How to keep the chinchilla at home?

A couple of centuries ago chinchillas were on the verge of extinction - it was destroyed because of a very valuable fur, but gradually the situation changed for the better for the animal side and from the status of the hunting trophy, this rodent migrated to our homes as a pet and universal pet.

But that the animal felt comfortable, healthy and cheerful, it is worth knowing how to properly it, what to feed and whether it is possible to breed it at home?

Maintenance and care of a chinchilla at home

So, how to keep the chinchilla at home, for example in an apartment? The life of a chinchilla in the home of this cute rodent can be 25 years or more, which distinguishes it from the hamsters and guinea pigs that we usually live for no more than 5 years.

Chinshill is best to buy at the age of 2 months- the animal will soon get used to the new environment and the owners, rather than the adult and the newly formed.

If you bought a small rodent and wondered if it was possible to tame it, then, of course, you can. In the early days, just leave the animal alone - it will get used to the new house, smells and you.

Gradually start taming it, to your hands- Go to the cage and on the palm of your hand before the open cage door, offer a chinchilla delicacy, such as a slice of a sweet apple.

The animal will necessarily take it from your hand, even if not in a few days - a tamed chinchilla will often sit on your shoulder and joyfully respond to your attention to your person. Believe me, it's not so difficult to care for her.

Regarding the choice and arrangement of the cell, there are rules and recommendations. At the very beginning, the size of the cell per animal is 60 to 50 cm, and the height is from 60 cm or more. all locks and closures - strong, best not wooden, and metal, because the chinchilla rodent and soon from the wooden rods can remain only a sawdust.

Place the cage is best away from central heating batteries, while the temperature in the room should be within 20-22 degrees, without a draft and away from direct sunlight.

An animal is bathed in a special sand, but not in water- put a font with sand in the cage is not recommended, and keep it should be separately, arranging the animal so-called "bath day" with a periodicity of 2-3 days.

Cell equipment: how to keep clean?

With regard to the equipment of the cell and what should be in it, it is recommended to put in it a small house, where the animal can retire, wooden shelves and stairs for games, a hanging drinker and a feeder that are attached from the outside side.

In the cell it is recommended to put salt and mineral stones - they serve the animal such a natural tooth sharpener and a source of salt and vitamins in body, hay with dry hay and grass, and the floor of the cage is recommended to be covered with a special filler made of wood and not sticking to the paws animal.

If the dimensions of the cage allow, it can install a wheel for running, toys made of wood, preferably from birch, but not from pine or spruce, a ring and a hammock.It is necessary to learn the rules, as to what can not be done with chinchillas.

What can not be done to extend the life of the animal?

In the first place, it is worth remembering that it is forbidden to bathe chinchillas in water, because there is a special sand for this, in which the animal splashes with pleasure. Do not keep it in a cramped, small cage - it's an active rodent and a sedentary lifestyle will lead to obesity and death.

Whereinfor chinchilla it is important to move upwards, movement from the top to the bottom shelf and vice versa, and therefore optimally choose a high cell shape, rather than an oblong one.

It is not necessary to let this handsome man walk on his own in an apartment - as a result, spoiled furniture, wiring and books are provided for you.

Also, do not give chinchilla often have a lot of nuts and fresh food - the optimal diet is precisely the granulated fodder, hay. Nuts, fresh fruits, seeds should serve as such a delicacy, rather than a daily diet.

If you bought a pair of chinchillas, thennever put the female to the male, especially if the boy is older and the girl is less than 6 months old. At this time, the female is not yet ready for childbearing and therefore early pregnancy will lead only to problems with her health.

Try to travel less with chinchillas - for them the slightest noise, scuffles and crossings are another stress that does not have the best effect on your pet.

Chinchilla can not stand the cold and therefore keep it in a room below 14 degrees - deadly, although with heat it is also not worth overdoing, as these rodents react very painfully to overheating, as well as sunlight, which can lead to a thermal or solar shock.

What to feed the chinchilla and how many times a day?

Chinchillas belong to the squad of herbivores, they are real representatives of the rodent family - at home, this moment should be taken into account and the appropriate diet should be selected.

With respect to feed - in shops for chinchillas today there will be no problems to choose dry, granulated food, compiled taking into account the preferences of the rodent and with the necessary composition of macro, microelements, vitamins.

To buy and give vitamins chinchilla, many experts do not recommend, although during pregnancy and feeding offspring the female can be transferred to a vitamin-enriched diet.

In the diet of chinchilla must be present and hay - it can be harvested independently, collecting in the field such grasses as clover, dandelions, alfalfa.If you buy hay in a pet store - it should be dry, clean, without the superfluous unpleasant smell of mold.

As an additive you can enter and twigs of birch or willow, crimson branches or apple, currant or lime. In no case do not give the branches of oak and cherry trees, as well as trees that produce resin - pine, spruce.

In the cell must be present pure, boiled or filtered water - in nature, chinchillas receive her from food, but due to the fact that at home the animal receives dry food, moisture is easy for her is necessary.

Feeding the beast can be flax seeds or corn kernels, fresh and young nettle leaves or dandelion, strawberries, also let's periodically and to her and pieces of dried sweet apple and carrot, pear, a few raisins. But to introduce a fresh apple into the diet, cabbage and nuts - is undesirable and even contraindicated.

Talking about what should be excluded from the diet of chinchilla, then in addition to all of the above,never give your pet fried seeds and grains, nuts - they are served fresh, but not fried. Do not give food from your own table. Breadsticks and cookies - it is optimal to give a wheat crumb and then infrequently.

