Is there anyway to tell how old a Chinchilla is?

[GuinChin]

About 5 years ago I was in a Petco and they had a chinchilla up for adoption...he was almost completely bald and very thin so I don't know if he was abused or what the problem was but after owning him for about 6 months he was back to a healthy weight and had his fur back. I was wondering if there was anyway to tell how old he is now? I also have no way of checking to see if he has any hair rings because he does not like to be held or touched from behind....he doesn't mind being pet as long as he can see your hand. Any idea what i should do about this?



Here is a picture of Guinness now.

 

[tunes]

Nope, no way to tell. He could have been 3 months old or 6 months old when you bought him, or even 3 years old. Petco gets their chins from a broker and they don't have a clue either.

If was as bad as you say he was when you got him, you should be proud of yourself. He looks pretty darn nice now.

 

[caiti]

Yea he does look nice now. Nice and chunky, good job.

 

[GuinChin]

When i got him i didn't really know what I was getting myself into so i did a little research and think i did i pretty good job but now that i just recently discovered these forums i have already ordered a new wheel with no holes, wooden platforms to replace the plastic ones, high quality food and dust, apple wood twigs to replace the raisins (oops) , and some fleece to cover the wire flooring.

 

[mishellyshel]

welcome. lots of us made uninformed decisions in the beginning........you are on the right track now. Guiness looks very healthy and I love the name!

I say pick a date sometime in 2004 or 2005 and give him a birthday!

 

[Brittany]

Congrats and welcome to CnH! I also have this forum to thank for helping me learn how to take better care of my chinnies. Glad to hear that you are being proactive about making improvements!:thumbsup:

 

[Terbear24]

he looks great!
As for the adoptions at petco, he could have been 1 year to 10 years old, we take in almost any animal that people drop off. Unfortunately there is not a way to tell with these guys but I hope he gives you many good years now that he is being well taken care of!

 

[Si.dawn]

Petsmart chin

I know this post is old but hoping for the best. Does anyone know the general age of chinchillas sold at petsmart? I just bought one November 9th 2016 and he was super tiny and he's bigger now on the right diet. Just would like to give him an approximate age when someone asks. bad pic but shows his size

 

[Amethyst]

Chinchillas sold at pet stores in general are anywhere from a few months to years. It depends on what the breeder had available to fill the order, how long they were sitting in the warehouse waiting to be shipped to a store, and how long they were at the pet store for. If the chin is still growing it's under a year, and if it's grown a lot then probably under 6 months. Size and weight doesn't really help unless it's really young, chins come in a whole wide range of sizes. For example a 400g chin could be a 4-6 month old, or could just be a small full grown one. Chins don't really have any distinguishing ways of telling like, teeth on a cat or dog, unfortunately.

The pic didn't work, it's best to try posting it on a photo share site and link it.