant to handle hamsters. And, she was right. Young children and hamsters do not mix. However, according to Paw Nation, hamsters are known as "starter pets" for kids because they require significantly less work. I would recommend that if you choose to use a hamster as a starter pet, have your child wait until at least 10, 11, 12-years-old. With the right amount of supervision and instruction, your son or daughter will learn the proper and safe way to handle the delicate animal.
If you're not a night owl, then most small mammals are not in your best interest, including hamsters. They are a noctural mammal, and the squeaking of Nutmeg's wheel was enough to drive me mad. I had to vigilantly keep the wheel oiled with vegetable oil in order to get a good night's sleep... and that was when the cage was kept in another room and I had a fan blowing all night. Also, the sound of their sharp teeth grinding against the metal of their water bottle could wake the dead. So, be sure to consider how important your sleep is or if you have a place to keep your cage where you wouldn't be disturbed.

Nutmeg in her exercise ball

Meet the Guest of Honor

This is Nimbus. 

He is a two-year-old chinchilla I adopted from the Georgia Chinchilla Rescue. His past is a questionable one. All I know is that he used to be a stud chinchilla for a breeder then ended up at the rescue. He had very little human interaction growing up and even less during the months leading up to his transition to the rescue. The breeder's mother became ill, and all the chinchillas were neglected. I adopted him in February and have become a member to the very bizarre, fascinating and frustrating world of chinchilla ownership.

Let me set a disclaimer. These blog posts will be full of funny stories, opinions and recommendations about and for owning a chinchilla. I am not a specialist. I am not a veterinarian. I am a just a young adult who owns a chinchilla offering advice, recommendations, opinions and a good tale or two about my personal day-to-day experiences with my beloved Nimbus. Take any product promotion as my own 

favoring of particular products due to failures with others. No companies have asked me or pay me to promote their food, cages, etc. Most of the information I relay about temperature, care and sickness can be found elsewhere on chinchilla rescue and care websites. I particularly trust Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue, which has a rigorous adoption and volunteer process in order to own or work with their animals. They also provide very detailed advice and care instructions for this very picky and delicate exotic animal. 

That being said, I hope you enjoy this rather overwhelming adventure with me. Apparently, Nimbus and I, if he remains the healthy, robust chinchilla that he is, have at least a decade more together as owner and pet. Perhaps, it will help your endeavor with your chinchilla(s) or persuade/dissuade you from owning your own. Honestly, with all the stories I've already racked up after Nimbus came into my life, I wonder if it is a good idea for anyone to own a chinchilla. I can tell you that they will teach you responsibility, time management, to make time for the simple things, how to lift a washing machine, how to bribe using raisins, the true meaning of "animal care" and endless amounts of patience. 

So, here we go!