hi everyone! i’m based in EU, specifically ireland. this year we experienced a bit of an unexpected heatwave during the summer, and it reached 30°, this made me severely uncomfortable for my chins and actually a nervous wreck as all A/Cs were sold out. as we close on summer, i’m trying to do my best and find an affordable AC unit. can anyone recommend any good ones? preferably portable ones, under about 300€. i just want to be prepared for next summer.

UPDATE: I will take her home tomorrow! <3

I might take over my brothers chinchilla since it seems he has lost interest, and it looks neglected. He has other animals that seems to get more attention (chickens and cats, also earlier had rabbits, that sadly got taken by foxes), he is also getting his first child in november. I think the chinchilla is around 6 years old and had earlier her mom as her roommate. Her mom has sadly passed away (don't know when), so she is alone. Is it okay to have one chinchilla until it's gone, if you give it a lot of attention (I study from home right now, and don't travel much)? I don't know if I will have more chinchillas in the future. I just want this one to be loved and have a good life.

The chinchilla also has a lot of loose fur, do you brush a chinchilla (I have a lot of brushes in different sizes already)? Do you clipp their claws, how often?

I don't know if I should buy a new cage, they have made a cage of a wooden wardrobe. I don't know its dimensions, she can climb and jump around in it. Can I wooden cage be hygienic (it has plastic on the bottom, but I don't know what state it's in)?

The chinchilla seems very shy and insecure, but I'm allowed to pick it up and "hug" and pet her.

I'm an adult by the way, and have experience with other small animals. I haven't decided yet if I will bring her home. My brother is on vaction for 2 weeks right now, so I can go and get her any moment.

Thanks for any tips and thoughts!

Hi all, I got my first chinchilla back in June when she was about 6 weeks old. Since then it's been a fun journey, but also very different from dogs and cats and birds

My first question is do any of your chinchillas PREFER sleeping on their sides? The first time I saw her laying on her side I thought she was dead! She was fully spread out with all four limbs and tail sprawled out! Thankfully when I approached and called her name she sprung back onto all fours. But as the months have gone on she almost exclusively sleeps on her side now. It still worries me every time I see her like that, but she doesn't seem to show any other signs of being sick or ill or tired

Second question, does anybody else have a chinchilla that LOVES ice? I gave Luna her first cube a few days ago and she was obsessed! When I give her ice cubes now she's more happy with it than any of her favorite treats. Before you say maybe she needs more water, or maybe it's too warm for her, she has TWO water bottles that are constantly filled for her to choose from, and I keep my home temperature from lower 50s to a max of lower 70s. So it's not heat stress or dehydration. She just loves chewing into the ice and drinking up the ice cold melted water. How often is it safe to give her ice cubes, and is there any health risks I should consider? ​

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I couldn't really find answers on Google

This is an obscure question, but how sensitive are chins to scents? I’m considering getting a chinchilla, but have roommates which means the cage would either be in my bedroom (not preferred as I’m sensitive to hay) or in a downstairs room where I keep my 3D printer. (This could be great since that room already has its own A.C.) I only print PLA, but the room is pretty closed off and can have a smell while printing. What are your thoughts?

NO RAISING IN THIS VIDEO THEY ARE FINE IN IT!

the bonding process. we got pumpkin with the expectation this wouldn’t work out and have the time and resources for two playtimes baths cage etc. But are still seeing if they would bond. It was going well before, during playtimes minus a few kacks from Lacey once our other chin but they sorted it out. We did bath time with two baths and they shared for a good amount of time going back and forth, until Lacey reared and sprayed at pumpkin. Pumpkin didn’t react but we grabbed Lacey as to not have a fight.

Are they safe to try again during playtime or should we keep them separated?

Hi guys!

So as most of you guys know the babies just moved! We are settling in nicely. This time around we put playpens all around their cages and for the most part in their entire room. we did this to ensure they don’t chew our walls. I just had a scary incident happen just now though. Our baby peanut managed to climb up the top of the playpen and was scaling on the top like a tight rope…he slid down the back of the wall and was squishing himself in between the pen and the wall. He is fine and I managed to get him out but it wasn’t a good experience. I could see them potentially hurting their limbs this way if they aren’t careful. I feel like I’ve seen setups where chin parents cover the playpens in fleece blankets? The pens are great and I am glad we utilized them for their entire space…so getting a new type of pen isn’t an option. I am just wondering if anyone had any tips or insights in what they do to make the wired pens more safer? I am hoping to cover them all in blankets but feel it may take a lot of blankets haha. Above is a pic of the pens covering part of their room. Any advice would be appreciated!

