Are Chinchillas Easy or Hard to Take Care of? These 8 Reasons Will Amaze You!

8 Perfect Reasons Why Chinchillas Are Easy Pets to Maintain

Reason 1: Affordable to Maintain and Feed

Before buying a pet, it’s crucial to consider your finances, as they can often influence your entire decision. Good news, folks! Chinchillas are incredibly inexpensive to maintain.

Chinchilla price

To begin with, chinchillas are a rather inexpensive pet. Prices vary, but they typically range from $100 to $400. Their prices are determined by a variety of criteria, including the breed, breeders, and place of origin.

Housing

Then there’s the housing. A sturdy and large cage will set you back only around $100.

This may appear to be a bit pricey, but a properly maintained cage will last you for many years. In certain circumstances, they can outlast the chinchilla’s entire lifespan. Other items they’ll need, including nesting boxes and shelters, are also rather inexpensive.

Food

The next step is to feed your little buddy, which is really simple! You won’t feel bad about purchasing “cheap goods” because their meals are already very inexpensive.

They eat grass, hay, and other grains as part of their diet. Typically, “Chinchilla food” consists of specialised grass and hay pellets. These pellets may be purchased for roughly $15 to $20 on Amazon and will last for about 4 to 6 months. This, of course, is reliant on the number of chinchillas you have.

Keep in mind that going too cheap with their cuisine is not a good option. Their teeth, as well as their stomachs, are affected by what they eat. The teeth of a chinchilla develop continuously throughout their lives, and this diet helps trim and file those healthy chompers.

Reason 2: Chinchillas are Very Friendly and Sociable

Chinchillas are skeptical creatures by nature. Predators hunt heavily on them in the wild, and their fearful behavior is a result of this.

However, once they get to know the owners and recognize familiar faces, they become extremely lively and engaged. They’ll eventually grow obviously happy to see you, just as a cat or dog does when they recognize their owners.

Level of Engagement

Within the rodent family, they are second only to rats in terms of the amount of engagement they can provide their owners. Although chinchillas do not usually prefer being held or snuggled, if deep relationships and trust ties have been developed, some may warm up to the idea.

Social versatility

Another advantage is that they work well in both sociable and solo settings. Chinchillas create rapid friendships and communities with their cage mates because they are particularly receptive to one another.

These creatures have an amazing ability to thrive in same-sex societies, which is not very typical in the animal world. In same-sex habitats, animals have a tendency to injure one other while competing for dominance, yet chinchillas are precisely what their name implies: chill. 

A chinchilla, on the other hand, can survive on its own. They will not suffer from being an only pet, despite the fact that they will require greater interaction from their owners.

Reason 3: They Are Very Clean and Almost Odorless

Almost odorless is the keyword here. Although no animal will ever smell like flowers, rodents have a reputation for emitting particularly strong odor from their cages.

Chinchillas, on the other hand, are not like other rodents. Many people believe they are the cleanest of all rodents since they produce almost no stink. The odours will be kept to a minimum as long as the owner keeps their cage and housing clean on a regular basis.

Dust baths

A “dust bath” is something that chinchillas do. It’s a technique in which they roll around and coat themselves in dirt and dust.

This not only ensures a clean and healthy fur coat, but it also prevents access oils and moisture from becoming trapped in their fur. This distinguishes them and virtually removes any odor they may emit.

This happens one to three times per week. It is simple to provide them with a clean dust bath. It can be purchased on amazon for close to nothing. 

Although it may seem counterintuitive, a clean dust bath is a necessary alternative to water because they are unable to adequately dry themselves. I don’t mean the stuff you find under your couch when I mention dust. It’s more akin to dirt. It can be collected manually or purchased online.

Keep in mind that you might want to get them a “bathhouse,” which is essentially a little shelter that keeps your chinchilla from spreading dust all over the place when they roll about in it.

Reason 4: Chinchillas Are Very Intelligent

When people think of rodents, they don’t usually think of them as intelligent creatures. Don’t underestimate your chinchilla because they’re highly brilliant creatures.

They have been pushed to develop quick thinking skills that equip them with heightened cognitive capacities due to their position on the food chain in the wild. They can travel and judge distances in their brain, allowing them to do smooth jumps and maneuvers.

Good Memories

Chinchillas have fantastic memories as well! They can learn to know you by both sight and smell if you interact with them long enough. When they see you get home or enter the room, they may become visibly thrilled. They may even learn and remember their names and come when called with enough practice. 

Learning tricks

They can also learn tricks! Yes, you read that correctly: chinchillas can learn and remember commands with enough practice. Some folks have even managed to teach their chinchilla to play fetch! Some can even be taught to roll over on command or play dead. 

Reason 5: They Don’t Require Frequent Vet Visits 

Chinchillas are tenacious tiny creatures. They don’t usually require vet visits outside of the normal schedule, aside from regular check-ups that all pets should have.

Of course, all living animals can get sick or hurt, but chinchillas appear to be more hardy than other little pets. If they need to go to the vet for anything more than a routine appointment, it’s usually because of their teeth. Chinchillas have a tendency for grinding their teeth, which can lead to infections and injuries.

This is beneficial not only to your pet, but also to your money…

Unexpected veterinary expenses can rapidly add up to thousands of dollars. Having a pet with a strong immune system and overall resistance to the elements has both mental and financial benefits.

Reason 6: They Don’t Require a Large Space

Chinchillas are an excellent alternative if you live in an apartment or flat with little room. To be happy, they only need a small amount of space.

You’ll be OK as long as you have a table and a small nook to put their cage in. A chinchilla’s regular (and recommended) cage size is 3 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet. This is about the size of a small dresser or shelf.

Furthermore, unlike dogs and cats, chinchillas do not have an abundance of toys and accessories laying around the house. They are little and happy animals. Although you will need some space to store their bedding and cage accessories, this is a very small amount of space that can be hidden away practically anywhere.

Of course, if you choose to spoil your chinchilla with an abundance of toys and treats, that is completely up to you. 

Reason 7: Low Maintenance

Chinchillas are a fantastic choice for people who have a busy schedule or work hours that fluctuate. These small creatures are laid-back. You are not required to take them outside to use the restroom or for walks.

Additionally, you usually do not need to place them on a feeding schedule. They are capable of balancing their nutrition on their own. All you have to do is make sure their bowl is filled with food when it’s empty.

Chinchillas, like all pets, require varied levels of interaction, but they require significantly less than other pets. They require roughly an hour every day outside of the cage on average. This provides them with lots of exercise (aside from their wheel) and playtime, both of which are beneficial to their mental health. 

Reason 8: Easy to Clean

Cleaning up after these hairy tiny animals is almost effortless.

You might think I’m insane if I say that if you’ve ever kept a rodent as a pet. They are, however, far easier to clean up after than hamsters, rats, and gerbils.

To begin with, chinchillas urinate in a single location, which makes it simple to isolate. You can even litter train your chinchilla in some cases. Simply find where they urinate and put a litter box there. Almost every time, they will choose that location.

Regrettably, this does not apply to their faeces. Chinchillas poop between 250 to 300 times per day, making it tough to separate. The good news is that their faeces are virtually odourless. When it’s time to clean the cage, just remove it from its base, empty the contents into a garbage bag, wipe down the base, and then replace the bedding.

That’s all there is to it! Almost no effort.