Chinchillas require a large cage/enclosure and many marketed as suitable simply are not big enough. Ideally, we would like to see chins housed in large DIY enclosures with at least 1mx1mx1.5m space or even a specific chin safe room. German rodent care is miles ahead of us and many German sites have great info on building a suitable set-up – here are some useful sites:
http://www.diebrain.de/ch-gehege.html
https://www.chinchilla-scientia.com/english-corner/general-topics/minimum-size-for-chinchilla-cage-and-cage-size/

The absolute minimum cage size we will accept is the Liberta Explorer (or cages of the same size). The Savic Royal Suite 95 and Critter Nation Double are also acceptable for chins, but the plastic shelves will need to be covered with fleece (or replaced with metal/wooden shelves) and regularly checked for any signs of chewing.

Chinchillas also need daily out of cage playtime, as they love to bounce around, jump off walls, and use you as a climbing frame! They live up to 15-20 years so this is a big commitment. Please ensure you have the time to provide chins with the care they need before taking any on.

Hay

Hay should make up the majority of chinchillas’ diets and must always be available. We feed a mixture of meadow hay and timothy hay, with the occasional addition of oat grass hay and readigrass or graze-on (dried grass). If your chinchilla doesn’t eat much hay, try different types, and mix in some forage or pellets to entice them.

Forage

Alongside hay, we feed a daily handful of dried or fresh forage (leaves, herbs, flowers, roots, bark, branches). Chinchilla Scientia has some great advice on feeding a ‘natural’ diet and research on the diet of wild chinchillas, including lists of safe leaves, herbs, branches etc.

Our dried forage mix typically consists of:
Leaves – Plantain, Apple, Echinacea, Raspberry, Nettle, Dandelion, Hazelnut
Roots – Chicory or Dandelion
Bark – Willow or Birch
Flowers – Marigold, Rose, Cornflower, Chamomile, Mallow

In the spring & summer months, we collect fresh leaves and branches such as plantain, dandelion, yarrow, clover, willow, hazel, hawthorn and birch for the chinchillas to enjoy.

Pellets

Pellets should only form a small part of the diet and should be viewed as a supplement, rather than a main food. Too many pellets can lead to obesity and serious dental issues as the chinchilla fills up on these, neglecting the all-important hay. We feed only around 1 tablespoon of pellets per day, alongside a mixture of forage (with hay available 24/7). Pellets containing grains and cereals should be avoided – grass/hay based pellets are best (not alfalfa!) – we use Marriage’s chinchilla pellets.

Recommended Sites for Chinchilla Food

The Hay Shed – hay & forage
Nature’s Own Pets – hay & forage

We house our chinchillas on kiln dried, dust extracted woodshavings such as Snowflake Supreme. Other safe options include hemp or aspen shavings.

It is important to make your chinchilla’s enclosure interesting and enriching – space is great but it must be filled with things to do!

You should include:
– At least one hide
– Ledges/platforms
– Sand bath
– Tunnels
– Bridges
– Branches
– Metal wheel, at least 16 inches diameter
– Fleece hammocks

Chinchillas are excellent chewers so don’t include anything plastic – wood, cermaic and metal items are safest.

Coming Soon!