Supplies You Need to Care for a Chinchilla

1 Items Needed to Keep a Chinchilla

What to Prepare for a Chinchilla

1. A Large, Sturdy Cage

A chinchilla’s teeth keep growing and it chews often to keep them short, so it will gnaw the cage. Choose a sturdy cage—metal is best—or it will be destroyed. Give plenty of space and height for a platform to jump onto.

Chinchillas are active and need to jump and climb to meet their exercise needs, so give them plenty of space and add a high platform to perch on.

2. A Dark Nest Box

Chinchillas are nocturnal—active at night, resting by day. Bright daylight disturbs their rest, so place a well-shaded nest box in the cage for a good sleeping spot.

3. Dust Bath Container

Chinchillas need regular dust baths for coat health. Provide a covered bath container to keep dust from scattering. Because their fur is fine and dense, use a fine dust so it reaches the skin and cleans effectively.

5. Food Bowl

Place a bowl in the cage for food, but a light bowl is easily tipped or chewed, so choose a heavy, sturdy ceramic one that resists both.

6. Water Bottle

Chinchillas drink daily, but a bowl gets tipped and wets the fur, causing illness. Use a ball-tip water bottle fixed outside the cage—it won’t spill and gives water on demand. Change water regularly to keep it fresh and clean.

7. Exercise Wheel

Chinchillas need lots of exercise and can’t get enough in a cage, so fit a large chinchilla-specific wheel.

8. Bedding

Line the cage floor with bedding for warmth and to catch waste. Replace it often to keep the cage clean.

9. Food

Keep appropriate feed at home. Chinchillas are herbivorous—stock plenty of grass hay and chinchilla pellets, with pellets as the convenient base and hay as support, plus a little fruit and vegetables for balanced nutrition.

These are the basics for keeping a chinchilla. A good environment is part of keeping it healthy, so disinfect and clean the habitat regularly.