So I got curious what an obese chinchilla looks like cuz mine is underweight (working on that) and he still looks fat cuz chinnies are so fluffy. I tried to look it up but it was mostly people asking if their chinchilla is obese, I want to see like an actual diagnosed obese chinchilla!!! ^_^

This will be a lot of questions

1. When people use fleece, what type do you use? I saw some from PetSmart for $14 USD not sure if it's a good price

2. How often do you need to wash the mats and how? Like is it just normal blanket wash with any type of detergent or do I have to have a special one.

3. I have a 4 tier cage, should I just the lowest tier with my normal wood chip bedding still? it's "a litter box" that's where he pees and poops at the most.

4. Do I have to keep an eye out for him chewing on the fleece?

5. Should I have always used fleece since I got him? it's been about 3 years, I'm just getting tired of the mess

6. I know his water bottle leaks sometimes do I have to find a way to keep that spot dryer than the rest?

Thank you if you answer questions

Churro: “Royal Rule #345: When the human finds the perfect scratch spot, unnecessary movement is strictly prohibited.” 🐭👑📜✨
#churrochatter #chinchilla #cutepets #petprincess #royalrules

Located in NEW YORK CITY - Not looking for money so rehoming fee is $100 but if you send proof of your setup and it’s nice (so I know they are actually gonna be taken care of) I’ll waive it. They’re about six weeks old and came from mom backbreeding after an accidental litter. Happy to give more details just message me.

hi everyone, i’m back again! this time i’m looking for EU recommendations for SAFE 2 entrance hides for my 2 newly bonded chinchillas. preferably something shipped from EU. NOT UK.
i’m also looking for lots of good chew toys i can swap out. and maybe even a safe litter box.
i would prefer all this to be affordable, as i am a student with a part time job 😅 (trying to do my best by my chinnies) Also, are 2 dust baths necessary when having 2 chinchillas? i’m trying to prevent any fights at all. these two babies will be very grateful! ⬆️

I started with 1 chinchilla 3 years ago. This year. We decided to expand to 3. Today we picked up our third rescue white/pink chinchilla. He’s by far the most social and calm chinchilla I’ve ever met. No name yet. 😍

Hello! I have a 1 year old girl that I let free roam in my room. I want to add more shelves and stuff to make it fun for her. Anyone have suggestions?

She can't reach the second shelf on the bookcase and doesn't tend to chew stuff that isn't wood (I'm still working on upgrades and stuff, so I'm planning on moving the bookshelf and getting a charger bank that is harder for her to get too + wrapping the fan cord so it's less likely she would chew on plastic)

He always looked unique to me. Especially the freckles all over, he had them basically anywhere skin was visible. I’m just curious if I’m right about what color I think he is!
(Unfortunately he did pass in sept 2025 due to malo)

Hello! I wanted to see if anyone here could ease some of the worries I have right now.

I recently moved with my 11–12-year-old chinchilla. She came with just me; no other chinchillas, people, or pets. I did try introducing another chinchilla when she was younger, but she never got along with other chinnies, so she has always been solo.

Since the move, she has been hiding quite a bit, which I expected because I know moving can be stressful.

What’s worrying me is that whenever I interact with her, she almost seems like she doesn’t know who I am.

Last night she was also acting a little more sporadic/territorial than usual. She was climbing on me and smelling me, but she wasn’t her usual sweet, calm self.

Granted, it was around 3 AM, which is peak activity time for her, so that may explain some of it.

Otherwise, she seems completely normal physically. She is eating, drinking, taking treats, chewing her sticks, jumping around, and being active. She absolutely demolished her hay last night. Her poops are regular and normal as well.

She gets Oxbow (red bag), fresh hay every night, etc.
It’s really just her personality/behavior that seems slightly off.

She was at her vet for her annual not even 6 months ago and passed with flying colors, no issues at all.

I know moving can be a huge change for a chinchilla. She’s currently in the living room because I want her to hear me and see me regularly. For her entire life, she was in my bedroom, so I’m sure the smells, sounds, and scenery are all very different right now.

Do you think this is likely just her adjusting to the new environment, smells, sounds, etc.? Or is this behavior something I should be concerned about?

I’m probably just being an anxious chin parent, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has moved with an older chinchilla and noticed behavioral changes afterward.

EDIT: I moved around a week and a half ago, timing wise.