Whether you are headed out for vacation, moving, or on a work trip, it stands to reason that there will come a time when anyone who owns a little furicane will be faced with traveling with a chinchilla. With the right planning and preparation, you can alleviate the stress of the situation for you and your little travel companion.
Hay Feeders: Hay is an integral part of any healthy chinchilla diet, and it gets everywhere! Our cages have DIY hay feeders, complete with a standing perch for easy eating. Connected with two sturdy hooks, these feeders are a chin favorite, adhere to horizontal bars with ease, and keep the mess minimal!
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Huts & Houses: The fluffs love hiding houses, tight corners, and crunching down on the very infrastructure they inhabit. The best way to inhibit this type of behavior is by encouraging it in a safe, healthy manner! Our hideaways are made from kiln-dried pine and offer privacy-seeking chins a lovely respite from the craziness of their peaceful environments (because we all know being a well-cared-for chinchilla is exhausting). ?
Cuddle Buddies: Fleece teddies can be perfect for solo chinchillas! As long as the cuddle buddy has fine stitching and good construction, your chin will be snuggling up next to their new friend (or tossing it around) in no time.
Running Wheel: Although chinchillas do not require a wheel, it is nice to have one for exercise purposes. My chins have a running wheel in a separate playtime cage, which is an excellent way to encourage a weekly allotment of exercise while teaching them to manage their stress when being introduced to different environments.
So far in my experience, I have had two major chinchilla-to-chinchilla relationship problems arise. First, the slow, eventual, and final separation of my two male chinchillas, Mitty and Muff. Second, a recent scare between my mosaic sisters, Lulu and Fifi. Sweetheart Koko, as you may have guessed, has never needed a soul to make her happy self any happier, so she has always been on her own in that way.
What is a Dust Bath? A dust bath is a cleaning technique used by chinchillas (and other select avian and mammalian species). This type of waterless bathing utilizes dust or fine sand.
Why Do Chinchillas Need to Dust? Since chinchillas have incredibly dense fur and originate from a cool, dry climate in the South American Andes, their fur is not meant to be immersed in water. Water is considered harmful and any immersion could cause fur loss, stress, fungal infections, and lead to overheating. Dusting is important for chinchillas to stay clean, remove any impurities from their fur, and prevent matting. Dusting helps remove unnecessary oils and dirt, and also serves as a form of temperature regulation, meaning it assists in keeping your chin cool and dry by preventing a buildup of heat-trapping irregularities (dirt, oil, heaviness, impurities).
What Type of Dust Should I Use? I recommend Blue Cloud Dust, which is a very fine natural powder mined from the Blue Cloud Mine in Southern California. The dust has a very high standard of quality, shakes out of chinchilla fur, and also carries a natural, clean scent. This dust can be found in bulk online through various chinchilla vendors or in smaller quantities at commercial pet stores.
Chinchilla Dust Hacks! Does your chinchilla have a light-colored mutation or have urine stains on their furry behinds? You can add a tablespoon of corn starch to their dust bath to help lighten up those stains! Also, you can use a damp cloth or unscented baby wipe to clean stained areas, making sure that you are cleaning the surface areas only and monitoring them until their fur is fully dry.
This question comes up all the time from chinchilla owners, as it rightfully and naturally would. Should I get another chinchilla for my existing chinchilla(s)? Is my chinchilla lonely? Does my chinchilla deserve a playmate? Cage mate? Best friend?
In temperatures above 20 degrees celsius, you may need to limit exercise altogether. Even temperatures cooler than this can still affect overweight or flat-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds. Many dogs will want to rest just like we do, so give them plenty of space and avoid over-excitement.
Your dog may gravitate towards cool surfaces when they feel hot. There are a range of specially-designed cooling mats available to buy. These are especially useful if you do not have any cold or stone surfaces in your home. Some of these mats work best when cooled in the freezer, while others have self-cooling technology.
If your dog always has a toy in their mouth, then pop their favourite one in the freezer for a quick cooling fix. Some toys are specially made to be filled with water and frozen, making them stay cooler for longer.
