Vincent is a "middle-aged" chinchilla and his name is taken from the motion picture "Pulp fiction". His favourite treat is swedish "knäckebröd" but he also like raisins, electric cables, wristwatches, wallpaper etc... He is the most lively early at morning or late at night. If I feed him (or just talks to him) at that time it's not unusual that he gets very excited and wave his tale and make loud noises.

But now we have finally got a new cage to Vincent and Druvan but they haven't moved in yet since they're not getting along. The new cage is bigger than Vincent's old one and it's made of wood with two doors with net on the front. It is very nice and practical with a big drawer in the bottom which makes it easy to clean the cage. (I will put in a photo on it as soon as I've got one).

I change the branches occasionally. When I do that I clean them up a bit by scrapping off moss and other dirt. It's important to use branches from a tree with leaves to avoid resin.

At the bottom of the cage I have shavings to absorb moisture. I also have a corner for hay and a big house where he can sleep or just hide. 

I have planned to build a practical container for the hay of some kind of a net. Otherwise you have to work with keeping the hay fresch every day if you have a solution like mine.

More information about the cage... 

Chinchillas can be up to 20 years old. You should therefore carefully consider if you really are going to get one since it will live long if you treat it right. Due to the long lifetime the chinchilla is not fully grown until it is about two years old. Adult chinchillas weighs up to 600 g but the males are a bit lighter.

You should not be overprotecting to your animal since it can lead to the loss of its natural resistance. The chinchilla is a robust and tough animal which is perfect if you're studying or works during the day since they're sleeping at that time anyway. 

If you are going to introduce a new partner to your chinchilla it can take a little time. At the beginning it is best to let them have seperate cages which are placed next to each other so they can sniff at one another but not bite. When the new chin seames to feel at home, you can try to bring them together at neutral ground - let them be out in a room together. But then you should always be present and ready to "jump in" if they start to fight a lot. When you have done this a couple of times and it is working, without anyone fighting, you can try to place them into the same cage. It is often best to take a new cage or use the one the male are living in since the female can be very sensitive about her territory.

The cage should be high and large where there are big branches to climb and bite on. The cage should also contain shelves where the chinchilla can sit and keep an eye on things. At the bottom you should have shavings (sawdust) or catsand to absorb moisture and urine. You should also have a bathtub (a box or other small container) with very fine sand where the chinchilla can take a bath. This particular sand you can buy at a petshop. (You also have to clean the sand pretty often). You should clean the cage once a week. 

The basic ingredient in the food is fine, green hay which is served in a crotch for instance. From there it is easy for the chinchilla to pick the parts of the hay it wants to eat. The other basic food ingredient is pellets. You can find specific chinchilla pellets in the petstore, but it often works with pellets for rabbits also since they have almost the same composition. But ask the staff at the store to be sure to get the right food! 

You can also mix out the food with porridge oats. And on occassion, and in a small dose, you can give the chinchilla raisins, "knäckebröd", carrot, a piece of an apple  etc. Be sure to never give it seeds from sunflowers, though. You should also avoid oranges, clover, cabbage, lettuce and grapes.

Be generally very careful with fresh vegetables and fruit since the chinchilla has a very sensitive stomach!

Don't feed it with mixes of seeds or food made for other animals, like for rats, rabbits, hamsters or guinea pigs! This may contain fat seeds and nuts that in the long run can damage the chinchilla's stomach and intestines.

When you have got babies you must baby-proof the cage since the babies are very small and fragile. This includes that you remove high shelves (or let the new family temporarily move in to a smaller cage) so the babies can't climb that high and fall. You should also put i a towel or something else to make the ground soft. It is also best to have shavings/sawdust as bedding when you have babies. If you have a cage which contains of net you should make sure that the holes aren't too large so the babies could get stuck or sneak out. You should also put in another waterbottle on a lower height so the babies can reach it. 

You can start with opening the door to the cage and reach in your hand, maybe with some treat like raisins. Eventually the chinchilla will come and explore you. When it has done that, it won't be long until it jumps up into your hand and let you carry him or her.

In the beginning, when you carry a chinchilla it can be wise to keep a steady grip around its tail. (Never lift it like that, though). The grip is not worse than to take a cat by the scruff of the neck. You should keep in mind to be careful if you don't hold its tail because the chin can fall and get hurt.

You must let the chinchilla get out sometimes (in a room) and run, but always under the owners supervision. Be sure that all windows and doors are closed!