Prospective Owner Here

[christypooh402]

Hi, I am not a new owner yet, but am considering a chin for my daughter. She's 13 and had a guinea pig before which she took really good care of. Sadly, we lost little Chessie to what we believe to be just old age. She was nearly 7, though my daughter had her for only 3 years.
Anyway, she has expressed an interest in chinchillas and from what I've read they are considerably more work than a guinea pig, but I think we are up for the challenge. What I'd like is for you all to give me the good, the bad, and the ugly about owning one. There's a rescue near us that has a female chin about a year old but I read that females spray urine. Is this something they all do? I have to admit, that part concerns me. Also, would I need to worry about biting? What I mean is, do they normally bite? Or usually pretty docile? Chessie never bit anyone, but when I was a kid, we had a piggy that did bite sometimes so I guess I'm wondering if it's typical with chins.
Sorry this is long but I want us to make the right decision about this so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tunes]

My best advice to you would be to go into the new chin owner section and start reading and work your way down. You will retain so much more if you dig in and go forum by forum. The search button at the top is also invaluable. The questions that you are asking have been asked and answered many times over, from many different perspectives.

I would pay particular attention to diet and housing. You want to be sure you have adequate cage space and, more important than a monstrous fancy cage, air conditioning. You also want to be sure you have access to a good pellet and good quality hay.

Yes some females spray, but not all females spray. Chins are docile by nature, I don't have a biter in the bunch. If you are looking for a pet like a guinea pig, a chin isn't it. Chins are NOT clingy, huggy, mauly animals. There are many more chins who don't want to be held than ones who do. Something to consider since you're wanting to get one for a young kid. I would also be sure to meet the rescue chin before I committed. Rescues "can" come with baggage. Be sure it's something you can handle before you commit.

Also just want to point out that you need to find a vet before you bring a chin home, not after. It is horrible to have a chin get injured or ill and not be able to take them to a vet because none was lined up.

 

[Chikachulove]

Well I just became a first time owner, but only after doing research for about 6 months. I read a lot on this forum but also read other websites, searched on common concerns and also watched you tube videos. Also what I found helpful was searching on people comparing chins to other pets. Especially if you have had other similar pets. I finally decided to get them because I'm a college student and them being nocturnal is actually a positive. I ended up adopting a pair that are 5 and 6 years old. There are positives and negatives I believe with adopting. First of all my boys were very timid at first. When they are older they and they go through a change it takes some time to adjust. When they are older they also have a personality already, they may be more quiet or more hyper and they may not want to connect with you. I definitely noticed that its been 3 weeks and they are just beginning to warm up to me but they still do not like being held and prefer to explore. Also my whole life I have had numerous different pets and these seem like quite a bit of work. Almost every day I clear the cage of all the mess they make during the night. I have also vaccuumed the cage but generally they are "clean" but I know chins are known for throwing stuff out of the cage. In general I suggest you and your daughter both do a lot of research. I also forgot to mention that although my chins are generally quite at night, when I first brought them home they would wake me up with barking and some chins bark all the time at night. Again I would suggest a lot of research! I love my boys but I have taken a lot into consideration when getting them emotionally financially etc.

Good luck! And hopefully if you do decide to get a chinnie furry friend that everyone will enjoy her!

 

[lauralynne]

Another thing worth pointing out is a chinchilla's typically long life span. (10-18 years) Are you going to keep the chinchilla if/when your daughter goes to college?

 

[~@Pokemon@~]

Another is that they chew ALOT! be prepared to hide your books and good furniture if they run in the open. Ive had to throw away many things that my boys have gotten too.