Anyone own a chinchilla?

[shnozz]

Odd posting I know. Had a look at a couple on Saturday as a present to the other half. Look like that could be a bit messy and wreck wires/furniture etc. As they would be staying at mine for a large amount of the time, I wondered if anyone could tell me if they are liable to destroy my nice trendy batchelor pad?

[ehasler]

My cousin had one quite a few years ago, and on the odd occasion that they got out of their cage, they were pretty good at wrecking the place...

[sparks]

Chinchilla's (chinchilli?!) are very much like rabbits, they can be house trained, but seem to love chewing cables. A rabbit I had, once chewed through the telephone handset cable while my wife was on the phone!
If you hide all your cables and train them (look it up on the 'net) then you should be OK.

Sparks

>> Edited by sparks on Monday 18th November 11:08

[beano1197]

New TVR model????? I can see it now, the 50 bhp TVR Chinchilla.......Fiat Panda engine.....lightweight body...good for scratching and terrorising the neighbours......

My previous neighbours had one - the girl thought they had a life span similar to a hampster. When they got it home she mused on this point only for her boyfriend to tell her that they could live for twenty years. It did an awful lot of damage behind it's cage to the kitchen wall - as the current owner can testify!!!!

Not very good guard pet I understand - a colleague act work would probably have one to feed to one of his boas

[Marcos Maniac]

Yeah i've got a couple - well they belong to the Kids.

Funny little things, need cleaning regular or they stink.

They do chew a bit - the chinchillas not the kids.

suggest that you get a book on them first, need a biggish cage, wood to chew on etc.

mine are quite good when they are out regards chewing etc, mostly because we are there to keep an eye on them, they can be buggers to catch when its time to put them back in the cage if they dont want to go, they can move like lightning and jump onto/over anything.

[rude girl]

My friend's got a rat - really sweet, intelligent, trainable and very social animal. Smaller than your average sewer rat as well.

I'd get a dog myself though.

[MEMSDesign]

My GF used to have several. They are destructive little gits if you let them out of their cage, and can chew through wood like there's no tommorrow. They had loads of wooden climbing frames in their cage, which they slowly but surely reduced to sawdust.

You need to buy/make a decent sized cage (like 3ft square). They like dust baths. Can't tell you much more.

[Marcos Maniac]

MEMSDesign said:

You need to buy/make a decent sized cage (like 3ft square). They like dust baths. Can't tell you much more.

I think its sand baths

[sparkey]

One of my ex's family bred them (for fur believe it or not) and they seemed pretty vicious. Apparently tasted OK, but I didn't try one.

[hertsbiker]

I have 3... cool animal. The oldest is now 8. They live about 20 years, with 40 being the record. Not vicious at all, unless frightened. Their teeth grow constantly, and they can bite through plastic & wood very easily. So you need a well designed cage, and to supervise them when let out, or they go mental! BTW, they won't eat live cables. Mail me if you want more info, I'll be online at home before the weekend.
C

[shnozz]

cheers all - was thinking i could buy the missus a male and a female to get it on, along with a hook to hang it up, and it would be a DIY fur coat set for xmas. probably be enough to make one in time for next winter (if they start shagging quickly enough)

[shnozz]

Carl - cheers for that mate. I quite fancy a couple but not sure if it would be best to get just teh one so as its easier to keep an eye on and stop is destroying stuff!

I will take you up on that offer and e-mail you off thread.

Phil

[Marcos Maniac]

shnozz said: cheers all - was thinking i could buy the missus a male and a female to get it on, along with a hook to hang it up, and it would be a DIY fur coat set for xmas. probably be enough to make one in time for next winter (if they start shagging quickly enough)

Ours are male and female - constantly at it 'like rabbits'

My two year old tells them off "Naughty Chillas - fighting"

[marki]

Marcos Maniac said:.

mine are quite good when they are out

How can you tell what they are doing down the pub

[Podie]

Mate of mine has one... mental think. Goes nuts at night (cunning, given they're nocturnal! ) but are quite soft... very like rabbits as people have said.

Chinchilla = posh rat.

[Fatboy]

There's a traffic cone in the cage in the morning

[Gibo993]

Mate when I was at school had one, until one night it was running around the house like a mad thing and ran straight into the open fire, poof !

one ex Chinchilla

[marki]

Fatboy said: There's a traffic cone in the cage in the morning

And i bet they have been followed by and then them chinchilas are bastads when they have had a few

[SBD]

Bloody pain in the arse they are 'speshly when they've been clubbing and lost their keys banging on the sodding door at 4 in the morning and waking the whole street.