How to Care for a Baby Chinchilla

Provide a large cage for your baby chinchilla. It is an active animal and likes to have lots of space to exercise. Buying a cage fitted with several levels, or installing shelves inside the cage yourself, will keep your chinchilla happy. Choose a wire mesh cage so that your chinchilla cannot chew its way out.

Keep your chinchilla in its cage for the first few days after you take it home. It will be nervous and needs time to get used to its new home. Avoid handling it; talk to it instead in a gentle, soothing voice. After the chinchilla has been in your home for a few days, slowly put your hand inside the cage. Offer it a treat to gain its trust. When you feel that your baby chinchilla is more comfortable with you, occasionally stroke it gently. Eventually you will be able to pick it up.

Hold your chinchilla firmly but gently to make it feel secure. Hold it close to your chest, facing inward, with one hand under its bottom and one hand covering its back. Repeat this regularly so that your chinchilla gets used to your touch and smell. Watch to see if the chinchilla is shedding its coat, which is often a sign that it is unhappy or that you are holding it too tightly.

Create a sleeping space in the corner of the cage, such as a nesting box filled with hay. Spread wood shavings or a wood-based litter over the base of the cage.

Place the cage away from direct sunlight, indoor heat sources (such as radiators and open fires) and drafty windows and doors. Your chinchilla will not like high temperatures and is prone to heat stroke, which can be extremely serious. Invest in a chinchilla marble. Keep it cold in the refrigerator, then place it inside the cage to create a spot to keep your chinchilla cool.

Keep a generous supply of good-quality hay in your chinchilla's cage. This provides the essential fiber in its diet and encourages the chewing exercises that are necessary to wear its teeth down properly.

Give your baby chinchilla a good-quality chinchilla pellet, which makes a good basic diet. Introduce new types of food gradually to allow your chinchilla's digestive system to grow accustomed to it. Phase out old food during a period of around 10 days.

Fasten feeding bowls and water bottles to the cage to keep them secure. Clean bowls and water bottles on a daily basis and make sure there is water available at all times.

Hide little treats of dried fruit and breakfast cereals around your chinchilla's cage to keep it amused and active. Place a few wooden toys inside the cage for your chinchilla to play with and chew on. Let your chinchilla out of its cage regularly, but do not let it run loose in your home unless you don't mind if it chews your furniture and belongings. An animal play pen may be a good investment.

Brush or comb your chinchilla's coat once a week to keep it soft and clean. This is also a good way to bond with your young chinchilla.

Place a small box filled with sand (known as a "dust bath" and "chinchilla dust") in your chinchilla's cage every few days. Leave it there for around five minutes. Your chinchilla will love "bathing" in the sand, which is an important part of its grooming routine as it keeps its coat shiny and its skin healthy.