Whether you are moving a long distance, or sending your chinchilla to a new home, here is some information on how to set up shipping your chinchilla. Chinchillas must be shipped by airline. They cannot be shipped by FedEx, UPS, or USPS.
You need to call the airline and ask about the number of pets. I do not know if they will be required to be quarantined or not so that will need to be asked as well. Unfortunately I am only familiar with domestic shipping in the US but the animal desk should be able to help answer your questions. Continental and American Airlines fly chinchillas. There are links at the bottom of the article that should point you to more info for the airlines.
im getting a chinchilla soon i live in england and will be moving in 3 years to the states i dont want to give him/her away to someone because it will be hard for me and i dont want to wait until i go to the states do u know if i can carry on him/her?
Hi my name is Isaac and I will be getting a chinchilla from Peru and moving the chin to the United States. Do you thing it safe for the chinchilla to go on a plane by its self or should I get a other chinchilla to A company the other chinchilla?
Hi Dawn! Unfortunately I do not have any experience with international shipping/transport so I am not sure the answer to your question. A long time ago I believe there was a member of a popular forum who moved from Europe to US and I do believe she shipped the chinchilla to someone in the US to watch ahead of time. I am not sure about quarantine. As far as airlines you would have to contact them and see the rules for carryon and then of course confirm when the time is closer.
The information provided in this post is coming from a chinchilla owner who has raised their chinchilla for the past 5 years and built the Planet Chinchilla community to share that information with all of you.
This makes it essential, depending on the temperatures in your area, that you have a vehicle where the AC unit is working correctly and is turned on. You should also have a well-ventilated travel carrier for your chinchilla to get it home safely.
Chinchillas are simply not a fan of traveling, and if the temperatures are not right for the occasion, this could easily lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke before you ever even get your chinchilla home.
If you can get your chinchilla home providing the ideal temperatures in the vehicle and travel case, and have a room planned out where your chinchilla can remain cool and safe, you are in good shape to start the journey of chinchilla parenting.
It helps to keep the humidity below 50% in the room where you keep your chinchilla. I keep it under 50% and have not not had any issues. It helps me sleep at night knowing that the room is at the proper temps and the humidity levels remain low.
You should never chase your chinchilla or put it in a situation where it feels scared. This can lead to increased body temperatures, but also potentially damage the bond with your pet. It can begin to lose trust in you.
With that being the case, it is essential to understand how to effectively recognize heat stroke and heat exhaustion in your chinchilla, so you can effectively render care and get your chinchilla to a vet.
If you notice this while it is just resting, or inside the cage, you may want to double-check the temperature of the room, check the water level in the water bottle, or consider investing in additional tools to help your chinchilla cool down.
You can also wrap your chinchilla in ice packs for a short amount of time. Ensure some insulation (like a towel) is provided between the ice and your chinchilla, to avoid shock or it getting too cold.
Regardless of the care you provide during this stage of the process, it is still essential to consult with a vet, to ensure no other illnesses are present, and that your chinchilla will be okay following the heat exhaustion.
To be honest, anytime heat exhaustion or heat stroke occurs with a chinchilla, you should contact a vet. Whether or not they advise you to show up with your chinchilla physically at the office is an entirely different story.
It is not often that a chinchilla needs to see the vet, since the trip can be quite stressful for them. A lot of the time, if your vet feels you have adequately cooled your chinchilla down, they may advise not coming in to avoid further stress and to avoid the chance of overheating further during the travel period to the vet.
Over 75 F is too hot for chinchillas. They need to remain at temperatures below 75 degrees F, to prevent heatstroke and heat exhaustion. This temperature may need to be reduced further, based on the humidity levels.
Chinchillas cannot live in hot weather. If you live in a hot weather climate and wish to adopt a chinchilla, you need to keep it at ideal temperatures in a climate-controlled home, with relatively low humidity levels.
All chinchilla owners should have a chinchilla safe carrier on hand. If your chinchilla has an emergency and needs to go to the vet, you will need a carrier. If you need to evacuate your home because of an emergency like a hurricane, flood, wildfire, or another event, you will probably need both a carrier and a travel cage. I recommend having both on hand if you live in an area where these types of emergencies are common.
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