How to keep a chinchilla at home?

A couple of centuries ago, chinchillas were on the verge of extinction - it was destroyed because of the very valuable fur, but gradually the situation changed for the better for the animal, and from the status of a hunting trophy, this rodent migrated to our homes into the status of a pet and everyone's favorite.

But in order for the animal to feel comfortable, healthy and cheerful, it is worth knowing how to properly feed it, how to feed it and is it possible to breed it at home?

Maintenance and care of a chinchilla at home

So, how to keep a chinchilla at home, for example in an apartment? The life span of a chinchilla at home for this cute rodent can be 25 years or more, which distinguishes it favorably from the hamsters and guinea pigs we are used to, living no more than 5 years.

Chinchilla is best bought at 2 months of age - the animal will get used to the new environment and owners faster than an adult and mature animal.

If you purchased a small rodent and wondered - is it possible to tame it, then, of course, you can. In the early days, just leave the animal alone - it will get used to the new home, smells and you.

Gradually start taming it, to your hands - go to the cage and in the palm of your hand in front of the open cage door offer the chinchilla a treat, such as a piece of sweet apple.

The animal will definitely take it from its hand, even if not immediately, so after a few days - a tamed chinchilla will often sit on your shoulder and joyfully react to your attention to its person. Believe me, caring for her is not so difficult.

There are rules and recommendations regarding the choice and arrangement of the cage. At the very beginning, the size of the cage per animal is 60 by 50 cm. some sawdust.

It is best to place the cage away from central heating batteries, while the temperature in the room should be within 20-22 degrees, without draft and away from direct sunlight.

The animal bathes in special sand, but not in water - It is not recommended to put a hot tub with sand in a cage, but it should be kept separately, giving the animal a so-called "bath day" at intervals of 2-3 days.

Cage equipment: how to keep it clean?

With regard to the equipment of the cage and what should be in it, it is recommended to put a small house in it, where the animal can retire, wooden shelves and ladders for games, a hanging drinking bowl and a feeder, which are attached from the outside.

It is recommended to put salt and mineral stones in the cage - they serve the animal as a natural sharpener for teeth and a source of salt and vitamins in the body, sennitsa with dry hay and grass, and it is recommended to cover the floor of the cage with a special filler made of wood and does not stick to the paws of the animal ...

If the size of the cage allows, you can install a running wheel, toys made of wood, preferably birch, but not pine or spruce, rings and a hammock. It is also worth learning the rules regarding what should not be done with chinchillas.

What can not be done to extend the life of the animal?

First of all, it is worth remembering that it is forbidden to bathe chinchillas in water, because there is special sand for this, in which the animal splashes with pleasure itself. Do not keep it in a cramped, small cage - this is an active rodent and a sedentary lifestyle will lead to obesity and death.

Wherein for the chinchilla, it is important to move up, movement from the upper to the lower shelf and vice versa, and therefore it is optimal to choose a high cage shape rather than an oblong one.

You should not let this handsome man walk around the apartment on your own - as a result, spoiled furniture, wiring and books are provided to you.

Also, do not give the chinchilla often eat a lot of nuts and fresh feed - the optimal diet is granulated feed, hay. Nuts, fresh fruits, seeds should serve as such a treat, rather than an everyday diet.

If you have purchased a pair of chinchillas, then never place a female next to a maleespecially if the boy is older and the girl is less than 6 months old. At this time, the female is not yet ready for childbirth, and therefore early pregnancy will only lead to problems with her health.

Try to travel less with chinchillas - for them the slightest noise, squabbles and moving are another stress that does not affect the pet in the best way.

The chinchilla does not tolerate the cold and therefore keeping it indoors, where it is below 14 degrees, is deadly, although it is also not worth overdoing with heat, since these rodents react very painfully to overheating, as well as the sun's rays, which can lead to heat or sunstroke.

How to feed a chinchilla and how many times a day?

Chinchillas belong to the order of herbivores, they are real representatives of the rodent family - at home, this moment should be taken into account and the appropriate diet should be selected.

With regard to food - in stores for chinchillas today it will not be a problem to choose dry, granular food, compiled taking into account the preferences of the rodent and with the necessary composition of macro, microelements, vitamins.

Many experts do not recommend buying and giving vitamins to chinchilla separately, although during pregnancy and feeding the offspring, the female can be transferred to a diet fortified with vitamins.

The chinchilla's diet should also include hay - you can prepare it yourself by collecting herbs such as clover, dandelions, and alfalfa in the field. If you buy hay at a pet store, it should be dry, clean, without unnecessary unpleasant mold odors.

As an additive, you can also introduce birch or willow twigs, raspberry twigs or apple, currant or linden. In no case do not give branches of oak and cherry, as well as trees that emit resin - pine, spruce.

Clean, boiled or filtered water must be present in the cage - in nature chinchillas get it from food, but due to the fact that the animal receives dry food at home, moisture is simply necessary for it.

You can feed the beast with flax seeds or corn grains, leaves of fresh and young nettle or dandelion, strawberries, also periodically give it pieces of dried sweet apple and carrots, pears, a few raisins. But introducing a fresh apple, cabbage and nuts into the diet is undesirable and even contraindicated.

Speaking about what should be excluded from the diet of chinchillas, in addition to all of the above, never give your pet fried seeds and grains, nuts - they are served fresh, but not fried. You should not give food from your own table either.Breads and biscuits - it is optimal to give wheat croutons and even then infrequently.