Diseases and their prevention: how to care for a sick animal?

Many are wondering - what diseases are inherent in chinchilla and what measures of control, prevention should be used to prevent? In the list of the most common diseases, veterinarians identified the following:

1. Disorder of the digestive tract.The root cause is low-quality fodder, with the expired shelf life, an incorrect feeding regime, when there is an excess of dry or juicy food, a sharp change in the diet and diet. As a consequence - the animal is diagnosed with constipation or diarrhea, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, when the feces come with bloody patches. Obviously, show the animal to the doctor - he will examine your pet, recommend a course of treatment and a diet.
2. Chinchilla gnaws out her wool or if there are several animals in the cage, then each other.The reasons for this behavior are different - skin itch or harmful insects, a lack of certain vitamins in the diet, in particular, protein. Show the animal to the doctor who will inspect and take tests, or change the diet by adding vitamin supplements to it, and also clean the cage more often.
3. Dystrophy of liver cells due to obesity- here the liver cells are replaced by fatty tissue. The reason is a rancid, poor-quality food, when the chinchilla organism does not absorb carotene, excessively fatty forages, plenty of nuts and seeds. The animal is simply fattened - revise the diet, minimizing fatty foods, choosing only quality, fresh food, and also put in a cage a wheel for sports lessons of your the pet.
4. The formation of stones in the genitourinary system- the reason may be an improper diet. To reveal stones it is possible by means of US - if they fine, when it more likely sand, he leaves a body itself if their sizes larger - they are removed surgically.
5. Sunstroke or hypothermia- the cause is the wrong temperature regime of the animal's content. Accordingly, remove the animal from a place too hot for him, from the sun, or transfer to a warmer room. With such a problem, the animal will constantly lie, its breathing becomes intermittent and difficult, loss of consciousness - if this did not help, then it is worthwhile to show the chinchilla to a veterinarian who will prescribe drugs that enhance blood flow and breath.
6. Conjunctivitis- inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes in chinchilla. The cause may be trauma or chemical irritants, bacteria - show the animal to the doctor who will prescribe the treatment. In addition, clean in a cage and treat it with antiseptics, and as prevention and treatment appoint washing eyes 3% solution of boric acid, or a decoction of chamomile, plus drops, which include antibiotics.
7. Qatar Nose- This disease in chinchilla manifests itself in the case of weather changes, with sudden temperature fluctuations, if there is a strong draft in the room. From the nasal ways of the animal in this case, slime will flow out, the eyes will tear, and in the corners will accumulate white or yellow discharge, the chinchilla does not eat much, frequent breathing and increased temperature aggravate it state. In this case, keep the animal standing in a dry room, rinse the eyes with a solution of boric acid, give food rich in vitamin C, consult a veterinarian.
8. Wounds that result from traumatizing animalsbetween themselves during the fight, or when they come in contact with the sharp edge of the shelf in the cage. If the wounds are superficial, they heal themselves, without assistance, but if this is a deep wound - contact a doctor, for washing and treatment, to avoid infection and inflammation.
9. Problems with teeth. As the animal grows, chinchillas can have problems with their teeth - their excessive growth and periodontitis. The growth of teeth and the lack of the ability of the animal to soak them, leads to problems with bite and nourishment, chewing food and as a consequence - problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Remember that the teeth of chinchillas have an open root - that's why they grow in them constantly, and if there is a shortage of vitamins A and D in the diet, calcium - the teeth will grow too quickly. In this case, it is necessary to correct the teeth - just by cutting them in the medical institution and constantly giving the animal firm twigs and products for grinding the teeth.

Breeding animals at home in the apartment

How to keep the chinchilla at home? If you want to keep a family of chinchillas and start breeding them - it is worth taking into account several points and rules. Firstly -in the families of chinchillas, it is matriarchy, the supremacy of the female, and therefore it is recommended that the female be attached to the male on its territory, if the same the population is on its territory - the couple should be given time to get used to each other, so to speak become acquainted.

In this case, for a couple of days, put the cage with the male near the cage with the female and only after planting them together. If the animals behave aggressively - spread them on the cages for a while and so on until they peacefully get along in pairs. The main thing is to conduct everything under their own control, so that the animals in the fight do not hurt each other.

Male reaches sexual maturity at the age of 8-9 months, female - at 7-8, while the duration of the sexual cycle in the female - about 40-50 days, the same temperature last 3-4 days. The female nurses offspring for 105-110 days - during this period it is recommended to give her enhanced nutrition, especially if the pregnancy is the first in the animal.

The light appears 1-2 cubs, less often - 3 or more and in the care of the offspring the male manifests itself as a sufficiently caring dad. But if you do not want the chinchilla to become pregnant again - during the period of the female's departure for the offspring it is recommended to move the male to another cage.

Babies born already covered with hair, open eyes and can move themselves - their mass varies from 30 to 70 grams and the weight depends on the number of young in the litter.

If the female gave birth to 2, then there is no need to feed them, and if 3 or more - artificial feeding of the infant formula from the pipette will save the babies. For,so that the female has more milk - give 1-2 raisins per day, and after a 2-month period, babies can be removed from the mother.

As you can see, caring for chinchillas at home is not so complicated. Chinchilla in the house, care for her and reproduction - an occupation, under everyone's power. And the joy of caring for a small, fluffy animal you will gain weight.