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Guide to Chinchillas Burgess Pet Care’s guide to caring for your Chinchilla
Contents
Introduction Companionship Housing Exercise and play Handling Grooming Neutering Feeding Common health problems Health checks
How to keep your chinchilla happy and healthy
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A chinchilla is by nature a timid creature, but with plenty of gentle handling yours will make a wonderful, lively and inquisitive pet. Chinchillas are largely nocturnal, but become active during the evening and throughout the night – perfect for when owners get back from work or school. Very young children and chinchillas, however, aren’t always a good partnership because the animals are very sensitive to rough handling and are not particularly good at sitting still to be petted. To stay happy and healthy, your chinchilla must have proper handling, housing and food. You’ll find the best way to provide all three in this Care Guide so your pet can live a long and rewarding life – which can last between ten and fifteen years. 01
Companionship
up easier, it keeps your chinchillas away from damp litter too – they’re very prone to catching colds in damp conditions.
Chinchillas like the company of other chinchillas. Choose a pair or a group, but try to make them all the same sex, and it’s best to get all your pets at the same time.
Replace soiled litter every day and clean the entire cage with a pet safe disinfectant once a week. You can buy special cleaning agents from specialist pet shops.
Housing
To give your chinchillas’ feet a rest from standing on the wire (which can lead to a chronic condition called bumblefoot), fit some solid shelves and branches for them to sit on - ideally the branches should be from apple or pear trees as others have sap that can be poisonous. Make the shelves out of soft wood as this will also keep your pets entertained by having something to chew on.
The handy tray also stops droppings getting caught up in your pets’ thick coats and makes it impossible to chew the lining – which chinchillas would undoubtedly do.
Within the cage, you should create a small bedroom area where your pets can snuggle up and feel secure. You can buy a small chinchilla nest box from specialist pet shops, and these don’t need bedding. Your pet will eventually chew through it, so make sure there are no nails or staples in its construction.
When it comes to choosing your chinchillas’ cage, your motto should be the bigger – the better. Chinchillas are busy, active, inquisitive animals and they love lots of space to jump and play around in. The best cages are made from wire mesh (which should have a mesh no larger than 15mm x 15mm) which extends across the floor too. They love to chew and would gnaw their way through a wooden floor in no time. The wire cage bottom also allows urine and droppings to fall through onto a tray where it can be absorbed by newspaper or dust-free wood chippings. This not only makes cleaning 02
Showing behaviour that’s unique to only a few rodents, your chinchillas will love a bath – not a water bath, but a good sand bath to keep the coat in tip-top condition. Have a special container and fill it with approved chinchilla sand only, which stops the skin being damaged. Put the bath in the cage several times a week, but only for ten minutes at a time, in case it gets used as a toilet. A constant temperature is ideal, so you should put the cage out of direct sunlight and away from draughts and radiators. Your chinchillas will bear cold quite well, but may be prone to over-heating. At temperatures greater than 25˚C, chinchillas cool themselves down by sending blood to their large ears – so red ears can be a sign of over-heating.
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Exercise and play
Handling
Your chinchillas may think it’s play, but it’s really exercise – and both are vital for a happy, healthy life.
Chinchillas are by nature, timid creatures, so allow a few days of settling when you first get them home. Talk softly to your pets, so your voice is easily recognised, but avoid touching.
The cage makes a perfect playground. As we said on page 3, there should be shelves and branches, but rails and ramps make exciting new routes to explore too. A scattering of wooden chewing blocks increases the fun, as does hiding healthy Excel Nature Snacks for your chinchillas to sniff out. The cage is a great place for games, but a little time exploring the wider world of your room is good too. Rule 1: Make the room escape-proof – your chinchillas could be out through a tiny gap quick as a shot. Rule 2: Make the room chew-proof – it’s especially important to safeguard wires that your pets could easily gnaw through. Worried about an escape bid or damage? Build a special exercise run or playpen instead – but putting them in a run outside is not recommended as if they do escape you will be highly unlikely to get them back.
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Start to form a bond by hand-feeding Excel Nature Snacks, always being careful to make very gentle movements in the cage. Move on gradually to stroking and, finally, to picking your chinchillas up. Pick up your pets by putting one hand firmly under their bottom and the other over the back and pulling into your chest with the head facing you – that way your chinchillas will feel secure. Their ribs are very, very fragile so be extra gentle. If you handle your pets regularly, they will become more confident and relaxed. Chinchillas very rarely bite, but they’re very sensitive to rough handling and show their distress in other ways. Keep an eye out for ‘fur slip’, when patches of fur are shed, which is a sure sign of fear or distress. Never pick your chinchillas up by the tail – it will cause pain and distress and may lead to fur slip.
