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" |
No comments:
Post a Comment