🧡🐭 Vet Guide 2025: How to Care for Your Chinchilla — By Dr Duncan Houston

Chinchillas are sensitive, inquisitive, and delightful companions—but their care requires thoughtful attention to diet, housing, grooming, enrichment, and wellness. In this 2025 guide, I provide clear, actionable advice to support your chinchilla’s long-term health and happiness. Let’s make every day in your chin’s life the best it can be! 🌟

1️⃣ Setting Up the Ideal Habitat

• 🏠 Choose a tall, multi-level wire cage (minimum 24″×24″×36″) with solid platforms and ramps.
• 🌬️ Maintain cool temperatures: 60–70 °F with low humidity to prevent overheating.
• 🛋️ Provide soft bedding—dust-free paper or fleece liners; change weekly to maintain hygiene.
• 🕳️ Include hideouts or nesting boxes for security and retreat.
• 🧼 Clean cage weekly—wipe surfaces, replace liners, sanitize toys & wheels (ferret-safe cleaner).

2️⃣ Nutrition & Feeding Essentials

• 🌾 Unlimited access to high-quality Timothy hay—fiber is critical for digestion and dental wear.
• 🥣 Provide chinchilla-specific pellets (1 – 2 TBSP daily) to meet nutritional needs.
• 🚫 Avoid treats high in sugar or fat; limit dried fruit or nuts to occasional treats only.
• 💧 Offer fresh water daily via water bottle or sturdy bowl; check for cleanliness and function.

3️⃣ Grooming & Dust Baths

• 🛁 Offer volcanic ash dust bath 2–3 times per week—5–10 minutes in a closed container helps keep fur clean.
• 🪶 Brush with a soft slicker brush weekly to prevent matting.
• 🚫 Never bathe in water—it damages their dense fur and skin.

4️⃣ Enrichment & Exercise

• 🏃 Provide a quiet exercise wheel (minimum 15″ solid-surface) for cardiovascular health.
• 📦 Include chew-safe toys (pumice blocks, untreated wood) to support dental health.
• 🧠 Offer puzzle feeders or snuffle mats (Woopf-style) to encourage foraging and mental stimulation.
• 🎮 Supervised playtime outside the cage in a chinchilla-proofed area daily builds trust and exercise habits.
• 🔁 Rotate toys weekly to maintain novelty and engagement.

5️⃣ Social Bonding & Handling

• 🤲 Approach calmly and gently—let your chinchilla come to you; avoid grabbing or restraining abruptly.
• 🧡 Hold with both hands under the chest and rear—supporting their body securely.
• 📅 Spend 5–10 minutes daily in quiet interaction, offering treats and clicker-based training.
• 👥 Though solitary by nature, same-sex pairs from young age may bond—but monitor compatibility closely.

6️⃣ Health Monitoring & Vet Care

• ⚖ Weigh monthly; adults typically weigh 400–600 g—note weight loss promptly.
• 🩺 Schedule annual vet visits with a vet experienced in exotic or small mammals.
• 🔍 Watch for signs of illness: reduced appetite, diarrhea, respiratory issues, sneezing, or eye/nasal discharge.
• 📱 Use Ask A Vet to share photos or concerns between in-clinic visits.

7️⃣ Common Health Concerns

• ⚠ **Dental problems:** molar overgrowth can cause drooling and weight loss—provide chew items and seek vet diagnosis.
• ⚠ **GI stasis or digestive upset:** monitor droppings; provide high-fiber diet & fresh water; contact vet if issues arise.
• ⚠ **Respiratory infections:** watch for labored breathing or discharge—seek treatment early.
• ⚠ **Heat stress:** at temperatures above 75 °F, offer a cool tile or frozen water bottle for relief.

8️⃣ Grooming & Hygiene Care

• 🛏 Regularly clean bedding, hideouts, chew toys, wheel, and cage platforms.
• 🧼 Spot-clean droppings and soiled areas daily, sanitize weekly.
• 🚫 Avoid dusty bedding or cedar shavings—they irritate skin and lungs.

9️⃣ Enrichment Checklist

1. Timothy hay and pellet station available at all times
2. Two levels of shelter/hideouts within cage
3. Manual or exercise wheel (≥15″ solid surface)
4. Chew toys: wood, pumice, botanical blocks
5. Weekly toy rotation
6. Dust bath container & fresh volcanic ash
7. Daily interaction and training/playtime
8. Monitor weight, droppings, appetite, behavior weekly
9. Annual vet exam + exotic pet health profile
10. Access Ask A Vet app for emergency support or behavior questions

🌈 Final Thoughts from Dr Duncan Houston

Chinchillas thrive in environments that respect their natural instincts: thoughtful habitat design, fiber-rich nutrition, regular dust baths, stimulating enrichment, and gentle daily bonding. Not only does this support physical health, but it also cultivates trust and emotional wellbeing. With vigilance, veterinary care, and tools like Ask A Vet, you’re equipped to offer your chinchilla a joyful, thriving life. Happy chinchilla caring! 🐾📱