Ella...Intro to Chinchillas

My first chinchilla, chin for short. I got Ella when she was still a kit (baby) about 3 months old and boy she was a speedy little demon. She was a handful to begin with, and then add the fact that she is an exotic animal made it quite a challenge for me. I bought her this two storey cage along with all the basic necessities which after adding it all up made for some expensive housing but it was all worth it when your pet is as adorable (cunning) as Ella.

The day I took her home was insane; I was a nervous wreck (can you believe that) holding this tiny blue pet carrier cage thinking what the heck am I getting myself into. Okay, you might be wondering what all the hoopla is about so allow me to give a brief introduction about chinchillas:

1. Chins are originally natives Andes mountains (South America);
2. Chins have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years (yes, they live a long full life);
3. Chins are nocturnal sometimes crepuscular animals (in my experience);
4. Chins are very fast runners and agile jumpers (Ella can jump 4 feet high);
5. Chins need their daily exercise (letting them out of their cage for 30 minutes or more to run around and play);
6. Since their teeth continuously grow chins need chew toys to wear them down to prevent overgrowing (a health hazards);
7. Chins do not have the ability to sweat so temperature over 77 degrees is not ideal since chins can suffer from heat stroke (an indicator of overheating is when you see their ears turn red);
8. Chins cannot bathe in water because of their dense fur (will promote fungus or other funky stuff) instead chins love to roll around their dust baths and get all squeaky clean (fascinating and fun to watch);
9. Chins diet is composed of 3 elements – high quality hay in pellet form (I use Mazuri), a constant supply of loose hay (I use timothy hay) and clean drinking water;
10. One setback though is they DO NOT like to be held, they are very squeamish and jumpy animals so you need to be extra patient in forming a bond with your chin;
11. Chins do not have a lot of dander which makes them ideal pets for allergy sufferers - hypoallergenic pets :)

And the list goes on but for now I will just give you the basics and will continue on with later post.


Back to my story, We went to pick her up, when we got there one of her paws was bleeding since her Dad attacked her (poor thing) but that didn’t stop her from being the happy little Ella that she is (I think she was ecstatic to leave) . I picked her up and put her in her miniature carrier and away we go. The carrier was on my lap the entire way, I partially opened it so she can get acquainted with my scent, it was a fun ride, and she kept crawling in and out exploring her new surroundings (nibbling on my fingers along the way). Finally we were home; she was more than excited to have her own brand new abode :) no sharing with lots of chins. Needless to say she is one spoiled little brat (she is a DRAMA chin) but I adore her to death. She has more than managed to give a smile in my darkest days. I hope you find a pet that does the same for you and watch out for crazy-frenzy Ella shenanigans in future blogs.


I almost forgot Ella is now 1 year and a half; she is turning 2 in August.