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Grooming
You don’t groom chinchillas – they do it themselves in the sand bath. Your chinchillas won’t like being brushed and it would damage their fur. It’s also important that you never get your chinchillas wet.
Neutering If your chinchillas are all male, it’s best to neuter them to avoid aggression. Aggressive behaviour can also occur in mixed groups – as can unwanted pregnancies – so neutering the males is still a good idea. In all-female groups, the question of neutering doesn’t arise.
Feeding What is often not understood is that chinchillas need high levels of a mix of two types of fibre in their digestive system – digestible and indigestible fibre. Burgess Excel call the correct ratio of these two types of fibre ‘Beneficial Fibre’. This need for high levels of fibre in their diet is also why Burgess Excel refer to these pets as ‘Fibrevores’. To ensure that they extract as much of the nutritional value from their food as they can, ‘fibrevores’ re-ingest it, this means that it goes through their digestive system twice. To understand how this works it helps to know a little about two different types of fibre. Indigestible fibre is moved through their digestive system and excreted as separate, round, hard droppings. This acts to keep the digestive system moving and stimulate appetite. Digestible fibre is moved up into an organ called the caecum – this is like a giant appendix. Good bacteria in the caecum ferment the fibre (part of the digestion process) which then emerges in the form of clumps of sticky droppings – called caecotrophs. Chinchillas then eat the caecotrophs and their systems extract essential nutrition as the digestible fibre passes through for the second time. Failing to provide adequate portions of the right kind of fibre can rapidly lead to illness or death. At Burgess Excel, we call the correct ratio of these two types of fibre ‘Beneficial Fibre’. That’s why muesli-style foods are such a problem. Chinchillas can become fussy eaters, and will eat sweet foods as an easy way to get a glucose fix. As a result, they can pick out unhealthy elements of muesli-style foods and leave the rest. This is called selective feeding and will inevitably lead to an imbalanced diet, lacking in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D. Above all, this behaviour can lead
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to a lack of fibre with potentially fatal consequences. When taken with the fact that muesli-style foods are commonly low in fibre to begin with, the problem is compounded.
packed with goodness, and all made with pure, natural ingredients. Some are specially designed to be fed by hand which helps pets to get comfortable with human attention.
And finally, the unhealthy ingredients in muesli-style foods are high in sugar and starch. These are difficult for chinchillas to digest and can lead to health problems and obesity.
Step 4 – Fresh Greens Chinchillas can be fed fresh greens to give additional fresh nutrients and to provide some variety. But you need to be careful about what you feed them, and how much – please see below for more information.
Chinchillas eat caecotrophs directly from their bottoms – obese chinchillas often cannot reach the caecotrophs which can lead to malnutrition and death. These problems can be avoided by sticking to The Excel Feeding Plan and giving your chinchillas Excel food. Both were developed by Burgess with one of the world’s leading small-animal vets to provide a perfect daily balance of fibre and nutrition.
Step 5 – Fresh Water A plentiful supply of fresh, clean water must always be available.
The Excel Feeding Plan
Your chinchillas will love to eat fresh fruit and vegetables – but too much of a good thing is actually very bad for them. Around a teaspoon a day or every other day is perfect for an adult chinchilla. Some foods should be avoided altogether and you should be careful never to overfeed – because that can cause bloat, which can kill.
Burgess Excel is the first range to offer a complete feeding plan which provides all the essential fibre, nutrients, vitamins and minerals that chinchillas need. Health and happiness in five simple steps.
Good Apple, blueberry, carrot, celery, grape, orange, cooked potato, pumpkin, squash, cooked sweet potato. The snack that chinchillas love most of all however, is raisins.
The Excel Feeding Plan = Complete Nutrition
Bad Asparagus, peas, cabbage, corn, lettuce, broccoli, rhubarb & rhubarb leaves, spinach.
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Excel Herbage/ Forage
Excel Nuggets
Excel Nature Snacks
Fresh Greens
Fresh Water
Step 1 – Excel Herbage and Forage These premium quality hay and grass foods should form most of your pets’ diet. They are especially good for dental health as they contain high levels of Beneficial Fibre that help to wear down teeth. The teeth of chinchillas are constantly growing and overgrown teeth can be the cause of potentially fatal problems. Step 2 – Excel Tasty Nuggets These contain 100% natural, wholesome ingredients, are naturally high in Beneficial Fibre for digestive health and have added vitamins, minerals and prebiotics. Because they’re not a muesli-style mix, they prevent selective feeding.
