Chinchillas anyone?

Well I thought I would ask!! We have a rabbit and guinea pig thread!
I have always liked chinchillas but have never owned one and would like to in the future... what are they like, are they easy to handle, feed, exercise etc...? Also plenty of pics please too
Thanks!!

I'll be watching this thread, I think they are gorgeous and would quite like one myself!!!

Lol, I just started loading some photos of mine up and saw this thread, I was also thinking of starting athread for them, I'll just go off and get some older photos while todays are loading up

Here are Misty and Magic, I will f had them a year on the third of next month, I got M and M when the original owners didn't have time for them anymore, and I absoluty love them, and espcially how they talk to each other, its so sweet. Since I've had them Misty has given birth to a litter of still borns, and Magic has been neutered, but I couldn't imagine life without these little guys now.

The first lot are Misty photos.




Can you spot the wonky wisker



and a christmas one I like of her,



The Magic man,








One of my favourite Christmas photos of him,

Is that enough of them

More more!!!!

No no Chaz, more please, they are gorgeous!!! What are they like to handle and feed? Do they eat fresh foods at all, of course I would read up about them before getting one/two, but I think its nice to hear hands on so to speak!

Lol Claire, we posted our more replies at the same time

I reckon there could be a couple of new chinchilla owners on Dogsey soon eh???!!!

I've just done another thread with photos in

Their friendly little critters, and since I've had them have learnt that I need food so will talk to me as I approach the cage, and they sound so sweet, when their on different levels of the cage in the evenings they will even start talking to one another is soft chirping noises, I ablsoluty love that noise, sometimes I even have to put the telly on mute no matter how many times I hear it

They do eat some fresh foods, but not too much, a little bit each day they enjoy, but it can be too rich for them, and they do love raisens, but they shouldn't have too much of that either, I got told half a raisen a week, as it can cause liver problems, although I have seen some chinchilla food with raisens in, and a lot, but mine are fed burgress chinchilla pellets, and get different treats (either fruit and veg, or natural treats like dandelion roots, and apple tree branches) although rose hips are a firm favourite here, and they love surrying around the cage to find whatever is hidden in their, or running around secure rooms at speeds and agility levels that only a chinchilla can do, really though I couldn't recommend chins as pets enough, before I had these two I never really thought much of them, but now I've had these I can't imagine not having any chins.

Dare you look here then?

http://www.chinchillas4life.co.uk/

I must say though that I have seen many breeders set ups for Chinchillas, and I don't like them, or show set ups either, with chinchillas being put on their own in small cages for showing, because grooming or jumping around can apparently break their coats, but Chins are social active animals, and I believe this is cruel, I've also seen three teir cages for breeding, with a male in the middle, and females above and below, wih entrances between each tier, but the females are wearing collars, so that the males can get in and out whenever they want, but the females have to stay in the correct areas, and I don't think I like this either, as there is so many questions to be raised I think, like it must be stressful for the females, to be around a strange female, and having a male come and go as he pleases, and also the question of food too, as what happens if the male eats some of the females, and going onto food, I've been told of some show people who feed the chins rabbit food, to make them puton weight, Misty and Magic were fed on rabbit food when I got them, and this can damage the liver of the chinchillas again, its not good for them. Saying that I'm sure that their are good breeders out there, who I will agree with more, I only know about them things as I was looking at getting another chin, but was shocked at what I found, so I would recommend looking around the breeds properly and questioning things if you get a Chinchilla

I have bookmarked that website, thanks hun and will look into it... I was promised a chinchilla years ago and never got one .... though blimey I never realised they lived that long... one on there was 22 years old! Thats older than most dogs!