Diseases and their prevention: how to care for sick animals?

Many people ask the question - what diseases are inherent in chinchilla and what control measures, prevention should be used to prevent it? In the list of the most common diseases, veterinarians identified the following:

1. Upset gastrointestinal tract. The root cause is poor quality feed, with an expired shelf life, improper feeding regime, when there is an excess of dry or juicy food, a sharp change in diet and diet. As a result, the animal is diagnosed with constipation or diarrhea, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, when the feces come with blood splashes. Be sure to show the animal to the doctor - he will examine your pet, recommend a course of treatment and diet.
2. The chinchilla gnaws at its fur, or if there are several animals in the cage, then from each other. The reasons for this behavior are different - itchy skin or harmful insects, a lack of certain vitamins in the diet, especially protein. Show the animal to a doctor who will conduct an examination and take tests, or change the diet by introducing vitamin supplements into it, and also clean the cage more often.
3. Dystrophy of liver cells due to its obesity - here the liver cells are replaced by adipose tissue. The reason is rancid, poor-quality food, when the chinchilla's body does not absorb carotene, excessively fatty food, a large amount of nuts and seeds. The animal was simply fed - reconsider the diet, minimizing fatty foods, choosing only high-quality, fresh food, and also put the wheel in the cage for your pet's sports activities.
4. Formation of stones in the genitourinary system - the cause may be an improper diet. It is possible to identify stones by means of ultrasound - if they are small, when it is rather sand, then it will leave the body by itself, if their size is larger, they are removed surgically.
5. Sunstroke or hypothermia - the reasons are the wrong temperature regime for keeping the animal. Accordingly, remove the animal from a room that is too hot for it, from the sun, or transfer it to a warmer room. With such a problem, the animal will constantly lie, its breathing becomes intermittent and difficult, loss of consciousness - if this does not help, then it is worth showing the chinchilla to the veterinarian who will prescribe drugs that increase blood flow and respiration.
6. Conjunctivitis - inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes in chinchilla. The reason may be trauma or chemical irritants, bacteria - show the animal to a doctor who will prescribe treatment. In addition, remove it from the cage and treat it with antiseptics, and as a preventive measure and treatment, rinse the eyes with a 3% solution of boric acid, or with a decoction of chamomile, plus drops containing antibiotics.
7. Catarrh of the nose - this disease in chinchilla manifests itself when the weather changes, with sharp fluctuations in temperature, if there is a strong draft in the room. In this case, mucus will flow from the nasal passages of the animal, the eyes are watery, and white or yellow discharge accumulates in the corners, the chinchilla eats little, frequent breathing and an increase in temperature aggravate its condition. In this case, keep the animal in a dry room, rinse the eyes with a solution of boric acid, give food rich in vitamin C, consult a veterinarian.
8. Wounds that result from injury to animals between themselves during a fight, or when in contact with the sharp edge of a shelf in a cage.If the wounds are superficial, they heal on their own, without assistance, but if it is a deep wound, consult a doctor for washing and processing, in order to avoid infection and inflammation.
9. Dental problems... As the animal grows, chinchillas may develop dental problems - overgrowth and periodontal disease. The growth of teeth and the inability of the animal to grind them down leads to problems with bite and nutrition, chewing food and, as a result, problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Remember that chinchillas' teeth have an open root - so they grow constantly, and if there is a lack of vitamins A and D, calcium in the diet, teeth will grow too quickly. In this case, it is worth correcting the teeth - simply by cutting them off in a medical facility and constantly giving the animal hard twigs and products for grinding teeth.

Breeding animals at home in an apartment

How to keep a chinchilla at home? If you want to support a family of chinchillas and start breeding them, it is worth taking into account a few points and rules. First of all - it is matriarchy that is pronounced in chinchilla families, the supremacy of the female and therefore it is recommended to plant the female to the male on his territory, but if the sharing takes place on her territory, the couple should be given time to get used to each other, so to speak, get to know each other.

In this case, put the cage with the male next to the cage with the female for a couple of days, and only then put them together. If the animals behave aggressively, move them to the cages for a while and so on until they peacefully coexist in a pair. The main thing is to carry out everything under your own control, so that the animals in the fight do not hurt each other.

The male reaches puberty at the age of 8-9 months, the female at 7-8, while the duration of the female's sexual cycle is about 40-50 days, while estrus lasts 3-4 days. The female bears offspring for 105-110 days - during this period it is recommended to give her enhanced nutrition, especially if the animal has the first pregnancy.

1-2 cubs are born, less often - 3 or more, and in caring for the offspring, the male manifests itself as a rather caring daddy. But if you do not want the chinchilla to become pregnant again, it is recommended to move the male to another cage for the period of caring for the offspring by the female.

Babies are born already covered with wool, with open eyes and can move themselves - their weight varies from 30 to 70 grams and their weight depends on the number of pups in the litter.

If the female gave birth to 2, then there is no need to feed them, but if 3 or more - artificial feeding from a pipette with milk mixtures will save the babies. For that, so that the female produces more milk - give 1-2 raisins a day, and after a 2-month period, the babies can be removed from the mother.

As you can see, caring for a chinchilla at home is not that difficult. Chinchilla in the house, caring for it and reproduction is an activity that everyone can do. And you will get a lot of joy from caring for a small, fluffy animal.