Edgehill Chinchillas

The most important aspect is that it should be a safe environment. Just because something is advertised as being suitable for a chinchilla does not mean it is. In particular, tall cages without separate floors can be lethal. Chinchillas are not expert climbers, they are rock hoppers and falls from heights of more than 60cm can result in broken bones or worse. Owners often find their chinchilla dead at the bottom of the cage and assume there must have been “something wrong with it” but sometimes this is due to a fall that has caused a broken neck, internal injuries etc.. Knocks on the jaws can lead to malocclusion down the line as the teeth become misaligned and the “root” area grows through the jaw bones. There is no cure for this type of malocclusion and burring the teeth down only gives temporary relief for a few months. It is not a cure. No amount of hammocks, shelving etc. will necessarily save them, they are not sure footed creatures, in fact they are quite clumsy with no sense of danger.

Equally, there should be no plastic, rubber etc. in a cage. Even if it is the “pet safe” types, the intestines of the chinchilla are very small so these can cause blockages which are almost inevitably fatal (the intestines are so small they cant be successfully operated on).

Wire flooring or solid flooring? There seems to be a myth that keeping chinchillas on wire flooring is not good for the animals. As long as the wire is strong and does not bend or cut into their feet, then it is perfectly suitable….. it does not cause bumblefoot (which is ulceration of the feet rather than hard skin which is perfectly normal). In fact, wire flooring is more hygienic. Unlike rabbits, chinchillas cannot be litter trained (although some but not all, have a tendency to urinate in certain areas of the cage). If urine and faeces fall through the wire flooring then it keeps the animals’ fur clean. Of course they appreciate wooden shelves, wooden houses, tunnels etc. in their cages, especially to sleep in/on but these should be made of natural suitable woods such as untreated pine, hazel etc. (plywood contains glue).

If you intend to breed you need suitable “birthing” cages as explained in the NCS guide above.

There is no doubt that most (but not all) chinchillas prefer a companion to cuddle up to, but they can happily thrive singularly or in pairs. It really is up the individual owners. A pair of same sex chinchillas can work very successfully, with males and females making equally good pets. The only proviso being that you cannot keep a pair of males in one cage in the same room as females. When a female comes into season the males will sense it and become competitive with each other, which can lead to fights. As a breeder I have no experience of neutered males.

The simple answer is no. This is because I operate what is effectively a “closed herd” system and need to protect my chinchillas from being exposed to disease. They are generally very healthy animals but can suffer from fur fungus and other diseases some of which are carried in contaminated food, the environment or even other pet animals such as rabbits, mice and rats. Some of these diseases do no harm to the carrying animals but can cause problems to the chinchillas (these pets need to be kept separate from chinchillas). Hence, it is essential that you read the NCS guides contained in this website to ensure they are the correct pet for you. Equally, anyone buying a chinchilla from me will have the opportunity to hold them to assess their personalities, to ask as many questions as they want and see my “herd” without any pressure to buy.

This can vary depending on what time of year it is, for example, whether it is during the show season (late September to April) or not. Since I breed quality chinchillas I like to exhibit most of those that I breed in any one year. This often means the ones I have available are between 5 and 12 months old (sometimes slightly older). I know people think that you can “mould” an animal’s personality if you get them while very young, but this is certainly not the case with chinchillas. They all have very different personalities and if you buy an animal at 6 months plus and it is happy to be held, then assuming it is treated correctly, that will likely always be the case. I breed a lot of standard greys but also Black Velvets, Black Pearls, Wilson Whites and Pink Whites (which can also give birth to Beige). What colour the mutations give birth to is unpredictable so I cannot forecast what colours I will have in the future. I sometimes have same sex pairs available for sale. The Standard grey are normally c.£120 and mutations from £140 plus (Black Pearls being a rare mutation so please enquire about price). If you wish to buy animals for breeding and exhibiting please make me aware of that so I can advise on the best possible choice. I do sometimes have older animals for sale at a reduced price.