| Things to know about your pet chinchilla |
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| * Cage Location * Ventilation * Heat * Humidity * Chin cages should be located out of direct sunlight and away from drafts. An out of the way area of the home is perfect, where they will not be disturbed during the day time, when chin will often be napping. Since chins are most active after dark and before dawn, bedrooms are NOT the best place for pet chins, unless you are a very heavy sleeper or work at night. Chins should never be kept in areas where the air is extremely still or stagnet, Some air movement is needed, but a fan blowing directly on the cage is not healthy, and neither is a heater or A/C vent. Chins can not be cooled by fans, simply moving the air. Chinchillas can actually take more cold then hot and humid. Though I have never tested it with my chins, I have been told by many old timers that chins can handle down to Zero degrees Fahrenheit as long as their water does not freeze and they have a closed nest box with a buddy or two. They also must be free of drafts. I think this is an extreme and totally unnecessary for pet chins. My chins have experienced mid fifty degree range (no drafts) and they are not phased a bit. High heat and humidity is the most deadly. Be very careful if the temp gets much over 75 degrees F, and the humidity is rising. If the temp (over 70) and the relative humidity percent add together to make 150 or more, then you need to cool down the area and/or lower the humidity. The elevated heat/humidity can kill a chin very quickly, with in hours. So in example, 70 degrees with 50% humidity is fine, that adds to only 120.... but 70 degrees and 80% humidity, this could be getting into a dangerous level. You need to cool the area AND bring down that humidity level with an air conditioner. Dehumidifiers also work, but once the temp is over 77 or more, taking humidity out of the air is NOT going to help. Using a fan is NOT going to help. Chins dont cool themselves like we do... Cold slate tiles in this type of weather only works for a few hours, if at all.... and frozen water bottles of ice are not going to help for long either, since it raises the humidity and can cause wet fur, matting of the coat and that can lead to fur fungus. Now, oddly enough, if it is 60-70 degrees out, and it is raining and the humidity is 100%, this is not a problem. But when the rain stops and the sun comes out, the temps come up.... you better look at the formula again, TEMP + Humidity = 150 (read -death to chins or said another way) What if a chin gets wet? When chins get wet, you have a much smaller animal then you thought it was, and it looks totally alien!!! Ears are HUGE, so are the feet!!! If your chin gets wet, you will want to dry it as much as you can with a soft fluffy towel, making sure the inside of the ears are dried too (this prevents ear mites) and use a low heat hair dryer to dry as much as possible, if the animal will allow it. Keep in a moderately warm spot FREE OF DRAFTS and until it dries completely, then give a dust bath. Do NOT dust him while still moist or this could cause big matting problem. Before the next dust bath, which should be the next day in this case, use a wide tooth comb to lift the hair and loosen any area that is wanting to mat up. Dust again, daily until coat come back to normal, careful though not to comb too much or you WILL have a bald chin! |