Chinchilla Housing

Chinchillas need to be housed at a temperature which is below 25°C (77°F). 10-15°C (50-59°) is ideal although they can survive temperatures as low as 0°C (32°F) if the atmosphere is dry and draught free.

They suffer greatly in high humidity or high temperatures and should be kept away from windows and radiators. When the humidity and temperature are high, it is important to use a dehumidifier to keep the humidity at around 70% and an air conditioning unit to keep the air around them cool.

Because they are great gnawers, chinchillas are kept in wire mesh cages or aviary type accommodation. Many of these cages have wire mesh bottoms for hygiene reasons. As wire mesh is hard on their paws, it is important, if you use a cage with wire mesh floors, to provide plenty of resting boards and shelves where they can rest. Mesh size should be maximum 15mm x 15mm and there should be a maximum drop of 45cm between shelves in multi-tiered cages

Keep hay racks on the outside of the cage to avoid injury and only leave the dust bath in the cage just long enough for your chinchilla(s) to have a bath in it. 10 minutes 3 times per week is plenty. Otherwise you will find the chinchilla using the bath as a toilet and then bathing in contaminated chinchilla dust. Always use proper 'chinchilla sand' which has rounded particles, ordinary sand can damage the chinchillas coat.

They are nocturnal creatures and extremely active. An evening exercise period outside the cage and a solid wheel like those made by John Hopewell in the UK (open wire wheels are extremely dangerous) for night time exercise will keep your chinchilla in good condition. A room where chinchillas are allowed to exercise should be 'chin-proofed'. Electrical cables in particular need to be protected from their gnawing. They will poop all over the place as they go, but are less likely to urinate outside the cage.

In households where there are several cages of chinchillas and the chinchillas from one cage are allowed to exercise outside the cage, you need to take care that fights leading to injuries do not occur through the bars. I have heard of several chinchillas that have had paws bitten off by rivals in this way.

Erodent has a list of tried and tested exercise wheels for chinchillas page including where to buy them in the US and the UK.

Ranch House Cages make some nice looking chinchilla cages at a great price. Custom made cages available on request.

Chinchillas love having sleeping boxes or nest boxes to curl up in. Chose those made from untreated safe wood as they will gnaw then to pieces eventually. Giving your chinchilla safe wood to gnaw on such as willow and hazel will hopefully mean you won't have to replace the wooden chinchilla nest box too often!