Poisonous Plants There are several plants that are poisonous to chinchillas. Make sure you don’t feed them to your pets and that there is no access to them in the house. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but some common plants that are harmful to chinchillas are: foxglove, lily, rose, periwinkle, all nightshades, aloe vera, boxwood, amaryllis, apple leaf, cherry laurel, gaultheria, poppy, tulip, fern, all ivy, tomato plant, hyacinth, primrose, daffodil, autumn crocus, mistletoe, all olives, delphinium, geranium, holly, chrysanthemum, clematis, forget-me-not, lavender and hydrangea macrophylla.
Step 3 – Excel Nature Snacks These healthy, nutritious natural snacks are ideal for chinchillas as they promote emotional health - preventing boredom and encouraging bonding and interaction between you and your pet. They can be fed daily, because they’re
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Common health problems
Dental problems Your chinchillas’ teeth will continue to grow all their lives and overgrown teeth can be the cause of potentially fatal health problems. A good diet with lots of coarse, high-fibre foods like Burgess Excel Herbage will help along with a supply of wooden chew objects like Burgess Excel Gnaw Sticks.
It’s strange but true: there’s a lot about keeping chinchillas healthy that nobody fully understands. But what we do know is that there are no vaccinations that they’re supposed to have and that they’re less attractive to flies, fleas and mites – all of which is excellent news.
Excessive drooling and a loss of appetite are sure signs of dental problems, and you should see your vet immediately.
A weekly health check is a good idea – see page 12 for a guide. But there are still some health problems which your chinchillas might have if their diet and living conditions aren’t all they should be. Here’s a brief guide, but remember: you should take your pets to a vet immediately if you are at all concerned.
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Respiratory problems There are three signs to look out for. Wheezing or chest difficulties may be a sign of a chest infection or pneumonia. A runny nose is linked to the common cold. Ear discharges or imbalance might mean an ear infection. Chinchillas are also very sensitive to draughts and damp which can lead to colds, so make sure they’re protected. Constipation Signs to look out for: your chinchillas will look bloated and there will be fewer droppings than usual – and the ones you do find will be smaller and thinner. This is usually caused by stress, pain or a lack of fibre and water, so access to plenty of fresh drinking water and lots of hay, like Excel Herbage is the answer. Diarrhoea This is quite a common problem with chinchillas and is usually a sign of over-eating – especially with treats or vegetables. Other causes might be stress, lack of fibre or a simple reaction to some bad food. Avoid feeding any treats if they have diarrhoea. Bumblefoot This condition, also called ulcerative pododermatitis, can be identified by ulcers on the feet and can be extremely painful if the ulcers get infected. Make regular checks to make sure the soles of their feet aren’t flaky or cracked - if they are, see a vet straight away.
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Health checks You can help to maintain your pets’ good health by learning to do some simple health checks every week. It’s a good way to increase the bond between you and to get to know your chinchillas’ natural condition and personality. That makes it easier for you to see when something is wrong, so you’ll be able to spot any problems early and get treatment in good time.
Teeth Check to make sure there isn’t any excessive drooling which can be a sign of dental problems. Be careful with this health check: your chinchillas might not be comfortable with having their mouths inspected and may bite – in which case, let your vet do the check instead. Fur Gently feel and look to check that there are no bald patches or injuries.
These are quick and easy checks which are best done when your pets are feeling comfortable and relaxed – you might find that an Excel Nature Snack helps. And never forget: if in doubt, always see your vet immediately. Ears Gently look inside and make sure they’re clean and free from discharge, which can be a sign of infection. Fleas and mites can also find their way in here.
Eyes Make sure their eyes are clear and shiny, not dull or swollen. There shouldn’t be any excessive blinking or too much wetness around the eyes.
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Feet Gently hold and feel their feet to make sure your pets haven’t injured themselves. Signs of flaking or cracks mean a visit to the vet straight away.
Weight Weigh your chinchillas on a regular basis to see that they are maintaining a constant weight that is healthy for their age. Regular visits to your vet will tell you what the weight should be. Watching the scales is important – obesity is a serious illness that can lead to other health problems.
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