The Daily Chinchilla

traveling-s0uls asked: Would you recommend getting a cage mate for my chinch? She's only about 9 months old, and I know they can die from depression if they get lonely. I don't have time to let her out everyday :(

Well, it depends. Does she seem to be lonely? Even if you can’t let her have out-of-cage playtimes every day, a lot of chins do perfectly fine living alone if they have a large cage, plenty of toys, and lots of interaction. You don’t have to let her out to interact with her. But they are social creatures, and she may get depressed if you don’t spend enough time with her. Some chins benefit from having stuffed animal “friends” to cuddle up to—just make sure it’s a baby-safe toy, free of plastics, and remove it if she starts to rip it apart.

The other option is to get her a cage mate, but it takes quite a bit of time to introduce chinchillas, and you have to be prepared to have two chins in two separate rooms if they don’t get along. Some chins simply can’t be together. It could be great for her to have a companion though, so if you think you’d like to give it a try, read up on proper chinchilla introductions! I’ve written about it before and you can find a lot of valuable information at chins-n-hedgies.com.

ceiling-aquarium asked: Hello! I was wondering if there are any non-food toys that you could recommend for my chinchilla? She has a large cage run around, but I worry that she is bored especially because she is alone most of the day while I am at school.

Without a doubt, wood is the best non-food toy you can give to a chin! While there is a wide variety of wood that is safe for them to chew on, some woods can be toxic—you can’t just go outside and pick up a handful of twigs and let her have them. (If you have a tree that you know for a fact is safe, you can bake the wood to sterilize it.) Some types of wood are softer and therefore don’t last as long, so you should try a variety!

Another favorite is pumice. It’s the same stuff they like to roll around in, only in stone-form. You can’t go wrong with Lava Bites!

My favorite chinnie store has tons of great toys, and they’re cheaper than you’ll find at a pet store (: