How to House-Train a Chinchilla

You can house-train most rodents, at least to an extent, and chinchillas are no exception. Using one specific spot for urinating and defecating is a natural behavior for these animals. Chinchillas, like many other rodents, don't live in the open like deer; they live in burrows and they need to keep their restricted living quarters clean. It can be worth taking the time to train your chinchillas to use a litter tray as their designated spot. It makes cleaning the cage easier and is useful when you let the animals out. The earlier you start the training, the better. You might not be able to train your pets to defecate in a tray, but this is not a problem. Their droppings are dry, don't make the cage smell and are easy to vacuum or sweep up outside the cage.

Things You'll Need

  • Rat litter box or plastic tray
  • Cat litter tongs
  • Two types of bedding
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fit a rat litter box in a corner of the cage, ideally in a spot where you have already noticed your chinchillas urinating or defecating. A plastic tray or wide box a few inches deep also works as a litter tray.

    • 2

      Fill the litter tray with a material different to the chinchilla's normal bedding. For example, if you normally use a commercial bedding, fill the tray with torn cardboard. Leave some space at the top.

    • 3

      Pick up urine soaked material from the cage with the tongs and place it in the tray. The smell is a cue to your chinchillas where to urinate next. Continue for a few days, letting the tray get quite messy.

    • 4

      Empty the tray and replace the litter substrate once a day thereafter, retaining a small amount of the soiled material each time.

    • 5

      Take the tray out when you let the chinchillas out. Place the tray in their exercise pen.