Hi all! As you can see, I'm new the forums here and new to chinchillas in general. I do not currently own one nor have ever owned one. I actually didn't start getting interested in them until a couple months or so ago. When I got to hold one, I fell in love. That being said, I didn't want to make a hasty decision so I've been doing research. I also have many other pets including a bearded dragon, leopard geckos, toads and fish. I've been wanting something soft and furry for a while now. First, I have a list of all the things I need to buy for my future chinchilla. I plan on getting one next month if I don't decide to get a turtle instead. So more or less, I'd like everyone to be as blunt and honest with me as they can and tell me if everything is correct or if I should reconsider.
Here is the list:
http://ift.tt/2kWyozq
NOTE: I'm still deciding on a cage. Feel free to rec me one if you don't think the ones I picked out are good enough.
PLEASE tell me what I shouldn't purchase or what I should purchase if its not on the list. I want to make sure I'm thorough. Bonus points if you can tell me cons about something thats bad.
Temperatures
Lets talk about my room temperature. This is something I was concerned with and took into consideration when I thought about getting a chinchilla. As I've said, I keep reptiles and fish all in my room. I live with my mom and I am 23 years old, working part time at a store with my own transportation. Rules are that all my pets stay in my room. Which is fine. However, I worry about the temperature.
I did a few tests of my room's temp and how it changes. My beardie's tank/heat lamp makes my room a bit hot, especially when the air is off.
Those are all the temperature gradients of my room that involve my beardie. Now, I rarely turn off my AC. And if I do, its for no longer than 20 minutes just to let it rest for a bit, then it goes back on. If my temperatures are an issue, I don't mind getting a lower wattage bulb for my beardie to make it less hot, or just getting an under tank heater for him instead. And if that still doesn't cut it, I am willing to get a colder ac unit OR a portable ac that blows next to my chinchilla to keep it cool 24/7 that way I don't have to worry about it. On days where I know for a fact my room isn't cold enough, I can put my chinchilla in a much colder room where the air conditioning is cooler and then bring him back to my room at night.
I am also willing to compromise for when the winter comes. I hate the cold, but I have asthma so I cant get too hot either (SIGH). So of course, no heaters on during the cold months. I should probably mention that I live in Louisiana (what is winter? lol). I'm not worried about my fish or reptiles getting too cold, because I can provide them with tank heaters to keep them warm (or they'll just go into brumation). Please let me know if my temperatures get a pass~ :thumbsup:
Questions
I've done a fair amount of research on chinchillas, but I still have a few questions.
1. Are they prone to any illnesses? (Respiratory infections, mange, etc?) Do I need to get them any shots?
2. Are they curious prey animals like cats? Do I need to make sure my chinchilla doesn't bother or try to get at my reptiles/fish?
3. Lets say I wanna cuddle my little guy. Since their fur coats keep them so warm, would it not be advisable to let him sleep in the bed with me? Would it get too hot?
4. Is ok to walk them on a leash/harness, or would carrying them in a bag be more preferable? What about hamster balls?
Here is the list:
http://ift.tt/2kWyozq
NOTE: I'm still deciding on a cage. Feel free to rec me one if you don't think the ones I picked out are good enough.
PLEASE tell me what I shouldn't purchase or what I should purchase if its not on the list. I want to make sure I'm thorough. Bonus points if you can tell me cons about something thats bad.
Temperatures
Lets talk about my room temperature. This is something I was concerned with and took into consideration when I thought about getting a chinchilla. As I've said, I keep reptiles and fish all in my room. I live with my mom and I am 23 years old, working part time at a store with my own transportation. Rules are that all my pets stay in my room. Which is fine. However, I worry about the temperature.
I did a few tests of my room's temp and how it changes. My beardie's tank/heat lamp makes my room a bit hot, especially when the air is off.
- With my beardies tank on and the ac OFF, the room temperature can get to about 80 degrees.
- With my beardie's tank off (at night) and the ac ON, the temperature drops down to between 70 and 65.
- With regular room temperature (no heat lamp OR the AC on) my room seems to stay at a constant 70-73 degrees at night. During the day, its a bit warmer.
- With both the AC and my beardies tank on, especially if left running all day, it stays between 70 and 65.
- During the summer, my AC never turns off. The room stays at about 76 degrees or lower.
- Overall, I am able to keep my room below 80 degrees.
Those are all the temperature gradients of my room that involve my beardie. Now, I rarely turn off my AC. And if I do, its for no longer than 20 minutes just to let it rest for a bit, then it goes back on. If my temperatures are an issue, I don't mind getting a lower wattage bulb for my beardie to make it less hot, or just getting an under tank heater for him instead. And if that still doesn't cut it, I am willing to get a colder ac unit OR a portable ac that blows next to my chinchilla to keep it cool 24/7 that way I don't have to worry about it. On days where I know for a fact my room isn't cold enough, I can put my chinchilla in a much colder room where the air conditioning is cooler and then bring him back to my room at night.
I am also willing to compromise for when the winter comes. I hate the cold, but I have asthma so I cant get too hot either (SIGH). So of course, no heaters on during the cold months. I should probably mention that I live in Louisiana (what is winter? lol). I'm not worried about my fish or reptiles getting too cold, because I can provide them with tank heaters to keep them warm (or they'll just go into brumation). Please let me know if my temperatures get a pass~ :thumbsup:
Questions
I've done a fair amount of research on chinchillas, but I still have a few questions.
1. Are they prone to any illnesses? (Respiratory infections, mange, etc?) Do I need to get them any shots?
2. Are they curious prey animals like cats? Do I need to make sure my chinchilla doesn't bother or try to get at my reptiles/fish?
3. Lets say I wanna cuddle my little guy. Since their fur coats keep them so warm, would it not be advisable to let him sleep in the bed with me? Would it get too hot?
4. Is ok to walk them on a leash/harness, or would carrying them in a bag be more preferable? What about hamster balls?
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